Dogster

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Life With Sharon, or, How Much Can a Dog Take?

Old Age

Old age is not for the faint of heart. It's a good thing I have a good attitude and always look on the sunny side, because things are getting harder. Back xrays showed that some of my vertebrae have lost their cushioning and are rubbing against each other - guess that's why I don't want to walk very fast anymore. Of course, I don't mind - slow walking is all the better for sniffing. When Mom and Dinah want to walk fast, I go in the stroller. Dinah doesn't like that so much because Mom has her attached to a short belt so she doesn't get to sniff.

The xrays I had also showed bladder stones - four of them,all in a neat little bunch. So now I have to eat this food that looks like gray school paste and nothing else - did you hear me? NOTHING ELSE! NO TREATS! OF ANY KIND! This has to go on for at least two months. Fortunately for me, I don't mind the taste of it, but it would be nice to have a little variety and some crunch once in a while.

Next week I have to start swim therapy again. Punishment on top of pain! See what I mean about old age? Phooey!

Why Does My Head Feel Funny?

I had a broken tooth extracted today. My brain feels fuzzy
and ... I keep ... drifting... huh? What was I saying? Oh, yes, my tooth... It had been causing me occasional pain which I tried to rub out on the floor, but Mom didn't know what was making me do that, so we went to the vet who checked my whole face and found a broken tooth that was loose. So today I had to have it out. When Mom picked me up from the vet this afternoon, I made a big show of running out and acting lively, but by the time we got home Mom had to carry me out of the car like a limp noodle. I managed to eat dinner even though I nearly fell into my bowl, and now I'm kind of in and out of consciousness.

Dinah has so much to learn. She's afraid to go down the stairs of our building, which is not good in case we have to evacuate. Today (while I was under the anesthesia) Mom made her practice going down our stairs. It took a lot of persuasion, praise and patience, but in the end she was able to go down two short flights of stairs and back up. Mom was able to sweet-talk her into stepping down two steps with her front feet, but she left her back feet up at the top. She didn't seem to know what to do with them, so Mom helped her move one of them down one step and that got her momentum going. Mom told her what a brave girl she was and what a good job she had done, but she didn't want to do the rest of them. It took a lot of petting and praising and encouragement before they were back up where they had started. Mom decided that would do for today - more practice to come.

What a Surprise!!

Living on the West Coast and not being an early riser, I'm always the last to know everything. Imagine my surprise when Mom opened my mailbox this morning and it was full of wonderful messages and prezzies! Thank you all so much and thank you Dogster for the honor that brought me all the attention AND a new pup pal. This has been quite a week for me!