Diary of a DM Dog
By Beau Abrams
Mom’s Note: As I watch my courageous 12-year-old “fur child” struggle through this horrible disease, I hope that this diary will help other mom’s and dad’s of DM dogs deal with their personal battles. In Beau’s case, the DM manifested after another ongoing orthopedic problem that affected his left front leg. Here is Beau’s story, in his own words…
August 2010
Life is good…I go for daily walks with Mom, and love every minute! But lately, I’ve noticed some strange things happening to me. Sometimes when I’m walking, I “miss” a step. It has happened before, but it’s starting to happen a little bit more. Mom’s been noticing it. She asked me if it’s my eyesight, or if it’s something else. I don’t really know what it is. But it’s mainly my left front leg that doesn’t feel quite right.
September 2010
My left front leg has been hurting more and more. I have to limp on it, and I’m “miss stepping” more and more during my walks. Mom and Dad took me to my doctor, and he sedated me and did what they call an “x ray”. He discovered that I have something called “mineralization” in my front left leg around my elbow. They were very relieved…the doctor said it’s nothing serious. But it does hurt.
October 2010
Mom and Dad made an appointment for me to go to a new doctor. They call him an “orthopedic” doctor, whatever that is. He watched me walk, and then told Mom and Dad what could be done to help. He said I could get something called a “cortisone shot”, and that would help the pain. So I had to go back in and get that done. The doctor also gave me a weird test called a “DNA” test. He said it tests to see if I have something called a “gene” for something called “DM”. Mom and Dad were not too happy when the test came back “positive”.
November 2010
The cortisone shot helped my pain a little bit, but I still limp and do the “miss steps”. But not as much. I’ve been noticing that I’m starting to have a little less control in the movements of my rear legs. Mom says that the muscle tone in my back end appears to be diminishing somewhat. She’s a little bit worried, I think.
April 2011
I’ve been doing okay. My walking is not too bad…still some “miss steps”. It’s gotten a little worse again now that the “cortisone shot” has worn off. So Mom and Dad took me back to that “orthopedic” doctor again. He said to try another shot, so we did. I don’t feel a whole lot better though. My “clumsiness” in my back end seems to have stabilized. It’s not really any worse, but it’s not better either.
May 2011
Mom and Dad have begun taking me lots of new places every single week! One place they put a bunch of needles in my back and all over my body. It feels sorta “tingly”. They call it “acupuncture”. The other place they have been taking me has these weird “boxes” that fill up with warm water. Then the floor begins to move, and it forces me to walk. I don’t mind it too much, and Mom and Dad say it’s good for my muscles. They call it “physical therapy”. Mom has also been making me do all sorts of weird movements. She’s been making me walk sideways and she makes me lift my left front paw and put all my weight on my other legs, and then she does the same thing with my right front paw. She calls it “exercise”. I don’t really understand it, but I guess I’ll do what Mom says.
September 2011
My weekly “physical therapy” and “acupuncture” continue, but my left front leg has been hurting more, and my “miss steps” have become more frequent. So, we went back to the “orthopedic” doctor, and he said we could try something called “surgery” to help the pain in that leg.
October 2011
Mom and Dad took me to the “orthopedic” doctor, and they did an “operation” on my left front leg. It hurts a lot, but I guess this is going to help me.
November 2011
The “operation” did not really make a difference like everyone hoped it would. I’m still limping, and still in pain. Mom and Dad have me on a pill called “Rimadyl” that does seem to help me. My back legs are still about the same, no better or worse. It’s mostly the one in front that hurts me.
December 2011
Mom and Dad continue to take me for the weekly “underwater moving box” sessions, but they haven’t taken me for the “needle stick” thing in a while. I don’t think that really did much for me.
January 2012
I’ve been doing pretty much the same. But I think I’m maybe feeling a little bit “clumsier” in my back end when I try to go down steps and make turns.
February 2012
Lately, I’ve been having a harder time getting around. The rimadyl medicine doesn’t’ seem to be helping me as much. I have a tougher time getting up. And my back end sometimes does not want to move very well.
March 2012
I still go for my physical therapy every week, and I still go for my daily walks with Mom. But the other day, Mom took me for a nice, long walk, and she noticed I was dragging my paws and making my nails bleed. By the time I got home, I could barely walk at all. This is scary. I know Mom is scared too. She got me some weird nail tips to put on my toenails to help keep them from dragging and bleeding, but the strange nail tips made it tougher for me to walk, and then they just fell off. (I was secretly glad they fell off though!)
