Poochie Blues

Bed rest for 3 weeks!  How do you keep a dog down? 

Our pooch, who looks like he’s ancient but is only really 3 years old, has come down with a bad back.  After many days of the hang-dog blues and several trips to the vet (and $400, ahem) we’ve established that Bentley has some bulging discs in his back that are causing poor poochie lots of pain.  6 pills a day and bed rest for 3 weeks. . . how does one accomplish such a thing, especially with 2 children in the house who love to romp with him (thus maybe explaining why he has a bad back in the first place).  To boot, the meds are making him have to urinate about every 20 minutes and we have to take him out on a leash now to keep him from running like a maniac around the yard (the pain killers seem to be doing their job).  It’s this or risk a ruptured disc that would require surgery. 

Sadly enough, I’ve been in his shoes (or booties).  I had a ruptured disc years ago and was parked on my mother’s couch for 3 weeks while she waited on me hand and foot.   It was unbelievably painful – so I know what you’re feelin’ pooch.  And Mom, if I haven’t said ‘thank you’ recently for those weeks of servitude – let me just say ‘thank you again – you saved me from some serious back surgery.’  Let’s hope I can do the same for my four-legged friend.