It's a dog's life...

Nikki seemed under the weather Wednesday, but was pretty perky Thursday. However, when Marcia took her for her "long" walk (usually about a half mile total), she sat down twice and then laid down twice to rest -- and she seemed tired/out of breath on the way home.

Marcia took her to the vet. Unfortunately, he found a large mass in her belly. We spent much of Saturday at the internist having a sonogram to show more than x-rays could tell. The tumor is large and on the liver. Odds are it's malignant.

The decision is to do exploratory surgery on Tuesday, and the prognosis is guarded. There's a chance it will be a benign tumor and surgery will resolve the problem. Chances are, however, that it will be be more serious, we hope surgery (getting rid of the mass) will make her more comfortable.

The good news is that Nikki doesn't know she is sick -- she is her usual happy self most of the time...just with less energy and stamina.

The other consequence is cancellation of our planned departure to Geneva, Riga, and Burgundy. We were to have departed Thursday. We just can't leave the nice young lady (who normally stays here in the house with Nikki) alone to deal with her post-operative recovery. Suppose decisions have to be made? Maybe she will need care during the day while the dog-sitter is at work.

So, we've canceled the trip, the party in Latvia, and the wine harvest tour in France. Marcia has called our friends in Latvia to apologize for upsetting their plans, and she is trying to recover what we can of the air fare and hotel reservations. I am getting in touch with the former President's office and the embassy to un-do those plans.

If there is a silver lining, it is that the money we don't spend on the trip can be applied to paying for Nikki's medical bills!