Walking Alone – Photo: L.Weikel

Post-Blindside Update                                 

Ah, what a difference a day makes.

Most of the time, that adage tends toward the optimistic view, that things ‘get better’ if you give them a day.

Unfortunately, when Spartacus woke up this morning, I greeted him with an affectionate hug and pulled him closer to me. It was weird that he hadn’t cuddled last night. Instead, he’d lain on top of the comforter – not like him at all.

When I pulled him toward me this morning, he yipped in pain. And that’s when he lifted his head and looked me square in the face. I was aghast.

Obviously, he’d sustained an injury to his eye in the fracas yesterday. I apologize for the graphic nature of the above photo, but I keep it real here, and that’s what I had to deal with this morning.

Luckily, I was able to get an appointment with our vet within an hour of my call this morning. My poor Spartacus. All the joy was out of his step. He very clearly felt awful.

Hard Night

As did I, to be honest. Through the night, I found it harder and harder to sleep. My entire left side couldn’t decide which part of it hurt more. Shoulder, insides, hip, low back. I could only manage to stay on that side for a few minutes at a time. Then, when I actually got out of bed and discovered the condition of Spartacus’s eye…I felt even worse.

He’s my bud, though. And he trusts me. As soon as I put on his harness, he was waiting at the door, ready to go for a ride. No stub of a tail wagging as would normally be the case. But he knew I’d take him somewhere to help him feel better.

The Verdict

I’m happy to say, Dr. Closson determined his cornea was not scratched. Oddly, it appears as though his lower eyelid was either scratched or bitten, and an abscess had already started to form. Yikes.

We got him fixed up with not only a shot of long-lasting nuclear antibiotic (my term for it), but also a topical one that requires a drop in his eye twice a day. He was a very good boy – and he didn’t flinch or fuss either time I put the drop in his eye. So…$130 later, I am hopeful he’s on the road to full recovery.

Needless to say, though, he obviously felt punk. Slept all day; the eye kept weeping green pus. It was awful. And for my part, I just felt more and more sore. And sort of like I’d been body-slammed on macadam. Two or three times. Oh wait…

Undeterred, I Walked

I was determined, though, not to let myself get too stiff, so I pushed myself to get one good walk in. And it just so happened that my walk coincided with a brief period of time in which the clouds parted, allowing blue sky and sunshine to brighten the day and my mood. (At least temporarily.)

But I have to admit, I missed my Spartacus. He’s been my enthusiastic walking partner practically every mile I’ve trod – both before my birthday, and especially since (when I started tracking my mileage more consciously).

When I took this shot of ‘the road before me’ I was acutely aware of the missing black and white loved one, always looking back at me, saying, “Come on, Mommy! Let’s go!”

Here’s hoping a good night’s sleep and the flooding of his body with antibiotics will have him feeling significantly better tomorrow. Maybe even good enough for a walk.

(T-937)