Sunday, August 18, 2013

Day 1342

Now Dot is having problems. She stumbled getting out of the car at the dog park this morning. At first I thought her slight limp was the result of landing too hard as she jumped off the car seat. After a few minutes, she seemed just fine at the park. Later in the day though, she had periods where she seemed unsteady and confused. Occasionally she would have trouble getting up. Once, when she was standing, she almost toppled over and I had to rush to catch her. For the most part however, she seemed absolutely normal, with no limp or side effects whatsoever. I started to wonder if her neurological problems had returned and shortly after dinner, my fears were confirmed. After taking a nap, she couldn't get up at all.  I helped her stand and she tilted to one side like she had vertigo. I'm almost certain that she's had another seizure.

It's stressful knowing that either dog could have a seizure at any time. Dot's seizures are completely different than the ones Dash has too. His are quite violent and hers seem like someone just temporarily switched off her brain. When Dot has episodes like this, she has a vacant, non-responsive look and appears totally confused.  The vet says she may be experiencing vertigo during these episodes and loses her sense of balance. I'm going to try to get her to see a vet tomorrow and find out if the problem is in her legs, or in her brain.

If it weren't for all the dog problems, it would have been a nice, relaxing day. The weather was unusually cool for this time of year and I'm more or less caught up with work projects. Since Janet has a birthday coming up, I did some shopping and package wrapping while Janet kept an eye on the dogs. Janet had to go to a meeting later in the day and I stuck to doing things where I could keep Dot at my side. She's resting peacefully now, but I think she might have problems when she tries to go out to pee just before bedtime. The last time she tried to get up, she was really shaky.

I hope things return to normal tomorrow. It was going to be a busy day already, but if Dot's condition doesn't improve with rest overnight, it's going to get a lot busier. Hopefully, I can get her in to see the vet in the morning, although I'm not certain if there's anything that can be done at this point. I wish the dogs were younger, since many of the problems that come with old age simply can't be reversed. I wish I was younger for exactly the same reasons.

Lucy is today's Dalmatian of the Day
Watch of the Day