Atari news

My dog is sick.

He's got a mass in his abdomen associated with his spleen--his vet says it's 50/50--benign or not. He has a stone in his bladder. He's also extremely nauseated and will not eat anything.

He was on antibiotics and the doc thinks that's what caused the nausea. I stopped giving those to him yesterday but he still seems to be having an issue. I'm hoping he just needs a little more time.

He's also passing blood. Doc says it's either because of the bladder stone or the mass. If it's because of the stone that's a good thing, because passing blood is also a symptom of a malignancy of the spleen. Which would mean the growth is not benign.

The doc won't do surgery--she says that because of his age he wouldn't do well under the anesthesia. So, he's got some food that should hopefully dissolve the stone. Of course, to do that he has to eat some of it, and right now he's not eating anything. He's also getting dehydrated--he will drink some water but I don't think he's drinking enough.

I'm naturally a pessimist. I always expect the worst. But in this case I think I'm being realistic--I really don't think he's going to be with me much longer. Doc says if the growth is malignant one day it'll rupture and he'll bleed out internally.

I talked to my best friend about it--I inherited him from her--to keep her aware of it. I really wish she could be here, but she's in California. I know he'd love to see her again. He still loves his mommy. Hopefully he finds me tolerable enough, though, to be a substitute.

I'll do what I can to make him comfortable, and try to get him to eat something periodically, and take him for his follow-up visits. Really, that's all I can do.