an update on Jack...

Dogs are wise. They crawl away into a quiet corner and lick their wounds and do not rejoin the world until they are whole once more.  ~ Agatha Christie

For those who read this and don't know about Jack:  see picture at right.  Jack is my sweet little guy and one of my best friends ever. He was diagnosed with diabetes this past January.  He was in and out of the vet's offices many, many times over the past couple of months.  For reasons too lengthy to deal with here, I wasn't  real happy with the care he was getting, so we switched to a vet that came highly recommended.  One of the first things the new vet said was "has anyone mentioned the fact that Jack is completely blind in his left eye?" No.  No one ever mentioned that.  Probably due to, or at least exacerbated by, the diabetes, he had severe cataracts in both eyes.  Severe enough in the left as to blind that eye, probably some time ago.  

 

As of this past weekend, he is now blind in both eyes.  Saturday morning, instead of jumping off the bed as usual, Jack seemed very hesitant to move.  I lifted him off the bed and set him on the floor.  I then watched, very sadly, as he walked right into the wall behind the open door.  Taking small hesitant steps he found his way to the kitchen, hitting the wall and furniture several times.  After giving him his insulin shot, I usually give him a little rawhide chew as a treat. On that morning he couldn't find it in the palm of my hand, right in front of his nose.

 

It's been a few days now and I can see he's making progress dealing with this.  Probably more progress than I am.  He gets around in the house much better already, but he still spends much of his time under a chair in the living room - trying to stay out of the way, I think.  He can't go out in the yard by himself anymore.  Every trip involves a harness and leash - at least for now.  I have to remember to tell him when there is a step up or down in front of him, and I try to make sure there are no twigs or stones on the path that would startle him.  He is teaching me to slow down and look at everything.  I'm guessing he will never be the same little Jack.  No more running like a little bullet, or jumping straight up, waist high when he wants my attention.  No more acting like a tough guy.  He's slower, more timid, softer, and somehow he's even sweeter.

There's a good yoga lesson in this.  Everything changes.  Nothing stays the same, no matter how much you want it to.  I just wish Jack didn't have to pay the price for this lesson.

A few months ago - when he was still fat.

It doesn't show up here, but when you look into his (beautiful, soulful) eyes they look almost colorless.  My sweet little guy.

A Heads Up For Dog Lovers

'"Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole." ~ Roger Caras



See that little brown dog over there on the right?  Jack (dog of one hundred or more nicknames) is amongst the best things in my life.  He's a smart, lively, funny and loveable little guy who sleeps curled up in my bed with me every night.  And as of today, he's a  diabetic.  Did you know that dogs can get diabetes?  I didn't.  But I'm finding out a lot more than I ever wanted to know. You know what's even worse?  I may have contributed to it. He was overweight.  I definitely contributed to that. Most domesticated dogs don't feed themselves.  The symptoms?  Well, oddly enough, he started losing weight.  Quickly.  He lost 4 1/2 pounds in a month.  That's a lot for a 16 pound dog.  Then I noticed he was drinking a lot of water, and not suprisingly, peeing a lot.  I took him to the vet for tests.  Lots of tests later, I got the diagnosis today. So life will be a little different for us from here on out.  Insulin shots twice a day, every day, and watching everything he eats for the rest of his life.  I'm pretty sure eating people food made life worth living for Jack.  He would eat anything.  Seriously.  Anything.  Grapes, lettuce, bananas, oranges, ketchup, raw onions or garlic...anything that fell on the floor. I never saw him not eat something.  And boy does he love bread! None of that, anymore.  But I try to remind myself that it could be worse.  The vet tells me that most dogs with diabetes go on to live relatively normal, and normal length, lives.  So I'll have to be careful, and I won't be able to leave him alone for more than a few hours from here on out, but he should be okay.  So, knowing how many of you out there that have dogs that you love - a heads up.  There are half a dozen breeds that are more inclined to become diabetic.  While I do know that Miniature Pinschers (which is what Jack is) are one of those breeds, I honestly don't remember what the others are.  I stopped listening to the veterinarian at some point.  If your dog ever starts losing weight for no reason, drinking a large amount of water and then urinating large amounts, get his or her little butt off to the vet.  You just might be catching diabetes in your beloved furbaby early.

Jack and I spent most of the afternoon at the vet's office today. This is how he looked by the time we got home.  I pretty much feel the same way...



He is one tired out little guy.  I haven't told him yet, but he has to go back tomorrow.



oh happy day...

I'll be busy this weekend, trying to get some things done in the yard, as we get ready to host a wedding rehearsal dinner for 25, in just two weeks!  Still so much left to do, but my main focus right now is keeping everything green until then.  Not an easy task, as we are currently experiencing a 15 inch deficit in rainfall (to those of you in western states, that's about your average yearly rainfall - our yearly average here is about 60 inches) and still having 90 degree daytime highs.  And I still have cooking to do for this little shindig, too!  I'm cooking (vegetarian) Mexican, and will be trying to make flan for the first time!  I'll post more about that in the coming weeks.  In the meantime, here are a few things that made me happy today...

Always loved this photo - just a cool little getaway spot to sit and read, or maybe just to sit and think.  Don't remember where this is from - maybe Cottage Living?

My little Jack.  Although I didn't take this photo this morning, this is how he looked when I left the house - sleeping on the couch with his head on a pillow.  He "arranges" the pillow just the way he wants it, before he lays his head down.  Yes, he's fat (or as his vet says, "happy").  Don't judge.

An idea I'd like to modify for one of our existing patios...someday.  Wouldn't this be a great place for a nap?  Not that I nap...I have a really hard time falling asleep in the day time.  But the cat would love to nap here, I'm sure.

Hang in there Hydrangeas!  They looked pretty sad and droopy yesterday, but after a quick watering, this is how they looked this morning.  Pretty soon they will turn green (pretty!) and then beige, and then they'll dry up for the winter.  Sad.  But they'll be back next year.

Artwork from Etsy.  Unfortunately I didn't note the name of the artist, and it's no longer on the site.  Beautiful, right?

My new shoes!  They're from American Eagle (not a place I normally shop!) - VERY comfortable and only $19.99.  And no animals were harmed in the making of these shoes!  Since I wear jeans to work most of the time, I think I will get a lot of use from these.

So there you have it.  I am wishing y'all a VERY happy weekend!