Abject terror.
That best describes our mood yesterday. It all happened so fast, relatively speaking, that there wasn’t much time for recognizing or coming to grips with it. My first indication something was wrong was when Zoe came downstairs, going in circles and falling all over herself. We got her outside, and made a call to the vet. They took her in for an emergency afternoon appointment (they had actually already started closing for the day), and we’ll get the blood test results tomorrow.
Basically, there are two or three things that could be wrong. The most benign option is an idiopathic head tremor. Researching it online (with all of the validity that the internet provides, mind you) she should pull out of it just fine. The other two options, after an ear infection was ruled out yesterday, are either meningitus or a brain tumor.
Obviously, Kim and I are besides ourselves right now. Zoe is still responsive, which is good, but she isn’t able to stand or walk reliably right now. Its heart wrenching to have the dog that just a few days ago you were chiding for taking your place on the couch, or nosing at the kids snacks when their heads were turned, now unable to move of her volition.
We’ve tried to prepare the kids for what might be next, but its hard to do that when you’re not ready yourself.
Hopefully, tomorrow we will have more answers.