Recent Doggie Developments Up on the Woof

There has been a lot happening Up on the Woof over the past couple of months which has been restricting my writing time. When I get a few minutes, I’ve been squeezing in work on my first novel, Jackrabbit. Blogging has been the last thing on my mind, but I thought I’d better check in with you, dear readers, so you are not left wondering what’s going on.

Wolfie had a little accident while visiting his Mommy at the nursing home. It involved multiple vet visits, some tooth extractions, medication, and bed rest. Then, I came home from my own dental visit to find that Zoey had injured her spine, and could no longer move her rear legs. It wasn’t exactly out of the blue — Zoey has been having trouble with her rear legs for over a year. They’ve been kind of wild, with a mind of their own. She was able to walk, but didn’t seem totally aware of where her legs were. She hasn’t had the easiest life, so our best guess is that she had some disc degeneration happening. She may have tried to jump up on something and fallen backwards, or twisted funny, and slipped the disc. That was another vet visit, and more medication, and more worry.

She has sensation in the back legs, and is not incontinent, so that has provided a whisper of hope. She’s not really a good candidate for surgery, so there’s no reason to raise thousands of dollars for an MRI. She is fifteen, and has a bad heart. We are treating her medically with anti-inflammatories and pain meds to keep her comfortable, and we applied a couple of places for a donated cart to help her get around. Our application was approved, and she will be getting wheels from an organization called Joey’s P.A.W. She is a very active little dog, and likes nothing more than to follow me around all day long as I go about my day. I also joined a support group for Wheelie Dogs on Facebook.

Wolfie had recovered from his ordeal, and Zoey has made a little improvement over the past week with the meds. When I take her outside, I use a sling under her belly to help her, and yesterday she started using her right rear leg a little, kind of paddling it, though not very effectively. She also pushed herself up onto all fours to drink water. Both of these small things are encouraging.

Not everyone will support my decisions about Zoey’s care. I posted a video of her scooting on my FB page, and it received mixed reactions. You know what? That’s OK. Nobody knows my dogs as well as I do. Some people suggested she is suffering, but I assure you that she is not. Zoey is not angry or depressed or in pain. She is too busy trying not to miss anything, and scooting from point A to point B, so she won’t.

Other people might choose to euthanize a pet when they have mobility issues, and that’s something to consider when making decisions about your pet’s care. Every pet guardian struggles with that decision, so I’ll make that the topic of my next post.

For now, wish us luck while we embark on Zoey’s new wheelie life.

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If you would like to offer us a helping hand here Up on the Woof, we have vet bills up the yin yang. We are always looking for coupons for certain items we purchase for our dogs on a regular basis. If you have Rachael Ray Nutrish coupons (we use DISH or Small Bites),  Cesar coupons, Bil Jac Frozen coupons, Nulo coupons (Wet & Dry), or milkbone coupons that you will not be using, please save them for us. Contact me if you have some to send. Donations can also be sent via Paypal to yelodoggie@yahoo.com

We also have a wishlist of items that we either can’t afford, or that we use often. It has recently been updated. Click the link below to view.

Things we need Up on the Woof