Two afternoons ago, Rasputin started to sneeze as if he were trying to blow his brains out his nostrils. They were such violent sneezes that shook his head and quaked his entire body. Much more than one would expect from an allergy.
This morning after I returned home from cardiac rehab, Aaron, who was getting ready for work, had an answer to the sneezing mystery. He had seen a blonde hair sticking out of Rasputin's nostril and had given it a tug. As Rasputin whined and fussed, Aaron eventually pulled out a 4-to-5-inch hair with follicle. No wonder the poor guy had been sneezing, trying to expel this strange protuberance from his insides. And as Rasputin's entire head is about five inches long with snout, this hair was either attached to his brain or holed up in a tight ball inside his nostrils. Either way it doesn't sound fun.
And to think that it was blonde when he is white and sable. Do he and I have that much of a connection that his medical challenges have to reflect upon me with my blonde hair?
A few months ago, when Rasputin went to the vet for his annual checkup, creatnine was found in his urine, marking a decline in kidney function. I put Rasputin on a special dog food that is good for urinary woes, forced him to drink more water, and held him while I whispered softly to him, "I love you so much, Rasputin, but I do not want you to take on my challenges. I want you to be healthy and live a long, healthy life. You don't need to do this to be close to me." The urine test a month later gave him a clean bill of health, no kidney problems.
I have heard from others that dogs sometimes take on the medical ills of their owners. That's how much they love us. I'm so glad I had a soul-to-soul with Rasputin because I love him way too much to want him to get anything I have--not even something that looks like one of my blonde hairs up his nose!
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