Note: See recent posts on Shadow.

. . . which seems to have cured him, after a tiny amount once a day for four days. I had begun to recognize that he had all the symptoms of heartburn, including lethargy, profuse panting and a gaggy cough. (I had stopped all vet tests and jabs except rabies.) Started the ivermectin on Friday, a teensy bit in his wet food once daily; by Sunday I knew it was working; coughing way down and no panting. Today he had a very weird poop, no more coughing, and was back to wanting to walk, one mile. Had it not worked, I would have taken him to vet today.

Oops! No longer dying, by any measure. Except that, he IS seventeen years old, and we may be on some kind of rollercoaster. Part of me that values my lifelong stride (15 minute/mile walks), and gets impatient with having to stop and wait, continuously, for his nose (30 minute/mile walks), was beginning to see the silver lining had he not resurrected, given that I was beginning to walk without him . . . but the greater part of me, of course, is just relieved he’s still here, though he does nap much more than he did a few years ago.

Here he is, just now; he doesn’t know it, but we are about to head out to Monroe Lake for a swim with Marita and son Colin’s dog Kona.