Yesterday was one of those days...Sherlock has been the star of the blog for a while, relaxing in all his beauty, but a couple of days ago he seemed a little off color and wasn't eating. I didn't think much of it, it's been such damp miserable weather and walkies are short and limited so you don't really work up an appetite, and I was kind of distracted by the mammoth task of getting my courses online and now finally writing the final exams, answer-sheets and instructions...so what should happen, but Sherlock refuses food and walkies for the second day running, and then fell off the sofa and couldn't walk, shivering and peeing in a panic...and so naturally I got quite worried and decided to take him to the vet on Wednesday morning, although the exams were in the early afternoon to evening.
Just as I'm getting the car organized, the growth on his chest burst open leaking blood and fluids, and he can't walk...so I have to carry him to the car, the wee fat thing, heavy beyond description, having spread pottie pads everywhere. Nobu refused to join us, which in some ways was a good thing, so he stayed home to watch the house.
Turns out Sherlock was running a high fever...my beloved vet helped carry him in and worked to massage out a lot of the gunk, and then they asked me to please wait in the car (COVID procedures) while they took Xrays and whatnot and gave him fluids and a shot of steroids and antibiotics and more whatnot. The poor wee pup is in the final stages of a metastatized cancer, we knew it was coming, but he is so cheerful and jubilant, spreading love and sunshine and happy smiles every day, he just never let you feel it until now. I'm not into all the life-prolonging stuff, right now my priority is to get a load of used soft cotton t-shirts and keep changing them when they get soiled, and helping him enjoy the best tidbits, and massages, and family space. i have a battery of meds to support the process, steroids and antibiotics, painkillers, and fortunately some delicious tins of wet cat food have tempted him to eat today. He's able to pop off and pee in the garden at will, so life is kind of back to normal, only of course his regimen of morning walkies has ground to a halt under the circumstances. Every day is special, some days are just...full of tears and sadness, i guess.
