Ask Muddy
The Dog Who Knows What's Best For Him
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MEET MUDDY WATERSHeartbreakingly, Muddy died on October 3, 2009. A few days before, he had become very weak, with a very high heart rate and low blood pressure. Despite several days in intensive care, and many diagnostic tests, the cause of these severe symptoms was not found; the veterinary specialists thought it likely that it was a cancer that "hid" from the tests. We knew his heart could not sustain the extreme tachycardia for long, and it did not respond to medication. We made the decision to bring him home to die in "his" yard, surrounded by familiar sights, sounds and smells. But he could not wait that long. As I arrived to pick him up, the vet rushed me in to be with him; I held and talked to my precious boy as his heart slowed and stopped.
Muddy was a very special, unusually intelligent dog, with a quirky personality. He was the inspiration for this site and we will continue in his name and his memory.
MUDDY'S STORY. We adopted Muddy on June 16, 2001, from Northern Illinois Samoyed Assistance (NISA). He was thought to be about three years old, though we now think he may have been older. His previous family had dumped him at a shelter claiming they no longer had time for him. Muddy came home with me, riding in the passenger seat of my two-seater car, happily strapped into his seatbelt harness and keenly observing the passing scene. We soon discovered Muddy's obsession with round things, and we helped him develop his excellent ball skills. We lived in a condo at the time, and Muddy enjoyed four walks a day - early morning, at noon (with the dogwalker*), in the evening and again before bed. We always took the view that Muddy was allowed to choose his own walks (the walks were intended for his benefit, after all). Muddy had a strong "extend-a-walk" tendency, which meant that three of the four walks were soon 1-1/2 hours each, and we walked about 50 miles a week, at a brisk aerobic pace, with some sniffing and peeing breaks. Those were the days!
* Muddy received the royal treatment from our favorite dogwalking, petsitting and dog boarding company, Danny's DogWalkers, who provide services across Chicago.
One day Muddy was at the vet (wonderful Dr Jane Lohmar, at Family Pet Animal Hospital) for abdominal x-rays due to gastroenteritis. Dr Lohmar spotted one of his hips on the x-rays and said "take more pictures of those hips". We then learned what he had hidden from us very well: Muddy had severe dysplasia in both hips, probably since birth, and the right hip (his less painful one) was completely subluxated. Muddy had developed a very strong front end which enabled him to maintain his considerable exercise regime. Since he was managing so well, we opted not to put him through hip surgery. How do you explain to a dog who walks 50 miles a week that he can't do anything at all for three months? We considered it a quality of life issue.
Muddy continued his active lifestyle - playing ball, hiking in the local forest preserves, romping at the beach, long walks - until, in January 2006, he was the victim of an unprovoked attack by another dog in our neighborhood. With a very painful puncture wound on his right shoulder, Muddy was forced to re-distribute his weight to the other three legs. Within a week of the injury, Muddy started limping from arthritis in his left shoulder (aggravated by the extra weight on that joint); his hips were also affected by having to carry the extra load, and he has never regained the mobility he had before the attack.
After we moved to a house with a yard, Muddy, who loved being outside, spent as much time as he could in the open air. He refused to eat indoors and insisted on al fresco dining. He "supervised" neighbors using noisy equipment like lawnmowers or electric saws, alerted us to coming storms or fireworks in the area, ran along the fence chasing kids on scooters or skateboards, and greeted passers-by - sometimes from the comfort of a nice cool hole he'd dug in the perennial border. In his later months, he still did three walks a day, but they were much shorter and much slower. Muddy still loved to play with the kids in our local park, and was often considered "the most popular dog in the neighborhood".
In the following pages, we'll tell you how we managed Muddy's structural health over the years, and the products and treatments that helped us do that. Until December 2008, we managed without "real drugs" (NSAIDs - non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs), which is a testament to Muddy's wonderful array of caregivers (aka "Team Muddy"). We hope our experience will help other dogs in similar situations.
In April 2009, we added another special needs family member: Willie ("Blind Willie McTell"), another Samoyed, is completely blind due to retinal degeneration. We'll also talk about some of the things that have helped make his life easier. Read his story here.
And now, Tarka has joined our family. He came to us as a foster, but we've now adopted him so he will be staying with us for good. He's a young,healthy dog, but is also in the "special needs" category due to his strong fear of humans. For Tarka's page, click here.
MEMORIAL URN. An urn on the mantle didn't seem to be the right choice for Muddy, the dog who loved to be outdoors. After much searching, we found a wonderful solution. Precious Pet Memorials
sells beautiful granite rocks with a cavity drilled in the bottom to hold the ashes, and an engraved marble plaque. The granite, plaques and engraving come in several different colors, and Nancy, the company owner, provides thoughtful advice and kind, prompt service.
Muddy's ashes are now out in the yard, under one of his favorite trees; there was room in the cavity for a tennis ball, one of his favorite salmon treats (see Treats & Snacks), and a piece of his all-time favorite snack, Starbucks pumpkin loaf. It's comforting to be able to look out of the window and see Muddy's rock where we used to see him; it gives us a way to talk to him, and (yes, this is weird), the smooth, rounded granite is surprisingly pettable. Spring is here and we'll soon be creating a memorial garden around Muddy's rock.
Meet Muddy
