Two Paws Up for Eliza and Dr. Hayes

Last night, I came home from work, and Thor was not acting like his usual self -- an adorable, hyper-active canine locked up in a small condo for about 12 hours with no place to ... you know, do his business. And, I'm not talking about taxes! He usually just about knocks me over on the way to the back door for his early evening pee & poop. Instead, he looked guilty. He didn't meet me at the front door, his ears were down like he'd been up to no good, and he was moving really slow.

I took him outside, and instead of Thor pulling me around, I was stopping so he could catch up with me. It was raining lightly, so I figured it was just because he hates being wet. But every step seemed to take more out of him, so I cut the walk short and went back to our place. As I wrapped a towel around him, I noticed he was shaking. He had this rapid twitch in his chest near the top of his front right leg. It was weird -- almost like when your eyelid twitches uncontrollably. But it didn't stop, and every now and then, his whole body would shake.

Thor, Brad (my good friend and Thor's best buddy) and I spent the next few hours at the Veterinary Emergency Clinic near Florida Mall. I'm going to give them a gold ol' plug because they were AWESOME!!! They're at 2080 Principal Row, and the number is 407.438.4449. Hopefully, you won't need to visit, but if you do, you will be in good, gentle hands.

Eliza, a sweet college student at UF or UCF -- I'm sorry, I was nervous, I don't remember -- and Dr. Hayes took care of Thor. They were both extremely nice and obvious animal lovers. They spoke to Thor in that "baby" voice. "What's the matter Mr. Thor? Oh, you're a good-looking dog, yes you are."

I was very lucky to be in their care, as well as Brad's. Brad validated my concern, which I needed because I kinda felt like a panicked over-protective mom. He met me at the clinic, and Thor and I were both relieved to see him. Thor jumped up, with his tail wagging and ears straight up again. The doctors explained everything better than any doctor I ever visited for myself and kept offering opportunities to ask questions.

"Mommy and Daddy," as Dr. Hayes kept calling us, tried to calm Thor as he was getting poked and prodded and even had his temperature taken -- he took that one well; you know where they put the thermometer, right?

In the end (... pause for giggles ...), we learned Thor was probably shaking and acting distant because he was in pain. He took a little drug-induced nap so the doctors could take X-rays, got some non-steroidal anti-inflammatory meds (the kind I'm allergic to), and a recommendation to begin taking daily doses of glucosamine chondroitin (which I also should be taking for my own degenerative arthritis).

His x-rays, which were not as cool as mine -- the screw in my right knee looks so cool in x-rays -- showed that he has something called spondylosis. He has some kind of "bone bridges" in his spine that may cause discomfort or mild pain. He also, and this is where it gets sad, looks like he had some kind of past pelvic injury that didn't heal well. When Rene saved Thor from the pound, they told her that he had been abused as a puppy. That's just sick. The receptionist at the clinic said some people find out how much their bill will be, and they take off. They just leave their sick, injured pets there and never come back. I cannot even imagine.

Thor is much better today. His tail is wagging as I type this, and he keeps dropping his toy by me feet so I'll play with him. I hope these new meds don't make his lose control of his bowels like last time ...