Cycles

This past week Ari improved to the point of walking on all fours. It was great to see him trot around the yard with a ball in his mouth and barking at the fence line when a car goes past. Last night I noticed him limping a little and this morning even more. Seems like a cycle.

....a little better......

In the last 2 days he went from what I thought was worst he was to started to walk noticeably better. I cancelled the appointment at the vet.

Trouble Eating

I noticed for the first time that he couldn't eat and had to stop. He's getting skinny as a rail. So later in the day he’s outside and trotting around with a ball in his mouth like nothing is wrong… lasts for a few minutes and then he limps again but all 4 legs were moving.

Cancer???

I made an appointment today for x-rays of his chest which seems to be enlarging. Last night the pendulum went crazy over his lungs, forehead, feet (which are enlarged) and a growth on his front leg. (Read this: Occasionally dogs with lung cancer are lame. 1 out of 4 dogs show some kind of limp and the same numbers have no symptoms. The chest could also be enlarged due to the lymph nodes getting larger.)

Dogs are Amazing...

He has bursts of energy and will hobble to the fence line and bark when the girls run. He goes outside and I have to get him in or I think he would just stay out. He can't do steps and knows it but I have long low steps to the one door on the porch. When I got home in the afternoon he was outside under the porch where he has always hung out. I saw him throw up today.

He always has a good attitude however and most often a happy look on his face. Dogs are amazing…

I had to help him walk....

I had to help him outside tonight - used a scarf to hold his back end up. He was then able to hobble around. When I feed him he used to be right at the counter waiting and now he usually just waits in the next room.

He couldn't get up...

Tonight he was hobbling more. He was lying on the floor and I had to help him up because he didn’t lay on the rug with the backing. He was lying in the sun earlier this evening and normally he would head for the shade so when I talked with Marilyn I asked him and he said it was because he couldn’t get up. He also said he has little feeling in his back end. He sits on his tail and it curls under him. Marilyn also said she saw a bright light in his head…. He also described pressure around his middle like a rubber band around it that kept getting tighter.

No Steps...

Tonight Ari was in the basement when I was getting the food ready and I went down to see where he was and he couldn't get up the steps without help which was hard for me to give since he was so excited. He yelped when I tried to help him.

He Wobbles....

This morning Ari is walking like he had a stroke... Wobbling to one side ....this afternoon he is stumbling but not as bad as this morning... Still out by the fence trying to supervise the girls.

Three legged...

Holding leg up most of the time and hopping on 3 legs alot. Some things I've noticed is that he looks more bloated and that his breathing is labored at time when it shouldn't be and it sounded weird. Otherwise his attitude is good as he tries to control the girls.

Hard Getting Up....

Well just as soon as I start to tell people he's walking on all four feet... he's not.. Tonight he started favoring his leg and having a hard time getting up.

Gave him his Shot of Percortin

Gave Ari his Percortin shot today for his Addison’s... 49 days again since the last. He has remarkably improved putting weight on all four feet. He will overdo it and then be stiff but there is no walking on 3 legs for about a week now. Tonight he seemed a tad wobbly which is why I gave him the shot.