Today, Garrett, our greyhound, celebrates his 12th birthday! He is currently resting comfortably next to me as I type this right now.
A little over a year ago, when we lost Tate, we were worried that Garrett wasn’t long for this world. He was a fussy eater, and he had lost a lot of weight (less than 60#’s) and he seemed listless.
But, instead of being depressed with the departure of his younger, more energetic brother, he has come out of his shell, and done quite well. He has gained weight, we have found foods that he likes (Natural Balance Duck and Legume limited ingredient diet kibble, Wellness brand canned food – microwaved to warm it up, and some sliced turkey luncheon meat to add some extra pizzazz) and his weight has increased to a perfect for him 64 – 66 pounds.
Additionally, where before he would want to go for a walk about every 3rd week in the morning, he is now DEMANDING walks in the morning. And not short ones either, we often are dragged across Santa Teresa boulevard, and into the neighborhoods around La Colina park.
Of course, he still has arthritis, particularly in in right front shoulder. We started him on rimadyl, and are now up to 3/4 of a pill per day, and that seems to work well. He does have a corn in one of the toes of his right rear feet, but a little maintenance on that and it is tolerable for him. His face is almost completely white, our ‘perfect little snowflake’ we call him.
In celebration of his birthday, we are having a party this afternoon. Burgers, hot dogs, potato salad, munchies galore, and visitors all congregating to wish Garrett a happy birthday.