I thought yesterday that Jackie was on the mend, but in the late afternoon and evening he looked completely woeful, and despite my counselling that we wait yet to see if things cleared up, Irving was determined to take action, to have him examined by a veterinarian. So from 7:30 this morning forward he kept calling our veterinarian clinic as they advised yesterday until he finally got through to the receptionist. And he was able to make an emergency appointment for 10:30 a.m. 

He was right, he always is. The veterinarian examined Jackie, we spoke awhile, then he took our little mite with him to one of the backrooms. He told us he suspected that Jackie's anal glands were involved in his problem. Not unusual for small dogs, he said, and also said that our two were 'getting on' in age. When it becomes more common for the glands to fail to empty as they should. Which kind of took us aback since they're only now heading to 9 years of age come early fall.

 

When he returned not too long afterward he said that one of Jackie's glands was impacted and had actually burst, leaving a hole in it. He injected Jackie with an antibiotic the effects of which should last a month, he said, and by that time the gland would have repaired itself. Some dogs, he told us, are congenitally troubled by packed anal glands. He has a large Poodle mix himself and he has to empty its glands every few months.

 

Well, at least we know now what the problem was and it's obvious enough that the little fellow was in pain for the last three days which caused his erratic, puzzling behaviour. We'll have to watch him from now on for recurrences because, as the vet warned us, there will be recurrences. We've noticed his sister scudding on occasion, though he rarely if ever seems to. Another thing we were told, he has a heart murmur. Another surprise. During their annual physical a month ago Jillie was diagnosed with a heart murmur. Again, not unusual with small aging dogs, evidently.

 

Irving was buoyed by the fact that we now know what the problem was, and I'm halfway between sad and glad. They enjoyed their opportunity to frolic through the ravine early this afternoon, on a day with gathering heat and full sun, relieved by a robust breeze. The forest is now once again completely dry and awaiting rain. The puppies had the opportunity to chase a few robins skipping along the trails. At this point in spring for reasons entirely their own robins tend to bustle along the trails, unconcerned with oncoming traffic of hikers.

On return back home Irving busied himself putting together a patio storage box he had bought. Not realizing when he bought it exactly how big and space-consuming it would be for a relatively small deck. As for me, I busied myself planting the rest of the annuals, this time in the backyard, in a few large garden pots and wherever I could find space among the perennials in a few garden plots there.