A dog has cost his owner £350 in emergency bills after his drama queen reactions to a mosquito bite and a paper cut.
Jaqweenie, a five-year-old chihuahua and Jack-Russel mix, reacts to minor scrapes as though he is seriously injured so has to be taken to the vets.
Owner Jean Mosher was walking Jaqweenie with a friend last month when he suddenly became mysteriously ‘injured’.
He started panting, was wide-eyed and licked his foot constantly, convincing his owner that he was badly hurt.
Jean gave him medication for the pain and itching, and a cone to stop him licking, and Jean ended up being charged £163 ($200).
Jean said: ‘I tried to wait to see if he was being dramatic, but he was so upset that both my friend and myself became quite concerned.
‘Jaqweenie fully recovered that afternoon. I’m thinking I might start doing a peanut butter test before taking him to the vet next time.
‘If he stops limping to eat some peanut butter – then he doesn’t need medical attention.’
In 2021, Jaqweenie was at a park in his hometown of Raleigh, North Carolina, when he was suddenly unable to walk.
Jean, a stay-at-home dog mum, rushed over and found him trembling with his leg curled up at his side.
She said: ‘We examined his leg with a flashlight but we couldn’t see anything.
‘I rushed him to the vet immediately. He’s very small so his knees are shallow and can get dislocated easily.
‘I also thought he may have broken his leg.’
The vet examined Jaqweenie and only found a tiny cut – so small that the vet called it a ‘paper cut’.
They bandaged Jaqweenie’s foot and sent the pair home with a £120 ($150) bill for their troubles.
Jean said: ‘I was surprised and relieved. I love him so much that I couldn’t be annoyed at him.
‘He made a full recovery the next day. I still have the bandage.’
Not all of Jaqweenie’s ‘injuries’ end up at the vet.
In September last year, he also suffered a bee sting that meant he needed to be carried home and spent the whole evening lying on the sofa.
Jean even went through the effort of bandaging his leg so that he would feel cared for.
She said: ‘Luckily I saw it sting him so I knew he wasn’t badly injured and was able to avoid the emergency vet.
‘He did insist on being carried home. He was pretty upset about this ‘injury’ and convalesced on the couch that whole evening.
‘In spite of the pain he managed to eat a bully stick.’
Jean enjoys the pooch’s dramatic streak and sees it as a sign he is well looked after.
She said: ‘Jaqweenie had been a stray the first year of his life. It actually makes me happy to see him be a little dramatic.’
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