My beautiful boy is in a bad way.
Padfoot has some sort of cold/bug and so is on antibiotics. On top of that, he has conjunctivitis and so has to have drops in his eyes twice-a-day. Both ailments are enough to get anybody down but something else has really knocked him off his feet - literally. He has degenerative myelopathy.
This cruddy condition is common to many alsatians and makes them gradually lose control of and feeling in their back legs. The condition is chronic and ends with the dog being unable to stand unaided and certainly unable to walk.
Well, Pad collapsed yesterday and I had to carry him up to bed - he weighs seven stone!! Today I carried him back down again and, although he was able to drag himself outside, he barely has use of his legs.
Isn't life shit? Of all the people who SHOULD be crippled - Jim Davidson, Thatcher, Chubby Brown, Bush etc - why should it be Pad?
The very-soon-to-be ex-Mrs Pither is heading north today to see her mother for a few days and so we have Pither Towers to ourselves. I have already got the fire going in the lounge and I have a cupboard full of treats for the boy. A weekend of quality time spent together is on the cards.
Being disabled can go to Grantham.
PADWATCH UPDATE: 8.30pm.
Tilly, bless her, realises that all is not well with her biggest brother.
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11 comments:
I would say 'Get well soon', but that's obviously not appropriate. Have a good weekend and tell Pad Uncle Malc will be round to play soon.
I am so sorry for the boy. No justice in that. Time for a big blanket on the floor and a lot of cuddling.
Oh Reg, that's awful. He's such a beautiful dog. He looks so sad in your photo, I hope the weekend together taking it easy brings him a little comfort.
The munch, smallest birdwatcher, saw the photo and said "thats the sort of dog I want dad".
Have a good weekend together.
Argh! that's rubbish, why didn't this happen to Hitler?? Does this mean Padfoot has to have one of those dog wheelchairs? he looks so sad, give him a hug and smoke pipes together by the fire and have him wear a deer-stalker hat. Everyone needs one of those.
Hi, I'm sorry about your beautiful dog. My dog Puppy also has d.m. and I am all too familiar with it. There are things you can do to extend his mobility. Puppy is on Prednisone, which makes some difference to him (It made a remarkable diference to my prior dog with d.m.) There is a harness that your dog can wear that makes it easier for you to help support his rear. http://www.lonelyplanet.com/bookings/trvl_gear/item/ruff_wear_web_master_dog_harness.htm. The biggest difference is the mobility cart we got him. The best ones seem to be from Eddie's Wheels http://eddieswheels.com/html/dm.html. I borrowed one from someone, then bought one from Craigslist. We use it to take him on walks to keep his muscles moving. Your dog could also use it in the house. Makes a huge difference. We got boots for Puppy's back feet, because he drags his knuckles and they get bloody. The best ones of these are from Ruffwear, the same people who make the harness. All this can be expensive, but some of it you can improvise and some of it you can find on ebay or get used.
I wish you and your dog health and happiness.
Susan
Dear All,
Thank you so much for your kind words. Pad's bearing up and we had an international love-in over the weekend - never does any harm! Sadly, I have suspicions that something else may be afflicting Pad. I won't tempt fate by mentioning the word. I'll keep you posted.
Dear Susan,
Thank you very much for stopping by and offering all that fantastic advice and those links. That is so kind. I will chase up the Prednisone straight away. I have already looked into the harness situation - but I will chase your links as well. Many thanks again.
I'm a little late but I hope you had a comforting weekend with Pad and Tilly (she's a star). Thinking of you all.
oh this is so sad
:-(
biggest of hugs to you all and the wonderful Tilly for sensing when a little TLC is needed
Really sorry to read about all this mate, but also cheered to hear about superstar Tilly looking out for her brother...
Love and hugs to Pad and to you all,
Big Ears
:(
big BIG hug to Pad
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