One More Season?

This morning, my wife and I were ready to put our beloved canine companion to sleep.  Given the prognosis we received yesterday from the vet, things looked very grim.  Earlier this afternoon, I left a message at the animal hospital that, if our dog's condition didn't drmatically improve, we would come in to do what had to be done ASAP.

Just after I left that message, the phone rang and, from caller ID, we knew it was th animal hospital.  It appears that our dog has a condition in addition to chronic kidney disease.  This additional condition is known as Brett Favre-itis.  To the surprise of everyone, our dog responded quite well to fluid treatments.  Yes, his kidneys are still failing and remain a concern.  However, with a special diet and some medications, he should be OK for the foreseeable future.  He comes back home on Monday morning.

My wife and I have never gone from such a deep depression to incredible joy in such a short period of time.  We know we may still face the time when we have to make a difficult decision about our beloved dog, but this weekend helped to prepare us for when that time comes.  It has also convinced us that we should not rule out the possibility of bringing another dog into the family (yes, a two-dog family).  We came close to doing that several months ago, but the breeder found a good family to match with the dog.  However, we have been made aware of another dog - the same breed as our dog - that may be looking for a good home.  This dog has been pushed hard to be a show dog, but doesn't seem to have what it takes to succeed in that arena.  However, he likely has plenty to offer a family that is looking to bring a dog into their home.  Because he is a bit older (7 months), he will be more difficult to place than a puppy.

To prove that I am not kidding about Brett Favre-itis and that our dog (left) could easily get along with another dog (notice the wagging tails), check out this photo: