We have a 15-year-old lab mix that is the sweetest dog I could ever ask for. She's been dealing with arthritis and some urinary issues for a couple of years, but for the most part, she has been in incredible health up to this point. She's not spry like she once was (neither am I), but as recently as a few weeks ago, she was running around the back yard as fast as she was able. It did my heart good to see her with so much energy and enthusiasm.

However, for the past week or two, she has gotten really finicky about eating. At first I wasn't too concerned, because she still seemed to have an appetite for other food, and I thought she was just turning her nose up at one of the supplements we mix in with her dry food. Then last week she vomited a couple of times and hasn't wanted much to eat since. Otherwise though, she seemed fine, until last night when I heard her collapse in the hallway outside our bedroom. I ran out to find her sprawled out on the floor looking barely conscious, and I was afraid we were going to lose her right there. She had a hard time getting up and was very woozy when she did get to her feet. I think a good portion of that is that we haven't been forcing her arthritis medicine and joint supplement on her the past few days since she hasn't wanted to eat, and I think that finally caught up to her.

But it seems there is something much more serious going on, so I took her to the vet this morning. He did bloodwork and an ultrasound on her abdomen, and found that her red blood cell count is down quite a bit, and he fears that he sees a cyst/lesion on her liver and is worried that it may be bleeding internally. She had perked up a little bit late last night/this morning after I finally got her to eat a tiny bit of ham and gave her joint supplement to her, but since we've been home from the vet, she has been absolutely pitiful and it's really tough to see her go downhill SO fast. 48 hours ago I would never have believed we'd be facing this today.

The vet wants us to have a more detailed ultrasound done at a veterinary hospital, which will be expensive, but I don't mind paying it if it gives us some clarity about what's going on with her liver. That facility isn't affiliated with our vet clinic, so I'm confident it's not a case of our vet "up-selling" an expensive procedure. However, my wife doesn't think it's worth the cost/hassle, so now we are at odds about how to proceed, and it's tough. We also have a 6 year old daughter who is as attached to a dog as a little girl can be, so it's going to break her heart when we have to say goodbye...which is going to break my heart even more.

I'm not really sure why I'm typing this post, other than catharsis, I guess. It's been a tough day in our household, and I fear tomorrow may be tougher.

Any of you Loungers have suggestions on what to try to feed a dog that may be nauseous? I've heard pumpkin is a good option, but we've never tried that before.