April 2012
Suddenly, I am not able to go for long walks. My back legs just don’t “steer” properly, and since my left front leg is still sore, that doesn’t help much either. I feel as if I start out okay, but then I lose control and can’t steer. It’s awful, and I feel helpless. I can’t even get a good half mile in any more. Mom is now taking me to the corner and back, and I am finding that a challenge. What is happening to me???
May 2012
My condition continues to worsen. I have a birthday coming up later in this month, and Mom seems very concerned. I’m trying so hard, but suddenly, I am also going #2 in the house, and sometimes even #1. Nobody is yelling at me, but I don’t like this feeling. Mom has been doing something called “research” on that thing she’s always staring at called a “computer”. I hear her on the phone saying my name a lot. I don’t know what it means, but I know my mom will do the best she can to make me better again.
May 25, 2012
It’s my birthday today. I’m 11 years old. Mom and Dad both gave me my favorite treat, Greenies, for my birthday. And a new ball. But lately, I have not been able to play much with the ball. Getting up by myself is very tough for me now, and I have been making more accidents in the house. My legs just don’t want to work!
June 2012
My body is giving out on me very quickly. Only a couple of months ago, I was able to go for long walks. Now I can barely get out the front door! Mom tries to walk me around the front yard, but even that is very difficult for me. I can’t get up too well, and sometimes I need help. My left rear leg is very, very weak, and sometimes I can’t even feel it. My Mom says I do something called “knuckling” with that paw. I don’t feel it, but when I try to stand or walk, I can’t!!
June 15, 2012
I didn’t think it was possible, but I am getting weaker and weaker. I can barely get up on my own any more. I feel as if I’m falling apart.
June 25, 2012
Mom and Dad took me to another new doctor today. I have to stay here tonight because tomorrow, they are doing something to me to get what they call “stem cells’ out of my body. I don’t really understand all of it, but Mom says it may help me to get better.
June 26, 2012
I came home today from the “stem cell” thing. They made a huge cut in my belly to get things called “fat cells” out of me. Then they mix it up with some of my blood, and then they put the mix back into me into what they call my “spinal column”. They also put some in my arm that they say goes all over my body. I don’t know what to make of all this, but I am VERY sore, and have a lot of these metal things called “staples” where they cut my belly open. I don’t like this at all. And I especially didn’t like being left there overnight.
July 11, 2012
I’m back from my second “stem cell” treatment. Once again, I had to stay at that strange vet place overnight. This time, they took out the horrible staples in my tummy. And then they put those “stem cells” into my body through my arm again. But this time, not in my back.
July 23, 2012
Mom and Dad are taking me back to that weird place again for “overnight”. Tomorrow I get my third “stem cell” treatment. I have not been doing very well. Mom and Dad keep hoping my legs will get stronger, but so far, they are about the same. I still cannot get up on my own, but sometimes, I surprise even myself. For example, there was a strange person in our house the other day (Mom called him a “repair man”), and when he came into my house, I got up so fast, it made Mom’s head spin! I will ALWAYS protect my Mom!!!!!!
July 24, 2012
I’m home from my third “stem cell” treatment. It always wears me out, and I always feel more weak and tired the first few days when I come home from that. This time, they put those “stem cells” into my front arm and into my “spinal column”. That’s always very scary, because they say that it could possibly make me unable to feel or move at all when they first them in. But Mom sat with me in the back of the van all the way home, and that made me feel much better. She was very glad that I was able to move my legs.
August 14, 2012
Not much has changed so far. I am supposed to go in next week for my last “stem cell” treatment, but so far, I am not much better off than I was before. I can only occasionally get up by myself. I haven’t been able to get out to the kennel to do my “business” for a couple of months, and I can only walk with assistance, and not very far. But I do still have moments where I think maybe I’m getting better. For example, sometimes Mom and Dad will hold up a Greenie for me, and they call me, and I try and try, and then I can get up and walk across the room to claim my prize! And also, when we had a bad storm and there was lots of loud noise (Mom says it’s called “thunder”), I got up pretty fast and walked across the house to be in the same room as Mom! So I guess sometimes I CAN get up on my own. I just hope the weird “stem cell” thing starts to help me. I still go every week to do the “underwater moving box” too. That helps my very weak back left leg to get a little bit stronger.
