Petey Milks It

After my earlier post about Petey's 'injury', John & I started lifting him on to the bed. Our bed is extra high off the floor. Months & months ago, we put a chair beside the bed so that Petey could jump on the bed in stages instead of one big leap. He's used it ever since until his very serious injury. He wanted on the bed, but refused to jump up there. We lifted him on to the bed thinking that was still too much for his poor old back legs. He was still going up and down the back porch steps without too much trouble, and jumping on the couch & recliner until Saturday.

On Saturday, he tried twice to jump on the couch and couldn't make it. John put him on the couch and we figured that his jumping days were over. Petey will be 14 in February. It only makes sense that as an older dog, there will be things he won't be able to do as time progresses. We decided that we'd have to pick Petey up from now on. It was sad, but inevitable.

On Sunday, when we got home from church Petey didn't greet us at the door as usual. That is happening more & more, however. Once again we attributed it to him getting older. We thought we'd find him curled up in his ring bed. We didn't. I made it all the way to the bed room (John had stopped along the way) and saw the covers moving around on the bed!

Petey had jumped up on to the bed while no one was home!! He had either made a sudden & complete recovery or he'd been milking it. He knew he'd been busted. I told him that I was telling and I did. John & I agreed that he'd been hurting at one point, but probably not for as long as we thought. He's smart enough to figure out how to milk it, but forgot when he really wanted on the bed and no one was home to help him. He's also smart enough to know that the gig is up. He's been jumping up anywhere and everywhere he wants to ever since.

Poor Pitiful Petey

Petey's old hip problem has flared up again. We first realized there was a problem Thursday night at bed time. Petey would not jump onto the bed. I finally got up and put him on the bed. We didn't realize at the time that he wasn't wanting to jump up. We thought he was upset because John got in the bed first, and Petey likes his patterns.

After I put Petey on the bed, he ran the length of the bed several times. He'd lay down and pop back up like he'd been stuck and repeat the whole process. Finally, he left. We laughed about how he sure didn't like things to change and didn't think much more about it.

Friday morning, he was again acting strangely. But before we wrote it off to Petey being Petey we noticed that he was clearly favoring his back right leg. I coaxed him in to eating a baby aspirin in some peanut butter, and we left for work.

When we got home. He was glad to see us but didn't do the Petey dance that we usually get as a homecoming greeting. He spend the rest of the evening in his ring bed. John pulled it up close to the fireplace and turned it on so it would be warm for him. He tucked Petey in his blanket and Petey stayed there all evening.

This morning he's walking around a little more and stretching some. He's still not back to his old perky ways, but he's better. I've given him another baby aspirin and he's back in his bed by the fireplace. He'll be better soon. We're just glad that this time, he's not acting like the drama dog, making us think he's about to die.

There Are No Words...

Another Twist with the Treat

Typically when we leave in the morning, I give Petey a treat. He rushes out of the kitchen to eat it. I don't know why. And I tear up another treat and drop it in the kitchen floor for him to have during the day. I suspect that those are eaten as soon as they are discovered. Every afternoon when we return home the treats are gone, even the ones that have gotten close to the cabinets.

Yesterday, when we got home there was a rather large piece of a treat in the middle of the kitchen floor, which was quite surprising to us. I called Petey in and pointed at it. He sniffed it and walked away. Odd. Very odd.

This morning Petey decided to stay in the bed. I can't say as I blamed him. It was cold. I would have stayed in the bed too, if I could have. I still tore up a treat and scattered it in the floor before leaving for the day. Imagine my surprise when first Petey did not greet us at the back door, and then all of the treats were in the floor. All of them!

I feared the worst briefly, but then Petey came trotting in to greet us. I asked about the treats. He looked at them and walked away. This has left the two of us in quite a quandary. Petey has never refused treats. He's not sick. He is acting like himself in every way except eating the treats.

John thinks that perhaps he's reached his limit on the bacon treats. We stocked up on them while we were out of town so that his caregivers (yes, that is plural - it took three people to take care of him!)would have plenty to share with him while we were gone.

That is a possibility. He'll eat something like there is no tomorrow and then suddenly stop. I'm wondering though, if after having eaten two of the other treats he's decided he likes them. NOT!

It is just Petey being Petey. We should know that by now and not try to figure him out. It can't be done.

Yet Another Treat

John & I went through the drive-thru at the bank again and again got a treat for Petey. This time, there was no pretense, he immediately jumped in the back seat and began to frantically bury the treat. There was a plastic bag in the backseat this time, that had clothes to be donated. That seemed to be just the place to bury the treat until he really got in to it. By the time he quit (I made him stop), the bag was in shreds and t-shirts were strewn all along the seat. The poor dog finally gave up and at it!