Okay... so I thought you guys would be a supportive place to express this, since it seems pretty clear that there are a LARGE number of animal-lovers on the board.
Last night, my mother informed me that her 8 year old Yorkie, Baxter (who I love just as much as I would a human brother) was having some pretty intense stomach problems. Without going into the gory details, I'll just say it hasn't been pretty. He hasn't been able to keep food down for the past two days, and won't even touch his water.
This morning, it got even worse, so she called me in a panic at 5:30 am. My father and sister are out of state for a wedding, and I was the only person my mother could turn to. Taking care of two dogs (they also have an 12 year old schnauzer in perfect health) by oneself is complicated... but when one of those dogs is terribly ill... it's downright impossible.
So, I got out of bed, threw on some clothes, and drove 90 miles to help my mother. I was supposed to go to a friend's wedding today, but I couldn't just leave my mother alone and struggling.
We went to the vet, and the blood tests show it's a problem with his kidneys. We have no idea if it's the result of an ingested toxin, or something internal... which makes the prognosis a little difficult to determine. I am officially freaking out.
For now, I'm holed up in the office watching the healthy dog... because between the gated-off kitchen, which has turned into Baxter's sick room, and the wide open front door... there are few places she can safely hang out alone right now.
We're supposed to give him sub-cutaneous fluids and meds to stop the digestive issues... and hopefully he'll improve by Monday. If he doesn't they need to take him back in for further tests. I just pray it's not total kidney failure or cancer or anything.
Sorry to ramble... I just needed to get this off my chest. Positive thoughts and/or prayers (if you do that sort of thing...) would be greatly appreciated!
A picture of Baxter and I when he was a puppy.