Thursday, February 27, 2014 

It has warmed up to a delightful 6 degrees. I canceled Petsmart last night. Made a vet appointment instead. Awoke at around 4:00 am, listening for sounds of thrashing or sounds of any kind. I heard a muffled bark. Nothing more. Val was probably dreaming. Lucy was out in the upstairs hall sleeping peacefully. I keep a magnetic mat out there and she sometimes sleeps on that, but she was coiled up on the rug instead. I stayed in bed hoping for a minute’s sleep. 

Awoke again at 7:00 am to sound of dogs pacing. Lucy and Val were up, both eager to go downstairs. I was still exhausted and foggy-headed myself, not having slept well for 3 nights. I had called our vet last night, now under the suspicion that Val had a seizure. In fact, I now recall the first one I caught. He was flailing so hard. It was very unsettling. I must have caught him at the tail end of the second one I caught yesterday morning.

So downstairs we went—except for Lucy, who barked and barked because she cannot get down, or is fearful of descending stairs, or has forgotten how to descend stairs. Val tried climbing the stairs once again to instruct Lucy. He played a bit with her then bounded down. Lucy stayed and barked. I sat on the stairs in a stupor, still craving sleep. Val tried again. I did, too. Then Val and I went down the stairs and Lucy followed. I now put one of the thick foam dog beds at the foot of the stairs to prevent injury when she lands (or when Val and I reach the bottom for that matter). The stairs in this old house are narrow, but not bad for a dog to navigate. Dogs happy to be downstairs, I carried the dog bed back to my office, then let them out the kitchen door, down onto the back porch, and out into the yard. If my podiatrist wants to know why my foot is still swollen, he should picture this trek, oh maybe, 15 times a day at very least.

 After a look online last night, I determined to feed Val less protein and less dairy, in case he has a liver shunt, which could be causing the seizures. I am eager to bring him to see the vet. This is nerve wracking, but what else can I do in the meantime. Besides, it’s unlikely we will have a verdict or an antidote today. Highly unlikely.

 Mom is still asleep. The dogs are still silent. Val is curled up on the office dog bed. Lucy is looking confused.

Time for me to get their breakfast ready, and as today is garbage day, I have to keep Val away from the living room window (aka, the two-dog window, complete with custom cushion in a fabric called Kryptonite, which is not supposed to be a match for a dog like Val. Hah!). Val hates the garbage truck, and he always awakens the rest of the household. He is usually the alarm for the rest of the household, including mom, who sometimes yells, “Shut up!” Oh insanity of insanities. But I must open the office door. I must feed the pups. I must get myself ready for this day. And then, I must see to mom, who will invariable call me when she awakens, starting my series of bathroom trips and cleanings that will end when she lies down to sleep tonight at around 8:00 pm.