What's a momma to do?

It's hard not to love this guy. He really is a part of this family, and even though a baby is coming, and it will be hard, we have vowed to make sure all his needs are fully met. I mean look at the pictures above, he is a lover, a protector, willing to go anywhere and do anything. He has unfortunately, not been himself these days. He has started itching and scratching. It first started with his tail, we thought he must have caught it on something. Then we found patches on his neck, and his face. Pretty much anywhere he can scratch, he has created a wound. So now we have him on a strict hypoallergenic diet (grain free, corn free, soy free, beef free, chicken free, turkey free, etc.) and lifestyle and we have to bathe him weekly. And all the research we have done says that it can take 10-14 weeks to finally see positive results. So here we go, we are on a journey, a very frustrating journey.

You know how much a scratch or cut itches while it heals, but we all know pretty well not to touch it because it will only make it worse (okay after the 4th or 5th time we re-open it)? Well, how do you explain that to a dog? We are constantly telling him to "leave-it," and he is constantly uncomfortable. So now we use the "cone of shame" when we leave for his own good and to protect his healing wounds. I really hope it is a food allergy because that is something we can control. If it is something in the environment like pollen, grass, or the cat, we are in for a different wild ride.

One funny thing the vet told is that most all Gold Retrievers HATE to be sprayed with anything. I thought we just had a big baby for a dog because he hides every time a spray bottle comes out. We really only spray conditioner on him but he acts like we are going to use some sort of painful torture devise. So you can imagine how fun it is spraying his wounds....