Buddy

Today has been a difficult day for us.

Yesterday, Buddy developed sudden symptoms ... lethargy, labored breathing, watery eyes, no appetite. It was alarming given the mass that was found in his lung a few months ago.

We took him to the vet first thing this morning. And follow-up X-rays indicated that the mass has grown substantially in size, and very quickly. We were shocked. And devastated. :-(

Our vet referred us to a critical care facility for animals, and Buddy is in their ICU right now, and will stay there overnight. We talked at-length with a critical-care vet, and we've concluded that it would be best for Buddy to undergo more tests, including a fine-needle aspiration on Saturday. During that procedure, a surgeon will use an ultrasound to guide a needle into Buddy's lung to retrieve samples of the cells, fluid, or whatever is inside that mass. They'll be tested and we'll know better what treatment Buddy needs. The results probably won't be available until Tuesday or so, wow that's a long wait! We pray that the growth is an easy-to-treat fungal infection, which the vet warns is possible although not probable, rather than a cancerous tumor.

We so wanted to take our angel Buddy home with us overnight, to pamper him with love and attention, but realized that it's best that he stay in the ICU where he'll get round-the-clock medical care, including any I.V.'s, oxygen mask, etc. that he may need.

Aruba is looking around for Buddy, and I can see confusion and worry on her sweet little face. We hope that Buddy is strong enough to come back home with us on Saturday night.

I'll post updates on Buddy's condition as we get news ...