Day 2401

For the first time ever I thought that today's morning walk might be Dot's last. The day started normally enough. The dogs ate their breakfast and both of them seemed eager to go outside. Dot has been a little shaky lately, but when we reached our first turn back point, she seemed eager to continue. We made it home OK, but it was obvious that Dot was tired. As the day progressed, it was equally obvious that something was wrong with her left front leg. This was very bad. With two bad rear legs and a front leg that had suddenly become lame, she only has one good leg left.

I made sure that Dot rested for the remainder of the day, trying to ensure that she was laying on her side with the problematic front leg on top. My first thought was that she had slept badly on the leg the night before and that she had gotten a cramp. Relaxing on her side with all her legs extended didn't help though. By lunchtime she could barely walk. I had to provide support for both her front and back legs.

I'm going to cancel Dot's therapy session this week. Extended rest has helped Dot in the past and maybe it will again. If we're lucky and she does regain the use of her front leg, we won't be able to walk as far as before. Going up hills is probably out of the question now. There's not much a vet can do at this point either. There's just no cure for old age. That's the discouraging thing about geriatric care. I saw it with my Dad. I saw it with all my earlier Dalmatians. And I'm seeing it with Dot. As resilient and tenacious as she is, Dot has still been in a slow, steady decline for at least two years.

I spent most of the day trying to make sure that Dot was comfortable. She didn't seem to be in pain while she was resting, but she definitely was having difficulty standing up. It was hard to find the motivation to do anything today. I posted my July invoices and took them to the post office while Dot was sleeping. I also took Dash on a walk around the lake while Dot was asleep. It's a delicate balance to keep the peace in this house. If Dash gets restless, he starts barking, which upsets Dot and gets her barking as well. I wanted Dot to sleep today, so it was important to keep Dash happy.

I doubt that I'll leave the house tomorrow. The president is coming to town and traffic is going to be horrible. I hope the visit will be a positive one. Our city has had all the protests and strife it can handle. At least Hillary and Trump are staying away. I don't think either of these two bozos would calm the situation at all.

I'll go to sleep tonight hoping that Dot will be walking again in the morning. I know it's a long shot, but it has happened before. Whatever happens tomorrow, it's going to be a long day.

Sophia is today's Dalmatian of the Day

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