Wobblers

Before I retired at the end of last year, I said Mocha and I would do our daily hikes in the park until one of us couldn’t anymore and sadly, Mocha’s time may have come, at least for now.

Not too long ago, Mocha started crying and yelping when making sudden movements, or if she bumped her head on something while making a turn. Where once she was go-go-go on our walks, she slowed down, with her head hanging low. She started going up stairs slow, and standing with either her back legs spread apart or one on front of the other. Her front legs also started shaking, especially when she squatted down to urinate. She also started moving or ducking her head if we tried to pet her, like she was anticipating pain. This all happened within a matter of weeks. If she had any prior pain, she sure was stoic and never showed it.

We had our vet appointment this morning, and it looks like Mocha has Wobblers. When the doc tried to move Mocha’s head around, Mocha was very stiff and resistant, and when her head got turned to the left, she cried out in pain. And when the doc picked up her right rear leg and put it back down, everything was normal but when she did that with the rear left leg, Mocha left her nails pointed down at the floor without trying to correct her stance and the doc said that was a sign that Mocha had no real feeling of that leg and there was a disconnect between brain and leg.

They took X-rays which didn’t show much, so now we’ll get a referral down to Nashville to see a neurologist where they’ll take an MRI and then we’ll go from there. Some of you know how I am when it comes to this girl of mine, and we’ll do whatever it takes to get her comfortable again. If she needs surgery, so be it.

I’m hoping this can be managed or corrected to the point that Mocha can live comfortably and maybe even get back to walking with me again in the park, although if she does, Miss Mocha will have to slow down and take it easy. In the meantime, we’ll do our best to make sure she takes it easy; i.e. no running up and down stairs, no more playing in the backyard, and for now, no more hikes with me since the park has a few steep hills and some places with stairs and downed trees that she has to go over.

They gave us some Galliprant and Methocarbamol, hopefully those will at least make her comfortable until we can get in to see the neurologist.