October came and went and I started my sabbatical November 1. I had noticed over September and October that Nee was having difficulty getting up the three steps to the porch. Her legs just seemed stiff, although she could still do our regular 1/2 hour walks a few times a day. She even managed a gallop whenever she saw a flock of birds on the ground - she liked to scare them and watch them scatter. Still ran to the kitchen for her treats and jumped around as she waited for a tasty morsel. I now mentioned to our landlady that we might have to move someday soon because of Nee's progressive stiffness. The landlady said she'd take down the steps and build a ramp, and asked if I could wait 'til after Christmas for work to begin on it. That was fine with me, I didn't really want to uproot us once again if I didn't have to.
First thing on our agenda was Nee's twice-yearly visit to the vet. Nee had become increasingly fearful of going to the vet and my friend Marg and I had a difficult time even getting her into Marg's car. Between her shaking (she always knew when we were headed to the vet), and her stiffness, it took much coaxing and half lifting, half pushing Nee into the car and get her buckled up. When we got to the vet, she could hardly walk, she was shaking so badly -- the slippery floors made walking treacherous at the best of times. (Why can't veterinary offices have some kind of non-slip surface that can be easily washed and disinfected?). Finally, her exam was over - everything looked okay; I agreed to try some medication this time that would help with the incontinence as the UTIs were coming more frequently. She'd just finish up one round of antibiotics, be ok for a month and get another infection. This medication seemed to have fewer side effects than others that had been offered over the years so I agreed to try it. After her physical, we left her with the office groomer for a bath, brush and nail clipping. We picked her up an hour or so later. Getting her back into the car was even more difficult - she was so upset - we had to get the vet assistant to help us get her into the car. I vowed then that I was going to call the mobile vet -- Dr. Judy -- who had spent some time at our vet's office and had diagnosed Nee's Cushings disease. I wasn't going to subject her to that stress any more.
When we arrived home, I opened the car door and unbelted Nee and just barely managed to attach leash to harness before she bounded out of the car, jumped up the steps and waited impatiently to get in the house while I said goodbye to Marg. When we got in, I unbuckled her and knelt down to pet her and talk to her. Well, I couldn't get a word in edgewise! She started yowling in the way that only huskies can, yowling and yipping, complaining and licking my face. I understood every yowl and yip -- she was finished with those trips to the vet. I told her I understood and I was going to call Dr. Judy and Dr. Judy would come to the house so we wouldn't have to go back to that office. I thought it was the ordinary stress of just going out to the vet's office that was causing her so much distress today. While we were out for our evening walk, I discovered another reason for her upset of the day.
We were just finishing up our walk - heading toward our house when I noticed a thin trail of blood following Neea-Kha. I quickly examined her to see where the blood was coming from and discovered her paw was bleeding. We got home and I put a cold compress on her paw (she wasn't impressed!). It didn't take long to determine that her one toenail had been clipped down to the quick. Okay, some polysporin and gauze, vet wrap should take care of that. Well, it didn't for long. When Nee couldn't shake it off, she chewed it off. And it continued to bleed. Called the vet and while I was asking what to use to stop the bleeding, I inquired as to whether the groomer knew the nail had been cut so far down. Well yes, they had put something on it to stop the bleeding. And negected to mention it to me! I held my peace somewhat, since we had already decided we weren't going back there. Vet advised putting corn starch on the paw and bandaging it. Okay, out to the store to buy corn starch. Sudden inspiration struck me on my way back from the store. I was passing the house two doors down from us when I remembered the woman there had a newborn baby. I knocked on her door and asked if she had a pair of baby socks to spare. She looked at me like I was nuts, and laughed when I told her why I needed them. She gave me a couple pairs of the tiny things. At home, I compressed Nee's paw, more polysporin, stuck her paw in a bowl of cornstarch and with a lot of jumping around (by me and Nee), managed to get a sock over her paw and topped it off with vet wrap. I ooh'd and aww'd over her pretty paw, gave her a larger-than-usual treat and she left that sock on for the 3 days required to allow it to heal. Whew -- another storm weathered!
November passed in a haze of peace and contentment. Late nights - we'd be out in the yard or sitting on the porch at 2 a.m., enjoying the cooler weather. It was a relatively mild season - no snow yet. Nee still enjoyed scaring the pee out of unsuspecting people coming home from the bar in those wee hours - laying quietly, then jumping up at just the right moment with a huge bark. Sleeping in 'til mid-morning - cuddled together; we slept back to back and Nee would butt up against my back as tightly as she could, bracing it. Did wonders for my chronic back pain. Out for leisurely walks several times a day.
