We recently found out that full-blooded Corgis are susceptible to a genetic disorder that can affect the spine and back legs starting at age 8. She's now 10. Within a year or less, she'll need a wheeled cart to move around.
There's no cure...and little can be done to help. We take her for physical therapy...exercise, electrical stimulation, and water treadmill workouts. No pet insurance, so weekly visits get expensive. But, she didn't ask for this. Thank God she's not in pain.
We first noticed her back legs slipping while moving, and thought it was the wood floors. But, she does this on carpet, concrete, and grass.
I'm now a yahoo group member of a wheeled Corgi group. Lots of "try this" suggestions, but mostly talk about cart issues and how/where/when to get one. There are DNA tests that breeders should do on Corgis before selling them. Our dog was a rescue dog, so we had no background information.
Not only does she deal with sliding legs, she also has Diabetes and gets shots twice a day. She's a trooper, and never fails to run out the back door to bark at the crazy dogs in the yard behind ours. She still has that instinct to protect her territory, even in she slips on the grass.
Brave girl...but we know things will get harder for her. Already built a ramp out the back door for her!
Anyone else have a pet with an ailment? How do you cope?
Authors: Do you add pets in your stories?
Readers: Do you like to read stories that include a pet?
Marianne Stephens
http://www.mariannestephens.net
http://naughtyliterati.com
http://sensuousromances.com
