She hasn't been going outside very much and is sleeping a lot
Then one day when I was bringing them out in the car I noticed that she was really struggling to get in to the car
They come on the car with me nearly every day and she has never had that issue before
Usually she just jumps in with no hesitation at all
But now she stops and stares at it as if trying to psych herself up
She puts her 2 front paws on the seat but doesn't seem to have the strength in her back legs to push herself up
So I've been keeping a close eye on her
She has also been struggling to get up steps and is straining a bit when getting up from lying down
Then yesterday after getting in to the car, she started crying
I figured that she must be in pain so I immediately rang my vet
She said to bring her so my mother, me and Lea and Honey set off for the vet
The vet happens to be on the same road as the kennels so as soon as we turned on to that road the dogs started to look concerned
Little did they know they were going somewhere far worse than the kennels
I parked, put Lea on her lead and went inside
The minute Lea smelt the familiar vet smell, she decided she was not happy and turned to run outside but instead promptly ran in to a pane of glass
The vet took is in to her surgery and I explained what had been happening
She brought us outside so she could see Lea walking
Then she weighed her (the same weight a my lowest weight)
She said that Lea was slightly over weight
We went back to her room and she examined Lea
She said that the probable cause was arthritis of the hips as this was common is retrievers that are a little bit older (Lea is 8)
The best thing to do she said, was to put her on medication for arthritis for 3 weeks and see if that helps
Lea and Honey then got their annual vaccinations
Lea was fine but Honey was not a happy dog and kept running for the door
I paid and made another appointment for 3 weeks time and left
The dogs could not get out of there quick enough
Because they had been so good at the vets, we brought them to their favorite beach for a nice long walk
The vet said that Lea is slightly over weight an it was important for her to keep active to keep her joints healthy
It would be great if she could lose a bit of weight she said
Any one who knows me knows how much my dogs mean to me
I got them when I first moved here 8 years ago and they have been by my side ever since
I can't remember what life was like before them
They have saved my life over and over again
When I can't find a reason to get up in the morning, I get up for them
When I don't want to leave my house, I leave to walk them
And just being with them makes me feel better
They bring so much happiness and joy in to our house
Even my mother who is not a dog lover, loves them
She was just as concerned as I was about Lea
So the thought that I might be hurting them was like a punch in the stomach
Yes I agree both my dogs are a bit over weight
And it's my responsibility as I'm the one who feeds them
I have to admit that I show love for them through food
A treat here
A biscuit there
And they get a nice big dinner every day
It breaks my heart to think that I might contributing to Leas's condition by not feeding them properly
Some would argue that an over fed dog is just as bad as an underweight dog
But it's not out of badness that I feed them
It's out of love and wanting them to be happy
I think my ED might have something to do with it also
I love feeding them
The ritual of putting their food in their bowls
Preparing the food and watching them enjoy it brings me joy
I hate the thought that they might be hungry so I make sure that never happens
But now to help Lea, I may have to reconsider what and how much I feed them
They are getting older now and I want to do everything I can to make sure that they are here for as long as possible
I can't bear the thought of life without them and they are irreplaceable
They have been with me through all the ups and downs of the last 8 years and I'm not sure if I could do this without them
Some people may say that I'm being overly dramatic about my dogs but they really do mean this much to me
I'll leave you with one of my favorite quotes
