Lucy

We often call Lucy "St. Lucy" as she really, really is a great dog with our kids. But since Morgan's arrival, she has had some intestinal issues. We've been to the vet several times since April for the same symptoms: loose stool and blood in the stool. One morning, we came down to six different piles of poo in our house plus one pile of pure blood. The first few trips to the vet, we were told that she had probably just eaten grass. Great. $180 later, we were on our way with anti-diahreal (sp?) pills and a pill to fight worms (even though she always tested negative for worms). The most recent trip to the vet, I explained to Dr. Hottie (our vet) that this problem needed to be resolved. It clearly was not her eating grass and with me heading back to work in a month, the last thing I want to come home to is a dog cage full of the stuff. So the vet recommended getting bloodwork done to see if something else was causing it. The next day I got a phone call that Lucy had stage one kidney disease based upon her levels, which means an immediate referral to a specialist to see how it can be treated and further tests to determine what is causing it. Which brings us to a financial dilemna. How much do you spend on a dog? Even if she is a really great dog? As for now, her consult with the specialist is next Tuesday, so I guess we will see where that leads. But look at how great she is:

How many dogs really would stay this still for an extended period of time and let a two-year old bathe them?
And here's that same two-year old playing with mermaid stickers. I've had a few trips to JoAnn's to get some indoor craft activities because it is just too darn hot outside for the little man...
Who is very happy to be inside!