Day 3235

Dash gave me another scare last night. He woke me up when I felt his whole body shaking next to me. The shivering continued for quite a while and he seemed in some sort of distress. His front legs felt stiff and his heart was beating rapidly. Was this another vestibular seizure or the beginning of heart failure? He's had these episodes before and we've learned that taking him to the emergency room doesn't help at all. Trying to get him into the car during a seizure often makes things worse. I stayed next to him and kept him calm until we both fell asleep again. This morning Dash was fine. It's weird that these episodes always happen at night. I don't think Dash has ever had a vestibular seizure during the day.

The rain appears to be over for a while. It was a cool, clear Fall morning and I walked Dash before going out for breakfast. I really ought to just stay home and drink my regular smoothie on Fridays. It's becoming harder and harder to find anything in a restaurant that interests me. The buttermilk pancakes I had this morning were good, but I ate way too much and felt sluggish for the rest of the day.

Janet helped me with the storage warehouse move today. She filled her car with items for the charity shop while I filled mine with things that had to go to the new storage unit. It's pretty obvious that I don't need any of this stuff. I wonder why it's still so hard to jettison these things? It's easier to turn loose of stuff when Janet is with me. She reminds me how ridiculous it is to save things I haven't used in decades. There's still a long way to go, but I think about a third of the warehouse has been moved.

I need to remember to ask my doctor about my recurring heartburn when I have my exam next week. I thought I had the problem under control, but now it's back again. We has shrimp with pesto last night and it gave me heartburn. Tonight chicken tikka masala gave me heartburn. This shouldn't be happening. I understand why pizza might cause problems, but the pesto sauce was pretty mild. I'd hate to have to start taking proton-pump inhibitors again. They work well to control acid reflux, but they are risky to take indefinitely. Side effects from long-term use include osteoporosis and increased risk of heart attacks.

I'll probably go back to the storage warehouse tomorrow. I wish I still had my Defender. The car was indestructible and was perfect for moving things. I have to worry a lot more about scratches and dents when I'm moving things in my current car. The boxy Defender seemed to hold a lot more too. I'll still probably call a mover at some point, but the more things I can move myself, the lower the final bill will be.

Dash has had a good day. I really hope that he sleeps well tonight. There was a short period last night when I though he might die. The specialist at the cancer center has warned us that if the blood clot shifts and goes to the brain or lungs, he could go at almost any time. It's a good thing that Dash doesn't know what 's wrong with him. He's still a happy camper. I'm pretty sure he'd enjoy spending another year with us.

Puppies are today's Dalmatians of the Day

Watch of the Day

Day 2834

It was difficult to get ready this morning. The anti-nausea pills seem to have no effect on Dash's appetite. I had a lot of trouble getting him to take his morning pills before I had to leave for my dental appointment. I need to remember to start making all appointment later like I did when Dot was alive. It's not fair to rush a sick dog.

Dash spit out his pills twice when I put them in a ball of wet dog food. I retrieved the pills and finally got him to eat them by putting them inside a small slice of banana bread and mashing the bread into a ball. Dash won't eat bananas any more, but for some reason, he still loves banana bread. I was worried that I had given his pills on basically an empty stomach, but just before I had to leave, I tried another can of food and this time he ate it. Save by the bell again.

Every time I go to the dentist there seems to be a different dental hygienist. Janet says a lot of dentists don't hire their own hygienist anymore. They just get them as needed from an employment service that specializes in that sort of thing. That would explain the frequent turnover. Of course it might just be a terrible job. I wouldn't want to poke around in people's mouths all day long.

We fitted Dash for a knee brace today. I'm not sure if this will work, but it's worth a try. The vet said it really helped her dog. Dash is a little old for TPLO surgery, so maybe the brace might prevent his cruciate ligaments from deteriorating further. Failing knee joints have nothing to do with Dash's loss of appetite. They are just one more thing that has gone wrong.

It rained today. This was a surprise. It's been over a month since we've had any rain. The plants in the yard can definitely use the moisture, but I still wish the roofer had made it over to inspect things before the roof got wet again. At least I was able to remove the large elm tree branch from the roof. It would have been a real mess if that was still up there.

We're trying to train Dash to sleep on the floor, so he won't ruin his knees by jumping on and off the bed. Dot was ready and willing to sleep on the floor when her legs became weak, but Dash is a lot more stubborn. It's going to be an uphill battle to train him to do anything new at this point. I really wish that Dash had managed to stay healthy a little longer. I'm still exhausted from three continuous years of being Dot's nurse.

We should learn more about Dash's heart tomorrow. We've got an appointment at the cancer center for a consultation and an echocardiogram. If he's retaining fluid around his heart there is medicine he can take. Lasix can help eliminate the retained fluid and reduce the chances of congestive heart failure. There are side effects though. There are always side effects. I wish the specialists would tell us tomorrow that Dash is just a spoiled dog who wants to eat people food. I think his condition is a lot more serious than that though. There are too many signs that something is wrong.

Sophie is today's Dalmatian of the Day

Watch of the Day