Sick as a Dog

Yesterday I was sick as a dog with some sort of debilitating flu. Part of me wondered about the origin of that phrase that so aptly described my condition.

It had started in the middle of the night with countless trips to the bathroom. I’m sure by afternoon my colon was cleaned out sufficiently for a colonoscopy. A couple of degrees of fever rendered me incapable of leaving my bed for very long.

My constant companion was Jake the dog who is once again sporting an E-collar to keep him from chewing on the 4 stitches in his back leg. The growth removed was benign fortunately. And he has but two more days before the stitches come out and the dreaded cone can go to the basement again.



He has done remarkably well at dealing with the unwieldy collar. I actually watched him back out of a tight space last night.

Despite his collar, Jake is not sick in the least and rarely ever is. So what is the origin of that phrase? According to World Wide Words, the phrase first appeared in 1705 and was used to describe physical unhappiness. The poor dog seems to have been linked not only to this phrase, but to other negative expressions like “dog tired” and “going to the dogs.” Perhaps the phrase originated because dogs are known for getting into garbage or spoiled food only to come inside and vomit up the contents of their stomachs. So there you have it.

My husband sent out an alarm by Googling my symptoms and concluding I might have Swine Flu. A telephone conversation with Deborah dispelled that diagnosis, and left me with just a garden-variety flu that might not last too long.

It’s funny how being this sick simply cancels everything on one’s calendar until health returns. And miraculously it does!