Slipping Away

Wow, we haven't been around here much and we don't really have a good reason. I've been a bit lazy and I've spent most of my time with my fur kids. Some of them need some extra attention. Fudge is heading into the home stretch with his recovery. The vet said that we'd see improvement for about six weeks and where we are at the six week mark is probably where we'll stay. The news is pretty good. The boy gets around as if nothing ever happened. He runs and jumps and is generally annoying again. His left knee seems to be a bit stiff and we sometimes see it when he walks, especially if he's tired. Then he has a slight limp. He still can't scratch that ear and isn't happy about it, but we're happy with his progress.

Sebastian had a vomiting problem over the 4th of July. Dr B was out of town but the other doc thought it was a stress ulcer. At first he responded to the treatment but within a couple weeks he was vomiting again. It would usually happen in the morning about three or four days a week. I spoke with Dr B and he wanted to see him.

When Sebastian first came to live with us, we did some blood  tests and they showed a possibility of pancreatitis. Since that time we've tried to help him lose weight and were very careful about his diet. When Dr B examined him, he didn't exhibit any pain in the area of the pancreas, but vomiting is a symptom, so we decided once and for all to see if he actually had pancreatitis. There's a specific blood test, so we did it, then waited for results.

The test showed that Sebastian does not have pancreatitis. He does have something going on, so he's now eating a homemade diet and taking Reglan three times a day for nausea. Rob and I both noticed that after only two days Sebastian was happier. Not only was he not vomiting, but he had extra energy and was running and playing with the other dogs. He loves his dinner and dances around while I'm preparing it. I guess he was feeling nauseous most of the time and it's hard to be happy under those conditions.

Miss Morgan is getting a lot of our attention these days. This morning we sat down and discussed her current state. We know that she's slowly slipping away from us. She sleeps hard during the day and then paces a lot during the night. Rob and I are taking turns sleeping on the couch, so she can pace without disturbing everyone else. She isn't eating enough, though I try everything I can think of to encourage her. Most days I sit on the floor and hand feed her a piece of kibble at a time and hope we get thru the whole bowl. She does remember each night at 8:30 that she gets her milkshake. She appears in front of me and leads me to the refrigerator.

She's very frail and shaky on her feet. We help her up and down stairs and sometimes carry her. But, it isn't time to act yet. She still is aware and isn't in any pain, so we'll just enjoy whatever time we have left together. I check often when she's sleeping to see if she's still breathing and I expect one of these mornings that she won't be.  After almost sixteen years, it's hard to think about not having Miss Morgan around demanding this or that.

My priorities just now are caring for my  pups and treasuring my time with them. Everything else is secondary.