Spoiler alert: The dog does not die at the end of this story.
The first scare came last spring when she tore her ACL. We were able to use a beach towel to "wheelbarrow" her outside so she could go to the bathroom, and Daphne could give Mags medicine for the pain, but she was essentially a three-legged dog who spent all of her time in the basement. For the first time our dog didn't seem very interested in spending time with the family. The veterinarian had given us the "quality of life" speech, and we worried about taking the next step...
Then, all of the sudden in June, Maggie was able to climb the basement steps by herself, It wasn't pretty. She used her front legs to hop up one step at a time, and she dragged the injured back leg behind her. But she wanted to be with us again - that was the important thing. We used the blanket sling when she would let us, but before long she was using the stairs both ways. She now walks on all four legs, and she can even get into the car without any help.
We felt like we had dodged a bullet.
Then, all of the sudden in October, Maggie stopped eating her dog food. We tried buying a new bag of Science Diet, but that didn't help. Cleaning her food container didn't work. Maggs even stopped eating her treats. We tried adding "gravy" to her kibble, but only helped for a few days. Excitement over canned food lasted just as long.
In desperation, we broke our cardinal food rule. We had never fed Maggie anything from our own plates. Leftovers and scraps were forbidden. If Charlotte dropped food from her high chair, we did our best to get to it first. We weren't being mean. Dog food is formulated to be what a dog needs, and we also didn't want a dog who was always begging at or trying to steal from our table.
Now Daphne made pancakes and scrambled eggs for Maggie's breakfast. She baked chicken breasts for Maggie's dinner. Ground hamburger? Why not? I'd grill a steak if would help.
The idea was to keep Maggie alive. If giving her a dinner plate instead of her metal bowl helped, then here's come your plate, big girl. It worked, and Maggs would eat.
Then came the mistakes.
The dietary change might have kept her tail wagging, but it was playing havoc on her digestive system. That was a problem. How big? Let's just say that no one enjoys cleaning up diarrhea. Too make things worse, last weekend Mags decided that neither chicken, pancakes, or scrambled eggs were doing it for her any more.
On a whim, we tried Science Diet again.
She wolfed down the kibble so fast we didn't see it disappear. We did cheer and applaud, though. We did that again after she cleared the second plate. Maggie hasn't had anything but Science Diet for breakfast and dinner this week. She clears her plate in seconds flat. She also hasn't had any more mistakes. We can tell that Maggs feels much better.
There is a slight catch, though.
Because she has been eating what we eat, when we eat, Maggie has picked up one of our family traditions. She won't begin eating until we say the prayer.
I'm serious. I noticed this five meals ago. We put the plate in front of her, and instead of chomping away like she used to, she waits until we say grace.
Check it out:
Its not a great video, but that gives you an idea of what she has been doing.
Another example, Charlotte had pizza at an birthday party on Tuesday night. Daphne and I ate dinner on the run while we shopped for stocking stuffers. When we all got home, Maggie wanted diner. She was going to have to eat alone, though. Daphne filled her plate, and Maggs wouldn't touch the food until Daphne sat at the table and said the prayer for her.
It's kinda weird, but also cool.
I don't know how long any of this is going to last. I'm not going to tempt fate or be ironic by saying Maggie is all better. I know the calendar will keep turning, and Maggs will continue to age. Eventually that bullet will find its target.
Since it's the holidays, I'll just count my blessings. I'm happy to come home and hear our big puppy thump her tail against the wall. I'm pleased to step over her when I get up during the night. I'm relieved when she comes up the stairs when I call her. I like that she still has the will to bark away evildoers that walk past our house.
I also appreciate her table manners.
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