Friday, July 19, 2013

Freddie The Wonder Dog

Fred scared me this week. He has been sick again. Lethargic, retching and just miserable. He was so unsteady on his feet I was sure he was going to collapse. I'm sure the heat didn't help but he looked like this was it....I was going to lose my constant companion this time.

So like every other time we withheld food for 24 hours. The vet usually says food and water but with the heat as bad as it is that wasn't an option. Yesterday he looked better in the morning, not good but better. He ate his bland rice and boiled chicken and kept it down. Then in the afternoon he seemed to get very unstable using the wall as guide when he walked. Even his eyes looked like he was in distress.

So now comes the question.....do I call the vet. We have gone through these episodes before. They are connected with his Lyme disease. The fear was what if it isn't his Lyme, what if it is something else.

 Rachel, being more level headed about him than I, convinced me to hold off until morning. So I carried him upstairs to bed, ( he can't do the stairs anymore) closed the gate so he wouldn't fall down, or try to go down stairs and went to bed.

This morning I was greeted by a happy tail wagging old dog !! Yeah he still can't climb the stairs.... He still can't see anything if it isn't right in front of him.... He is still shaky on his feet.....He still forgets he's housebroken sometimes..... but he's still my Freddie. He is still following me where ever I go, even if it takes him a bit longer to get up to do it.



Wednesday, July 3, 2013

SCHOOL'S OUT, STEVE'S IN

The end of the school year is finally here! This has been a hard year for me, lots of changes. I started on the 8th grade floor with F and V, moved to the 7th grade floor with those guys L, T and Y and ended up in an unofficial 1:1 role with JM. So what does next year bring for me.... another new teacher! This makes number 8, I believe. My teacher from this year is pregnant and is due in late August. She is planning on staying home until the kids return after Christmas break in January. I have taken over the class in the past but I don;t see that happening for this. First I am not certified to teach as a long term sub and second the program has changed so very much this year I don't want to be the sub. I am very happy working in the classroom supporting the students with their school work instead of the social/psycho issues that have become Project Support.

The end of the year "meeting" went very well. It was held at Josh's house. Most everyone came...It was sad to know Brent wont be with us next year, he is retiring. Off to discover the wilds of the world, he said.....Grandpa hood!

I have bags and boxes of stuff everywhere. I can barely get to the plants in the dinning room, Clayton's old room is full to over flowing with two accordions, two tubas, two keyboards and two groups of college crap that needs to go back to Westfield and UMASS....Steven has moved in to the building!

It has been a rough few months for my future son in law. His folks broke up just before Thanksgiving and now his Mom has moved to NH, Dad is off pursuing other "interests" and Steve is kind of lost in the shuffle. So when Rachel asked could he live here I said of course he could.  He is helpful and willing to do anything I ask him to, besides he's soon to be family....after graduation.

Fred is really showing his age. He sleeps most of the time. We have to help him on the stairs, using a baby gate to insure he doesn't fall down at night. His hind legs are not very stable and he often leans into things to get support. He gets "stuck" in corners, forgets that he was once housebroken, and can't see for crap. His tail still wags, he follows me everywhere in the house and doesn't seem to be in any pain, except the occasional stiffness of old age, so for now I think we're good. I can't even think of the alternative.