Lemons

Ever have one of those weeks where things just seem to go haywire?  That has been my week.  It's not something you can predict and you'll probably never understand why, but sometimes it just happens.  It started last Friday night when I made a forgetful mistake which led to my need to get a new cell phone after breaking my old one.  Sometimes when you've got a lot on your mind or you are distracted by three silly girls, things happen!  And in the grand scheme of things, a broken cell phone isn't a big deal.  But that was just the beginning.

After a normal Saturday at home with the routine of volunteer time at the shelter, spending time with the girls, running errands, and cleaning the house, I planned to spend a relaxing day at home on Sunday.  With high heat and humidity, I spent most of the day inside, but of course, Imke and Peaches had other ideas.  In and out, in and out they went.  Sniffing in the yard, lounging in the sun, barking at the squirrel who visited, and then, eventually, they'd come in for a little cool down in the A/C.  Finally, I decided that I'd go out and do a little yard work and relax a bit in the sun, but shortly into my time outside, I had the most bizarre experience ever-a little bout of vertigo-which brought us all back inside to rest for the rest of the evening.  If you've never experienced vertigo, feel very lucky!  It was horrible and the lingering effects of the nauseousness the rest of the evening made it even worse.  But luckily, I had my trusty nurse, Imke, to watch over me while I recovered.

We had other silly experiences during the week, like the downpour that happened right in the middle of our walk one night, but nothing serious.  Just things that happen now and then in the course of life.   And I got a great picture of the girls while we were out exploring!

And then in the wee hours of Friday morning, I let Imke and Peaches out for Imke's 4:45am potty break, and bam!  Peaches was sprayed by a skunk.  This was a first for me, and I am not surprised that Peaches was the one to get sprayed.  Before I even realized what had happened she was in the house spreading that lovely aroma everywhere.  I gave her a peroxide, baking soda, and Dawn dish soap bath before heading off to work...thinking that I had solved the problem.  But when I arrived at work, I was informed that I too smelled like skunk!

I headed home about mid-day to spend my lunch doing more skunk scent removal.  More peroxide baths for Peaches, then an Apple Cider Vinegar and Dawn bath for both of us.  I stripped bedding and gathered dog bedding and everything went into the wash with vinegar and then baking soda before hanging it out in the sun and fresh air to dry.  I boiled vinegar on the stove, opened all of the windows, and turned on all of the fans.  Peaches spent most of the afternoon out in the sun drying in the fresh air.  

I worked from home that afternoon and as soon as I was done for the day, I went out and purchased more supplies and Peaches got two more wash downs, the final one with tea tree oil added to her doggy shampoo.  From what I could tell, the smell was dissipating, and we were going to be okay.  What an ordeal for all of us! By the end of the afternoon, Peaches was avoiding me and hiding behind Maddie for protection.

When I was finally done with all of the bathing and cleaning.  I say down exhausted from my day.  As soon as I did, I got some immediate snuggles from my girls.  Imke was just glad I spent the day at home.  She sure does love me.

Finally we had reached the weekend!  I had been considering a trip to the Lake for the day Saturday, but decided we'd spend the weekend at home instead.  I was hoping for a chance to recover from my crazy week.  But that was not to be.  

As I went to bed Friday night, Imke became restless and wanted outside.  She apparently wasn't feeling well and vomited a couple of times.  We headed back into the house, thinking that she'd be feeling better and we'd get some sleep.  But that was just the beginning of what would become one really hard day.  She was restless on and off all night, I laid on the dog bed with her hoping to help her rest better.  We'd sleep in short spurts.  She was up several times getting sick throughout the night.  Things seemed to get a bit better around 8am and I called the vet about bringing her in to be seen, just to be safe. I agreed to bring her in around 10:30 am.

I took her with me for my Saturday morning dog walk at the shelter and she got to hang out in the front office with her buddies, Michelle and Lauren.  She was happy to be sniffing around new areas, watching people eat, and barking at the cats.  She seemed so much better...alert and happy.

We left the shelter and headed to the Vet where they immediately took her back to check her vitals.  Her heart rate was high and they took chest x-rays, and then we waited.  I knew that something was wrong when Imke refused food and didn't bark to greet the other dogs as they walked in the door.  She just laid there, waiting.

Finally, we met with Dr. Ann, and she explained that there were some issues with an enlarged heart and potential fluid in her chest.  They took blood and did a few other things and then after a short discussion, we were sent to MSU Veterinary Clinic to see a cardiologist.  Everyone at Dr. Patterson's office sent us off with positive thoughts and well wishes.  

I ran home to let Maddie and Peaches out for a potty break, got gas and a Mt. Dew, and headed to MSU.  I had called Nicol and she made the drive from Ann Arbor to meet us.  

When we arrived at MSU, a triage nurse was waiting and with barely 2 seconds to give a kiss on the head and tell her that everything was going to be okay, the whisked her away.  We had a couple of visits from the Vet Tech and the emergency vet, and then we waited for what seemed like an eternity.  They were draining fluid from her chest and running it for testing.  Nicol and I were starving...I hadn't eaten since 8:15am and it was approaching 3pm, the snack shop was closed, and we were not leaving until we knew more.  Nicol saved the day by ordering food for delivery and finally, the Vet came in for more discussions.  

Finally, we made the decision to leave her for monitoring overnight.  I wanted nothing more than to bring her home, but she's in better hands there.  Actually, I would have loved to leave her there and just crawl right into her kennel with her overnight.  They will be doing a chest ultrasound this morning and checking fluid levels in her chest again. 

I got home after 6:30pm, I fed the girls and I sat down feeling exhausted and with the beginnings of  a migraine.  I ate some yogurt because I felt like I was starving...and I was in bed by 8pm.  Although the first few hours were restless, I finally got some good sleep.  Peaches was by my side all night...Maddie stayed in the living room.  I think she's confused about Imke being gone.  We're not used to her not being around all of the time.

Most likely the cause of all of Imke's issues is a cancerous tumor.  Although the vet thought a chest CT and a visit with oncology may be useful and it would give us more answers, there really isn't much that can be done.  I'm at the point of making the decision of how much I am willing to spend to help her vs. how much quality life will be added.  It's a tough choice and it sucks.  But I will always do what I feel is right for her.  

I just got a call from the overnight nurse and Imke did well overnight.  She is happy and alert this morning.  That's the best news I could hope for at this point.  Now I wait to hear from the Vet after rounds this morning.  The best we can hope for is that the fluid levels in her chest are really low.  That will give me more time to make decisions and more time just to enjoy having her around.  If the fluid levels are high, more difficult decisions may need to be made much sooner.  But no matter what, she's coming home with me today to be spoiled until the end.