sanford's got back problems.

about three weeks ago, the stinkpot started acting hesitant to go up and down stairs, or give high fives. after about a week he started yelping in pain occasionally when picked up.. and over a couple of days it got much, much worse to the point where he would be in pain when changing positions at all. everything was causing him pain, though we couldn't find the source of it, and he was shaking in fear all the time, so we took him to the emergency room. they took some xrays and he has what looks like two calcified discs in his spine/neck. and so they prescribed him two weeks of pain killers and six weeks of crate rest. poor thing.

this all happened a week before we left for santa barbara, so instead of boarding him, we took him with us and buckled him into a crate sized portion of the back seat. luckily he seems to travel well, but he definitely hasn't been happy to not be able to play or go on walks, or even go up on the couch.

his painkillers ran out on saturday, and his checkup with the vet was on monday. the second week, he definitely seemed to be back to his old spirits. but when between the painkillers running out and the visit to the vet, he definitely yelped a couple times when he turned to fast or something. at the vet, they took another look at his x-rays from the emergency room, and they said he may also have a luxated (dislocated) rib. so he's on two more weeks of painkillers, continued crate rest, and has another check up in two weeks. i feel so bad for him, i just hope he gets better soon. i've also ordered glucosamine tablets for him to start eating daily for joint health. can't believe he's having so many issues at such a young age.