July 16, 2013: bad things come in threes

Bad things come in threes - Dr Mike says.
 Three issues or three dogs?  I ask.

Three dogs would be bad because we are only on number 2.    Three issues would be nice because then Glamis would be done.  We had the tumor. Then the seizure. Now - after 4 good attitude and activity days, Glamis went pretty listless after dinner last night.  He didn't move for 4.5 hours and then only moved because I made him go outside.

He did come into the bedroom last night and he got up on his own for breakfast.  Other than that, there has been no voluntary moving around.  I tried to get him outside late morning and it was mission impossible.  I finally managed it but he was pretty uncooperative.  That was when I knew I had to call the vet...again.  We were just there yesterday morning to get his staples removed.  He was all happy and active on that trip.

Glamis was taking so long to move from the car,  up the ramp to the clinic door that one of the girls came out to help.  I had the sling, I had treats, the boy did not want to walk.  What normally would have taken 15 seconds, took 10 minutes.

Back into the dreaded exam room.  Unlike Arri, Glamis gets stressed out and starts panting once in 'the room'.  Dr. Mike comes in to take a look.  Glamis has a slight fever.  We stand him on a mat and he gets the once over - twice.  A couple of pokes here and there and issue number 3 is determined to be that  he has a disk injury in his back.   We really don't know if this is from injury or cancer attacking the spinal cord.  It could be injury - he was throwing himself all over the place last week but for the effects to come on so suddenly yesterday? after 4 good days? - implies something happened yesterday.  Tim took him to the park but he has been lifting Glamis in and out of the car  - no jumping.  Aside from that, he has not tried to get on the furniture.  We are once again mystified.

So we go home with pain meds and some more pheno for seizures.  It is an extremely frustrating and guilty time.  We don't know what happened so how long do you wait before making a decision?  Injury has a chance to heal but if it is cancer, it won't.  How long do you give it to heal before deciding it probably won't because it wasn't an injury?  Should I have already made that decision?  I guess I did and it was 'not time yet' - thus the feeling of guilt. Maybe it is time.  I have scheduled his final visit two times now and both times he rallied we walked out of the clinic.  We have a month's worth of pain meds.  In his current condition, I won't wait that long.  If this is a temporary injury then he deserves a chance to heal.  However, if this is as good as it will get - that is not a quality life.  I will once again, pick a date in the somewhat near future.  On that day, if he is not improving, than we we buy his train ticket to the bridge.