At this point in my life, I only have one friend who is expecting a child, and I'm perfectly okay with that. Especially if it means they'll just keep bringing more puppy friends into my life. Below is Nellie, the latest edition to my growing list of dog friends. Nellie is a miniature golden doodle and is still learning how to properly fetch. She is adorable and I cannot wait to meet her in real life.

This last week, Woody has been a complete mystery. Yes, he's always been a little bit complicated, but his recent issues have been some of the oddest yet. Last Monday, out of nowhere, he ran into my room and hid in his cage. First of all, he never hangs out in my room if I'm in the living room, let alone in his cage. Secondly, he was shaking and panting in a way that I've never seen before, as if he'd just seen a ghost. I tried to get him out of the cage but it wasn't happening. So, I moved and sat on the bed, after which he decided sitting in the corner, panting, would be the best option. After the light seemed to be too much for him, he moved under the bed, also a rare occurrence.

The next step was to see if he was responding to stimuli, would venture outside and attempt to eat before I began to panic. What I've come to learn about animals in my non-medical experience is that if they aren't responding to one or all of these things, something is seriously wrong. As usual, though, he went nuts when he heard a knocking sound, his bowel movements were normal and he immediately went to his food dish after coming in from the potty break. Naturally, after never witnessing this abnormal behavior mixed with normal tendencies, especially in such a sudden manner, I called the emergency vet, ignorantly thinking they could just give me a diagnosis on the phone. Because his normal bodily functions and processes were okay, I decided it would be best if we waited until the next day to go to our dedicated vet and save a few hundred dollars on an emergency visit.

I explained the situation to the vet, hoping she'd have an immediate answer and maybe this was a common problem. Nope. Woody was acting completely normal on the car ride and at the office, so she took him back for a physical exam. Afterward, she said everything seemed normal, but maybe it could be pain in his leg, as he was walking a little odd, and prescribed him an anti-inflammatory.

A week later, and he's still not normal, even though he seemed okay out of our home.

He's been on anti-inflammatory pills for six days. Saturday, he chewed his bone, played with his ball and wanted to work on his training, as he did most of the day Friday. But yesterday he was back to panting and shaking. I'm going to set up a phone appointment with the behavioral vet to get a second opinion before taking him back to the regular office. If it is his leg, I have to think it's more than just soreness. If it's something else, I just want to know what caused it. If it's internal, here is a list of the following things that he consumed in the week prior to these issues:

• Royal Canin calming dog food (he's been eating this since January)

• FROMM All-natural salmon dog food (he's been eating this since April)
• Dentley's chews (has enjoyed these all his life, at least his life with me)
• Pill pockets containing B vitamin calming supplements and Buspirone, which help his anxiety levels and he's been eating since January.
• Leaves and grass
• The occasional food scrap, which I do not condone or provide, he's just faster and has a better eye than me when we're on our walks.
  

I don't know if any of these things have to do with his behavior, but I suppose I should start making a list of his daily life. Regardless of the cause, it is the most heartbreaking thing seeing my dog so helpless with no way to tell me what's wrong and no one to give me some answers. If anyone reads this and has seen a similar problem in their dog, I welcome any and all advice.

Dogs are the best listeners, but sometimes they really need helping telling their story.