The Beginning is the End is the Beginning

Hey, all--

Harley has continued to deteriorate. She did not eat her breakfast this morning, even though I opened up a can of really smelly tuna and mixed it in with her kibble. So, I have given her the max dose of pain meds that I am comfortable giving her...we'll see what happens.

**update** Haha, I didn't post this right away! Good thing, though...so, Justin stopped by to see Harley this morning and pose for a few portrait shots. She seemed to come around and was definitely more animated! When we came back inside, I set her food bowl down and she ate a little bit!! She is still very lethargic and sedentary, but is awake and interactive, even rolling over for tummy rubs. Her abdomen feels a bit distended to me...I'm concerned about her liver a bit.

Our vet visit last night to the "new" clinic went...okay. They pulled blood and were running a CBC and Vetscreen. The doc said she would call in the morning with the results, but by 10 a.m. I hadn't heard from her. There was a missed call on my cell from a number I didn't recognize, so I called the clinic to see about the results. If she called this morning but didn't leave a message, then the results probably aren't good but I wasn't expecting them to be.

Bobbi is here with me, helping me clean the house and keeping me company. I am so grateful she's here. I don't know if I would be holding together as well if she weren't.

Okay, I need to get to cleaning and take a shower. My friend Linda is coming over to take some portraits for me, and I haven't showered in a few days...nasty. I will keep you all posted. Thanks for your support--let me know if you're reading!

♥♥♥

And the circle of life continues...

The time draws near...Harley has begun to decline, and it's happening fast. Just seven days ago, she was her usual spazzy self. She had been losing weight and coughing on and off for about a week but it wasn't slowing her down much. Monday, she didn't come racing down the stairs when Ted arrived home as she usually does. In fact, she did not come down at all. We called her down and she was VERY slow, a bit listless, and had her "wuss face" on. Tuesday night she began to smell strongly of bile (no vomiting) and continued to cough, but all else was normal. Wednesday she began coughing up blood clots and smelling of bile again. Her mucous membranes were pale and she was a bit wobbly in the rear. On a hunch, I scoured the backyard and found she had been having bloody diarrhea. She was up for a walk, though, so we went to the nice, grassy spot by the tennis court and she found a tennis ball to play with! We had 6 or 7 throws before she pooped right out. Thursday was not much better, but not worse, either...until Thursday night. Debilitating lethargy, increased water intake, and we took a short walk and she only chased the ball twice. She ate dinner last night very slowly, and her breakfast even slower. She slept most of the day today, and around three we went out in the backyard as I was hoping it would lift her spirits a bit. I brought out two of her favorites: baby carrots and peanut butter, which she was slow to eat. She drank a LOT of water. Her mucous membranes are grey, almost white, so I have opted to run some blood tests so I can see where we are and evaluate her needs. Her regular vet kind of dropped the ball (they are supposed to be an urgent care clinic as well, but wouldn't see her until Monday), so we are going to a different (new) place that squeezed us in so we could avoid the after-hours clinic charges. 7:20 p.m. tonight. She has just now gone to bark at the neighbor--I think I may have to go rescue her from the stairs because she hasn't come back down yet.

I have a large list of people whom I am very grateful for. They have really pulled together to help me over the last few months, and especially today. I don't have the time to list them all now, but they know who they are. Thank you.

I will try to update as much as possible via this blog. Stay tuned.