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Mae has gone to the bridge

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Ch Absolut Bullmarket Ezmerelda - Mae

Mae Mae

Ch Absolut Bullmarket Ezmerelda
July 25, 2001 – February 8, 2011

We knew Mae didn’t have a lot of time left. Her degenerative myelopathy had been accelerating in the last month or so, and her mobility was almost non existent. Just after Christmas, I wondered if we were actually there, but when I sat down next to Mae, she wrestled with me, nibbling on my finger tips and rolling over for a belly rub. You just don’t put down a dog who still has a wrestling match left in her.

This afternoon, I heard a God awful sound coming from the living room. Mae was having a seizure, and was obviously terrified. Even after it ended, she was shaky and frightened. I took her in to the vet immediately, and she seized twice in the car on the way there, once more on the table at the vet’s office.

There really wasn’t another choice to make, when death is so clearly a release from pain and fear.

I would like to believe that there is a bridge, and that Mae and all of my other dogs are there. Mae, like Tessa, will once more be running free and fast, only stopping to flop down on the ground for a nap and a head scratch.

I would like to believe that one day, we’ll get to see them all again, all of our old dogs, all the puppies we ever lose, all the rescues we’ve lost, all the animals who’ve touched our lives. If there is a heaven, and my animals aren’t waiting for me in it, then it’s not a place I could ever want to spend eternity in.

“Miracle” Pawz

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Pawz dog boots are great for senior dogs and degenerative myelopathy dogs

I read a review of Pawz dog boots on line, in which someone mentioned that they gave their senior dog extra traction when walking on slippery floors. This has been a huge problem of late for Tessa – while she does well on carpeted floors, or even on grass, she just can’t seem to keep her feet when walking on our hardwood. Anything that could possibly give her more traction would be a godsend. Intrigued, I bought a package of the small size Pawz boots, and decided to give them a test run.

They’re not fancy – basically, they look like natural rubber balloons. You slide them on your dog’s foot, and the rolled edge keep them in place. First impression is that your dog is wearing balloon animals on their feet. Second impression? That your dog, who previously was slip sliding on her rear, is suddenly walking with more stability and balance than she has been in months!

I decided to try them out on Mae, who has Degenerative Myelopathy. Same effect! Mae is now running around and playing, instead of wiping out and falling every few steps!

There are twelve pairs in the package, and I paid $20 Canadian for them. Each pair is re usable, and when they start to show signs of wear, you just toss them in the garbage.

I am completely blown away by what a difference such an inexpensive product has made for my two wobbly reared girls. Pawz get two pawz up from Tessa and Mae!!

I am pretty sure that they’re available in the USA as well as in Canada. I did find some for sale on eBay and Amazon, and their website is http://pawzdogboots.com/about/

Friday Zen – French Bulldog Mouth Wars

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Today’s moment of zen comes to your courtesy of Pickle and Mae. I don’t know what other dog owners call this game, but around our place, it’s called “mouth wars”. That’s when your dogs play bite, without ever actually gripping each other. Well, I say ‘without ever’, but there’s the occasional incident of face grabbing, which is usually either tolerated, or corrected swiftly, depending on the dogs involved.

Mae and Pickle will play this game for a good forty minutes straight, before they both pass out. Pickle thinks it’s the most awesomely awesome game ever invented. Mae is pretty much just humoring her.

Mae gets around

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A few people have asked how Mae is doing, and how advanced her symptoms are. This quick video shows some of her more clearly visibly symptoms – her turned in rear legs, her habit of walking on her knuckles, the drag marks she leaves behind in the snow.

More importantly, it shows her super happy disposition – and illustrates why we’re so happy to have her here with us again!

Mae Comes Home – with Degenerative Myelopathy

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Mae makes herself at home

Mae makes herself at home

Some of you might recall Mae – she’s our big boned cream girl, also famous for being mom to the uber cute Solo. Mae was placed into a retirement home, but when things got rough for her adoptive mom, she thought it was best for Mae to come back to us. We’re always ready to take back any of our placed dogs, so of course we arranged to pick Mae Mae up.

We knew she’d been experiencing some rear end weakness, and that her vet had been having a hard time coming up with a definitive diagnosis for what was causing it. I’d assumed it was likely arthritis – her vet had speculated it was first stage degenerative disk disease, but in my (thanfully limited) experience with that, it usually comes as a ‘bolt from the blue’. One day, your dog goes to sleep completely normal, the next day, they wake up paralyzed.

Mae’s condition, on the other hand, was slowly progressive.

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