Better News Today

We got two updates from Dr Barrie (the vet) yesterday.  The first phone call, around Noon, was very worrying as it turned out Ozzy was severely, dangerously dehydrated, which can lead to imminent death in a tiny dog.  That was a horrible surprise to us as he'd been drinking water regularly at home so we weren't concerned about that part of his illness.  He had also lost 7 ounces of body weight in just a few days, due to the dehydration.  Again, in a wee dog, so not good.

The second update, close to 6:00pm last night was a bit better.  He was responding to the massive amounts of fluids, antibiotics and whatever else they were pumping into him, though Dr Barrie had run some further tests and found that Oz had a severe (and don't you hate that word?) inflammation in his gastrointestinal tract, understandable really with all the diarrhea and vomiting and dehydration.  In effect, if we hadn't taken him to the hospital, I pretty much think he wouldn't be here today.  What a terrible, horrifying thought.

We collapsed into bed very early, and I expected to fall dead asleep from the exhaustion of this past week, but no.  Like a little kid when they get too tired and wind up rather then down, I couldn't shut off my brain.  Round and round, guilt, anxiety, remorse...you know, all those middle-of-the-night mind parasites.  I was up until 2:30 this morning.  If anyone wants to know about exploring Mars, Saturn and/or Saturn's moon, Titan, just ask me...I watched all three programs on the Science Channel last night.

This morning at 8:00, Dr Barrie called with today's update.  Ozzy is bright-eyed and alert, hydrated, and hasn't had a single bout of diarrhea or throwing up, though he won't eat the low-fat, low-everything food they are trying to feed him.  Dr B said he might do some radiology tests this afternoon, mostly to check out his lower GI tract, but said it was more important right now to let him recover, start to eat something, and get stabilized.  The tests done yesterday have shown that he is basically a healthy little guy, other than this pancreatitis/intestinal issue, of course.  We discussed when he might come home, though I said I would rather he stayed longer, than bring him home to have a relapse that would start this whole nightmare all over again.  Dr B agreed, and said he would call later today.

So, wee Ozzy has been yanked back from the abyss, but is not quite out of the woods just yet.  At least the news is better today, and he's being given the best of care.

******************************************

On a totally different note--though dog-related--I read a great blog post this morning that brightened my day, just a little.  It's long, though lavishly sprinkled with cartoon drawings from the author, and very funny.  The post is about her two dogs, and a recent move she, her partner and the dogs made from Montana to Oregon.  It's worth the read if you want a smile...