Ms Moose

Billy, as usual, is fine. Very little could derail that cat from his life of luxury. Mrow.

Moose has been not well for the past few weeks. When I got back from CO, she had a urinary tract infection - blood in her pee, and she needed to pee about 50 times per day. Having had a UTI or two myself..... ow. Not pleasant. Worse yet, she wouldn't eat. NOT a good sign for a 10 yr old lab.

I gave her cranberry extract tablets, and fed her water via ice cubes. She wouldn't drink liquids. Food, she wouldn't touch. Holy cow. The #1 labrador retriever sign of not good. When I would return from an outing, she'd kinda stagger up from her nap spot and stumble to the front door to meet me when I returned, if that. (By comparison, even as recently as 2 mo ago, she'd be waiting at the door to greet me, and she'd just about plow me over with enthusiasm) Oh, not good. Yes, I called the vet. he said give it a week or so, apparently it' s not uncommon for an older dog to have a UTI in response to their person deserting them for a vacation. But waiting to see how things go is tough. I'm not good at waiting. i just wanted to see Moose eat. Is that so much?

This is all very scary stuff for me. A big dog like Moose, avg life span 7-10 yr. I've considered every year past 7 bonus, esp after having had several things biopsied. 10+... I have to face facts. Every month of happiness and health for her is good. it will not always be so. And I will have to deal with that. it's not something i can fight. You all know how much I love her. It's just hard.

So, did I mention I got the AC fixed? Oh, yay!! Me, I don't half give a crap, except that it will be a great selling point for the house (i got a transferrable warranty). But apparently Moose does. I set the thermostat at 75 degrees two days ago and she's eating and drinking again. Aside from limping (labs are notorious for hip problems, esp later in life) she's almost spunky. Almost. A huge thank you to my Dada and Mama for setting aside funds for me to take care of things like AC. There is no way i'd be able to do any of this, unless my grandparents had worked to provide the ability for their kids and grandkids to handle such financial challenges.

Pfft. Apparently Miss Moose is a Northern dog. Heat does not become her.

Well, the good thing is, at this stage in Moose's life I don't have to worry much about her wandering off the moment i'm not watching, or doing something stupid like running across a highway or swimming in class 4 rapids... she MOSTLY listens to the word "no" now.

We'll see how things go. after all that's all i can do.