Day 2693

Today was rough. Dot wouldn't eat anything for most of the day. I tried everything we had, but she just wasn't interested. I could tell she was tired as soon as she woke up this morning. Dot's balance and coordination isn't great on a good day. On a bad day her legs are like jelly. I don't even know why Dot wanted a walk this morning because she could barely stand. Our girl is determined though, so we gave her a short walk in hopes that it might trigger her appetite. Walking Dot today with the Help 'Em Up Harness was like walking a bowling ball. She was mostly just dead weight.

As the day progressed I became increasingly worried that Dot was slipping away again. Mostly she just slept today, but I continued to try to feed her every time she looked alert and lifted her head. Dot was sleeping so soundly this afternoon that I thought it was pretty safe to go mow the grass. We've had so much rain recently that the grass is growing quickly. When I returned to the house, Dot hadn't moved an inch. She was still sleeping in exactly the same spot where I left her.

I was just about to give up on getting Dot to eat anything when she sat up in her bed around quarter till six this evening and gave me the look that told me it was time to go outside and pee. As soon as she peed, we came back inside and she went straight to her bowl in the kitchen. I was able to feed her almost a cup of dry kibble and some sliced turkey.

I wish I knew what it is that causes Dot to reject food. She can go from refusing to eat or drink anything at all to eating relatively normally in less than hour. I'm glad her appetite still kicks in occasionally, but she needs to eat a lot more. We're only halfway there on today's calorie quest and the day is almost over.

I guess today was a partial success. I just finished giving Dot her evening pain pills. Dash didn't throw up. The grass got mowed. Dot didn't eat nearly enough, but at least she ate something. I made an appointment for Dash to get his annual physical at the vet next week, but I have no idea whether I'll be able to keep it. Things keep changing day to day around here. A week from now seems like an eternity.

Life has gotten pretty basic. I wake up each morning with one goal: to keep Dot eating. She wants to eat, but her body isn't cooperating. My job is to help her overcame her difficulty in swallowing. When Dot is eating, she is happier and noticeably stronger. If she quits eating entirely, she doesn't have long.

We made it through another day. Tomorrow we start over and do it all again.

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