Saturday, Feb 27, 2016

It is hot today, or rather…it is very humid. The humidity is what seems to be the real issue. There isn’t a breeze coming off the ocean and blowing through town. On days like today as I walk around the old town, and feel the sticky South American humidity and hot sun bearing down on me, I feel like I’m on the set of Romancing the Stone or something. These are the days I know I’m in South America and it makes me smile to myself.

Heidi and I needed to take Keeper to the Vet in San Vicente today. That is the town just across the bridge from us. The Vet there is very good. Two weeks ago we took her because she has some black wart-like things on her skin. One of them, on her leg, is very prominent. The Vet looked her over, gave us some antibiotics, shampoo, and cream to use, and told us to come back in two weeks.

It’s been two weeks and the things are still on her. I don’t think they are any worse, maybe some are even a bit smaller, but the one on her leg still looks bad and it bleeds a little if picked at. The Vet wants us to take Keeper to Portoviejo, a 90 minute trip, to a Vet there and have the leg thing removed and biopsied.

She needs to be put under anesthesia, and since Keeper is 10 years old, he wants her monitored and on oxygen while it’s done. He doesn’t have the equipment to do that in his office. She seems fine, but something is up with her skin, so we are going to figure out how to get her to Portoviejo and get this done. I’m still hoping it will go away…fast.

I don’t know how the Vet makes any money. He has a nice office. It’s very clean and the Vet washes his hands a lot. I could see him in his exam room while he was working on a dog that came in with something wrong with its leg. I think he knows what he is doing.

Still, I don’t get how he makes money. He charged Heidi $10 for our first visit which included the exam, and the shampoo he gave us. (We picked up the antibiotic tablets and cream at the pharmacy.) At our return visit, he again examined Keeper. We also asked him to trim her nails which he did.

When we were finished we bought some new dog food from him…some brand name specialty food for sensitive skin ($54 a bag), and then asked him how much for the exam and nails. He told us the follow-up exam was included in the charge for the initial visit, and he didn’t charge us for the nail trimming. It was obviously a great deal for us, but I’m not sure how he affords groceries. Obviously, he loves what he does.

Chao.