Today was more or less a repeat of yesterday. Dot slept well last night and appeared a little stronger today. Her rear legs are still shaky, but she didn't stumble and fall today, and that's a good thing. I didn't stumble either, but I'm real glad it's Friday. I was on the phone with a new set of tech support people, trying to resolve a client's website problems. I'm inching my way toward completion on my latest design project, but my primary job is still babysitting sick dogs.
Dalmatians can be incredibly stubborn. Even though Dot can barely move, she still wants to take her regular walks in the morning. She is always disappointed when I leave the house with Dash while Janet is getting ready for work. Then when I return to take her on a much shorter walk, she doesn't like the baby steps we're taking toward recovery. We walk a little bit longer each day, but we're still only going several hundred yards, instead of the several miles she is used to. She's happy to be outside though, so we walked very slowly this morning, both enjoying the cooler than normal August air.
We had a small accident in the bed again last night, but it was our fault and not Dot's. We both overslept and missed our 2 AM time slot for getting her up and outside to pee. If the doctors are correct about the possibility that it could take up to six weeks before her incontinence goes away, the month of August is going to be very long and arduous. Dot didn't pee in the house during the day, but she doesn't like the waterproof crib pads I've strategically placed around the house for her to sleep on. The lightweight polyester pads are too flimsy and when Dot starts the characteristic circling motion that dogs do before they lie down, the pads get tangled up in her feet and she gets frustrated and just lies down on the carpet instead. I have three older "made in America" waterproof pads that are sturdier and more substantial, but these are constantly in the washing machine being cleaned.
When I was getting dressed this morning, I saw something on the news about the Department of Homeland Security going to people's homes and confiscating old Land Rover Defenders like the one I used to own. WTF? We've got a border crisis. Terrorists are popping up all over the place, and the government has made it a priority to round up old Land Rover Defenders? I don't get it. I didn't catch the entire story, but maybe we're all supposed to be driving a Prius or something.
Getting old is a bitch. Dot has made an amazing recovery from some very serious surgery and now her old neurological problems are resurfacing. I think if we're patient and take things slowly, we can get back to where we were before by resuming her water therapy and acupuncture. It's an uphill battle though, because age always wins in the end. I remember my Dad seemed like John Wayne until he was in his mid-seventies and then he just fell apart. After quadruple bypass surgery in his early 80's, he never fully recovered. It is sobering to realize that everything that is happening to Dot could easily happen to me in the not too distant future. Time moves on and we all just do the best we can.
Snoopy is today's Dalmatian of the Day |
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A good friend's husband suddenly lost 5 pounds and went to the doctor. He was dead in a year from a cancer. He said, just after the diagnosis, "If you had asked me, I would have said I was the healthiest 77-year-old in the county." He skied, golfed, gardened, refereed baseball and other school sports, etc. We all do leave in the end.
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