The Wait

One of our dogs has been having trouble getting around.  He has the dreaded "shepherd hips", and he's not exactly a puppy anymore, but with canine glucosamine he's been managing.

Until this morning.

My sister found him stuck outside in the rain, unable to climb the short flight of stairs to the dog door.

So she wrestled him into the car and, along with Dad (to help wrestle him out again), took him to the vet.

That was nearly two hours ago, and I haven't had a call since. (Well, the phone has rung four times, but they were all hang-ups and/or telemarketers.).

I can't decide whether that's a good thing or a bad thing...

AFTERNOON UPDATE:  The dog's still at the vet, where they hope to get X-rays.  He may have an infection of some sort, which means that maybe they can do something for his pain.  Fingers crossed and we'll see...

AFTERNOON UPDATE UPDATE:  Well, he's home.  Oddly enough, his hips are crystal-clear on the X-rays: no signs of dysplasia, despite a lifetime of the "shepherd walk." Even the vet seemed amazed.  On the other paw, the trouble walking has been traced to a bad infection originating in a hind paw, which will require fairly intensive home therapy.  They also found that his liver was disturbingly enlarged, so he goes in on Friday for an ultrasound.  Otherwise, he seems to doing decently, with no overt signs of trouble (aside from those already mentioned.)