Such a horrible day

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This has been really hard to write. A few weeks ago was the worst week ever. It started one Monday evening (not sure on the date) I had been at work since 6am til 3.00pm and got home around 3.30pm. After I got home my mums partner had come to my house to make my family some dinner. All day the weather had been really bad so Toby and Oscar (My dogs) couldn't go out for a walk. So when the weather cleared up my mums partner and myself decided to take both dogs out for them to get some fresh air and exercise.

Toby is 13 years of age and will turn 14 February 9th next year. For the breed King Charles Cavalier he has reached a really good age as usually their life span is 9-14 years old. This type of breed are prone to heart problems and several other serious problems. 

On the Monday evening Toby had a funny turn once coming back from his walk, he staggered and fell over and became unbalanced. At first I thought he had got something stuck in one of his paws and I picked him up and I was massaging them and feeling to see if he cried out in pain if I touched him, well he didn't. Luckily it had happened near my gate to my house so I carried him into the house and put him into his basket.

Once inside his head seemed tilted and his eyes were rolling around. He tried to stand but seemed to have lost his coordination and balance so I put him back in his basket.  It was heartbreaking to watch as I was thinking all sorts and feeling so much pain seeing him the way he was. I was leaning over his basket cuddling him and kissing him as well as crying so much because I didn't want to loose him. How can a dog be fine to go for a walk and then the next have a stroke? It just didn't seem fair, there was no warning signs or anything before his walk he had been barking and being his normal self.

My mum came home from work shortly after and she soon realised something was wrong. However, Toby was just sat down before she came home but once she came through the door he was trying to stand to greet her but just kept loosing his balance. As my brother is currently in the process of moving into his own house he usually goes after work to his new house to sort some stuff out. I had to ring him to tell him to get home asap which he did.

Toby wasn't seeing any progress of recovering so we made an emergency vet appointment and took him. Tears kept coming imagining the worse. Once at the vets, she confirmed it had been a stroke. However, she said that to make him recover she could give him an injection and some tablets which he would be on now for the rest of his life.

Gradually Toby has got better the past few weeks his head isn't tilted anymore he can walk better now but only goes on walks for short period of times he takes one day at a time. The Vet said that dogs recover from Strokes quickly and better than us humans.

There is a chance he might have another stroke but I don't want to think about that. I know dogs don't live forever but Toby is special he is my first ever dog and having the house without him would make it quiet even with little Oscar bouncing about.