You Can't Kill a Dancing Dog

Two weeks ago when I got home from a business trip Robert ran up to me but he fell over before he got there. That was the beginning of another long soul searching about if he should still be with us or if it's kinder to put him down. I watched him closely for the next few days and he seemed genuinely unhappy. I've always said that if I thought he was unhappy that I would do it. I never wanted to keep him alive because I want him around. I honestly have felt, and so have his doctors (and yes, that is plural) that he's had this unbelievable spark in spite of everything and a true will to be here. I have this list in my head of when it will be time:

When he stops terrorizing the cat.
When he eats less.
When he stops bossing me around.
When he stops going for walks.
When he seems unhappy or in pain.
When he can no longer walk (again).
When he stops pulling his toys out of his box.
When he stops dancing.

Watching him that week, we were close to ending this. I took him in to Dr. Shaw and asked her to look at him because he seemed bad and he wasn't sleeping. He had been waking me up at night with 'helicopter ears', that's when he spins his head back and forth and flaps his ears so I'll wake up. He was hitting me with his paws in the middle of the night and even when he was sleeping, his breathing was off.

His liver values weren't great but after an ultra-sound, a bunch of blood work and additional testing over at Bethany Family Pet Clinic, we ruled out Cushings.

Dr. Shaw put him on an antibiotic just to be on the safe side and we increased his arthritis medicine. 24 hours on the antibiotic and he slept 9 hours straight. Still a week later, even though he was better, he wasn't 100%. Then this weekend, Bingo - the crocodile dance, two laps at the track, his toys all over the floor, and he started bossing us all around again.

Robert is weaker physically now. He loses his balance more often. He doesn't go exploring or try the dog door. He was doing 4 laps at the track a few months ago and now he can only do two. I think we might be seeing a decline. But he's 13 and he's been through so much we knew that this was going to happen. It's just that with him, he's so determined, it's hard to believe he won't live forever.

At this point, he seems pretty happy and stable. He has the evil gleam back in his eye and he's extremely - shall we say, verbal.