The day started out like all the mornings so far this week, with me feeding Zeke his can of food and giving the older dogs their can as well. This morning Zeke only ate half the can, though, which worried me. He had been eating his food ravishingly so far since his cancer diagnosis. I gave Hansel the left-overs.
I had a hike date Ellen and Susan at noon, so that gave me some time to get to town and pick up ms y medications the nurse prescribed for me. I have some strong pain meds for my left hand, and some cream for my dry patches. I took Gretchen with me so that I could take her back to Veteran's Park for a loop around the perimeter. I did not expect to wait in a long line of cars for almost an hour at the Walgreens drive-through pharmacy. We only ended up walking less than a mile, but Gretchen seemed fine with that.
Zeke was resting by Kevin outside on the patio when I got home. What a relief
Zeke was still resting when I got home, laying down on the dog bed. His breathing was getting more labored, but he was still very lucid.
Susan, Ellen and I met a second time to walk the river route. This was her first time walking with us, as she batted the bugs away from her face. She didn't seem to mind Sahne and Gretchen along with Hansel, as they can get quite muddy. We ended up walking the field as well, totalling 2.35 miles. We got back to the cars shortly after sunset.
I am a little worried about Ellen's lungs. She has had chronic issues with her lungs for over a year now. Her lungs have been hurting her, causing her to stop a lot or to slow down. She is only 39 years old and in the prime of her life!
When I got home this time, the dogs lined up for their chicken jerky treats. Zeke was in the back, but he walked up to me and took his treat.
But two hours later everything changed. Zeke left the bedroom to lay down in front of the back patio door, the same spot Sara died on back in 2013. That scared me. And his breathing was getting more rapid. By now the sun had set and it was dark. The three dogs I took down to the river, Hansel, Gretchen and Sahne, were safely (and contently) in my Honda while the other dogs were outside wrestling. It was rather quiet in the house.
I looked at my phone. It was 8:34pm when I joined Zeke in the dining area. I lay his head on my upper right thigh as I caressed his spine and belly. I took off his collar, which by now was a small puppy collar the pups used earlier in the year, and just sat with him, massaging his belly and spine. Touching his thin body only weakened me more. What had become of my Zeke so quickly? He just lay there, breathing heavily, but still wagged his tail. I knew my time with Zeke was numbered. If only he could survive the night, I'd take him to the vet first thing in the morning and have him humanely euthanized.
He was breathing fast but regularly, as he had all week, but now he looked ready to go. He still took a bowl of water and lapped that one dry, then moved to another part of the living room. Again I joined him. He didn't stay there for long, and then moved to the hallway for a bit before getting up to lay down by Kevin's side of the bed, a place he had slept for many years. By now I was exhausted. It was 10:57pm when I went to bed.
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