One More Time

For those of you who have followed this blog, you know that I've written a few posts about our yellow Lab, Gable. He is now almost 16 years old.

Each time I write about him it seems like he is nearing the end.

Last Monday night it seemed for sure.

His back leg kept thrusting out toward his front, crossing over so if he was standing it would trip his other back foot. Worst of all it would just collapse beneath him. I wondered if he had broken a hip. When he did manage to pull that foot into place, more times than not he was walking with the foot turned under. Ouch!

Steve made an appointment with the vet at 8 AM the following morning and asked me to go along. I know we both thought that it was going to be Gable's last trip.

But I am happy to report that the Everyready dog is still tickin'. He has a spinal cord injury that is making his back leg paralyzed. There is not much to do except enforced rest. Hopefully within a month it will heal and be better.

Right.

We couldn't figure out how to help him navigate our home with all the slippery wood floors. We didn't want him to exert himself falling down and then trying to get up. You guessed it. The next day I was at Bass Pro buying doggie boots that have rubber soles. I sure felt the need to tell the cashier that these boots were a for a medical need not just foo-foo! We are using just two for his back legs and they seem to keep his feet under him better.

So I'll keep ya' posted.

One thing is, Gable doesn't understand the rest part and still wanders a half mile throught the snow to go pee on the neighbor"s bushes. (That's the closest neighbor and Gable goes out through the fields to accomplish this feat.)

He still thinks of himself as Top Dog!