The Conehead

So after a full day of basketball on Saturday we get home and John has to give Ebony & Onyx some extra attention after being 'home alone' all day. A little relaxing time before a busy Sunday of church and then more basketball on Monday. So Sunday afternoon we're about to head back to church for the English service John leads, when I notice THIS on Onyx left hind foot!

YUCK!! This picture doesn't look nearly as bad as it did in person - John said it looked like a giant strawberry with black stubble. We need a vet! It's Sunday afternoon! A former student is a vet and we could really use one we can communicate with! John tries her email and her cell - no longer in service. We drive to a pet clinic we've seen not too far from our house.. closed, and tomorrow is a holiday so closed then as well. We head to the church and ask Pastor if he knows the vet his daughter used- no, but he calls his daughter-in-love and asks who she used, gets the number, calls - yes! they're opened! John has to do the service so I head home to get Onyx and take him to the vet, all the while wondering how I'm gonna say what I want to say and understand what they tell me, since my Japanese is far from fluent. God is SO good!! I walk in to the clinic and one of the vets there is Yuriko! John's former English student - YEAH!!
She examines Onyx foot, lances it, gives him a shot, gives antibiotics to take for a week until we return to get it looked at again, and......

The CONE! He has to wear this for the week so he cannot get to his foot. He DOES NOT LIKE IT!!!! The walk that night was cruelly hilarious! Poor Onyx! Every time he tried to sniff out a spot he banged his conehead, which scared him and we learned that if he cannot sniff first he cannot pee! Seriously! We finally had to remove the cone so he could - or would. So he gets a few minutes relief each day for meals and walks but then it's back to....

THE CONEHEAD!