About a week ago, I was going to launch a blog-daily for thirty days challenge for myself. It was going to be unrelated to the nablopomo crusade - my own thing. I had a list of ideas. I was inspired. It was going to happen.
And then we had a little scare with Cole. It wasn't really little. It was big-huge. On Tuesday I took him outside before work to do his thing and he wouldn't come back inside. I could hardly get him up off the grass. He just stared at me like he would get up if he could but he just couldn't do it. He is a stubborn little booger but not that stubborn; he's a good, good dog. Steve e-mailed me later in the day and had noticed the same thing at his lunch break. Cole wasn't moving, he wasn't coming when we called him, occasionally he'd yelp. We went over him many times looking for the cause of his distress. I thought maybe he ate a sock, but he was pooping just fine. On Wednesday there was no difference: we were literally moving him outside, coaxing him with treats to come back inside where he'd just collapse by the door. I buried my head into him and wailed like a baby. What did he think about that? He licked away my tears. I was sure he was suffering something awful; we both did. It was cancer, definitely cancer; maybe he had a stroke. We were in doomsday denial and so we decided if he was no better by Friday, we'd take him to the vet.
Friday, yesterday, he was no better. Our Missoni-clad vet, who sticks her fingers in stinky places and says, "Smell this!" to us, gave him a real good once over. Everything was fine - his vitals were in top shape and she couldn't feel anything suspicious. Cole loves our vet and so for the first time in a week, he was going bonkers; old Cole was back. She suggested he get X-rayed.
And then we find out that indeed, he's in pain. He has hip dysplasia so badly that his left hip is dislocated and riddled with bone spurs. He has a huge bone spur on his lower spine. He has calcified vertebrae. He's...our arthritic dog, very common to the breed. On the way out, he got a steroid injection to help with the worst of the pain - it began working instantly. He'll be on pain killers for a month and then as needed. But he's going to be okay. We were so exhausted last night. We both admitted that before we knew what was wrong, we were certain he wasn't coming home. (That bad!) I think we cried in our separate corners all week. But we said to each other anyway, "He's going to be okay! Look, he's wagging his tail; what sick dog still wags his tail like that?"
Treats all around. Bananas. He loves bananas.
So maybe I do start blogging continuously for as long as I can. I'm certainly not keeping up with any reading lately so I might as well write.
4 comments:
Poor Cole! I was reading this and hoping you would have a happy ending. The ending was a pretty good one; although, I wish he didn't have anything wrong with him. Did the doctor say he may need surgery? I am sorry you had to go through the pain of thinking the worst. As a dog lover/owner, I am sure that's such an awful feeling.
On another note, I did giggle when you said your doctor sticks her fingers in stinky places and says, "Smell this". That, my friend, is ga-ross.
Omigosh... SMELL THIS.
Madge, I hope Cole starts feeling better soon. I grew a lump in my throat as I was reading your entry...
Happy to hear Cole's tail is wagging again... and yes, life's too short to deny pups of treats and bananas. Beans is a banana lover as well. So much so that he once ate 7 while I was out. Peels included.
I am so happy to hear it wasn't something imminently bad, like renal failure. My in-laws' yellow lab had to be put down this weekend because of that and they didn't even know anything was wrong earlier in the week. :(
Alfie refuses to move lately, too, but only in the mornings before we leave for work. I think it's psychological. Does Cole seem to feel better/worse at any certain times of day? I wonder if Alfie is in some sort of pain...
i was getting weepy, too! animal stories are starting to bring out my inner sad, like serious hardcore.
SO glad to hear he's ok and doing better! give him a little treat for me, yes? i so hate it when pets get sick and they can't talk to us and tell us where it hurts.
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