Last month Annie had her 1 year check up with our vet.  As we sat there going over her history, her progress over the past year became so apparent.

While we were waiting to go into the exam room, Annie stood stiffly by my side and started to tremble.  I couldn’t help but remember our first occasion here.  She wasn’t leash trained, didn’t want to come in and my husband and I had to lift, push and pull with the aid of a lifting harness just to get her in and out of the car and into the office.  When it was time to leave, she refused to budge and we went through all of the same difficulties getting her back into the car and home again.

Since that day, we have had many appointments here to monitor her  conditions with her eyes, ears, skin and teeth.  She also had a cancer scare and surgery as well as a glucosamine overdose when she got into her beefy supplements.  Walking in with no hesitation and standing by my side with a little tremble is a huge improvement and really speaks to her bravery and progress over the past year.

Her dr. did have one concern, one of her blood levels has been consistently in the low normal range, but it dropped to below normal and she would like to monitor it monthly. Yesterday we went in for her blood work and a nail trim and once again she walked right in and even greeted the tech at the front desk. She stood by me with that little tremble again but was so good otherwise.  I just got the call that her blood level had jumped back up to right where it has been, still in the low normal range but that seems to be her normal so we will recheck again at her mid-year senior check-up.

In addition to being in really good health for an almost 11-year-old giant breed dog, she has lost 4 pounds.  She has a super sniffer and has found treats and food that I didn’t even know were left out, but I now sweep the area before I leave a room so that all temptation is removed and she has gotten her slim figure back.  Annie’s a tough, old girl. She’s a survivor and she seems to be sending me the signal that she doesn’t plan on going anywhere anytime soon.  And that is just fine with me!