Personal Note: Rosie Turns Ten!

Yesterday Rosie, our beloved Labrador Retriever, turned ten years old.  We did have a scare on July 23^rd, about three weeks ago.  I had gone off to work, and my wife took her in the backyard in the morning as usual to relive herself.  All of a sudden she falls over and goes into a seizure, wailing her legs and frothing at the mouth.  It lasted a couple of minutes and she was shaken up when she came out of it, even growled when my wife approached her.  But that was only for a moment.  She then came back to her normal self, but definitely bewildered and frightened.

My wife called me immediately and I told her to take her to the 24 hour animal emergency hospital.  It’s only a couple of miles from our house.  Matthew was home and the two of them tried to get Rosie into the SUV.  Unfortunately Rosie could not climb onto the back seat.  It’s a new car and Rosie had not been in it yet, and no matter what they tried could not get her in.  Rosie is 90 pounds and the two of them couldn’t lift her.  Finally they gave up and just nursed her all day.  She did not have another incident, but she was leery.

When I got home, we got her into my car and took her to the animal hospital.  Blood test ruled out a blood sugar issue, kidney issue, or liver issue.  It was probably something neurological or perhaps a brain tumor.  But she was normal and there really wasn’t anything else to do but to observe her. 

Well it’s been three weeks and she has not had another incident.  Perhaps it was just some neurological misfire that is not significant.  That’s the optimistic view.  In my heart I have apprehensive premonitions that something is wrong.  Perhaps it’s me being older, but I know Labradors don’t live much beyond ten.   Brandi, our previous Lab, died at just over ten years old.  Sasha, our Golden Retriever, died at eleven and a half years.  Each of their passing was just wretched. 

Well here are some pictures of Rosie at ten.

Here she is underneath the kitchen table by the railing that leads downstairs.

And then we gave her a doggy ice cream as a birthday treat.  Here are a series of pictures licking it non-stop.  I’m surprise her tongue didn’t freeze from the constant suckle.

St. Francis of Assisi, please pray for Rosie.  We want her with us for a while more.