A little over a week ago, we had a mini-crisis here at home, when it looked like our 17-year-old beagle had undergone a major hit to her equilibrium. We were very concerned it would be something she wouldn't recover from, and could signal the beginning of the end for a dog who has stuck around for more than her fair share of time. But after a few vet visits, a battery of pills and ear drops, she's walking straight, sleeping through the night and keeping food down, so it looks as if the worst is over.
Molly relaxing this evening on the loveseat.
(Ignore the red-eye from the camera flash)
The veterinarian crew accurately surmised Molly was the victim of canine vestibular disease, further complicated by a pair of ear infections, and later, an irritated colon, which had emerged after she was unable to keep down her dinner too many times. Interestingly, instead of fancy animal-only drugs, Molly was prescribed more run of the mill prescriptions, including Benadryl, to calm her down, and Pepcid AC, to help her stomach problems.
As we've undergone this battle, it's been amazing to see how my first post on the subject reached far further than I had expected. Kent Newsome of Newsome.org noted the story, and remembered his family's loss of an 18-year old cat in 2003. But even more amazingly, Molly's story touched the hearts of beagle owners throughout the US, and likely abroad, when her story reached a BeagleWorld e-mail list, powered by Yahoo! Groups, sending many dog-lovers to our site.
One reader wrote, "The story about Molly is so sad." Another, "17 years though, going on 18....wow. I cried when I read it." and "It's funny as they turn to be seniors, they all look alike with their white faces and soulful eyes."
I didn't mean to send complete strangers to tears with our story. And those who were made sad by our first message should be relieved to know we're near a full turn-around for this beagle that just simply won't give up.