The True Measure of a Mama Bear's Love

Most of you know I have 2 cubs. But I really have three. I'm mentioned my first cub occasionally on this blog (here, here, and - oh yeah, here). Seems he doesn't get a lot of good press on this blog!

So the furriest cub in the house celebrated his 12th birthday in January (best guess since he's was a stray with no papers). TWELVE. Do you know the average lifespan for his breed? DON'T ASK. I get weepy every time I think about it (unless, of course, it's when I'm scooping his poo. Then it's aWHOLE different story).

We've been noticing recently that his arthritis has gotten much worse. But yesterday was just awful. I called him and he didn't come. When I went into the room, he was scooting across our brick floors trying to get his hind quarters up. He just couldn't do it. I had to lift him up myself.

Ugh.

So I took our furry cub to the doctor today. And this is where I learned that I REALLY MUST LOVE THAT DURN CANINE.

The doctor prescribed a plan of action that involved attacking the problem from multiple angles.

Angle 1: PHARMACEUTICALS - They had been suggested before, but at such a drastic level that we would have had to make some serious budget cuts. And I do mean SERIOUS. This time, the recommended dosage is easier to swallow. For both of us (har!)

Angle 2: SUPPLEMENTS: Did you know that canines can take the same supplements as us? Neither did I. In conjunction with the pharmaceuticals, our beloved furry cub is to now take:

1) 1500 mg/ day of Glucosamine

2) 2000 mg/day of Omega-3
3) One half a tablet/day of Ocuvite (this wasn't for his arthritis....but what the heck!)

For those of you that are interested in counting, that's approximately 6.5 pills per day. I think I'm going to invest in a daily pill box. FOR MY DOG.

So far, I'm on the same page as the vet. While I'm not real keen on shelling out the bucks for the meds, I've come to terms with the fact that this is the responsibility that comes with pet ownership. (Ahhh..how I love being a grown up)

But then the doctor threw in the final angle....

Angle 3: WEIGHT MANAGEMENT - Just like it does in their human counterparts, weight makes canine arthritis worse. So, the doc suggested our furry cub lose a hefty amount of his heft. (And, yes, I do find the irony in now owning a pet with weight issues...) While I might not have agreed with the doc on how much my furry cub needed to lose, I do certainly agree that weight loss will make him feel better. But then the doc lined out exactly HOW to get my furry cub to lose his root-beer belly:

• Cut his food by 1/3 (easy enough)
• replace missing food with 1 CAN OF GREEN BEANS.

For those of you who don't spend a lot of time at my den, this doesn't seem like a big deal. However, for the rest of you that have been "blessed" by my canine's supernatural emission skills, you KNOW that this is just a recipe for disaster. Seriously, if there were a category at the AKC's Dog Show for Best Tooter, we'd be rich pet owners right now. I've known this furry cub to clear a room in milliseconds flat.

But, yet, after loading up my cart with natural supplements, I found myself in the canned vegetables aisle searching for the cheapest green beans available (Great Value: 68 cents - fyi).

Why?

Because, despite what some may think, I love that stinky, furry cub.

So, don't be surprised if you see a story soon on the local news: LOCAL FAMILY DIES IN APPARENT NOXIOUS FUMES EVENT! LONE SURVIVOR VERY OLD YET AMAZINGLY SVELTE AND AGILE CANINE!

Candle suggestions anyone?