The guys were both up, met me at the front door, and were already playful. Buddy looked like he needed a walk. He grabbed a bunny and was running around as soon as I came in, so I couldn’t tell if his breathing was any different, because he was running around, so he’d be panting anyways.
I did a quick assessment of the household. There were no accidents, and nobody got sick. I quickly put out one bowl of day food to soak, and we went out to walk. They haven’t been eating much of the day food, so there was no need for two bowls, and I’d like to be able to monitor the amount eaten by each guy. It’s easy enough to put out another bowl on the off-chance that they actually eat everything in it.
We took a nice stroll through the neighborhood. We first went out towards the bath, between buildings, headed up to come out down the path by Derith’s house. Bubba led us over to the dog park – there was nobody there. Then northerly, slowly. We had a Mexican standoff (not an ethnic joke – Chihuahuas are Mexican dogs!) at the path that leads towards Jessica’s house. Bubba eventually gave in and we headed around that area, up towards the northern part of the complex.
There was a strong cool breeze, so it didn’t feel very hot. Buddy still tried to keep to the shade as much as possible. His breathing is still too fast (I think). Every intersection we came to was a situation. Buddy would decide to go a particular way, and would start that direction. Bubba ignored that, and would stand, deep in thought about which way to go, and then suddenly start moving a direction. It was almost not the path that Buddy had chosen.
But Buddy seemed to look like he wasn’t feeling well, so I let him guide us toward home, trying to help him decide to choose directions where there was grass, so Bubba could poop if needed – he still had not.
Once home, Buddy flopped on the floor. Bubba wandered a little, unsure of where he wanted to rest. Both guys nibbled the day food, of course – I only put out one bowl, so both of them decide to eat early. Buddy was lying on the floor, just off the rug by the MODX. I went and sat next to him. He didn’t look well, and I was thinking about enlisting my mom for a drive to the vet again. When I sat down next to him, and rested my hand on his ribs, he rolled onto his side, his eyes looking like they were staring into the distance and seeing nothing. I was getting more worried. I just sat with him for a while. His breathing seemed slower and more relaxed.
I got up for a moment, and he rolled up onto his belly, his ears shot up and he watched me, as I walked towards where a bunny was lying on the floor. I picked it up to see what he would do. His body moved into a more-alert position, ready to jump into action. I picked up the bunny and threw it, and he bolted after it.
He’s not in bad shape, but I still think something is wrong. I’m seeing symptoms, because I’m looking way-too-hard for symptoms. I’m going to stop doing that unless something significant occurs. The things to watch for are fine. Buddy is eating, drinking, peeing and pooping. So the main signs that there’s something internally wrong are not there.
We walked about 45 minutes, slowly. Buddy pooped, Bubba did not.