January was also our first trip to the vets and boy was it a mission. I had the misconception that going by taxi would be the easiest – never have I been more wrong. Never again will I have Sasuke travel by taxi and in his crate. His weight plus that of the crate and the mishandling was too much and even now, August 2020, we dont take a taxi to the vets.

Januarys trip to the vets coincided with the first rumblings of what is now known as covid-19. Sasuke had increased his weight by approximately 5kgs and it was showing. The vet was really helpful and bilingual so there was no miscommunication for what action to take to help Sasuke get fit again. Now when ever we need to go to the vets we walk along the river heading North (our usual walks are South), leaving plenty of time to play in the river and investigate the world around.

Subsequent trips to the vet have been a little more colorful. In July, Sasuke wasn’t looking so great and so as a precaution we went to the vets. Yes we walked. Don’t judge. If he really was in bad shape then I would have carried him for the hour walk to the vets rather than take a taxi. One thing to note here is that in Japan you cannot take your dog on public transport unless it fits into a ‘travel’ bag. So that was out. When we arrived, the vet did a physical and found Sasuke to be ok. He had lost weight due to our (excessive amounts) walking and that otherwise there didn’t seem to be a problem. We agreed 48 hours observation before a blood test. 48 hours came and went and yes, he needed the blood test.

When we arrived for the blood test it was a bit of a mission as Sasuke growled and snapped at the vet. I disciplined him for it – we do not bite the hand or person who is trying to make us better. The test its self was relatively painless – Sasuke was fearful but did as he was told. Once done we waited for the results in a quiet room to one side where Sasuke could calm down and relax.

20-30 mins later we received the results. Absolutely fine. Nothing wrong at all. All clear. Turns out Sasuke just doesn’t like the heat and humidity of Kyoto. Who does?! The conclusion was that he is too lazy to get up and drink his water so he makes me worry and hand feed him ice chips as well as his dinner. Well. Better to be safe than sorry.