Friday, December 28, 2007

dog days of winter


This is one of those entries that is hard to write because I do not really have a lot of information to pass along yet. When I came home last night Professor Jiggs greeted me and then hobbled outside on three legs. The hobbling was new. I sat down with him in the back yard and looked at his leg. He had licked two bare patches on his ankle and knee -- a classic nerve impingement pattern. I massaged his leg. He liked that.


After dinner he insisted on going for a walk. I thought a little exercise would be a good idea -- perhaps he could work out some of the pain. That was a bad idea. I tried to get him to take a quarter-block walk through the alley. When I tugged on his leash to get him to turn down the alley, he yanked the leash out of my hand and went tottering down his usual path doing his best Abe Simpson impression. Where he learned that type of willfulness, I will never know.


I took him to the vet today -- and fully expected the worst. An x-ray disclosed that Jiggs has a loose fragment on one of his lumbar vertebra. My diagnosis was correct: he is suffering from acute nerve impingement in both legs -- worse on the left. The vet gave him a steroid shot (I did my best to prevent it -- no dog should be banned from a professional baseball career), and the vet told me to observe him for three weeks.


My observations are that he wants to sleep. He has been on his couch all evening. No pestering to go for a walk.


We have probably passed through this crisis, but I think the paw prints are clear on the wall: Jiggs will not be coming to Mexico.


Our pets teach us many lessons: dealing realistically with the woes of aging is one. I trust that I shall learn well from my best friend.

3 comments:

DreamingGypsy said...

Hi...just read your diary on your dog. I have an older dog, too. I have decided to wait till he passes and then I plan to move to Mexico. How do you like it?

I started a blog too:
Escapetomexico.net

Gatita

Steve Cotton said...

I just looked at your blog. When I first started looking at blogs that centered around retiring in Mexico, I saw yours, and it simply supported my earlier decision: Mexico is the spot.

As you can see from my entries, I am working closer to a decision on where to live. I have no doubt that I will retire in Mexico. The big decision is between the Pacific coast and the highlands. The highlands have the lead at the moment for two reasons: weather and culture.

As for Jiggs, as much as I would like him to join me on this journey, I suspect he will visit the Undiscovered Country before I leave for Mexico -- perhaps within the week. I will miss him. But Mexico is my dream, not his.

DreamingGypsy said...

I thought for some reason you already had made the move.

Thai, my aussie has been my best friend for 14 years. He has been with me 24 hours a days, when I was working he came with me. I understand the heartache you are going through. After losing a 19 year old cat in the 1990s, I realize the extent of the bond we have with our companions.

My heart is with you.