He showed up one afternoon with a limp, and a badly torn belly – near the “lion’s pouch” area. He was in obvious and extreme distress. He was rushed to the vet. We are presuming it was a dog attack, but our vet is noncommittal. Since then, he has been back twice to the vet – he is not doing well, although he is eating and grooming himself. X-rays showed a fracture in the leg, which is making his mobility a problem – but there may be other issues “inside”, but the vet is gambling that he will be ok, since going into major surgery at his age could be very risky. Our Longfellow is just sleeping – a lot – and it seems he is incontinent, although perhaps due to his leg, he cannot move fast enough when he gets the urge. I feel summer ended on August 10th with Bandito’s passing, and now, so soon after and with almost no time to grieve, all I feel is stress and worry. I am anxious about these dogs in the neighborhood – many are off-leash, and run after any cat they see. Although our immediate neighbor swears his dog, a Doberman, does not “eat cats” – how can we know for sure? The peace in my garden sanctuary has been has been shattered, and it seems I now am continually in a state of alert and trepidation. I now long for winter, with its blanket of snow wrapped around the house, keeping my babies safe and warm inside. That is the only time I have real peace.
