Sadness

Levi is deteriorating, trying to be positive but its hard. Besides what I can see him going through physically, his blood was checked Friday and his proteins are even lower in spite of the meds and food. He's demonstrating pain for the first time, pain where I'm not sure, I suspect his back legs, side effect from the Prednisone even though he really hasn't been on it long term?, I just don't know. No answers, Sunday, holiday weekend, his specialist is hard to reach anyway even during the week. His regular vet is very pessimistic about his chances, although he admittedly is not really familiar with either disease Levi has. I haven't given up, there are other meds to try, but its really hard to watch him feeling so bad. My easy going, always dependable Levi is sick and in pain, and his stoicism is wearing thin.

About my dogs, Mellow first

Mellow is just over four years old, a Siberian Husky/something mix, probably Australian Shephard. He's a dark copper with dark green eyes. He was bought at a pet store, only five weeks old!, by a couple who decided when he was three months that they no longer wanted him. When asked if I would take Mellow I at first said no, he was everything I didn't want, a puppy, male, big, but decided in the end oh OK, we'll give it a try. Huskies!!!!! I had no experience with them, had no idea what I was in for, the energy! the stubborness! we had some really rocky moments that first year and I made a lot of mistakes. In spite of me he's now a wonderful dog, mostly obedient, that Husky streak doesn't allow for perfect obedience after all, he's devoted, and unbelieveably smart. Very alert and watchful, he misses nothing, anticipates what I'm going to do and what I'm going to want him to do and is rarely wrong. He always knows when I'm sad and is cuddly, and when I'm silly he's silly, quiet - he lays quietly by my side. I can take him anywhere, and other than an occasional attempt at marking, he's almost always perfectly behaved. Loves people, at the dog park after an initial sprint around the park, he spends most of his time greeting all the other owners and begging for pets.

http://www.dogster.com/dogs/301094

More Levi Worry

He was improving so much all week, and now he seems to be backsliding, refusing food again, listless. Have a call into his doc, hopefully he'll call back today even though its Sunday.

Started another Niebling design called Hannelore, I've seen it called Little Lyra on Ravelry. Using a German pattern, I can understand the chart, tried to translate the text unsuccessfully, but the pattern seems clear enough and I doubt the text has any further instructions I need. Guess we'll see.

Sigh, I should be cleaning

Between Levi and knitting the house has really been neglected, and with five dogs it doesn't take long to have an overwhelming mess, dog hair really gets out of control if I don't vacuum or at least Swiffer every day, and the dust, ugh. But finished the Tina tablecloth, reasonably happy with it. One error where I dropped a stitch and didn't recover well, but I learned and will know better next time. The pattern was designed by Dorothy Siemans, and can be found at http://www.fiddlesticksknitting.com/tina_shawl.html

Bigger picture of Lyra, I really am proud of this one. The pattern is available as an English translation through Lacis. I think another Niebling pattern will be my next project, I have several in German magazines, just have to puzzle out the charts. My friends will be getting tablecloths as gifts for a long time.

Levi seems to be doing very well, he's eating well which gives me hope that the food and meds are doing their job, and I can see he's thinner, the fluid is reabsorbing. His biopsies came back clean, so its just a matter of getting this under control and maintaining. He's been so good through all this, very special dog.

Levi and Lymphangiectasia

Couple of weeks ago Levi went off his food, and this is a dog that doesn't miss a crumb, when he stops eating something is wrong. Bloodwork at the vet confirmed that his protein levels were dangerously low and x-rays showed a mass was present in his abdomen, and we were sent to Medvet for an ultrasound. The ultrasound discovered the mass was fluid, and he was hospitalized while they did further testing. After three days, they determined he has lymphangiectasia, a disease of the intestines. Biopsies are pending, however, its believed this is secondary to protein-losing enteropathy, another disease that affects the intestines. He has to go on a very low fat/high protein food, and is now taking Prednisone, Pepcid AC for ulcers, and a diuretic to reduce the fluid. Doc tells me there is a 50/50 chance the treatment will be effective, if not we can try other foods and meds combinations, but the prognosis would be poor in that case. Poor guy, he's been with me for about a year and a half, approximately three years old. He was found as a stray in Kansas and rescued from the shelter in really bad shape, skinny, matted and filthy, ears fly bitten - he'd been a stray for a while, or completely neglected by his owner. He has terrible scarring on his back legs, we don't know from what, looks like he got caught in a trap or barb wire, and the x-rays also showed that he's been shot at some time, he's full of buckshot. In spite of it all, he is the sweetest dog, he loves everyone, doesn't hold any grudges against anyone, so calm, relaxed and well behaved. He really deserves a break, crossing everything that at his check up in three weeks we find that the treatment is working and his proteins are up.

While worrying about Levi, I finished knitting this project, its an old pattern designed by Herbert Niebling called Lyra. Great project to fill all those scary, tense moments. May enter it in the Ohio State Fair this year, not sure. Used Southmaid thread, size 10, will knit it again someday in a wool as a shawl, its a beautiful pattern and not as difficult to knit as I thought it would be.