Wednesday, March 2, 2011

My Border Collie is Sick

Last night we had a normal walk until...

Lettie lost her dinner.  All over the pavement in one big pile.

Lettie is my 10 year old Border Collie.  To call her Predictable is an understatement.  Lettie runs like a Swiss Watch.   Actually, she ran like a Swiss Watch until last night. 

She did manage to pick up and continue onwards on the walk like nothing happened.  Her usual smiling self, once around town.  That was at 6PM. 

The second walk happened at 9PM and she was normal.
Lettie went to sleep like nothing happened and I thought nothing more about her losing her dinner last night until I woke up this morning. 

She has two mats.  One is right by my bed.  The other is in the Living Room.  She'll sleep by me until I am fast asleep then she will pick up and walk out to the living room and sleep the night.   Some time during the night she comes back into the bedroom and finishes off the night there.

So far so good. 

I got out of bed and put my socks on, stood up and thought that something's wrong.  She usually hears me, but not always, get out of bed.  I walked to the hallway and she wasn't on her mat.  Lettie's a cheerful dog, always smiling, her mind working out what she should do and enjoying her tasks.  I'm used to seeing her come and find me when she's not on the mat. 

There was no sign of her. 

The house was dark at 6AM.  I begun to turn on the lights and walk through the place wearing two socks and a watch. 

Hearing Lettie shake, I walked around the corner of the room divider and I saw her.   Lettie had pooped on the dining room floor.  This is something she has only done twice before in all the years that I have had her.

She was standing there looking up at me sheepishly but not standing still.

Lettie was wobbling.  I knew there was a problem.  We had had an episode that "cleared up on it's own" back in April last year.  Never really knew what it was, we assumed it had something to do with a neck problem she had developed, but really no concrete cause.

At that point the vet was called and a message left on the service that we were going to be there at 7:30AM when the staff gets in.  I managed to get Lettie out for a wobbly walk, once around the block for about 1/2 mile.  When we got home she still didn't eat, still didn't drink, still didn't look good.

I managed to rush through a shower, shave, and a quick breakfast and got her to the Vet.

Finally around 9AM, I got to speak with Dr Javier Gonzalez of Family Pet on Federal Highway in Ft. Lauderdale.  He and everyone else at Family Pet are excellent.  He also was the one who diagnosed that there were neurological problems.  In a darkened exam room, he shone the flashlight into her eyes and saw that the eyes were dialated and did not react to the light.

Not Good.

Where we are now is that my Mrs Dog is having a day at the Spa.  She's visiting with Dr Gonzalez and the rest being observed.  I will call back at 1PM to find out what is going on.

10 years is not long enough.  I want my best friend back.

This was the "Bonus Year".  We knew that back in April she may not pull through and was much worse then than she is now.  I didn't have her when she was a puppy, but I have had her through her adult years.   She was trained, then abandoned or lost in North Dauphin PA.  After spending six months at Angel Pets Rescue in Dauphin PA, I got her at 1 1/2 years old.  Now she is 10 and 1/2 years old.  Thoroughly part of the family.

The best that can happen is another "Bonus Year".  I will find out later if I am lucky twice and get my cantankerous and fearful Border Collie back.

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