Kashi had another visit to the vet. He has now had yet another stern talking to on the need for him to gain health in the very near future for the sake of my mental health and the sake of my pocketbook.

For a week and a half, he has been licking at his front leg, every chance he got. For the past five days, I have tortured him with wearing the collar he had after surgery to try and keep him from destroying the tissue on his leg. Since he cannot eat or drink with it on, I had to take it off several times a day. That means, as the days passed, I accumulated many, many small bites on my fingers as I tried to avoid harm from Kashi's rather vigorous protestations over wearing the thing.

Even though the collar is clear, Kashi still walks into walls and doorways and furniture and human legs while wearing it. He falls. His surgery leg is getting worse again.

I called the vet yesterday afternoon and gave her four options:

• Shave his leg and stick it under a microscope to see what is capturing his undivided attention.
• Prescribe something--anything that is an anti-something.
• Bandage it up for a week so that it might could heal safely away from that attention.
• The vet trades dogs with me until his front leg heals.

She laughed and then told me to come in to see her. She shaved the leg, discovered an abrasion that was getting infected, prescribed antibiotics and steroids, and bandaged it up. All this was done rather hastily because her office was packed. One of her vets had decided to have a mid-career crisis and left the practice. As medical director, she stepped up to fill the gap and is working all hours of the night and day to cover his shifts.

I must say, that her kindness abated ever so slightly when I alarmingly pointed out that the area she shaved was crooked. "After all," I noted, "I am the one who has to look at his leg like that for weeks." With only the slightest rolling of eyes, she made a perfect rectangle before proceeding with treatment.

The less-than-economical bandage the new vet technician put on his leg slid down until he walked out of it when we went walking at Huntley Meadows on the way home from the vet's office. But given that there were 10 dogs, 2 cats, and a bird waiting on her, I decided against going back to get another bandage. When we got home, I put a muzzle on Kashi and wrapped it myself.

His vet and I are hoping that a lingering infection in the joint that was repaired might be hindering his recovery. She prescribed a stronger antibiotic than was needed for the abrasion in case that is the problem. If there is no improvement other than the front leg healing, we will x-ray his back leg again. Since those are completely non-economical, I am crossing my fingers that his current medications will finally move him forward. His vet is flummoxed that he is not better. I am heart sore. She wishes us both to be better soon.

Cross your fingers with me, will you?