Toby

Tuesday - August 19, 2008

Bill and I took Toby in for a check-up today. Bless his heart - he is in pain from arthritis in his hips, back, elbows, and knees - just like a person. We were told he was very tolerant of the pain, and that he was more than likely in pain all the time. We had noticed his hesitancy in jumping up and down off the couch, chair, bed, etc. Dr. Brown said this was probably because of his pain. We have “puppy pills” that have been prescribed to give him when needed. Apparently he needs them more often than we thought. New schedule has us giving him ¼ pill daily for a week - then we start him on ½ pill. This will give us an idea as to which one really helps him and gives him relief from the pain more consistently.

Those of you who are family and friends know that we love Toby very much and he a very important member of our family. Yes, he is “just a dog”, but he has been our friend and baby for almost twelve years. He has given us unconditional love with only a pat, a walk, a new bone, or a treat being his reward. He is a happy “baby.”

He is also going blind. His right eye has very little vision due to a skin graft he had to have about three summers ago. His left eye has a cataract coming on it (actually the right eye has one coming on as well). We are using an eye drop in his left eye to help keep the cataract from completely taking away all of his sight! We try to keep the path clear for him and not change the placement of anything - he is so familiar with the house. When something has been placed in the floor and he happens to catch glimpse of it - he is startled, almost afraid. He jumps back, sniffs, and decides if he needs to turn around and go back in the opposite direction.

Toby is our little buddy who likes a lap; to go outside and then back inside a dozen times a day; and to stretch out beside his “mommy” to take a nap! (Dad’s CPAP machine and/or snoring makes toooo much noise!)

Hope you enjoy these pictures of our “baby.”

The pictures with Toby wearing the cone was when he had the skin graft placed over his right eyeball. He was so pitiful looking. we had to feed him in the beginning until we found the right kind of bowl and taught him how to work that cone around it. Bill even held his chew bone so he could take a few chews - that cone was in the way. He wore it for about three months - gave the eye time to heal - he wanted to rub it and scratch at it!