It seems like every morning, I think that Snowy should be put to sleep and every afternoon I think it’s the worst idea ever.
Today was no exception.
He was stiff and filled with pain when he first got up and even ninety minutes after his pain pill and steroid, he yelped loudly a couple of times, even when no one was touching him. (Just for the record, each one of those yelps takes at least seven years off my life.)
And speaking of his meds, here is the morning line up.
By the way, just in case your pet ever needs a liquid medication but it’s hard to get him to take it? Squirt it into the corner of a piece of bread. It has worked beautifully for Snowy.
By late morning, he was feeling fine and frisky and has been in great spirits ever since. We have the stairs barricaded so that he isn’t tempted to climb them (which is forbidden by his vet) and except for his surprise jaunt across the front yard Thursday morning, we are keeping him as still as we possibly can.
We keep him in his kennel . . .
. . . as much as possible.
However, when the meds start to kick in and the pain dissipates, he sits up and is rarin’ to go! And at that point, the kennel just won’t do.
So then his options are to sit quietly with Sarah . . .
. . . or sit on the floor of the kitchen and watch me work. (We’ve got 20-25 people coming to our house for a cookout after church tomorrow so I’m up to my elbows in cookery.)
Per his vet’s instructions, I’ve already cut his steroid dose in half and his heavy pain pills will run out Monday morning; that is the day when we will get a much better understanding of whether or not he’s going to make it through this. The vet won’t give him any more of the big pain meds and if the milder ones don’t keep him comfortable, well, then our decision will be made for us.
But for today he is happy and he has his official Snowy Twinkle in his eyes. And that’s good enough for me.
I’m just catching up on your blog and so sorry to hear of Snowy’s pain. My dog had a disk problem a few years ago and was also in a lot of pain. In addition to the meds, we kept him on crate rest and put him in a warm bath everyday (sometimes twice a day) to reduce the inflamation. His back eventually healed and he is healthy now. I will keep Snowy and your family in my prayers.
We use an old rubber-backed bath mat inside our dog’s crate. It isn’t slippery to walk on (& keeps the bed from sliding around) and is easy to wash when necessary…It’s like crate carpet but easier! Our little dog has been going through some of the same things over the past year. So much of Snowy’s story sounds familiar. It’s so hard to see them hurt. I wish you all the best.
I’m glad to hear that Snowy is having a good today. I hope the rest of his weekend will be good as well. Sending you a lot of hugs and thoughts
Thanks for the update! I bet Snowy will want to spend some time with you in the kitchen, you know just incase something falls on the floor.
Cindy from Sonoma
Glad for the update. Gotta keep tabs on our Snowy!
Love deb