August 16, 2012
We had another thunderstorm today, and I got really scared again. So, I not only managed to get up on my own, but I also walked all the way across the house to Mom’s office. Then, I got up all by myself again and walked all the way back down the hall. Mom and Dad took my to my weekly “underwater moving box”, and before we left, I got up a THIRD time by myself and walked all the way to the front door! After the “moving box”, I was a little bit more tired, but still wasn’t doing too bad! I hope my legs get stronger. Today made me feel like maybe they will.
August 21, 2012
I just came home from that “stem cell” place. This was my fourth treatment. This time it didn’t seem quite as bad. But I have what they call an “infection” on my skin around the place that they treated last time, so now I have more medicine to take. But they said it’s not a bad infection, just on my skin. But it hurts anyway, and it’s all red and sore. I’m really tired, but at least this time I didn’t have to stay at that place overnight. Mom and Dad brought me in there early this morning. I’m not sure if I will have to go back there again or not. I heard the doctor say that there are still enough “stem cells” left for one more time, and that we may want to do it again in a couple of months. I just hope I will start being able to get up and walk around more.
August 28, 2012
I have not made a whole lot of good progress since my last “stem cell” treatment. But Mom and Dad have noted that I have not been “going downhill” as fast either, so they seem to think that’s a good sign. I had to go back to that doctor yesterday because of the scabby sores on my back. I have a second one now from the last “injection”. But the doctor said they are okay. I’ve been really trying to let Mom and Dad know when I have to go to the bathroom, and also when I am thirsty. But sometimes they can’t help me get outside fast enough, and I have been making more and more mistakes. I don’t mean to…but it’s really tough to hold stuff in too long lately.
September 6, 2012
I haven’t been doing very well lately. My left rear leg is practically useless, and my right rear “good” leg is almost as bad. I can’t even seem to stand up at all any more, and I keep making more “mistakes” in the house. Mom yelled at me yesterday for barking a lot, but all I wanted was to move closer to where she was working, and I couldn’t get up or move by myself to get there. I did the “underwater moving box” yesterday too, but I don’t know if it helped me this time or not. I don’t feel any stronger today. I’m really scared about what’s happening to me, and I know Mom and Dad are too. I’m only 11 years old. Mom and Dad are worried that I’m not going to “make it through the winter”. I think I’ve heard Mom crying more. I don’t like that at all.
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September 18, 2012
I’m still here…not doing great…but Mom and Dad got me a new gadget they call a “harness” that is helping me a little bit when they try to get me outside to “do my business”. It feels a little more comfortable than when they had to tug on my collar, and it keeps me from stumbling in front on my nose. But I AM still here, and that’s more than I can say for a good friend of mine, Maddox, the English Bulldog that lived with his Mom and Dad in Katy, Texas. He went to Heaven last night after having a lot of problems similar to mine. But he had something different, something called “arthritis”, and he was in a lot of pain. Then he also had something called “seizures” that got worse and worse. His Mom and Dad are devastated that they had to say good-bye to him, but I think that he is probably somewhere now where he can play and run and never be in pain again. But I am not ready to go to Heaven yet. I still have an awful lot of Greenies that need my attention. So I will keep on trying my very best to keep going!
September 24, 2012
Today hasn’t been a very good day. I woke Mom and Dad up at 3:30 this morning because my ear was bothering me, and I couldn’t itch it with my rear legs like I used to do. So all I could do was shake my head around till Mom got up and looked at it. Dad put some icky fluid in there, but it did feel better afterward. I’m also having a really tough time moving my back legs at all today. I’m feeling really down and out. I don’t know why I just can’t get better. Mom is having a tough time getting me outside because I’m not able to help her much at all. Dad has a slightly better time, but it is tough for him too. Mom worries that she is hurting me when she tries to put the sling thing under me and help me up.
October 4, 2012
The past week has been pretty challenging for me. I did the “underwater moving box” more times in the past couple weeks, but last week and this week I did it only once. My front legs aren’t moving so well these days either. And now, Mom and Dad are trying something that really freaks me out: they are rolling me over on my “bad” side. Mom has started putting on some really nice, soothing cream on my sore spots that I got from always laying on that side, so maybe this isn’t such a bad thing, even though I can’t move at all when I’m on that side. I also have something called a “urinary tract infection” and have been running something called a “fever”. So now I am taking even more pills. Yuck.
October 11, 2012
My urinary tract infection is better now, but my legs are becoming weaker and weaker. Tonight when I did the “underwater moving box”, I could hardly move them at all. But the last half I did a little bit better moving my back legs. Mom and Dad seem very sad. I think they may be giving up on me. I am not having much fun any more, but I still do enjoy my food, treats, and balls. I hope I have more time with Mom and Dad and my brothers and sisters. More than Mom and Dad think!
