That's about as specific as the vet could get about Bear's condition. In fancy vet jargon, she believes Bear most likely has doggie vertigo of unknown origin. Okay,fine. That's not the technical term. But damned if I know what is, save for the fact that it starts with a "v" and has a root that means inner ear.
Basically, older dogs can sometimes get this, and they don't quite know why. Given that Bear is a motion-sick-type dog to begin with, I bet he's loving every minute of this. Poor thing can't even pee right because he can't lift a leg. Now that's sad.
There are other possible explanations, but we sprang for some minimal blood work and so far there are no big alarms going off. He's home now, with medicine that's supposed to counter the vertigo. He's found a little hidey-hole in the pantry (have I ever mentioned that our pantry is really shelves in the girl's bathroom? fun, huh?!) and he's sleeping away. I touched him an hour ago and for a paralyzing second, thought he'd died. Then he spazed out and I felt bad for waking him.
We're out $160 for the day, but at least we don't think he's got a seizure disorder or organ failure.
Thank you for keeping me distracted, by the way. Keep the stories coming. I'm fascinated!
To return the favor, I'll point you at a blog I came across yesterday that had me laughing out loud: Love by the Book. And since I'm not a twenty-something (at least, not outside my own head) and I haven't dated anyone new in 10 years (gasp!), I'm living vicariously through someone else's escapades.
Cheers!
