Poor Juno. She is too smart for her own good. You may recall that she has been having some health problems. Because she was so very thin, Farmer H thought she might have worms (we are avid viewers of The Incredible Dr. Pol), and bought some de-wormer. Or wormer. Anyhoo... for a little while Juno would look a little better, then she'd be all bony and ribby again. Right now she is her sleek self, no ribs showing, but you can feel them if you pet her.
"Do you think that's what was wrong with Juno? Are you finished with the worm medicine."
"I still have some. She wasn't eatin' her food with it! So I had to stop. Then I started doing it again."
"Is it a pill? Do you need me to hold her mouth open?"
"No. It's liquid. I was putting in on her food, but she must of smelled it, and she wouldn't eat her food."
"Of course she smelled it! She has a DOG NOSE! I can't believe you just poured it on top of her food. THAT'S why she was eating Jack's food all the time!"
"Yeah. I guess. Then I started putting it in her canned food. Like down in it. And she ate it."
"She must like the canned food a lot more. Because I'm sure she could still smell it."
"Sometimes she'd just eat part of it. And now she's suspicious."
"I saw her yesterday when you were by the laundry room, thumping the can. She came halfway around the porch, and waited. Then when you came in, she went to eat it."
"Yeah. If she sees me do anything other than dump out the can, she won't eat it. She knows I'm doing something to it!"
Anyhoo... Juno has filled out a little. Food is always in her dish, and Jack's too. The dry food. In case she's hungry. Problem is, Juno is just OLD. We got her as a tiny pup in the fall of 2010. So she's 12 years old! That's pretty old for a big dog. Actually, Juno is medium. I'm pretty sure she's a border collie/labrador mix, from her behavior as a young dog, and her coat, and the shape of her head and color of her eyes.
Juno's other problem is peeing. I'm afraid she might have stones in her urethra. For a time it seemed difficult for her to pee. She'd squat and whine. Now she pees all over the place. Like she can't hold it in. Not a lot, but it drips here and there and everywhere. The feathery fur on her haunches gets soaked.
Farmer H has debated taking her to the vet. Thing is, she's still faster than him, and strong when she doesn't want to do something. She is not leash-trained, because here in the country, we don't parade our pets around, and after their initial shots and special operations, we consider them healthy enough. So even if Farmer H could catch Juno and hold her somewhere overnight to have her here for a trip to the vet... once there, he couldn't carry her or drag her on a leash to get her inside. I've also decided I don't want any surgery for her, if that is a recommended treatment. She is 12 YEARS OLD! I wouldn't put her through that. It would be different if she was 4 or 5. But I don't want her stressed in her old age. She seems happy enough now, and runs and barks with the other fleabags. Chases the Gator.
Speaking of the Gator... Farmer H was gone when I got home from town on Monday. I sent him a text: "I suppose you're at the BARn, since my dogs are not here for their treat."
He sent back that he had been to the other property up on the hill, and was almost home. I thought he might have been out looking at the roads, since some of the road crew actually worked on them Sunday! But no.
"I was at the other property, and took the Gator down to the creek. I was hoping Juno would wade in and clean herself, but she didn't!"
"It's FEBRUARY!"
"Yeah, but it's 66 degrees today. And them other two went in. Just not Juno."
She's pretty smart, our Juno. The best way to get her in the creek is to act like you don't want her in the creek...
4 comments:
The constant pee dribble would bother me enough to get her to the vet. Do you have a vet that could make a house call instead of taking Juno there? or could you just phone for advice? She may just have an infection that could be easily fixed.
River,
I don't know any vets around here who make house calls. I doubt they would give advice over the phone. Farmer H said The Veteran might be able to help him get Juno into the truck, and into the office. But he's not very dependable. So to get an appointment, and not have him show up, would be a problem. Farmer H is also afraid of not being able to catch Juno on the appointment day.
It might have to wait until the weather warms up for good, and Juno can ride any day in the back of SilverRedO in a carrier that Farmer H says will fit her, after his back surgery has been recovered from. And maybe scheduled for a Pony day off, so he can help. The vet is only a couple miles from Pony House. Juno is usually around the Mansion in the afternoons, and Farmer H could lure her by starting up the Gator. I might be able to snare her with a leash while giving her a treat.
Peanut butter will get Toni to do anything! They are about th same age and my Toni has been slowing down a bit, too. But she can still run like the wind if she manages to escape. You might recall that she has bladder stones when she was younger. Her bladder ruptured and she was in surgery fr a couple of hours as they repaired the tear and dug out all the stones. She drinks bottled water now. I am like you, though, when they get to be old why put them through anything painful. I would suggest diapers, but she is outside and you would have a time trying to change her. She will let you know when she is ready to let go of life. In the meantime, it could be a bladder infection that would easily be remedied with antibiotics
Kathy,
Yes, I remember Toni's stone saga. If Juno has stones, I think they're in the urethra, not the bladder. For a while, when she'd squat to pee, she would whimper. None of that now. I guess it just runs out! All the time! She is more bright-eyed and interested in life now that she's not rib-thin. I guess maybe she has two maladies. We'll try to get her to the vet when things calm down around the back surgery of Farmer H. I will feel very sad if the recommendation for Juno is surgery, and I won't allow it. But just an antibiotic fix would be great.
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