Back In Iowa

                                                    Thursday April 23, 2015

We left the Super 8 in Clinton, IA and drove the 1 1/2  hrs drive to Cedar Rapids, IA.

We arrived at the Blair House where Joe's mom lives in CR. As soon as we got in the elevator to go to the 3rd floor, Mallery seems to take notice as if she smelled a familiar place.

Mallery loves Kay's place. Kay was her second mom. When Joe and I went on vacation, before we went RVing, she always stayed with her. When we got out of the elevator, I set her down, and blindly she walked down the hall toward Kay's door. She came in and started to wander all over the place. After checking out ever room, she did her lay on her side and rub her face all over the carpet. She knew she was back to her second home. She was very animated, happy, and excited to be here.

While Kay watched Mallery, we went down to our packed Honda and got two shopping carts to unload our very packed car. There was more in our Nest than we realized, and that had to come with us.

When we packed I had everything organized and had told Joe to put this and that at the top so we could find it on our way from Saginaw, MI to Iowa. When I came out to find anything this is what I had found. Joe told me I was just lucky he could find room for everything and nothing had to be thrown out.

The back side windows were completely blocked. We had forgot that our very thick pillow top mattress pad was on our bed when we striped the sheets off our bed, when we unpacked the bus. Opps! That had to go in the back seat also.

After Mallery checked out her old stomping grounds, she jumped up on the couch and took a long nap. The next day I took her to her veterinary appointment that I had made 3 days prior. As I told you in the last blog, I quickly found out why she was not eating much. After blood work, I had been told her kidney's were failing.

I had made the decision to take her out to the Eastern Iowa Veterinary Specialty Center instead of leaving her at her regular veterinary because I didn't want her alone at night. She is a very anxious little girl, and I knew that could throw her into panic mode and then trachea collapse. She needed to be put on IV fluids, which could not be done at home.

I received a itemized bill of the low and high cost for staying 1 to 3 nights and the medical  plan to figure out what needed to be done to help her. I was also told that the outcome may be a lifetime of treatment. Lastly I was told that with her present problems, it would also be kind, if I let her go. How do you ever get prepared for this, even when you know it is coming?

I chose to give her treatment. The next day, Joe and I came out to visit her. They brought her to us with an IV capped off in her front leg. She was excited to see us, but all she really wanted to do, was to get down and go to the door. The Dr. had good news and bad news. She didn't have any new masses (as the regular vet had thought she might have after looking at the x-rays she had taken). She didn't have any infection, and her pancreas was better than they thought. The bad news was that after 24 hours of IV fluid, her kidney levels were elevated. Now, to make another decision! The Dr wanted to keep her for another night and hoped after another 24 hours, her levels would come down.

He told us she was eating good and drinking good.

He also told us she was acting like any dog and not acting like she was sick.

We just wanted to take her home, but I decided to leave her for another night, to receive another 24 hour of fluids. When they took her out of the room, the girl took her fast, and Mallery never looked back. We were glad for that. Today we got another call from the Dr. and her levels continued to stay high. Today I was given the choice to leave her one more night with continued IV fluids, but now they needed to catheterizes her so they could measure her inflow and outflow. If her levels stay high they will need to know how much fluid to give her if she is going to have lifelong treatments of under skin fluids. If she has to have lifelong treatments and they are difficult for her, that will be where I know it is time to let her to go to the other side of the rainbow. I didn't go out to see her today because it is too hard for her and me when they take her away. Joe had to take his mom to the hospital today because she wasn't feeling good. After blood tests it was found out she too was dehydrated and given IV fluids. Our two old girls were getting treatment at the same time. Luckily Kay got to come home after her treatments.