Sometimes it's just too much
You all know what happened with Milo. Bloated in fall of 07, only to develop a cancerous tumor in spring of 08 and die of complications from surgery. That's when Zeus came into our lives - a spot of new energy and doggy happiness. That was just this March.
Recently Zeus has been ill. We took him to the vet got some meds, but he really wasn't feeling any better. Actually he seemed to be getting worse. We took him to the vet again yesterday, I was concerned he might be starting the path to bloating.
The doctor ran blood tests and x-ray him. Nothing visible came up in the x-rays, but the blood test was ominous. A number of things came up indicating problems with the pancreas and the kidneys. Most serious of which was a really high calcium reading. The doctor explained that this would explain why Zeus had been drinking so much water lately. He went on to suggest that we either take him to a specialist or get an ultrasound consult.
Maybe an ultrasound would see what is causing the problem. Of course this would cost $300-$400 when we're already $300-$400 into him for test thus far. Zeus is on a couple different meds right now and getting intravenous liquids tonight while we discuss our options.
What are the options? Really it's a huge unknown. What came out of our family discussion were several more questions to ask the doctor. The big one is...what if the ultrasound doesn't show anything? Then what? How do proceed if a tumor is found? Or a suspected cancer? We already know that we can't afford to pay for chemotherapy/radiation for a dog. While it's horrific to my own ears to even say that, it is a cold, hard, fact.
Let's not forget our cat, Hook died at the beginning of the school year.
Death and the possibility of death, just reminds me of other recent losses...my grandmother and my oldest and dearest friend last year, the loss of a friend in the shire, and last but not least, Barak. I'm feeling old tonight.