November 6, 2012
It’s been a while since I wrote. Things have been pretty much the same, except Mom and Dad are no longer taking me to the place with the “underwater moving box”. I think it’s because I really wasn’t able to move much in there. I don’t like not getting my exercise, but I guess I’m a little bit relieved that I don’t always have to go to strange places, because I’m always scared about what will happen to me. I saw my older sister, Sammi, go someplace a long time ago when she wasn’t doing too well, and she never came back home. So, I’m really scared when Mom and Dad take me places. I still like to play with my tennis balls, and Dad got me a new football-shaped tennis ball that squeaks that I really like. Mom tosses it for me, usually in the evening. Sometimes Zima steals it from me, but Mom always makes sure I get it back! Last night I not only played ball, but I got TWO Greenies! So, there are still SOME things that are fun for me. I hope I can keep going, even though my front legs have been getting weaker too, and I know it’s getting harder and harder for Mom and Dad to get me outside.
November 20, 2012
Tomorrow is something called “Thanksgiving”, and I guess I am thankful that I am still around! My legs are still weakening, and I don’t do much at all during the day, but I still enjoy my treats and my attention. At night, Mom often throws the ball for me too, and she pulls it away from Zima when she steals it from me! My “half birthday” is on November 25…I sure hope I’m okay still! I will be 11 ½ years old. I wasn’t so sure I’d make it that far. I think Mom and Dad are truly very thankful this “Thanksgiving” that I AM still here with them!
November 26, 2012
Today Mom and Dad took me to a whole new place. Mom had taken me outside, and when she came back in, she saw that my left front leg was very swollen. And my elbow on that leg REALLY was hurting. It was all “oozy” and icky. So, they took me to a new place, and the people there shaved my tummy and gave Mom and Dad ointment to put on the sore spots, along with yucky pills for me to eat. Now I’m resting in the room with the television, and Mom and Dad just roll me over periodically to put on the new medicine. I was really scared when they took me to the new place. I didn’t know if I would be coming back home or not!
December 4, 2012
I am still here! But I have not been able to get up really at all…even my front legs are giving out on me. Mom and Dad roll me over a lot more and put on the new medicines. And they give me icky-tasting pills in my food. But they DO play with me in the evenings a little bit. I can still catch my Kong tennis football with the best of them! Except when Zima tries to steal it from me. Up until last night, Mom and Dad would always take me outside with them on the deck. But last night, they couldn’t get me out there because of my legs not working, so Mom came inside to play with me. I don’t like being left out!!
December 22, 2012
Mom says there were people saying that the world was going to end yesterday, but thankfully, the world is still okay, and so am I. Grandma Sherman isn’t doing too well though. Mom says she fell last Sunday, and now has a urinary tract infection too and is in lots of pain. Yuck. I can relate, but luckily, I’m okay on the pain part. I just wish I could move better. At least I still get to play with my Kong toy that Mom throws for me almost every night. And I still like my treats.
January 11, 2013
Wow, 2013 has been here for 11 days, and thankfully, I’m still around and pretty much doing the same, except for a really bad sore on my weaker hip bone from laying on it so much. But my grandparents have had a lot of bad things happen. Grandma Sherman fell about a month ago and has had lots of back pain and been in and out of a place called “the hospital”. But even worse, Grandpa Sherman fell out of bed a little over two weeks ago, and Mom says he “broke his neck”. He’s also had lots of bad problems breathing, and I heard Mom say he can’t even swallow. He’s still in that place called “the hospital”, and then he’s supposed to go somewhere called “rehab”. Grandma Sherman has had people helping her since she fell, and Mom is worried about something called “money”. Sounds very bad. But at least all the really bad stuff happened LAST year, and this year is better so far.
January 26, 2013
Happy Birthday, Dad! I hope it’s a happy one. Grandpa is still in the hospital, and Mom seems very worried. I hear her saying bad stuff about the people taking care of him. It sounds like they are not very nice, and not doing what they should be to help him get well. I went to my doctor last week, and he gave Mom and Dad more pills for me. Yuck. I was really afraid I wouldn’t be coming home at all, so I guess the pills aren’t so terrible if they help to keep me around! Mom plays ball with me every night lately, which is really fun for me, even though Zima gets jealous and tries to get in the way. Mom plays with her too, so it’s fun for both of us! Sometimes Sherman even gets to play.
