Difficult Morning

Everett chased a squirrel this morning.
But I think she has had another episode of some kind, or another stroke. She is now dragging both back paws, and her hind quarters seem to move with a mind of their own. Her spirits are up--she does not seem stressed or in pain. Even though it is hard to watch her in motion, it was great to see her chase a squirrel!
When the time comes, I will miss my friend.

Difficult Day

This is what Everett looks like when she's chasing you.
I had to rush into the house to grab the camera, as I was unprepared for she who just won't quit.

No really good chase scenes, unfortunately, before she moved on to stick.

We played stick for only a few minutes, but they were precious, fun, exciting minutes.

Then something else caught her attention, and the game was over.

There are more pictures, after her pause shown here, that are very difficult to view. She started panting, and I had a clear opportunity to snap some shots of the tumor area. All those photos are shot without benefit of viewing--I have to keep her attention facing me so I could aim the camera at her side without her attention following my hand.

Some of the jaw pictures are very graphic. I went back and viewed the photos during stick, to see if any of those showed the tumor area. Some do. It is clear that the infection or tumor--whatever is so angry red, and swollen in her jaw--is not only back but now shows up on both sides of the tooth (lip side and tongue side). I am completely amazed that tooth has not yet fallen out--the entire root is still visible at the end of the tunnel of flesh (area I have previously referred to as the Parting of The Red Sea).

Even with additional drugs today, it is clear that her day is coming soon. Please let that day be full of stick and rope and all things good for the little girl. Please let her go on her own terms, in her own way.

Tax Day is...Taxing

While I sat at the table, puzzling over all I have to do, Everett was underfoot.
I took this photo upside down, which is the easiest way to capture her when she's this close. She happily munched away on the tennis ball bone, asking every now and then to go outside.

Wow was it windy today! She did not stay outside for long periods, which is probably a good thing as several branches came down in the yard--one of them right into their dog beds. On the bright side, that's good news! More stick for play. On the other hand, good news the beds were empty and no one was injured.

Everett has started dragging her back left paw. Perhaps she's been doing it a while and with the snow or frozen ground, I just didn't notice. But now you can hear the scrape of her nails on the pavement, or maybe it's the scrape of her knuckles? The hair on top of her paw does not appear to be damaged or shortened or otherwise altered, so I am hoping it's just the nails that are scraping as she trots/walks.

She has also been panting a bit, which isn't too surprising as it's much warmer outside (high of 66 today) and a black dog in the sun is...warm. I'll be honest--I have not looked in her mouth at all. I try when I see her panting, but I haven't seen the tumor area since that car trip last week.

The last two nights Everett has been very restless (relatively speaking). She's also started digging in her bed, not the destructive way Ansel does, but as though to rearrange. I tried puffing both of them for her, in case she's looking for more padding, or nesting, but when she climbed back into each of them, her digging continued. I wish she could tell me how I can help.

Where Is My Sunscreen?

Eyes closed against the bright sun, Everett is patiently waiting for me.
Even though there is still a small amount of the white stuff in this photo, today was a beautiful day.

When I arrived home this evening, I thought both dogs would be anxious to simply lounge outside in the warm air. Not so! Ansel was a serious pain tonight, so I took him out for a longer walk without the little girl...not minutes had passed upon our return when the whining started up yet again!

Everett chased a few rabbits today--it is such a pleasure to watch her run after the destructive (but cute) little pests. I would NEVER leave her outside overnight, but sometimes I wish she could stay outside all day and all night, to guard the garden against them. She charges into the yard after our walks, hoping to scare some into scampering. We always go straight from our walks to the south lawn, and THEN into the house, because the garage entrance to the house is too tight of a corner for two dogs looking for breakfast/dinner, yet needing a human to open the door. Instead, we spring ourselves through the garage door to the yard, like runners charging out of the starting blocks. They run their race, then head for the house door where I can let them inside in an orderly fashion. So even though Ansel had an extra walk, Everett got to chase the rabbits. Overall, a pretty good day for the little girl.

Her Sunday Best

Everett is on the move! Ansel is in front of her, and so is her stick.
Of all the action shots I took today, this is the only one that is clear, AND shows their faces.

This should be the last of our snow. It all melted in the south lawn by the end of the day, save the stubborn pieces on the north side of the trees, and the fence.

There has been a few slight modifications in Eve's behavior. The last few weeks, I've noticed she prefers to walk in the snow or grass at the front of people's yards, instead of in the street. She nibbles at her food, and now repeatedly leaves kibbles in her dish--hard or soft. And the direction she chews her sticks has changed. She does not use the left side of her jaw, but rather her front teeth, or the right side. She shreds things with her front teeth--bark, tennis ball bones, ropes--all of them she seems to chew differently. The only two items she still uses molars for are the Galileo, and nylabone.

On a more positive note, the dryer weather has really helped her mobility, as depicted the last few days. It is to be a dry week this week, so I am looking forward to lots of "action shot" photos, with grass as the background, instead of snow.

Still Got It!!

These warmer days, with the snow, seem to be Everett's favorite.

Her stick behavior IS modified--this stick is not quite as big as her usual weapons.

But then, there is always Ansel somewhere nearby...

And Ansel is usually up for some rough and tumble fun.

What is it, with the footprints!

I am not sure why I like taking pictures of her footprints. It was CHILLY this morning, before the sunrise, so we didn't spend much time outside.