Tuesday night, Rex was unable to jump up on our bed and
sleep with us. He circled the bed and grumbled and finally
went off to sleep on a rug near us. He is such a big dog
that the specter of hip displacement scared me to death.
He weighs ll9 pounds. We missed his presence sorely.

The next day I noticed that he was favoring his right leg and
made an appointment with the Vet. His Vet is a big, beautiful
blond who could easily wrestle a horse to its knees. She
spent a lot of time with him and decided on a course of
treatment. He is having a series of shots, joint support
tablets, tramadol for pain and a non steroid tablet. We
are grateful that something can be done to ease the arthritis.

Fortunately, due to a lot of experience on the farm, we will
be able to buy the shots from them and give them ourselves.
Giving the oral medications is a lot harder. Hidden in a
treat, sometimes helps but he has learned to chew and detect
his pills. I have to chase him and keep him from spitting
them out.

The end result is that he is a lot friskier and playing
again like he did in his younger days.