Confusion...

Since the last writing not much has been going on by way of the little Mackster's health issues but then again we are just so happy to have him doing well and feeling great. The only issue has been the itching and red spots that continually come up to bother him and we have tried everything we can to make him more comfortable. If we could find the one thing that would rid him of all these spots that he licks till they are bleeding, we'd be one step closer to ensuring that he was truly comfortable. But ever since we moved to this house nearly two years ago and specifically to this yard, this has become an issue.  We never noticed this in the old yard. So whatever it is, it has to be plant based and in abundance.  Every year we go through this and during the winter months, he gets a reprieve.  But we've had such a warm winter, everything is blooming as if it's Spring already. I wish I had a magic pill to give him to to make this go away, but sadly the only thing is an antihistamine tablet every twelve hours.  Usually not enough to end the hot spots from happening though.
His hair is growing out pretty well, but unfortunately he will always have a slightly lopsided look to his face. If they were trying to comfort us with saying we'd be the only ones to ever know he had the surgery, they were wrong.  But that is ok, we love him anyway~
The only other issue we have with him is that he is constantly in need of going outside, when he never was much into it before, now it's every five minutes. He wants to go out and sit on the deck. I know this was a great place for him before but he would go out, lay down and pretty quickly want back in after a short time, but now, it's go out, stay there for a little while, lay down then get back up and want in which is similar to before but very different now because as soon as he's back in for less than five minutes, he wants back out to do the same thing all over again.  It goes on like this for hours and days, we can't figure out what it is that he wants and we keep trying to understand Diggie Dog language we don't apparently speak.  Sometimes I wonder what it's about, this separation that he so desires.  Yet, when I'm anywhere in the house, from one end of the house to the other, he HAS to be there with me. There is no just leaving him in one room while I go to another, even if for three minutes or less, he gets up and trots along with me so that he is within eyesight of me.  If he's trying to give me clues as to his need to be away, this behavior says differently, but at the same time when he's outside, I don't necessarily have to be there with him while he's on the deck, so this causes great confusion. I feel as if I'm always trying to read his behavior and translate it so I can give him what he wants, but just as a child isn't sure of what they want at times, you just keep guessing and trying new things. The attachment issue I can understand since he doesn't hear as well as he did before, this could cause the need to follow my lead, but there are times when that isn't an issue at all. Especially if he is interested in getting his food taken care of, then I don't exist!  And he isn't in need of seeing me at all, just Bob making his dinner up for him~
So we are trying to learn a new language we aren't sure we will ever understand and trying very hard to please a dog who can't speak. I wish we knew how to give him what he wanted but I feel like I'm failing every time he looks at me with those big brown eyes and seems to be saying, do something.
Maybe it's the skin issues, maybe it's the jaw, maybe it's pain, maybe it's boredom, who knows. I hope in the days we have ahead of us that I find out some clue that gives me the right answer and maybe then we'll get Mack the Diggie Dog on an even keel that he's happy with and we are too.