Training Hard

L is training hard, revisiting the Trentside Trundle run, that was part of the Six Pack Challenge, with Daughter and booking a personal training session for Thursday. She’s also still doing her mad Tuesday morning gym classes which she lets slip are performed to the soundtrack to her misspent youth - Earth Wind & Wire, Jacksons, The Miracles, Heatwave, The Emotions, Tramps, ELO and Boney M. She imagines me shaking my head in pity. No comment. 

The Lad and I are in training too and I think we may have made some progress today with the weaves.

Wednesday is my birthday for which L has bought me a race entry for the Derby Ramathon as well as my keg of beer. I cycle to work and we have dog training later.

Unfortunately MD doesn’t seem to be very well although he still makes it to dog training. He was a bit spaced out in the morning and looked at his breakfast for a good while before finally eating it. Then our usual morning walk was a right plod and we had to curtail it.

He is still off it on Thursday which is his 14^th birthday. We notice he’s having nosebleeds and is now off his food but our walk was a little better than yesterday but we still didn’t quite manage our usual distance. Then he was straight out into the garden for his ball where he had a go at running for it but his heart wasn't really in it.

I go into work on Friday, giving L a lift as she heads to Derby City Council to flex her Power of Attorney. I’m in work because we have another leaving do although at lunchtime this time. There really will be no one left soon.

When L gets home MD doesn’t get out of his basket to greet her. He’s had another nosebleed and when eventually he gets up, he has a fall. I head home after my leaving do and we take him to vets, who don’t really have any answers but are concerned about his low heartrate and after doing a blood test, the possible sign of liver problems in his blood sample. We come home with some antibiotics and painkillers.

On Saturday he is worse still and having fainting fits every ten minutes or so. I sit on the grass with him at Forest Rec Parkrun while L and Daughter do the run. Last week he was doing the last 100 metres himself and only on Monday and Tuesday this week we did long evening walks down to the lake on Wollaton Park.

Now we’re in the situation where our vets close at lunchtime on a Saturday, which will be the last time they are open until after the Bank Holiday, and we are seriously considering taking him back there before they close where we’re sure the prognosis won’t be good.

We don’t though. We take him to see my parents, warning them it could be for the last time, and then he’s in the car when I take L and her Mum to visit her Dad.

Derby win away, now that it doesn’t matter, and for the first time in almost forever. In the evening we were supposed to be at Miller & Carter to celebrate my birthday but we cancel that to look after MD.

After a traumatic night with MD, we are pleasantly surprised that he seems much better on Sunday morning. He is up playing ball in the garden, eating and we can at least get his meds down him but he’s still having frequent fainting fits.

Once the Bank Holiday is over and we are back to work on Tuesday, the advantage of being able to work from home becomes clear as I can keep and eye of MD who settles down on a mat next to my computer.

(Monday 2nd May)