One week ago my old boy Todd was out in the yard and gave a yip a couple of times. I didn't think much about it. I didn't notice until the next day he was having more trouble than usual getting around. Todd is a 75 lb part lab/heeler mix. He was born May 1, 2003 so he is very nearly 15 yrs old. This is almost double the expected lifespan of a dog that large. Todd never got neutered, I know. He wasn't mine until 2005 and by then I lived way out in the country and had no money to spare.
Todd was born to my 1st exhusbands dog Shiner. He had a large head so he got named Big Head Todd. His mother was a bit of a slut and could Not Be contained when she was in heat. So she had another litter in November in that same year. 3 of those dogs still live with me. Arwen, Angel and Tengo Leche - they were neutered. We thought we had given Todd away but the very next day after we got 5 dogs neutered (Arwen, Angel, Tengo Leche, Kip and Sambeaux) he was returned.
We had given him to a lady with a kennel and Todd had no patience with small annoying creatures and he killed a puppy. Understandably, she couldn't have that. So, in the beginning of 2005 I move out to the country with Arwen and Tengo Leche (called Tango). Just a month or so later Johann (my ex) needs me to take Angel, ok, she is a sweet girl. Not long after that I called to come and get Kip. Well, to be fair this was to save their lives. Johann's neighbor had been shooting at the dogs because they were chasing his cattle.
Unfortunately, Kip didn't last long. He was hit by a vehicle on the road. He is buried under the Oak tree behind the house. Not long after that Johann sent Todd to live with me. He was pretty sure the neighbor had killed Shiner. So, that is how we became 4 Dog Ranch. Todd always lorded it over the other dogs, especially Tango, being the other male. He didn't like to share food and would swallow it whole and then throw it up later. I resorted to dog food for Large Dogs so he would HAVE to chew it and separating the bowls in different rooms. That seemed to work fairly well.
Back to present day. I had tried to help Todd get up and he went a little crazy. Also, I had been on Facebook and heard about using CBD on dogs for pain. I saw an ad for the Luling Market Days and it looked like someone there was selling it. So, I hopped in the car and drove over. No, they didn't have CBC for dogs but they has this other herbal spray. It was only $5 for a small bottle marked $20 so I bought it. Then I drove to Seguin for a dog muzzle.
Todd managed to go outside to the bathroom Sunday evening. Ha had been drinking plenty but I hadn't noticed him eating much. When he came back in he kinda collapsed just inside the doorway and I had a heck of a time closing the door. Steve came by Sunday and I squeezed out the door and we visited for a bit. I told him about Todd and that I needed to get him to the vet but didn't know how. Steve volunteered to come over Tuesday morning and help me.
Monday was a long day.
