What does the Frank Say: I was sick, and I didn't know how to tell anyone what was wrong.

Hi guys, Frankie here. You can call me Frank for short. Or Frankfurter for long. Or Stankles if we are close. You've probably seen me before. I am a small (but mighty) yorkie-bichon mix, have jet black hair with a little white goatee, and my mom owns Dog's World Walking. So I get to hang around the packs a lot! My mom said i HAD to include a picture (moms.. can't live with them, can't live without them), so don't make fun of me too much! 

I am going to be a recurring guest blogger for her, so I guess you need to get used to me. My blogs will be called "What does the Frank say", and unlike the fox, I have more to say than just ra-ta-ta-ta-ta-tata! I will be talking often about doggy events, as well as some of my favourite hang outs in the city. Today though, I have a pretty important thing to talk about - because I just went through a little medical issue and had my mom pretty upset and worried. I wanted to share my story so that if it happens to you, you can show your human this post and maybe they won't worry and cry like my mom!

Starting on Sunday morning, I became a stress case. I wouldn't stop panting and shaking.. and my mom was very sad and worried. She took me outside, where I became more calm, but once I was back inside and just sitting around I would continue to shake and pant. It was my way of saying "MOM! something is wrong with me!". 

Even though I am 4 years old and am totally in love with my mom, I have been known to act a little on the anxious side... Sorry we can't all be cool cucumbers like my sister Sadie... My mom initially thought I was being anxious because I just had a month long vacation with my Grandparents and their 4 dogs and that I was sad to be back in Toronto. With this, she went and got me a pheromone. Admittedly, it did help me feel relaxed, but it didn't help solve what was really going on with me.  
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I didn't know how to tell her something was bothering me. I was acting strange, apparently that was enough to signify something was wrong, because I am a strange dude.. So I stepped it up and changed my behaviour in another way: I started to refuse dinner and refuse treats. THIS worried my mom. I nearly put her into tears when she offered me a piece of chicken and I didn't take it. With this, she knew something was wrong. Because I am a man who LOVES to eat. 

After talking on the phone to some people, she told me that I was going to go see my favourite Vets in the world - Queen West Vet. When my mom told them that I was anxious, and not eating, they told her it was my way of letting her know I was in pain, and that I needed to be seen ASAP! 

So my mom took me to the vet today. Sadie and Winston tagged along for moral support. The vet told my mom that when a dog is acting like I was (anxious, shaking, panting, not eating, refusing treats) that it is likely one of the following 3 things:

1. My anal gland(s) might be swollen. The vet says this is the most likely and most easy to diagnose and treat. He told my mom it hurts us A LOT, and so dogs with impacted anal glands often react the way I did
2. I could be in pain... this is when my mom started crying. The vet said it is harder to diagnose and pinpoint, but basically they would treat me for pain for a few days, and if I got better - they would know it was pain related and then go from there.
3. Behaviour related. Do dogs get headaches? Do we see ghosts? Do we get mental disorders? These are some questions that are very hard for even vets to answer.. which would make this the hardest to diagnose and treat. 

With that, they took me to the back room.. where my butt would be investigated, and sent my mom to the lobby. I was glad Winston and Sadie were there... Clearly it was my mom who needed the moral support!!!

I am not going to tell you what happened in the back room, but I will tell you it was NOT pleasant. Turns out, my anal glands were the size of quarters. I am a small dude... They should be the size of lentils. Let's just say they took care of them... and they are not longer impacted.

I was so happy that the vet found the issue right away, because I don't want my mom worrying any longer than she needed to. When the vet told her the news she was SO happy she cried AGAIN! Who would have thought impacted anal glads would be happy news! 

I am going to be in pain for a few more days, but by Friday I should be a new man. I am feeling better already though, just knowing that my mom has that peace of mind. 

So anyway, guys, show this to your humans. That way if you have something wrong - and display it like I did, your humans might not worry like mine did. Thanks for reading, and I hope all your bums are healthy :)

As my mom always says, "it's a dog's world, we're just living in it!"