Day 8

It's about 12:30 PST and I just came from visiting Toby.  By the time I had gotten there he had already eaten 3 times!  Turns out he likes kibble a little more than the boiled chicken.  He ate a few handfuls for his nurse and then ate a few more pieces for me when I got there.  He looked much brighter than yesterday.  He was standing up and looking around, very interested in his surroundings.  He gave me tons and tons of kisses.  Oh and Toby has this way of asking you for more lovin', when he paws at you as if to say "keep petting me", and he did that today!  Oddly it's a behavior we try to discourage so he doesn't beg for attention, but like we've been saying, it's all those bad habits that we miss the most and of course I gave him more lovin' when he asked for it!  It's funny that he wanted to eat kibble because kibble is only a small portion of his diet at home, and really we use it to play games like "find it".  Maybe that's why he wanted kibble, he associates happy times with it.

His internist is happy with his demeanor this morning, and we are changing him to some oral meds (instead of the IV meds he's been getting so far).  He still gets Cyclosporin IV frequently and insulin IV continuously.  Hopefully we'll be able to get him off the IV insulin and just give the injections throughout the day as needed.  He's also been downgraded from a level 3 critical case to a level 2.  This means he's doing a little better and doesn't need the constant monitoring he was getting before.  He will still be very closely monitored, but he won't require as much attention as when he was first admitted.  Level 2 is great because it means he feels a tiny bit better, and level 2 hospitalization also costs far less than level 3. 

If you don't know us very well, John and I don't plan on having human children.  Our children our Toby, Meg, and Pepper.  So to those asking yourselves, why would you put in soooooo much money to save your dog?  Because he's not "just a dog".  Dogs in general are not "just dogs".  Animals, no matter how big or small, are not "just animals" to us.  Toby is our family.  And we will do whatever it takes to save our family.  We've had a rough week emotionally speaking, and we decided that if Toby wants to let go of this sufferable life, we can let him go.  But as long as he wants to fight to stay here, we will fight to keep him here, and do whatever it takes, because that's what parents do for their children.  And after seeing him this morning, looks like he has some fight in him yet! 

When I visit later today I'll try to take a few pics of our little guy.  He'll probably be chomping on kibble : )