Once again time has gotten away from me and I’ve neglected my little fire hydrant! Bad puppy!!
Bailey is now 13 months with the cancer remaining dormant–very good news! But I’ve noticed a few new things going on since the fall.
It used to be that she would wake me up every morning to go potty between 7 and 7:30. Now, I have to root her out of bed, and if I left it to her we would sleep until 9! This might be because it’s the middle of winter (though I don’t remember her behaving this way last winter), and it’s still dark at 7:30. It might also be because she gonna be 11 years old in March. I think my little girl is becoming an old lady.
She also seems to be drooling more then she ever did and she has not slacked off on licking her front paws. I am very certain that the paw licking is not an allergy. I feel sure it’s a habit she’s gotten into–Dr. B. says she probably does it for “comfort.” This of course makes me nuts because when I hear that my dog is licking her feet for the same reason a baby sucks its thumb, I feel like I’m not being a good mom. So my pooch is going around with apricot-colored front feet and an apricot-colored muzzle. Her face constantly looks dirty.
I sound ungrateful. My sweet girl has lasted twice as long as they predicted, and I’m complaining about her face looking dirty! I don’t mean to complain—I think I’m (once again) being neurotic and looking for problems where none exist. In the grand scheme of things, it doesn’t matter if she drools, licks her feet, or sleeps late–The best thing that could happen is for her to die of old age, and not cancer.
One (possibly) good thing that has happened in the past 2 months: In December, Dr. B. was a little concerned about the tartar buildup on Bailey’s teeth. The last thing we want to do is put her under for a dental. So Dr. B. Prescribed some dental raw hides from C.E.T. (we would have gone with Iams Tartar treats, but Bailey tends to break them in half and swallow large chunks instead of chew them.) Bailey gets one a night.
They’re like doggy crack! She loves them! She’s addicted!! They have a very strong smell–not unpleasant, sorta meaty. If I haven’t given her one by 8:30 in the evening, she starts to sing and dance and won’t stop until she gets her chew. And at our last visit, Dr. B. says they’ve totally taken care of the tartar on her teeth.
Of course, they give her gas–not alot, just enough so that you catch a waft of aroma and you wonder “is that a doggie fart?” It’s all very lady-like. Every now and then a tiny little ffffrrrruuupppp can be heard—Bailey will look around at her butt as if to say “you talkin’ to me??” and with a confused look on her face.
It’s really pretty funny. My sweet precious little puppy fluff has turned into a drooling, farting, chew-addicted old lady! But that’s just fine because I still have the pleasure of her company.
