Some Sunshine on an Otherwise Gloomy Day

So, yesterday started off as a typical day. I got the kids over to daycare, went to the gym, got some coffee and went home where my housecleaner was finishing up. She is very fond of Zoe and always comes prepared with treats for her. When I got home she informed me that Zoe wasn't quite herself and she noticed that her skin was yellow. I too have noticed that Zoe has been lethargic the last few days and not eating much. I called the vet and he basically said he would need to see her immediately as the symptoms presented as pretty serious.

We were at the vet's an hour later and he confirmed that Zoe was pretty sick. The jaundice she had along with other symptoms were indicative of hepatitis (liver disease) or Hemolytic Anemia. The latter was the worse of the 2. He took her from me and said he had to run some tests and wanted to keep her at least overnight to get her hooked up on IV fluids and medications. It was pretty gloomy. After finding out that we already spent $500 on all the tests, it was possible Zoe would need a liver biopsy to determine prognosis (add another $500). Our thoughts turned to the financial dilemma we faced and Zoe being 12 years old and what our options were. I certainly was not wanting to put Zoe down, but the thought of spending thousands of dollars on a 12 year dog was not a reasonable solution.

So it was a rough night for me last night.

This morning I called the vet to get her status. It turns out that Zoe had an excellent night and has made significant improvement. He did not see a need to biopsy her and recommended that she continue to get fluids all day and we can pick her up tonight with some antibiotics and a change in her dog food.

Yay! This picture of the kids I took this morning brightened my day!