Maggie the Wobbly

Maggie came into the shelter as a stray and no one ever came to claim her. She was old and had a hard time walking. She staggered and wobbled as if she were tipsy. The shelter guessed that she was between 10 and fifteen years old.

She was very thin and weak and her coat was matted and coming out in clumps.

A volunteer picked Maggie up from the shelter and brought her to our vet to be checked out. She weighed in at only 18 pounds (she should be more like 25!) and was dehydrated and weak. The wobbly walk was diagnosed as a disc problem in her back. She stayed in the hospital for about a week. Maggie was put on crate rest, given IV fluids, and prednisone and painkillers for her back. The vet staff were very kind to her and she responded well to her treatment.

After a week in the hospital, Maggie was allowed to move to a foster home, but she was on strict crate rest. She had to rest and could only come out to go potty and for snuggles on the couch when she would be held still. Maggie didn't like her crate much, but she was a good sport about it.

Hooray - finally allowed to leave the crate!

And how do you celebrate? By finding a nice comfy spot and taking a nap of course!

(forgive all the 'Maggie sleeping' pictures, but she is so darned cute i couldn't decide which ones to delete)

Every once in a while between naps, Maggie decides to go out and explore the yard. She still wobbles and is a bit unsteady on her feet, but she gets around just fine.