Sadie developed a rash on two of her paws that we didn’t notice until a couple of weeks ago when she started licking at it. Because she was in discomfort, we went in to see the vet, who diagnosed it as an allergy. To what, we don’t know, since we can’t think of anything that has changed in our home recently.Whatever it is, we gave her some medication and she has to have an ointment applied to her paws. To keep her from licking it off, she needs to wear a cone for an hour or two after the application.

Any animal wearing a cone simply looks pitiful. However, this picture doesn’t relate the far more sorrowful way she mopes around with her head down whenever the cone is on. The wet dog look (she just had a bath) does help.

I also hate to admit it, but it’s hard not to laugh at the slapstick routine she goes through, trying to get around. She hasn’t created a self image that includes the edges of the device, so whenever she moves, the edge gets stuck on the chair, the table, the wall, the stair riser. She also doesn’t know that she should simply back off when it hits rather than try to “power through.”

However, we’re not completely heartless. We do try to keep her quiet and laying down while its on so she won’t hurt herself.

Fortunately, we are reaching the end of the treatment and she didn’t wear the cone at all yesterday.