Where There Is No Pet Doctor

Living aboard a sailboat with a crewmember who has four paws can be a challenge at times.  A worthy challenge, but a challenge no less.  Kala sometimes gets hurt or sick or has issues, similar to humans, but she cannot tell us what hurts or how it happened.  So, we have to do the best we can. 

One night we came back to the boat and Kala seemed agitated.  There was no wind that night and the mossies were out of control.  I thought she was frustrated and annoyed and a bit itchy so I gave her ¼ of a Benadryl.  The symptoms continued to worsen and I realized it was more than I suspected.  She was having an allergic reaction to something (still not sure but my best guess is a bee sting) and ¼ Benadryl was not going to make the reaction stop.  Using my reference guide for dosage, I gave her more Benadryl and stayed up with her until she fell asleep – around 3am.  I checked on her periodically through the night, followed up with another dose the next morning, and was so relieved when I finally saw a proper tail wag.

It might be hard to tell, but her skin was red and rashy...and she was agitated - classic allergic symptoms

My reference manual - highly recommended for anyone traveling with pets.