Feb. 7, 2013
I’m still here! But I have a really bad sore on my right back hip bone. I used to just have a bad sore on my left back hip bone, but Mom and Dad always roll me over to give that side a rest. But then, just recently, I started getting a sore on the other side, and now it’s HUGE! Mom called my doctor the other night, and now she’s rubbing stuff on it a couple times a day, and also not rolling me over much. It hurts a lot. And it’s really ugly. But I still have my appetite, and love to play with my ball. I think Mom is really worried about how she is going to help me heal my wounds. Mom is very worried about a lot of things. Me, Grandpa, Grandma, and even Dad. He’s going for something called a CT Scan today to check for something called “kidney stones”. Sounds icky.
Feb. 15, 2013
I’m still here…but Grandpa Sherman died on Monday, February 11, which was also something called Heather’s “anniversary”. It made her special day very, very sad. And earlier the same day, Grandma Sherman got very sick and went to a place called “the hospital”, where they told Mom she was going to die very soon. Mom was not happy at all. But then, two days later after Mom went to Grandpa’s “funeral”, she got some good news about Grandma. They had made a mistake, and Grandma isn’t dying after all! So that was good news, even though Mom says Grandma drives her “crazy” when she calls her constantly to complain about stuff. J We are all very, very sad about Grandpa Sherman. It happened pretty fast, but he’d been sick for a long time since he fell out of bed. He fought real hard to stay alive…kinda like me!
Mar. 7, 2013
I’m still here…Mom says my sores are really bad, and I have a lot of icky bumps on my tummy and my pee pee area from laying all the time, but Mom and Dad try to keep me as clean as possible, and they change my bandages on my sores a lot, but it’s hard for the sticky stuff on the bandages to stay in place on my fur and skin. I still like to play ball, and I still like my food and treats most of the time. It is getting harder and harder for me to stay upright, but Mom and Dad help to prop me up, and they also roll me over from side to side to give my icky sores some rest. I don’t know what has happened to me. Last year at this time I was still doing okay! Mom has been sick for the last two weeks. She keeps making noises from her mouth called “coughing”, and she uses white pieces of fabric to “blow her nose” a lot. Dad has had a “cough” too. And I hear that Grandma has had a “cough” also, only she had to go to the “hospital” for hers because they thought she had “pneumonia”. She is doing better and is back at that “rehab” place, but she hardly ever calls Mom from there, and when she does talk on the “phone,” Mom has to yell to get Grandma to hear anything. At least I still have good ears! I heard Mom say that Grandma might come here to live. That would be fun!
Mar. 26, 2013
I haven’t written in a while, but I’m still hangin’ in there! I heard Mom and Dad talking to a “vet” who came to our house to look at me last week, and the “vet” said that it was time to “put me down”. Mom got really sad. Then she got really mad. She knows me, and she knows that I don’t want to go ANYWHERE! I’m very thankful that Mom and Dad keep on trying to help me. I don’t like the sound of being “put down”. All I know is that I love my Mom and Dad and my sisters and my brothers, and they all love me too, even though Zima tries to take my ball away when Mom throws it to me. AND I still like my Greenies, treats, food AND playing ball with Mom! My sores on my hip have gotten really bad, but Mom and Dad change the “bandages” on them daily, and they put on medicine. They also give me icky pills to take every day before they feed me…I don’t like the pills and try to spit them out, but I know that they are supposed to help me. I heard Mom say that I have a better “will to live” than Grandma. I’m not sure what that means, but I think it’s a good thing!
Apr. 7, 2013
I’m still here…not always feeling so great…but I’m trying to hang in there. Sometimes I’m hungrier than other times, but Mom always tries to get me to eat more. I still like playing ball, but it seems to be getting tougher to do for more than a few minutes at a time. My front legs have gotten really tough to move…they don’t want to bend at all. And my icky bed sores are still really bad, and Mom and Dad change the bandages almost every day. Life isn’t nearly as fun as it used to be, but I am not giving up!!
May 10, 2013
I’m still here…and my Mom is hoping I will make it to my 12th birthday! Mom changes my icky bandages every day or every other day, and she still throws me my ball at night. She says that there may come a time when I can no longer swallow, but I’m fighting that with all my strength because I don’t want to go anywhere! Mom and Dad are also worried lately that Zimie may have what I have. I hope she doesn’t, but if she does, Mom and Dad will know what to do to help her too!
