Two Old Dogs

Ours Are Old

What do you get when you have two old dogs? Vet bills, that’s what you get. Gary and I wouldn’t have it any other way. At times it’s stressful. Especially when one of them isn’t feeling good. This just happened with Ernie. He slept by me one entire day. He got up twice to shift positions, laid his body down again and promptly fell back asleep.

Something Is Wrong

What is wrong with him? He didn’t go outside to go to the bathroom, he didn’t eat, nor did he drink any water. It was puzzling and out of the ordinary for him. He loves his dog food; I finally found the right food for him. It's called Hills Science. He eats it up on any normal day and waits patiently for another plate. Not yesterday. He looked at it and went right back to sleep. 

Not only was it puzzling but it was stressful as well. He is an older dog. Being 13 at any given time something could go wrong. I lose sleep over the whole thing, which isn’t good for me either.

On a normal day Ernie is playing with his baby. A ratty old stuffed toy brought with him from his former home. He loves it and guards it. I toss he retrieves it then waits for me to grab it and throw it again. 

Not yesterday, there was no fetching or playing. Just a quiet dog who slept all day. With a don’t bother me, I don't feel good attitude. He gave me a friendly warning when I tried petting him. A little leave me alone growl. So, I let him sleep. I know when I’m sick, I don’t like to be bothered either, so I understood. 

He has been itching like crazy, which drives me crazy. Ultimately the vet said it’s most likely the pollen in the air. I guess they’ve seen a lot of dogs recently doing the same thing.

Time For the Vet Again

Ernie and I had a vet appointment at 9:30 am the following day. They drew blood. They were nice enough to take him out of the exam room to do it. They also gave him a once over exam. The vet said he was walking with his back hunched up. I told her I noticed that also. She thinks he did something to his spine. She prescribed pain pills and sent us on our way. The blood results will be in tomorrow, so she said they’d give me a call when they received the results. Everything else was normal. 

Our Morning Walks

I asked her about walking him for an hour in the morning. She asked me how I did it. I told her I drive Ernie to the park and just let him walk and sniff. He loves his walks. Sometimes I’ll stand and watch him sniff the same spot for five minutes. That’s why our walks are longer. The vet insisted it was up to the dog. Ernie would tell me when he’s had enough. He was stuck in a house for 12 years of his life. I’m glad I don’t have to discontinue his morning walks. The park is one of his favorite spots. 

Sally, our Jack Russell will be 18 in July. She has her own issues and needs. Gary takes care of her. It is stressful for him as well. It’s hard to watch Sally without feeling bad as she is losing mobility in her back end. Sometimes she looks like she’s had enough of this world. On other days she looks like she’d like to hang with us a while longer. 

Gary and I love dogs. But our house gets a little stressed when everything isn’t running like it should. 

As I’m writing this Sally is sleeping in her bed, Ernie is beside me sleeping, and Gary is in the recliner sawing logs.

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I’m at peace.

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