Right now, we’re watching our 16-year-old accident-prone Maine Coon mix slowly recover from a compressed vertebra in her lower spine. She’s confined to a dog crate for 4 weeks (we are in the middle of week 2) to keep her from overdoing it, and only today has she finally gone from dragging one of her feet and tipping over when she tried to walk to a sort of side-to-side waddle that goes pretty slow, but is definitely balanced, and much faster than before.

It’s terrible to see a companion in pain, to have set backs, to need so much help. (Her set back was due to an escape attempt where she tried to stand on her hind legs even though she couldn’t walk.) She’s my shadow, usually, until she inexplicably decided to try to jump 40+” onto the dresser early one Friday morning when she usually doesn’t even try to jump the 17″ onto the coffee table anymore. I know she might not survive another foolish decision.

It won’t help Sachmo other than making his space a little more pleasant, but might be a relief to you and MrsTbogg if you gave Beckham some coconut to, ah, lighten your mopping-up duties. An Archway macaroon would probably do the trick.

P.S. I also knew a standard poodle whose chronic colitis responded so well to acupuncture that he no longer required regular surgeries for bowel adhesions. Just sayin’. You don’t have to believe, I guess, as long as your dog is dumb enough to fall for it…

http://dennisperrin.blogspot.c…..minds.html

Sorry to derail the thread, but your link on Adkisson raised a thought:
“Adkisson told Still that “he could not get to the leaders of the liberal movement that he would then target those that had voted them in to office.”

Doesn’t sound at all like a terr’ist’s rationale? Maybe if he realised the Unitarians actually, y’know ATTEMPTED TO PRACTICE what Jesus preached instead of just proselytsing about his divinity, he might have realised he wouldn’t get the martyrdom he was hoping for. What an asshat.

I’ve never commented here before, but your canine situation has always drawn me to check your blog out, and the same now gives me cause to register so I can comment on Satchmo’s condition. About five years ago, my fifteen year-old Giant Schnauzer, “Groucho” twisted his back so horribly that he was unable to move at all. He was panting terribly and unable to eat as well. I had to carry him out to do his business and he would just lay down in the grass as he did that. I was so distraught! My conventional vet, who is a great vet, (as conventional vets go) said that he had damaged his lower spine so severely that the best thing to do was euthanize him…At this point I felt this was not an option. He was more human to me than most humans.

So, I found a place in Copley, OH called “Dancing Dogs” which among other unusual therapies, performed Acupuncture on dogs and horses. Okay, now I’m pretty cynical, and I always thought acupuncture was mostly psychosomatic. I didn’t believe it could work on an animal because an animal would have no pre-conceived notion of the intended result, right?

WRONG!!! After a 45 minute treatment, I put Groucho in the car, drove two hours home, and upon arriving home, lifted him out of the car and stood him on the ground. He proceeded to limp over to a favorite spot and did his business without falling! The next day he was even better. After five weeks of one 45-minute treatment per week, he was getting around like he was 10 years old again.

About a year later, he began showing signs of the pain recurring again. I set up another round of treatments and the old guy lived pretty actively until dying of old age, calmly, and without a shot, under our dining room table during dinner. (By the way, think about that. What better way to go for a dog than at his place at the table with the whole family present and everything as usual?) 17 years is a long life for a 110 lb. Giant.

Anyway, sorry for writing so much. I could have just said, “Go find an animal acupuncturist and have them give it a try! You might be pleasantly surprised! (And, there are no medications.)

I now have two new Giant Schnauzer buddies, “Nacho and Nina” and I am hoping they both hit the same ripe old age as Groucho did.

Man, I feel your pain. I hope your little buddy pulls out of this and has many more active years ahead. You must be a really good person.

Best wishes.