Yup.. that is what my Maggie has................  

Maggie is not a Tripawd.. but you all know Maggie.   She was the Ying to Franklin’s Yang.  When our sweet Frank’n’farter ran for the bridge last year on May 15….. Maggie was alone.. and she cried… so, along came Wilson.  Maggie is Wilson’s big sister, mother figure, Nanny, teacher and all around best bud.   Maggie is one of the sweetest dogs I have ever had the pleasure of wanting to be with me. 

When she was younger, she was fast… man oh man, she was fast…   Faster than Wilson!  She was agile, she was quick, and she could jump from the floor up into your arms!!  You could take Maggie in your arms and basically turn her upside down and she would not struggle.  She was, and still is, so trusting and passive… she’s my Maggie Girl!

I remember when I brought her home, I bought her from a family in Brantford.  She had the mother, a liver and white Springer that she had bred with her friends Springer who was black and white.  There were two pups left.. one black and white and one liver and white.  The liver pup was running around like a goof ball….  and the black one was just calm and toddling along.  I picked up the black one and she just leaned into my arms.  Yup.. she was the one.  She was 10 weeks old.

She stayed in the kitchen the first night for approximately 3 hours till her howling and whining made me snap.  Ok, I said to her.. you can come into the bedroom and sleep beside the bed.  Well.. after 20 minutes of her whining beside the bed, I scooped her up… placed her beside me on the bed.. she snuggled into my shoulder and immediately went to sleep.  No messes on the bed… or the floor… and up in the morning and outside to do business.  That was it.. she was a snuggler… and she has lived up to her name…

My Maggie has been limping for a while.. and I know that her joints are not as smooth as they used to be.  You can see the swelling in her elbows, etc.  After all.. she is 12 ½…  She is on Tri-Acta as well as Rymadil for her joint pain.  We know they day is coming… I have said that many times before and posted a few things about it.   But now it is confirmed….and the x-rays showed it.

Maggie has been limping and favoring her left shoulder for the past week.  We have done the restricted ball throwing, and small walks and rest to help it get better.  Well.. it hasn’t really gotten better so we went to the vet yesterday for some x-rays.

When we picked her up, the vet showed us the pictures and  it’s actually not her shoulder.. it’s her elbow.  She has osteoarthritis… degenerating bone disease…..DGD…  *sigh*   I just about cracked up when the vet said Osteo…. Because I immediately thought.. here we go again.. osteosarcoma, here we come.  And how ironic is that .. left leg.. Franklin was left leg.. de-ja-vu!!!

But.. he cannot confirm if it is a tumor at this time.. the x-rays show the bones and cartilage that is very weak, and she actually shows a space above her elbow that shouldn’t be there.. it should be solid bone..  

So, he said that if it started to get bigger, then there could be a tumor in there, but if it doesn’t, there is the possibility that one day she will break her leg from the weakness of the bone…   Options?  Amputation? She could not do it.  Her other three legs are not strong.  As well, with DBD, it doesn’t hit just one joint.. she obviously has it in her other three as well .   Elbow replacement?  That would be the same outcome as an amputation, her other joints are not strong.  Last option?  Enjoy day by day and when the day comes,  I’ll let go of the leash one last time.

So.. if there is one thing I have learned from this group… and Franklin.. is to Be More Dog !!    Maggie doesn’t know what is happening.. all she knows is that “man, my shoulder is a bit stiff at this time… maybe I will just walk instead of running back with my ball” 

I hate finding out… I hate confirming what you already know in the back of your mind.  Because once you know.. 100% for sure….  then your whole world changes.  Even for Maggie.. it seems that since we have brought her back from the vets, her sparkle in her eyes is gone. And she just looks at you as if to say.. “ok, now you know”  I think it just might be the effects of lettering the anesthetic  wearing off that’s making her look a bit off too.. it takes a day or so for them to get it out of their system… Jordan did say her tail was waggin more today than yesterday.... 

All I can say is...  here we go again.....   and I wouldn't change it for the world... 

Wilson will be lost..... 

She's his buddy.... his pal... his teacher.... 

F*ck......

Christine... with Franklin in her heart ♥