My dog Frodo has sundowners. When the sun goes down, he gets confused and will bark nonstop. He gets disoriented and paces the house. It's been a hard week of sleep interrupted nights.
So after speaking with his vet, we gave him Tramadol. The first night, it worked okay. He slept through. But tonight, he's even more out of it. He can barely walk and keeps losing his balance. His back is already shot so while trying not to panic, I take him outside and steady his legs for him. He nips me. Then he seems to calm down. He seems comforted with my presence.
I bring a blanket downstairs and sleep on the couch with him on his blanket on the floor below me. He's sleeping and I sigh, trying not to weep. While my mother-in-law watches Netflix, I listen to a podcast and meditate. I breathe in and out.
Leaning down, I rub his back and scratch his ears as he snores. Snuggling his little black and white shih tzu body, I cradle his face in my hands and kiss his black nose, whispering to him, and to myself, "I love you Frodo. I love you dammit."
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