When a big dog gets close to his 13th birthday, you tend to see some old man things creep up. Well, this is definitely Bagheera's old man year. About a month ago, he hurt his back jumping out of bed. We had the vet out, iced it, etc. Things got better after a couple of days, but the vet said it might be good to not let him jump out of bed. Ok. Fair enough. But Bagheera didn't like waiting for us, so he would jump... Then a couple of weeks after, he was limping again. Front paw. Big knot on the top of it. Ugh. We assumed it was from jumping out of bed again, so we put forth a similar protocol. And then we went sledding. When we got back from the cold, you could tell Bagheera was just stiff and sore. We felt bad for him, but we also knew that getting up and down from the bed wasn't going to work well. We borrowed a dog bed from the neighbors, and he slept there for a while. Then he was better again, and wanted back up. Kim abliged by lifting him up to the bed and down in the morning. This time, he would wait for Kim to get him down. But after a week or so of this, Kim's back was destroyed. He said putting him down gently really was what killed, but that was the part Bagheera needed the most. So, we decided dog bed... Bagheera is not a fan of sleeping on a dog bed. He's a people! And he sleeps in bed, with a pillow, right next to mommy. He has for over 12 years, so changing that is *not* a fun thing for him. Luckily, he has relented because we just won't pick him up to the bed.
And I know he's not a fan, because when I get up in the middle of the night to pump, Bagheera now gets up and walks around with me. He never used to budge when he was in bed. Poor thing.
Last night though, when I got up to pump, he was sound asleep on the dog bed, having a dream and running in his sleep. I hope that means he's getting used to it. I still feel badly that he has to change where he sleeps, but I need a husband that can move! :)
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