Monday, August 18, 2008

Is Mat suffering from depression?


Cap'n Steve has been home a week and Mat has not been herself for the last 5 days. She is off her food and hardly drinking water. She is known to be quite the Euell Gibbons of our animals. (Thank goodness not a pooh eater)We figured she ate a "bad mushroom" or some such.. but this is starting to seem more than a bug. I have taken her to the vet, she checks out fine (blood work et all)but she is still off. She is mopey, not very food motivated even when there is chicken or hamburger involved. She is losing weight. This sounds/looks/feels like depression to me.

Mat has never been the only dog. And even though she and Lass had their issues, they each seemed relaxed with the other as long as there was a crate separating them. The cats are all trying to love up on her.. and she just sort of lays there, uninterested.. Moe even tries to get in her dinner bowl while she is eating and she could care less.. When Tucker, numero uno corgi died (3 years ago at age 16), Queen Kiki, our cat, exhibited what we think was depression. She loved Tuck and they would play together..She was "off" for a couple of weeks.

We figure Mat now realizes that Steve is back and Lass isn't - this is not your normal "week apart vacation" that we do once or twice a year with the dogs. I feel for her. She looks and seems very sad. I know how she feels.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Oh! You're breaking my heart!

When my pup went to live with my neice in Louisiana, my Mr Mitchell (boy cat) seemed just all out of sync. Tough cats were coming in to the yard now that the barky dog wasn't there to interfere.

Mitch went back to being meek, pitiful and wimpy, like he had been when he was a kitten and the runt of the litter.

HOWEVER, it wasn't depression over a lost friend - turned out he had an abscessed tooth that was really making his life "the pits."

We got it fixed and he is back to himself.

Isn't it funny how we assign our own human feelings to our pets (and sometimes to our office machines!)

Love your blog.
~Mad(elyn) in Alabama

North Georgia Gal said...

Thanks Mad,

So glad you enjoy my dribble - I am definitely one to personify animals and office equipment and even lawn equipment! We figure Mat is just getting used to being the only dog, a new routine and not having "competition". We are getting used to it to. It's been 20 years since I had only one dog.. big adjustment for me too..

Glad Mitch is back to his ole self - hate it when the animules get off their routines..

Cheers,
NGG

Anonymous said...

Good to hear from you - hope each day is a bit less "heavy" -
Good days ahead.
~Mad