“Inflamed intestinal lining.” That was the veterinarian’s diagnosis when we took a very sick Penny in this week. It sounds horrible, and it is. To coin a phrase, you wouldn’t wish it on a dog.
What causes it? Who knows? Given Penny’s uncontrollable appetite, and her “outdoor” diet, it could have been just about anything. After all, this is a dog that will lick at any sticky spot in the road and, when taken for a walk so that she may answer nature’s call, is incessantly nosing in the grass, looking for a stray bit of garbage or rabbit poop. Her intestinal tract has managed to process the most appalling grub imaginable — maybe it just got tired of the job.
In any case, you don’t want your dog to get “inflamed intestinal lining.” Trust me on this! Penny ended up leaking dark brown crud from both ends, leaving our beige family room rug as spotted as the coat on an Appaloosa mare. She wouldn’t eat, and she wouldn’t even get up when Kish left the house. But the vet figured it out, and Penny is back on the bounce.
After our bout with “inflamed intestinal lining,” I understand the meaning of the phrase “sick as a dog.”
Webner House 
So sorry to hear about Penny. Perhaps once she is well she will tell us about it in her own words, as the next installment of the Penny Chronicles.
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