Back for the Pooch

Everyone who has met me has heard tales about my beloved dog. I can't help it; I don't have kids to brag about and it's too sad to talk about nieces and nephews who live far away or with whom we don't have much contact.

For my sweetie and me, all the leftover love in our lives, the stuff we would spend on our nonexistent children, gets showered our very receptive and delightful Weimaraner, Emma.

Which is why when she was tentatively diagnosed with a weird neurological condition more often associated with horses, we freaked out. Wobbler's Syndrome is a defect in the spine whose effects don't show up until later in life, so it can't be bred out of the animals. So far, Emma's case is mild, but eventually our lanky runner will be crippled. I'm not ready to contemplate a wee wheeled cart for her arse end, but you never know.

To push back the inevitable, I took our girl to the delightful Dr. Anglea King in Meaford yesterday, a kind and seemingly talented chiropractor whose ministrations appear to me to have already reaped rewards.

Now, I have always had a healthy back, so I haven't taken chiropractic treatment myself, but my sweetheart swears by it, and so do dozens of other people I know. Clearly, my insurance company agrees there's something to it, so why not for doggies, too?

It was deeply heartwarming to see the competence and compassion from the good doctor, as she held Emma firmly and gently manipulated her back. It was odd to be sure to see some of Emma's muscles jump while the manipulation was happening and equally strange to see surprise at the sensation pass across the face of my pampered pooch.

One of the symptoms of Wobbler's Syndrome is that the doggie or horse loses some control over their hind feet - imagine Bambi on the frozen river with Thumper if you need a visual. Her back feet seem not to be stuck to the ground and when she wags her tail, her feet pivot around.

But not last night after her first treatment. My Emma is on solid ground after day one! It's not a cure, but if we can have her as healthy as possible for as long as possible, we'll continue to have a repository for all our extra affection. Yes, she's a terrible bed hog, but she's OUR bed hog and we don't want to think about our life without her.