My Best Friend

My Mother's Day didn't start off very well. I often joke about my four-legged kids, but truly, my pets are a part of my family. And this morning, one of them was ill.

Our best friend, our black lab, Eleanor Rigby had a seizure. She's never had one before, or at least one that we have witnessed. She is an outdoor dog, so there is the possibility she has had one when we were not around. It was scary. She fell against the fence, stumbled forward then fell on her side. She couldn't stand and when she finally did her legs were trembling so violently she could barely maintain her balance. We were terrified. Such a feeling of helplessness.

So, instead of going out for breakfast, we spent the morning at the Emergency Vet Hospital. When we arrived, she was still a little shaky, but much better, even excited about the idea of riding in the car. She loves to ride in the car. And, by the time they checked vitals she was her rambunctious and friendly self, as if nothing had ever happened.

The vet told us to follow up with her regular vet tomorrow for blood work, the concern being that at her age, 6 years, seizures usually are symptoms of another underlying cause such as a metabolism imbalance, liver or kidney disease, cancer, or brain tumor. But, there is the chance that she has epilepsy which is usually diagnosed before the age of two. Either way, it is not what we anticipated.

We anticipated having to deal with hip dysplasia as she grew older. We anticipated her growing old and grey with us. We never anticipated her becoming ill or possibly dying at the age of 6.

So, tomorrow we continue this new journey set before us with our best friend. We can only hope for the best.