My Baby Dog

So how's your beautiful baby dog coping with life at the moment, k?

Hi MsOlga. Bootsie still seems happy. She continues to slowly lose control of her hind legs and continues to be more and more tired. This morning she banged up her little feet so badly that she was leaving little bloody paw-prints all over the kitchen floor. A quick soak in some mildly soapy water fixed her up ok.

Thanks for asking!

If I may ask -- how is she hurting her feet? Is she dragging the tops of them, or is she somehow stepping on bad stuff?

She drags the tops of them, the sides of them, she pivots on her pads when she walks and they slide out in all directions too. With the lack of control, she knocks into doorframes and table legs inside, rocks and sticks outside.

And, of course you may ask!

Hello to you, too, k!

I know this is a hard thing for the "companion" of a beloved animal to go through, day by day ... watching, watching for signs & changes...
But, in my experience, k, you sort of go along with the changes ... accommodate them. You change the pattern of your routine with the critter, to make their life as good as possible ... & then keep watching for further signs. <sigh> (I'm sure you know about this.)
Yes, it's sad, I know ... but as you're probably finding, it's a totally new dimension to the relationship. And in it's own strange & sad way, it's a big comfort to know that you're responding to the situation with all care & love you can muster. The best you can offer. The critter knows it, too. They depend so much more on you.
I guess this is all part & parcel of our relationships with these wonderful critters with such unfortunately short lives (compared to us humans). I guess we just have to accept the eventual loss. <sigh>
My thoughts are with you, k.

Thanks MsOlga. It's true that we figure out ways to accomodate her. I bought booties for her last fall so we could continue to take walks, but that didn't last long. Now I don't take her out of the house with me as much, not even to my sister's house with the big yard. She loves it, loves her doggie cousin there, adores the kids, but she's so exhausted at the end of the day. I take her there only about twice a week now.

I watch for good days and bad days. On the bad days I feed her on the wood floors where she has a little more traction, or in bed. Lucky dog gets meals in bed.....

We really seem to understand each other. I can communicate jjust by looking sometimes now. We have just gotten better and better at communicating.... so awsome and so sad at the same time.

Yes, yes, I know, k.

I've been there so many times I almost accept it.
Hang in there. It's good for both of you. You'll feel right about what inevitably happens. But sad. I know.

Sorry, I just feel a little morbid, but I'm supposed to be learning neuro right now and it helps to be able to but a concrete face on things, even if it's a virtual concrete face (which makes no sense at all)...

Pdog, it's really fine. I don't mind talking about it at all. As for a concrete example, concrete files her back nails really well as she drags her feet. Or at least, it did before she dragged too much as she does now.

MsOlga, I have confidence that things will be very different with Bootsie than they were with Squirrel (Screech's sister). I have learned so much since she died a few years ago.

My dogs have been taken by cars, duck hunters, and poison.

Never had a dog that died a natural death.

Unless Old Blue ascends directly to Heaven rapture style, all death is a natural death wouldn't you say?

Last year one of my dogs played in the road roulette once too often and was hit by a car. He died. Naturally.

Yes, you do learn from previous experiences, don't you, k? Not the best of ways to learn though, is it? <sigh>

That's very sad, Gus. Awful.

I had a cat run over, Spackle, to be precise. Zaps me even now. Be glad I am not so swift with the scanner at home and don't have the Spackle pic at work. Not that I'd show him run over, sorry gussy, but that I'd show him right this minute.

I live in fear that Thunderpaw, usually called Pacco, will run out sans my collaring him into the busy street I live on. I got him as a quite older dog and have no illusions of training him at this point to ignore his very doggy instincts.

Sorry for tangent, riffing here, littleK.

Tangents are almost always ok on my threads. Sorry about spackle - I'd love to see pictures!

Ok, maybe over the weekend I'll work on it.

Me, too, osso!

Spackle & Thunderpaw! Wonderful critter names!

Agreed

We spent a lot of time trying to name our cats (kachooow, sneeze) and came up with stupid easy names in the end, after forays through Yeats and other poets. Spackle, since we were mad with spackling and sanding.

Pacco, you know more personally as my corgi, a previously owned dog whose history I don't know, thus I don't know his age. I know him and he knows me, though, and he is..................Thunderpaws!!!!!!!!!

Now I know this is in contrast to Bootsie at present and I flail at the fragility. Even the pacc limps, he has chips in his shoulder... Their glory is short but of such grandeur.

They're the best!