A Rough Week for Peter

As you all know, Peter is our "first baby". We rescued him from the San Martin Animal Shelter in 2004 and he's been with us ever since. Actually, the background story on Peter is pretty funny. Our good friends were on their honeymoon and entrusted us with their beloved chihuahua, and when they returned we really missed having a little dog around, so needless to say, Peter was an addition to our family within about a week and a half. Peter is a great family member, and though a bit tempermental, he is an absolute LOVE. Happy to be wherever we are, he has moved a total of 5 times with us and was a wonderful companion when I recovered from spinal surgery. Peter's actual age has been up for debate ever since we got him. We have had him checked out by a couple of vets and the general consensus is that he is anywhere from 6-8 years old.

On Wednesday of this week, I was getting the dogs ready for the day and Peter didn't want to get out of bed (not really cause for concern--those who know Peter will understand). When he did actually get up, he started to cry and shake and it was very obvious that he was in some pretty serious pain. After a rough day on the couch, I rushed him to the vet, convinced that he would need the spinal fusion that I had about 2 and a half years ago.

About 45 minutes and $93.00 later, I found out that Peter is suffering from degenerative disc disease. According to the vet, "every breed has his cross to bear" and it looks like this is it for Peterman. Ironically, he doesn't really have a "breed" and has been referred to as a chihuahua, terrier, min-pin & dauchsund to name a few. The good news is that with a shot and about 2 weeks of steriod medicine, Peter should be in much better shape. The bad news is that this does mean that Peter may be a bit older than we originally thought and this could be a sign of what is to come for the poor little guy! :(

See above for a picture of Peter after we returned from the vet. He was pretty sad and I tried to cheer him up by sharing one of the baby's toys with him. From an earlier posting, you may remember that Uncle Benoit and Aunt Cari gave us a little stuffed monkey and we have vowed that we will be keeping it away from Scout.

In baby news, everything is good. This was a very busy week for me at work and I am really looking forward to sleeping in tomorrow. I did miss yoga this week due to the Peter emergency, but am planning on doubling up next week. I am feeling the extra weight for sure and a few people have told me that I definitely have a "baby belly". I have been really lucky throughout the pregnancy as far as back pain goes, but the past two nights have been a bit rough. There is a strange spot on my upper back (thankfully nowhere near my fusion) that has been bugging me pretty persistently. I am hoping that a prenatal massage tomorrow afternoon will be just the ticket!