The grieving process begins

Took Rudolph in to the vet. He was very dehydrated, so they gave him fluids. Also a different drug - cyproheptadine, an antihistamine that has been found to be an appetite stimulant. The vet gave him a dose this morning and I gave him a second one this evening - along with a treat! Yes, he ate. It was very heartening to see. I had to break it up into small pieces before he would take it, but he ate it.

The vet also drew blood this morning to check his kidneys. He's beginning to think they might be the baseline problem. Thyroid problems (or rather, the meds for them) often mask kidney issues. He put the labwork through priority, so we should hear from him tomorrow with results. If it does turn out to be kidneys, there's not much we can do to help him.

Talking to vet brought it home without a doubt that Rudolph's days are numbered. The vet said that this drug we're trying is pretty much the last-ditch effort. If Rudolph's appetite hasn't returned by Friday, then we need to think about euthanizing. We're very happy with the vet who's been treating Rudolph. He told me today that he's gone through the same exact thing with one of his cats, so he was going to do everything he could to keep Rudolph comfortable without extreme heroic measures.

It was a rough afternoon. Had a couple good cries while I cleaned the kitchen - productive grief. I'm doing better, but I'm sure I'll be a wreck when he dies. Especially if we end up having to make the decision to euthanize. This cat has been with us over 13 years - nearly our entire married life. He's been my companion (along with our other cat, PKers) through all the deployments and separations the Navy has brought us. I've taken him for granted far too often, but I am still going to miss him terribly.



Meanwhile, life goes on. Mary's 8th birthday is this Sunday. I've got her stash of travel-friendly gifts hidden away, just have to go buy wrapping paper and wrap them. We're having a party for her on Sunday, she invited 7 friends to join her for a . . . get this . . . horse-themed gathering. (Hey, stop snickering.) We've got a few crafts and some activities to enjoy along with the requisite cake & ice cream. She's picked marble cake this year, I got her to agree to a few horse figurines on top vs. a horse-shaped cake. That's too big a project for me to tackle right now.

Monday, the movers come for the last of our things. Meaghan's crib, the cloth diapers, our kitchen stuff. I'm headed to the loaner closet tomorrow to pick up the linens, pots, pans & whatever else they have available to get us through the last few weeks here.

The following weekend, Sean's cousins Kate & Andrew are coming in for a week-long visit. They're very excited about the visit and plan to explore as many temples & museums as they can. It's getting Sean and I off our butts and signed up for a long-overdue DMZ tour. We both need to see that before we leave Korea. I'm looking forward to the site-seeing, it will likely be my last chance to really explore Seoul before we go.

After the cousins leave, the girls and I have only 3 weeks left in Korea!