Beginning Week Five

It has been four weeks and two days since the leg surgery. The stitches have been removed and the cone has been off for two weeks, The surgical wound is fully healed. Her leg is better now than it was that fateful day back in March when she pulled up lame in front of her vet's office. She walks without a limp, and is ready to run and play like the old days. Unfortunately, we still have two months of "no running, no jumping" to go.

I have been surprised, however. by how well she has adapted to this new new normal - new normals have been coming at us with increasing rapidity. Just this morning, when I was getting ready to turn her back toward home, she turned herself and trotted happily in that direction.

I reckon that the old days of two and a half hour walks are gone forever. Maybe it's harder on me than it is on her. I like to walk. I also need the exercise. I'm turning into a big old toad.

Another New Normal

Post-surgery Grace has taken some getting used to. No running, no jumping, short walks on a short leash, anti inflammatory and antibiotic meds twice a day, pain meds three times a day. Ice packs on the leg followed by physical therapy. She, of course, is milking it for all it's worth. She sleeps on my side of the bed while I sleep in the recliner. She has refused to eat unless she is hand fed. She whines for no apparent reason while we rack our brains trying to figure out what she wants. Carmen cannot stand the whining, so Grace pours it on when she is home. Pretty good thinking for 'just a dumb animal.'

She is walking pretty well. She limps only slightly, and resists turning back after only three or four minutes, which used to be earlier than her first wee-wee. We have discovered, in fact, that she CAN get all of her business done in less than ten minutes. Who knew?

She is whining now, and I have to stop this foolish waste of time and get back to what matters: doing the bidding of Princess Grace.

A Lame Story

A couple of months ago, we were walking our usual southbound walk, when Grace suddenly stopped with her left hind leg hoisted up. She began biting the bottom of her foot, which usually means that she has stepped on a sand spur or a thorn. I tried to feel her paw, but she pulled it away and growled at me.

We were directly across the highway from our vet's office at that time, so I waited for a big gap in traffic both ways, then helped her hobble on over. She is always happy to go in there - there are dogs and cats and animal loving humans a-plenty in there. I explained the situation to the person at the desk, and she told me to have a seat in the waiting room, which was full of dogs and cats and animal loving humans. Grace was happily soaking up the attention until we got called into the examining room. She got up and trotted to the exit door, effectively saying, "Look! See? My leg feels much better, let's get on with our walk." No such luck. We dragged her into the exam room. Dr. Davis could feel the arthritis in both of her hind legs. Grace growled at her as well. Doc gave Grace a shot and gave me some anti-inflammatory chewables to get us through the next few weeks.

She seemed better at first, but as time wore on the pain got to be more than the medicine could handle. Carmen and I took her in for the follow-up appointment. We got pain meds, one of which I have been taking for my arthritis for about six years, and a different anti-inflammatory. The vet took some x-rays, and recommended a surgeon. We got an appointment with the surgeon so he could examine her and look at the x-rays.

That was Tuesday. I took her to the veterinary specialists office, where a masked and gloved tech came out to get her. She tried to climb into my lap to avoid capture, but the tech prevailed and dragged her inside. About an hour later they brought her back out. She trotted to the car and hopped in. "See? I'm feeling much better. No surgery needed. Sorry for wasting your time."

This morning we took her back there for the surgery, to repair her torn ACL in her left leg. It was hard to let her go in there for an overnight stay. But this time she hopped on out of the car and trotted happily along with the tech, without a look back. Go figure.

Carmen has called to check on her several times. The surgery went well, no untoward circumstances, she is still sleeping peacefully as of this afternoon. I pick her up tomorrow, cone and all, and begin twelve weeks of keeping her calm and subdued, which will be at least as hard on me as on her.

Intolerable Situation

Our beloved bassador is beloved by many many humans and nearly as many dogs (and even a few cats!) So what could be worse for all concerned than social distancing? Grace doesn't have a clue why I am suddenly pulling her - nay, dragging her - away from all of her friends. Her friends are equally distraught, even those who understand why. Grace is such a sweet, lovable dog, the whole world wants to love on her, and now they can't. Some humans have even argued with me about it. Luckily, I am very good at just saying no to mammals of all stripes. If I have to, I play the "my wife works in a hospital" card - leaving out the part about her working from home these last three weeks.

I don't know whether Grace has figured something out or whether it's just a coincidence, but the past couple of days she has intentionally cut her walks far shorter than normal. She does her essential business then leads me straight home. Is it because it's just no fun any more?

I reckon we'll never know.

Dog-o-paws

I'm sitting here on the porch with my bassador watching and listening to the rain. Twenty minutes have passed, and Grace has shown no interest in going for our morning walk.

Grace was born and raised for three years in a place where, if you didn't go out in the rain, you didn't go out for days at a time. Four and a half years later, she sits on the porch rather than walk.

I suppose she is showing her age. If the old seven to one ratio is applied, she would be fifty three now. We left Meadville when she was twenty one. I guess I was more hesitant to walk in the rain at 53 than I was at twenty one also.

But now she is ready to go. Signing off!

The Loop

Walking has always enabled my best thinking. The longer the walk, the deeper the thoughts. This morning we walked the loop. It's not the longest walk we've done, but it's in the top five. We've walked it maybe six times during the year we've lived in Jacksonville.

Standard walks go either north or south on San Jose boulevard, with twists and turns into businesses, neighborhoods, apartment complexes and/or down connecting roads. Then we come back home along pretty much the same general route. 

The loop goes south on San Jose, cuts west and north through businesses and neighborhoods to Beauclerc Road, then east to San Jose where we turn southward once more toward home - unless we go the counter-clockwise direction. 

Yesterday was my second session with my mental health professional. One of the coping strategies she recommended was to walk the dawg. (Gee, I wish I'd thought of that!) And as if she knew the plan, Grace led me all the way around the loop. 6756 steps, 2 hours and 25 minutes. I told her everything that was rattling around in my headbone. Grace is a very good listener.