Rugs are everywhere now…

….except on the back porch.  When he comes inside which snow on his feet his legs go out from under him so tomorrow I think a trip to the thrift show might be on the agenda. 

I have noticed some other things recently about him.  One is how he gags.  And then it’s like if I were to eat something that I didn’t like so based on his facial expression, apparently he has a bad taste in his mouth.  He is not as tolerant of the other dogs as he was.  He also snapped at Kobie who was trying to get him to play and that is SO rare… she is his best buddy and that just doesn’t happen.  Oh…..and good news…  I slept until 5am last night… only once did he have to go out… that’s what limiting his water intake does. :)  Tonight he was standing right in front of the place where his water usually is looking at it like…where did it go?  It was about 5 feet away…hhmm…  I think I’ll add these things to the list tomorrow. 

So Ari always like to retrieve items… not a formal retrieve but in play of course OR because I said so! Here is a variety of some of what he did!

   

He’s not going in the right direction… <big sigh>

So I bought Ari a soft fleece coat to wear.  Actually a miniature horse blanket from a horse catalog.  All their coats are made like horse blankets and there have been times when I was really glad I had them.  This new one is much softer since he wears it almost all the time otherwise his body feels cold. The others were for outside and were either quilted or waterproof.

Here are Tori and Ari…  modeling the coats did NOT make them happy campers!!  As you notice… Ari has his pitiful look on…

I added to the list tonight….

1. He wobbles when he gets up and walks and he paces instead of trotting. 12/16-it’s gotten worse since I wrote this last week.  Sometimes he almost topples over.
2. His tail curls under his butt when he sits.  This happened before when he did not have the use of his rear end.  12/16
3. He seems always cold – his feet especially.  I put a coat on him even when inside.  One day he came inside with ice crystals on his feet.  This was before the big snow and deep freeze.   And his feet are, as usual, enlarged at times.
4. He is afraid of noises (mouse trap).  He will hang out be me or if I get up he will hide in the bathroom.  12/16-sticks pretty close to me when I’m home.
5. He gets disorientated.  He will go out through the basement and then either I have to come and get him or he waits in basement and when I call him, he comes up.  It’s like he can’t figure out that going around the corner will bring him to the stairs.
6. He drinks lots of water and will urinate in the house – not in front of me but overnight if he’s not sleeping in the room with me.  Otherwise he gets me up in the middle of the night to go out which he never did before. 12/16-because I don’t want him going in the house (of course) he stays in the bedroom with me so I’m up a few times a night. (I’m exhausted) I’m trying really limiting his water intake in the evening.
7. He no longer gets up on the couch which says to me his legs are weaker.  When you look at the them the skeleton look is returning from lack of use. 

I just don’t know…

One minute he’s charging outside with the rest of the dogs and then 30 minutes later he can’t walk through the house without stumbling.  One thing I do know… he doesn’t seem to be in pain.  He doesn’t seem to understand what’s happening and will look at me as if to say… what’s going on??   He’s never lost his appetite and would eat way more than he should if I let him but carrying extra weight around when there is no strength in the back legs just isn’t smart!

  

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

These photos were taken 2 years ago even after his Addisonian Crisis.  He definitely was a handsome dude… and he still is!

Tribute to Ari (created Jan. 2010)

Arsenal vom Keashaborn (Ari)
(April 21, 1999 – December 18, 2009)
CGC, Therapy Dog, BH, TR1, RN
PSA-TC, PSA-PDC, PSA-1 Novice

Thanks to all the decoys who ever worked or caught him!

Shown in these photos in no particular order…

Bryan, Joe, Wayne, Greg, Matt, Jay, Jeremy, Ivan, Darryl, Sean, Todd, Chad, Harry and Chris

And the ones I remember who are not in these photos:

Michael, Terence, Daniel, Eric, Tom, Wolfgang G., Wolfgang L., Cory, Dennis, Chad, Gordy, Brice, Fred, Brian, Jerry, Joseph, Mark, Todd and Waleed

Ari’s Journal                Ari’s Photos