Old People and Dogs

You know the sure signs of middle age, right?

1. You Tivo Judge Judy and actually refer to her as "Judy."

2. You make "Taco Night" at Del Taco a part of your weekly routine. Not because the tacos are great, but because they're 3 for a freakin' $1.09!

3. You eat most of your meals on TV trays while watching Fox News.

4. Many of your favorite TV shows are on RFDTV. And if I have to explain what that is, then I guess you're not in the club.

5. You complain that the print in the stake directory is getting smaller every year.

6. You got pretty excited when Costco started carrying prunes in a RESEALABLE stay-fresh bag.

And, finally...............

7. Your dog is your baby.

We have had a rough week with our baby. We were up all night with him Sunday night. He kept crying out in pain and threw up a couple of times. On Monday, he seemed a little better, but wouldn't eat at all and was very depressed. When he was in pain and throwing up again on Tuesday, we took him to the doctor.

I won't tell you what we spent (but it's the eighth sign that you're middle-aged and crazy.) He had to have blood tests and x-rays, injections of antibiotics and an anti-inflammatory, with more oral meds to take for the next week. The doctor believes he has pancreatitis. As the name implies, it is inflammation of the pancreas. It is fairly common in smaller breed dogs, and they don't know for sure what causes it. There can be one flare-up with no further trouble, or it can reoccur occasionally. The frequency and degree of the flare-ups is best controlled by diet. As of yesterday, Newton is on a strict low fat, low sugar diet. Right now he is eating boiled chicken with rice, but in a couple of days he can transition to a high quality low fat dog food. Absolutely no more table scraps or people food. Flare-ups can be triggered by eating junk, and, if it occurs often enough, can damage other organs and become fatal. No more dog treats, except for little bites of boiled chicken that I will keep on hand for him (are we up to nine now?)

He is feeling much better today. He is still a little depressed and tired, but no more pain and his appetite has returned. We all slept soundly last night, for the first time since Saturday night. I know that he will respond well to the medication, new diet, and the countless prayers that we have said on his behalf.

So....I have an unopened 40 lb. bag of dog food and part of a big Costco box of dog treats. If no one wants them, I guess I'll freecycle them. (Is that ten?)

Alert***

Since I posted this, I have heard back from the vet with the results of Newton's lab work. The enzymes that indicate pancreatitis were NOT present, so that was not the problem. But his white blood cell count was elevated, indicating an infection. We are now calling it "gastritis," a fancy doctor word for "stomach ache." (Probably from the hundreds of dollars he "consumed" yesterday.) He is to continue with the boiled chicken and rice for another day or two until he is completely well, then he can go back to his normal dog food. (Sorry...the 40 lb. bag of super premium Kirtland brand dog food is off the table.) He will also finish the course of anti-inflammatory meds and antibiotics. But...the doctor suggests we lay off the table food since this was probably a reaction to "something he ate." Which is entirely possible since over the course of Friday and Saturday he sampled grapes, grilled cheese, bagel dog, Japanese snack mix and ice cream. And, apparently, the grapes alone were enough to make him sick. So it's back to being a dog for you, young man...