Puppy Love

I don't have to tell you that the love you can have for a pet is indescribable. They become your fuzzy family members and friends, not just the dog or cat. I post a lot about Charlie, my 1 y/o Dachshund but someone not seen as often is my family's dog, Murphy. 

Murphy is 11 and he is half Border Collie and half Australian Shepard. He is a very good dog, probably the best we've ever had and we've had a lot. He never went to the bathroom inside, he went on walks with my dad, and he always stuck around if you were sick. When he was young, he had a vendetta against the couch cushions because if we left and came home, they'd all be off the couch. 

This weekend has been a total wake-up call for us though. He is really sick, and there is avery real chance we could lose him. About a month ago we found out he had extremely severe and massive kidney stones. The first thought was surgery, but they opted to change his diet and use a catheter. It took a lot of no eating and drinking and pain before he started getting better. 

Yesterday, he got worse all of a sudden. He couldn't pee, he was always hunched over, and breathing hard. He was throwing up everywhere and we had no choice but to bring him to the vet hospital, which was no real help last time and so extremely expensive. They put in a catheter and it didn't work so they had to use a needle on him. We couldn't afford to keep him there so we brought him home. We all ended up staying awake with him some point last night because our company kept him just a little calmer. 

Finally, we had to bring him back today and he had to stay tonight. His bladder is and was so swollen it was on the verge of bursting. The backup was starting to cause sepsis. The outlook isn't great because he is old and he may not do well with surgery. They could find something else in his surgery they weren't anticipating. 

We are all a wreck and I never prepared for this moment. We all knew he was older and that it could happen but it didn't feel real until now. Sure, we will have Charlie and we will still have the same sort of love for him, but even he will be losing his fuzzy buddy, or technically his uncle. I'm not ready for defeat yet, I still have faith that he could be alright. 

Just hug your pet tight tonight and maybe keep mine in mind while you do.