May 24, 2013
Tomorrow is my 12th birthday! Mom and Dad seem really surprised that I’m still around…happily surprised. I still enjoy playing ball, and Mom says I’m still the best “athlete” in the house! I am glad to still be around! And we found out that Zimie does not have what I have, so they will try to find out more, but that’s good news! I wouldn’t want my sis to get this yucky “disease”.
June 10, 2013
Today is my sister, Heather’s, half birthday. She’s 14 ½ today. I’m glad for her, especially since that means we will all get Greenies! I’m still hangin’ in there. Sometimes I don’t have much of an appetite, and I know Mom worries when I don’t eat. But I still play with my ball at night when Mom throws it to me! I know Mom is worried about my pee pee area. It keeps getting more and more swollen and has lots of sores on it. I think Mom and Dad are having the doctor come to look at me next week, one week from today. He may even give me shots, which would be a good thing, because it means he thinks I can keep going a while longer. I’m really trying! I don’t want to go anywhere!
July 2, 2013
I’m still here! And I haven’t really changed too much, and Mom and Dad say that’s a good thing. The doctor came to see me a couple weeks ago, and he gave me one shot and then put a needle in me to “take blood”. Mom and Dad seemed happy when he called them the next day…he said my “liver and kidneys and thyroid” are doing fine! So I guess that means even though I can’t move around, I’m still hangin’ in there. I still like my treats and playing ball. I hope I can keep on doing that too!
July 15, 2013
I’m here! I am still doing about the same, and Mom and Dad are very thankful that I’m still around, even if I am a bit demanding sometimes. But they know I need help sitting up, and they always make sure I get plenty of treats and food. Mom has been sad the last couple weeks. Grandpa would have been 94 years old July 9. Wow, that’s a LOT older than I am! I wonder if I can make it that far! Mom and Dad never figured I’d make it THIS far! They say I am 84 in dog years, so that’s not bad at all!
Aug. 26, 2013
Today is what Mom says is my “12th Anniversary” of when Mom and Dad went all the way to some place called Kewanee, Illinois to pick me up! They said it took 4 hours to get me, and 4 hours to get home. I don’t remember any of that, but I’m really glad they came to get me! I only wish I was still able to take my walks and play. But I still play ball, and I still like treats!
Oct. 27, 2013
I’m still here! But I have a big sore on my upper left side inside my mouth that is really big and bugs me when I chew. I had a really hard time eating my Greenie the other day. Mom took pictures of it and asked the doctor about it, and there isn’t much anybody can do because they don’t want me to go through something called ‘surgery”. Mom calls it an “epulis” or something weird like that. So Mom and Dad have been giving me a lot more soft food that makes it easier for me to chew and swallow. But I still like my food, and I still love to play ball!!
Nov. 25, 2013
Today is my half birthday…I’m 12 ½ years old today! Mom and Dad never thought I would last this long! Sometimes, I didn’t think I would either. But I’m glad to be here. I still enjoy my Greenies and I still love to play ball! My big “epulis” sometimes bothers me a lot, but then Mom and Dad give me soft food for a while until I can go back to my hard food. I am now eating the same food as Zimie…it’s not bad. I hope I’m still around for my NEXT birthday…my 13th!
Dec. 11, 2013
I’m still here, but I haven’t been feeling so good lately. I’m having a harder and harder time staying up, and my appetite isn’t what it used to be. But yesterday was my sister Heather’s 15th birthday, and I got a Greenie, and I STILL scarfed it down! And I still like to play ball. I just wish I felt better. Mom and Dad say my poo poos are becoming a little mushier, and that doesn’t sound so good.
Dec. 20, 2013
I’m not feeling too good. Yesterday I didn’t eat at all, and when Mom gave me a Greenie, I couldn’t even keep it in my mouth. I am not breathing too good either. It sounds like I have something inside my chest that makes it hard to breathe. But I still can play ball! Mom threw me the ball a lot last night, and I can still catch better than any of my brothers and sisters.
It’s now 5:34 pm. Beau lost his battle with his disease around 4:51 pm. We brought him into the vet, and the diagnosis was that Beau had pneumonia caused by sepsis. Beau was agitated on the way to the vet, but once we got there, he did not fight the tranquilizer. I have to believe that he is flying around me right now wondering why I can’t see him being able to walk and run again. I SO wish I was gifted with the ability to communicate with “the other side”. It would make my grief diminish substantially to know that he is doing well and back to the way he used to be.
It is my goal for a portion of the profits from the 5-in-1 Lift-A-Pet to be donated to research to find a cure and/or preventative solution for Degenerative Myelopathy.