We're Home Early - Rusty not well

We had to leave Fort Stevens State Park early this morning to come home - how we got to Fort Stevens instead of the Deschutes campground is another whole story but I will tell it at a later time.  We loved Fort Stevens but will also write about that in a few days.

We came home because Rusty is not doing well at all.  He has been having a lot of trouble with his back legs and last night he woke us up with a scream of pain.  Couldn't see anything wrong but Rusty has NEVER made a noise like that in his entire life.  He is in the hospital tonight while the vet runs some tests and tries to figure out what is going on.  We thought it was just his back - and yes, that is the biggest part of it - but the vet says there is something going on with his intestines and he should get the blood work back tomorrow.  In the meantime, he cannot treat his back with medication as most of those drugs tend to be hard on the intestines.

So right now Rusty is floating on a cloud of anti-anxiety and muscle relaxant meds and according to the vet, resting comfortably.  He wants him to just chill out and not move around much tonight so I had to leave him.   THAT WAS HARD!  The vet did do an exam on his back legs while we were there and said Rusty has paraparesis in his hind legs - basically, his brain no longer knows where his hind legs are.  It will eventually lead to full paralysis.  Rusty has been getting more and more clumsy with his hind legs for some time and shows marked weakness when he gets up and down.  He often crosses his hind feet when he walks has a hard time getting up steps.  Sometimes he has a hard time staying upright when he lifts his leg.

The vet says he is not ready to give up on him yet and neither am I.  Rusty is 14 years old but he is a medium sized mixed breed and that might mean a longer life span than for the larger breeds.  I will not see him suffer but if he can be treated and at least have a little mobility, I cannot let him go yet.  Just not ready.

I do think that Rusty's travel days are over.  I can see where riding in the motor home makes him so tired and sore.  His routine is upset and that's hard on old guys.  I tried to point out a little garter snake to him on Monday and he just couldn't see it.  He saw the movement of a squirrel running across the trail but then the squirrel sat still on a log and Rusty could not see him.  It is so sad to see him deteriorate so quickly.  Seems like only last month he was running around having a great time.  I know old age has been coming on, but it just seems to have speeded up lately.

I will write an update on his condition when I know more.   Travel blogs are on the back burner for a few days.