December brought cooler weather and with it, more stiffness in our old joints. I dismantled the livingroom futon and put the mattress on the floor, threw out the box spring of our bed and put our mattress on the bedroom floor; Nee just couldn't jump up that high any more. I dreaded the thought of us having to negotiate icy sidewalks but it hadn't been icy at all so far. Our life consisted of many short walks, cuddles, treats, visits from friends and neighbours - quiet, peaceful - reading or watching TV with Nee laying alongside my chair, dozing, looking up for a belly rub now and then. I wish I could have held that time in my hands and never let it go...
First thing on our agenda was Nee's twice-yearly visit to the vet. Nee had become increasingly fearful of going to the vet and my friend Marg and I had a difficult time even getting her into Marg's car. Between her shaking (she always knew when we were headed to the vet), and her stiffness, it took much coaxing and half lifting, half pushing Nee into the car and get her buckled up. When we got to the vet, she could hardly walk, she was shaking so badly -- the slippery floors made walking treacherous at the best of times. (Why can't veterinary offices have some kind of non-slip surface that can be easily washed and disinfected?). Finally, her exam was over - everything looked okay; I agreed to try some medication this time that would help with the incontinence as the UTIs were coming more frequently. She'd just finish up one round of antibiotics, be ok for a month and get another infection. This medication seemed to have fewer side effects than others that had been offered over the years so I agreed to try it. After her physical, we left her with the office groomer for a bath, brush and nail clipping. We picked her up an hour or so later. Getting her back into the car was even more difficult - she was so upset - we had to get the vet assistant to help us get her into the car. I vowed then that I was going to call the mobile vet -- Dr. Judy -- who had spent some time at our vet's office and had diagnosed Nee's Cushings disease. I wasn't going to subject her to that stress any more.
When we arrived home, I opened the car door and unbelted Nee and just barely managed to attach leash to harness before she bounded out of the car, jumped up the steps and waited impatiently to get in the house while I said goodbye to Marg. When we got in, I unbuckled her and knelt down to pet her and talk to her. Well, I couldn't get a word in edgewise! She started yowling in the way that only huskies can, yowling and yipping, complaining and licking my face. I understood every yowl and yip -- she was finished with those trips to the vet. I told her I understood and I was going to call Dr. Judy and Dr. Judy would come to the house so we wouldn't have to go back to that office. I thought it was the ordinary stress of just going out to the vet's office that was causing her so much distress today. While we were out for our evening walk, I discovered another reason for her upset of the day.
We were just finishing up our walk - heading toward our house when I noticed a thin trail of blood following Neea-Kha. I quickly examined her to see where the blood was coming from and discovered her paw was bleeding. We got home and I put a cold compress on her paw (she wasn't impressed!). It didn't take long to determine that her one toenail had been clipped down to the quick. Okay, some polysporin and gauze, vet wrap should take care of that. Well, it didn't for long. When Nee couldn't shake it off, she chewed it off. And it continued to bleed. Called the vet and while I was asking what to use to stop the bleeding, I inquired as to whether the groomer knew the nail had been cut so far down. Well yes, they had put something on it to stop the bleeding. And negected to mention it to me! I held my peace somewhat, since we had already decided we weren't going back there. Vet advised putting corn starch on the paw and bandaging it. Okay, out to the store to buy corn starch. Sudden inspiration struck me on my way back from the store. I was passing the house two doors down from us when I remembered the woman there had a newborn baby. I knocked on her door and asked if she had a pair of baby socks to spare. She looked at me like I was nuts, and laughed when I told her why I needed them. She gave me a couple pairs of the tiny things. At home, I compressed Nee's paw, more polysporin, stuck her paw in a bowl of cornstarch and with a lot of jumping around (by me and Nee), managed to get a sock over her paw and topped it off with vet wrap. I ooh'd and aww'd over her pretty paw, gave her a larger-than-usual treat and she left that sock on for the 3 days required to allow it to heal. Whew -- another storm weathered!
November passed in a haze of peace and contentment. Late nights - we'd be out in the yard or sitting on the porch at 2 a.m., enjoying the cooler weather. It was a relatively mild season - no snow yet. Nee still enjoyed scaring the pee out of unsuspecting people coming home from the bar in those wee hours - laying quietly, then jumping up at just the right moment with a huge bark. Sleeping in 'til mid-morning - cuddled together; we slept back to back and Nee would butt up against my back as tightly as she could, bracing it. Did wonders for my chronic back pain. Out for leisurely walks several times a day.
December brought cooler weather and with it, more stiffness in our old joints. I dismantled the livingroom futon and put the mattress on the floor, threw out the box spring of our bed and put our mattress on the bedroom floor; Nee just couldn't jump up that high any more. I dreaded the thought of us having to negotiate icy sidewalks but it hadn't been icy at all so far. Our life consisted of many short walks, cuddles, treats, visits from friends and neighbours - quiet, peaceful - reading or watching TV with Nee laying alongside my chair, dozing, looking up for a belly rub now and then. I wish I could have held that time in my hands and never let it go...