It's Time to Fling Some Drool, Please!

It has been a rough summer for the 4-leggers in this house. In June, youngest daughter's cat died of old age. During that same week, Lucy the basset hound got sick. How do we know when Lucy is sick? When she refuses to eat.

This is the dog that has gone through (or more literally, has had gone through her) numerous socks, dish towels, etc. In her mind--and yes, I think she has one--the definition of edible is "anything that fits in one's mouth." Years ago, oldest daughter ignored Lucy for weeks after Lucy applied the "edible" label to said daughter's new digital camera.

Anyway, if Lucy refuses food of any kind, something is wrong. When Lucy got sick in June, she perked back up after a course of antibiotics and medication for a newly-diagnosed hypothyroid.

Well, Lucy refused to eat again on Sunday, and yesterday I called the vet. Currently, Lucy is in the animal hospital on IV fluids and antibiotics. Her lab results are worse than in June, and the vet is mentioning that her results are consistent with kidney failure. Tomorrow's blood work should let us know whether the damage is reversible or not.

Sigh. When I brought Lucy home as a puppy, I joined an e-mail list made up of fellow basset-hound owners. Whenever a dog is sick, a request is made for drool to be flung. (There has to be some positive quality to dog drool, right? Otherwise we are just crazy owners with slobbery dogs.) If you have a slobbery dog, Lucy could use some drool. If you don't, good thoughts, prayers, well-wishes, positive vibes, etc. are all appreciated, too.

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