We haven't lost our job or our truck (yet), but we are pretty close to losing our dog. Mina has been slowing down and losing control of her back legs, which could be caused by Wobblers Disease. In addition to that, she appears to be experiencing dilated cardiomyapthy (DCM). This isn't a surprise; our last doberman died from a sudden heart attack and one study showed that 58% of dobermans had DCM. Mina spent the weekend coughing and gagging. I thought she just had a doggie vitamin stuck in her throat, but I went to a doberman forum to rule out some kind of dog virus. I found out that the coughing and gagging is a sign of congestive heart failure. Sure enough, Mina's heart rate is crazy fast and irregular. She has an appointment to see a vet tomorrow.
I would take her in today, but I'm having another problem. Shane has a bruised (or broken) hand bone (another scout threw a rock and it hit Shane over the weekend). Ian is gone with Mark. I can't possibly load up six kids, the strongest and most helpful with a broken hand, into a van for an undetermined wait time anywhere. I won't even take Shane in for x-rays for that reason. Loading Mina in the van would hurt her hips and probably give her a heart attack from panic. She is just too high strung for a van ride to the vet. She is better off hanging out in the backyard and chasing chickens...
...or she can just leave that to the eagle that killed one of our chickens today! The circus just never ends! Jack and Shane chased the eagle off, but I'm wishing the eagle could have at least finished off more of the meat. I hate to see a killed chicken go to waste. Jack guarded the chicken yard for at least an hour after the eagle flew off.
All this, and it is only lunchtime.
