Nolan Trips the Light Fantastic.

As Nolan has got older, and particularly since he was diagnosed with Addison’s Disease, he has had issues with slipping over, and the fact that his back legs no longer work as well as when he was a young dog.  One of the things he has trouble with is getting into the car.  He used to spring in, but these days it’s one leg at a time, with me pushing.  He always looks very pleased once he’s made it in.  On the odd occasion he has the energy to spring in, but the back legs let him down.  The front half make the leap successfully, but the back half does a belly flop on the seat, with the legs hanging out of the car.  Typical of Nolan, he just picks himself up, and wriggles his legs in, then sits on the back seat looking happy to be going somewhere.  Unfortunately it’s such an effort getting him into the car these days, it’s usually only to go to the vet, or to the doggie beauty salon for his bath….

He has also found difficulties keeping his footing under periods of stress.  The first time was when he decided one night, about 3 am, that he would inspect the kitty litter.  He prefers to do this after the cat has made a “deposit” or two.  I really wonder about his tastebuds….but I think it’s a doggie thing, the more disgusting the better.  I heard him heading across the floor to the laundry, where the kitty litter lives, and startled him when I roared at him from my bedroom to go back to bed.  He tried to go into reverse, but knocked some brooms over instead, and slipped over on the laundry tiles.  By the time I dragged myself out of bed to investigate the strange noises emanating from the laundry, he was doing a battle crawl across the laundry floor and looking rather stressed.  I helped him up, and he hightailed it straight to bed!

He had a similar “trip” a few days ago.  About a week ago, he had one of his regular mild tummy upsets, and I put him on a bland diet.  Even though he gets plenty to eat on this bland diet, it never lasts him quite as long as his normal diet, and he gets quite anxious approaching meal time.  This particular time, I prepared his meal and started to take it outside for him.  He had been eagerly awaiting it, and, as his wont, started to race for the back door.  However, when he did his usual pirouette to get himself facing in the right direction, he lost his footing, and went splat on the floor, with his four legs out to both sides.  This time he wasn’t anxious, except for his dinner, and he scrambled back up into a standing position and took off for the door again.  As he got up, he quickly shot a look at me, as if to say, “You didn’t see that did you??”  Of course I was having great difficulty keeping a straight face, and dissolved into laughter as I followed him to the back door.  I opened the door, still giggling, and he rushed out, and took up his “feeding position” and waited, drooling, as I put the bowl in front of him.  He didn’t care whether I was laughing or not as he wolfed it down.  I don’t think it hit the sides!

Then this evening, I was eating my pumpkin soup and rice crackers as I watched some tv.  Nolan of course was on “vulture” duty next to the chair, in the “drop” position, just in case I decided he could have some too.  I might add he didn’t share HIS dinner with me…. I got up to take my plate to the kitchen and get my next course of some fruit.  He decided it was imperative that he went with me.  I’m not sure what he thought was going to happen in that short distance to the next room…perhaps I was going to give him some food?  Again he had difficulty getting his footing, but at least this time he didn’t actually do anything too indecorous.  He just scrabbled around for a few minutes before he got to his feet, and padded out after me.  When he saw nothing exciting (as in food) was going to happen, he gave up and went to sleep, and that’s where he is now, snoring happily near the heater.

Nolan is the eternal optimist…the fact that various parts of his anatomy no longer work as well as they once did is of no consequence to him.  Life must go on, and he must get his food!  Shame we can’t all find life so simple….