Our Wiggler

It was the day of his physical exam. Mr. Wiggles was being cross-examined and would accompany me to the clinic for his annual health assessment. There was no time, however, to collect the customary samples. The one-hour 'window' for the liquid sample, with an all-day window for the solid material, created a complicated arrangement. His cousins would be visiting then. There would no time at that early hour of the morning.

It had been nearly 3 years since a fluid sample had been taken from our Mr. Wiggles. It was early in the winter of 2013 when he had been refusing food, a habit we had never experienced before with our animals. Was there an underlying problem waiting to be detected? Dogs always ate no matter what. Why hadn't he? Answers were never found but he resumed eating again and gaining, too. Later, into his second year, in 2014, an underlying egg-sized lump exhibition took over, becoming the daily focus in our life, appearing and disappearing, without cause. This thing never wavered in its ability to rock our world, each day. Eventually it was resolved with a happy ending in 2015. Today, nothing extraordinary was expected from Mr. Wiggle's annual exam.

We entered the clinic and walked towards the scale for his customary weigh-in. ... Serious weight gain or loss could signal an underlying problem with any animal. It provided one piece of the overall health picture. Weighing a large animal at home was possible if you were Hercules. But we weren't concerned. We would simply wait till next time. Mr. Wiggles was 69 pounds. (He was 78 last year, at this time.) He hadn't had breakfast that day making for a fasting sample when his blood was taken that morning. In other years, he would have had breakfast before going. But the doctor said it did not matter. The staff checked the scale making sure it had been set correctly. Our Mr.Wiggles was now a perfect 5, with 0 being too thin and 10 being overweight. The doctor was pleased. No need for further reduction, she remarked.

A blood vial was taken and this year's necessary vaccines given. Today, these 'protectors' of animal diseases are given every two or three years, depending upon the vaccine. The rabies shot is every three years now and is law. There is no cure, for man or beast. If infected and untreated, a painfully slow death results! In these modern, online times, a new timetable for vaccines allows for a more moderate approach to the inoculation schedule of the past. 

 

Immunity is now coming into play, finally. Could we stretch the limits of immunity, a bit more? Shots are now administered every 2 to 3 years, instead of every year. Momsey was hoping for the changes. Thank goodness reason has prevailed. But now a new blood test to detect lyme disease is becoming routine. This new debilitating scourge on both animal and human alike is a risk factor of life here in Canada. Warmer temperatures in winter have helped the tick migrate and survive here. Medication for both lyme disease and the ever present heartworm disease are routine drugs and given as required. Oh, My. When does it end? I hope the list does not get any longer!

Our little wiggler, as he is now known, was too young for any health problems. That we knew. The results of his blood tests were perfect, as was hoped for and expected. My daughter-in-law's new name for him in light of his new-found weight loss made comical sense. Though he had always wiggled to the absurd, he had now taken this maneuver to a new level. His sister, Sally, was obsessive about running and fetching. Though diet was always a priority for both pups, wiggling was now a new facet of the daily exercise ritual for our youngest. Its benefits were now just beginning to surface in a new light. 

 

Engaged in a perpetual dance with the people he loves and meets during the day, with an attached 'gift', in his mouth, our happy little guy wiggled intensely, without pause. He never stopped. The more you spoke, the more intense the wiggling. He was happy to see you and did not want you to leave.

And as I pondered his dramatic weigh-in day, that day, at the clinic, I slowly began to realize our precious Mr. Wiggles, would always be healthy. He was always moving, his characteristic 'electrifying' performances, a constant in his life, each and every day. He would now be known as - The Wiggler - a mantle he would carry well into old age. Now, if only I could follow his lead. Then, my life would be perfect.