Last night my dearest and tolerant of my dog obsession husband had a wonderful idea to run the humidifier/vaporizor in our room to maybe help Runner breathe better. (it helps us breathe better too, but I think he was trying to score points by saying it was all for the dog!) It was sweet, either way :-)
Runner decided to sleep at the BOTTOM of the bed this time...I mean, right on the edge. I tried to move him, but he just scooted right back to it. Not only was he at the bottom edge, but he insisted on being right next to Dave's feet...very dangerous! I kept envisioning Dave flipping over and hearing Runner crash to the floor. Fortunately, Runner decided to move up higher and to Dave's opposite side...I think he liked being closer to the humidifier (at least that's what I'm telling myself since he was as far away from me as possible!)
Since he was over there, guess who got to see him first in the morning? You got it, Dave woke up and saw the little pink tongue sticking out...and the dog barely moves at all when he's sleeping...so Dave got the feeling of dread instead of me this morning! And fortunately, again, it was just his lethargic little self with a dry mouth.
We repeated the routine of the day before, except this time I brought his new found favorite recipe with me to feed his breakfast. He continued to slumber, as I carried him from our bed, to the car, into the office and put him in his bed behind my desk. I opened my carry-bag and removed his dish and the baggie of hamburger mixture....his eyes flew open WIDE and he sat up and looked me right in the eye! I warmed it up and hid my "get well secrets" in the food. He wasted no time at all licking the bowl clean, had some water, then turned as if to say, "what's for dessert?" My heart just sings when he is alert and while I do know that he is still a very sick little dog, seeing him eat like that is so encouraging. At least I know he is getting enjoyment from something.
My friend Joyce brought him another hamburger for lunch time - this time from Wendy's! My co-worker said Runner is going to become a hamburger connoisseur and may begin critiquing where the burger comes from soon!
After eating his very own burger patty, he then turns to me with those big shih-tzu eyes (yeah, I do believe the eyes came from a Tzu), as if to say, "What are YOU eating? Can I have a bite?"
I was eating a turkey and cheese on wheat toast...which I prompty shared with Runner. He was skeptical at first, but quickly decided I had not steered him wrong yet (ok, except when I didn't realize he had to pee on the first night), and he gulped down a bite of turkey and cheese. "Mmmmmm", his face read...."got any more?" I guess I'm a real sucker for old and sick little dogs, because I ended up feeding him at least one of the slices of turkey from my sandwich.
We have a vet appointment today at 4:30. I'm interested in my own vet's opinion, would like to get another listen of his heart and lungs (I'm worried that this cough/sneeze/lethargy could also be pneumonia) Maybe they will x-ray his chest to see if the heart is enlarged....and to confirm if he's in CHF. I also want to see if he should take any meds for the heart murmur, etc.
I usually have agility practice at the kennel club with my border collie on Thursdays, but it's "girls night" tonight...Dave's sisters and cousin come over every 4th Thursdsay of the month. It's a nice way to stay in touch - we take turns "doing dinner". Janice is bringing Popeye's tonight - yummm!
I wouldn't have went out with Runner feeling so bad anyway....
I will write more tomorrow after we hear what the vet says...
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