WEDNESDAY, THE DAY BEFORE THANKSGIVING. Just a normal day, with Cooper getting around on his own as needed, but stumbling at times and needing to rest before getting up again.

We live on a hillside and our driveway slopes up to the road where I usually walk them two or three times a day. We walked this morning and he did unusually well. First we visited with the yellow lab next door, then walked up to where the driveway meets the road. His pooping seemed less difficult than usual; sometimes he really struggles with that, trying to hold his back end up as the process requires. He had to rest a while, but he was able to walk down the hill back to the house. I want to make a video of his gait -- I suspect an orthopedist could diagnose him just from watching that.

He's happy with one small meal a day now. Just a few weeks ago he was demanding two, sometimes three. The only difference between then and now was the addition of a vitamin/mineral supplement prescribed by the vet. It's really made a difference in Cooper and his sister.