!Viva la Poodle!

Just as I was reading this post about cat pee, Geriatric Poodle walked into the office and took a dump.

I’m not even kidding. Dog is still trying to give me a sign.

I was at a meeting last week where a woman remarked out of the blue how she’d had the most amazing experience that day. She had taken her dog to a holistic vet and the dog felt better after a little acupuncture.

Of course, I was interested. We visited at length. She saw the same holistic vet that my vet had recommended when he informed me that the Geriatric Poodle was most likely not long for this world.

So, we went this week. The Geriatric Poodle? May not be so geriatric after all!

I KNOW!

Holistic Vet agrees that Geriatric Poodle is about 10 – but says that he probably has another 10 years in him because he’s spritely, alert, and healthy. She wonders if his cataracts are the result of a nutritional deficiency (insert Bad Mama Guilt here). And she says that the reason he paces all the time is because he is suffering from severe neck pain.

I know – I’d read all this and be all, “Yeah, right.” But I was there, people. She manipulated Geriatric Poodle’s neck and he about bit her face off. He was clearly in massive pain. I almost cried. I had no idea his neck hurt him so.

So, we’re trying some herbs and a holistic pain pill that must taste like pork with crack mixed in because he snarfs it right down. And, I’m adding ground beef to his diet.

Actually, Foxie Doxie is benefiting the most from this. He’s fine but because his mama is a sucker, he gets beef, too. I can’t give it to just one of them. And if I’m Queen of the Crappy Nutrition (It was prescription dog food! How can it be bad?), then I’m not going to make not one, but two dogs go prematurely blind.

So. We have hope. And we have a more energetic, taking-a-crap-where-he-darn-well-pleases Geriatric Poodle. And we might have some serious thinking to do, as Holistic Vet thinks cataract surgery in one eye would give the kid a new leash, err, lease on life. Cataract surgery that runs a couple grand.

Yikes. I’m going to try the herbs and acupuncture and go from there. But it’s nice to actually think that he’s improving instead of dying slowly before my eyes.