Duke’s Getting Older……….

Duke is really getting stiff in his back legs now. It breaks my heart to think of him getting old like this and then losing him. He’s slipped a couple of times on the linoleum floor and he’s been peeing like a puppy. I sit here crying while I type because I know it’s getting closer and closer for our time together to be shattered. I’m going to call the vet tommorrow to see if maybe a cortizone shot would help his hips. The Cosequin pills I give him for his joints make him pant a lot so I really don’t want to give extra.He’s also got this strange growth outside his peeing thing. It’s dark red and sort of looks like a worm. Duke licks it all the time. That concerns me. I’m going to see if I can find anything like that on the internet.

We’re taking a road trip this weekend. I want to take him to the beach with a little Christmas tree and hopefully get some good pics. I’m going to stay overnight and take him first thing in the morning, too. He’s so exhausted now by the time we take the walk to the beach after the trip over, he’s ready to go and doesn’t want to sit still for the pics. I’m going to see how this trip goes. It may be the last trip to the beach I take if it tires him out too much. I don’t want to be selfish just for some pics. I just can’t imagine losing him, even though I know it’s inevitable. I think I’ll have a hard time not losing my mind after he’s gone. He is so much a part of me and my soul. I’m going to see if we can get a gate to keep him from going in the kitchen. But, that would make it hard for my dad, who’s also about in the same position as Duke. I told Dad that they’re getting old together. He loves Duke almost as much as I do.