It is hard to believe that Brewster has lived for more than a year after being diagnosed with Lymphoma. I no longer believe anything that I did has helped to keep him well. I think he is just one amazing dog. Brewster the amazing Golden, who has been my friend for most of his 9 years, seems to have taken a turn for the worse.

Right now at 4 am, he is outside on my deck and refuses to come in. He won't even lick peanut butter, his all time favorite food, off of my finger and, well of course I am just plain sad. He doesn't appear to be in pain. He is not limping, has none of the open sores that I have worked so hard to keep under control for these last months, but he just looks distant. He looks like he has given up. I will continue to try to get him to eat today.

Like the rest of you, I have no idea what food to buy for him. Several months ago, I would have bought premium canned food, but right now, my head is flooded with images of pre-recall people and their sick pets. Pets who were in renal failure from eating poison pet food. These poor folks were doing what I will doing later on today, coaxing and cajoling a sick dog to eat so they can live another day. The thought of giving Brew poison food on my hands and knees along with the rest of you who have done that is just plain sickening. Have you heard that there are more recalls likely? GRRRRRR.

Brew's family is home for the season on the 22nd and I sure would like him to "go home". This dog has rallied more times than I have ever seen, and I am not giving up yet, but it is hard not to think that this is the end of the trail for Brew. My Vet said at his last visit that Brewster just didn't read the Vet manual. Some dogs are like that.
Please think good positive thoughts for Brew , and for me and the kids while you are at it. My kids are just so sad...

Finney, my young Collie boy was at the Vet yesterday. He has conjunctivitis, tested positive for Lyme, and he broke an outside front toe nail that is infected. This morning he is going under anesthesia to clean it up real good and remove the nail. Am I nervous? You bet! That is why I am up typing at 4 Am!
Finn will need to be kept quiet for a while. Possibility a month, depending on how he heals. He will come home with a bandage and an Elizabethan collar. That should be fun keeping a young active dog quiet. Good thing I am toy testing two new busy toys. The Hi.Q, (invented by a woman in Portland!)and the Treat stick. So far I am loving them both. People have begged me many times to write about how to keep a recuperating dog calm and quiet. You can bet there will a "how to" blog coming up next week on that one!

On another note, I came...this close to adopting a rescue Border Collie this weekend.

I was convinced that this dog was meant to be mine. A third dog would stretch any Mom's budget and as my good friend Sandy said in an email this morning "Fate will step in and let things happen when they are ready to happen. The time and the right dog will come".
Fate steps in...get it? Finn's toe? Yesterday in the vet office it sure seemed like I was getting a "message" loud and clear that the time is not right for a new dog. Finn's vet bill will be well over what I would have paid for the new dog and it just wouldn't be fair to Finn to add a new dog while he is munching Kongs in his crate on bed rest

Guess that's that - for now!

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