Asher, Nellie

Tough Night

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Nellie

It happened again last night. Mom awoke to the sound of Nellie crashing into the walls and slipping on the bare floors. It was near midnight and us mutts were enjoying a nice sleep when the attack happened.

Mom quick threw on some clothes and guided Nellie outside where she had better traction. Nellie looked confused and scared.

Mom figured Nellie was having another old dog vestibular event. That’s what the people call it. I call it doggie vertigo. Anyway, the world must have been really spinning for Nellie. Her head was goofy crooked and she seemed like a zombie on steroids.

We got Nellie into the studio where there are lots of dog beds and soft places to land.  Mom curled up on the floor with Nellie and tried to keep her from falling over. When Nellie settled down a little bit, mom slipped her a pain pill.

After about an hour Nellie relaxed and soon fell asleep. By then it was 2am. We all grabbed some needed shut eye for a few hours until Tess decided she wanted breakfast. That got Jack moaning so I pounced on mom to make sure she was awake. For some reason mom always says the same thing when I do that, “Oh no, Asher!”

We woke Nellie up to make sure she was still breathing. Nellie actually seemed a little better. Her head wasn’t quite so out of whack and she definitely wanted her breakfast.

Nellie ate her morning grub as fast as she could. I checked to make sure she didn’t leave anything in the dish. Then we all trooped back to the studio for a nap.

Nellie

Nellie slept for three hours until we woke her up to do her business. The pain pill is helping her sleep. Mom says that’s what she needs and us mutts can’t be bumping into her or waking her up for no good reason.

I feel so bad for Nellie. When I started this bark my eyes teared up and I couldn’t see so good. Even Tess was crying. It’s not fair that Nellie has all these health problems. She’s been through so much already. We want her to have some fun at Asherpark.  Come on Nellie. You gotta pull through this. We’re barkin for you!

 

 

Jack

Dog Opthamology

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Jack

I didn’t get to go so I was a little miffed. Mom explained that she was taking Jack and Nellie to the eye doctor so me and Tess had to stay home.

Jack goes to the eye doctor once a year. He has a dry eye condition and has to take drops every night.

Mom took Nellie because she wanted to find out how blind Nellie is and if there is any way to help Nellie see better. I’ll bark more about Nellie tomorrow, but today I gotta tell you about Jack.

See the picture of Jack? Does he look goofy or what…

Mom said Jack was real good on the way to the eye doc. It’s a long drive, but Jack settled down in the back of the car and had a nice nap. When they arrived at the vet Jack didn’t want to go in but mom convinced him he had to.

The vet has this fancy table that works like an elevator. A mutt steps up onto the table and then it rises to waist high so the people don’t have to bend over all the time.

Mom talked Jack into getting on the table and she held him steady while the table went up. Jack complained to mom that he didn’t like the table, but she told him he had to stay.

Now Jack isn’t the kind of guy to give mom a lot of lip. Oh, he moans and carries on when she leaves him but he never growls or acts bad.

But Jack was plenty displeased by the table elevator at the eye doc. When mom looked at him from the front she could hardly believe what she saw. There was sweet old Jack giving her the dirtiest look he could muster.

Only problem was mom thought he looked so funny she burst out laughing. Mom asked the vet to stop the exam just for a second so she could grab a snapshot of Jack.

When they got home from the vet, mom showed the rest of us how silly Jack looked. By then he was laughing too. See mom treated him and Nellie to a frozen turkey neck as soon as they got home so Jack was in a pretty good mood.

The good news is Jack’s eyes are not getting any worse. The vet says Jack has the best eyes of any of the Old Dog Haven dogs she has examined. Jack just has to keep taking his drops each night before he goes to bed.

If you think Jack looks pretty funny in his picture, you can tell him so by leaving a comment. Jack likes fan mail. He really does.

 

 

Nellie

Hanging In There

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Nellie

Ash has been asking me to post a bark about how I’m feeling. If you read my previous bark, you know I was pretty sick for a while.

I felt dizzy and sick and all messed up. Dr. Brad said I have geriatric vestibular syndrome. All I know is my head wouldn’t sit straight on my neck.

It’s been ten days since I got dizzy. Now my eyes don’t twitch but I still can’t straighten my head. You should try walking around with your head off to one side. It’s not so easy!

I’m still a little unsteady on my feet. I stumble when I first get up in the morning, but mom always spots for me so I don’t fall over.

Once I get my pegs under me I can trot around pretty good. Last night I even made a little play bow on our nightly walk. The other mutts looked at me like I was crazy. Tess came over to see if I really wanted to play, but then she realized I’m still too weak.

It bothers me that people feel sorry for me. I know I’m a sorry sight but I’m still happy. I follow mom everywhere. I eat like a horse. A BIG horse! I can drink water just fine, and I love my treats.

I felt so full of myself yesterday that I grabbed my blanket and shook it real hard. That makes the people laugh every time.

In two weeks I’m gonna see the eye doctor. That way I’ll know if I’m going blind or just can’t see good because of cataracts. I know I’m blind in the dark. Even with a flashlight I can’t see where to walk, but that’s okay too. Mom says I’ll just have to stay in the backyard where we have great big lights.

So that’s the latest news about my dizzy spells. I’ll tell you one thing, it’s not getting in the way of me enjoying life at Asherpark.