Day 760

When one of the pack is suffering, this Mama suffers too. Last evening, Sammy started to whimper and refused to sit down. Right away, my mind goes to "worst case scenarios!" I was heartened when he ate his supper, but it wasn't with his usual unbridled joy. He allowed me to walk him around the yard to view his gait, but that illuminated nothing...he was just slow and tentative. Using all my knowledge from SO MANY VET VISITS and checking all body parts, I was stumped! I did suspect a leg injury, but when he put himself to bed in his crate with Snuggle Puppy, I thought I would see how the night would go.

He did pretty well until about 4:30 a.m. and then the whimpering returned in earnest. The two of us snuck downstairs and after hastily dressing, out we went for a walk. Finally pinpointing the pain to his left hip area, I was relieved that it wasn't worse. With some TLC, and watchful eyes, he should be fine soon

Why, why, why do I immediately go to the "Nightmare Zone?" Gastric dilatation (flipped stomach), broken leg, torn ligament...the list went on and on. I have a tendency to go from 0 to 100 when a loved one is sick and my mind starts spinning like a tornado! Wouldn't it be easier to take a deep breath, count to ten and calmly assess the situation? That is my goal and it must be working since I didn't head to the Emergency Vet. (Believe me...I thought about it!)

Preparing for the worst might have its benefits regarding storms, floods and volcanic eruptions, but for every-day concerns, it seems to be a waste of time and energy. Hopefully, my goal of calmly assessing a situation will be reached some day. Then I can put that energy to better use!