Saturday, January 30, 2010

Carly



This picture was taken a few months ago of my dog Carly. She is going to be 12 years old in March. I have a bed for her next to mine and every night she comes upstairs and sleeps next to me. She started bringing her little yellow ducky with her and curls up with it in her bed. The ducky was supposed to be for a baby shower I had a year ago, but somehow Carly thought it was hers and took it. She has always liked toys that make squeaking noises.

For those of you that know me, understand that Carly means a lot to me. When we travel I need to make sure she is comfortable. There have been a couple of times that we stayed in a hotel while travelling. They wouldn't allow pets, so Gary suggested I just leave them in the car and they would be fine (Allie too). Well, Gary ended up sleeping alone in the hotel and I slept in the car with the dogs! I needed to make sure they stayed safe and warm.

A year ago I saw the movie Marley & Me. It was over the holidays and I thought it would be great to see a good movie, it was advertised as fun for the family. About 1/4 of the way through the movie I realized where the movie was going and I almost got up and left. I cried so hard through the end of the movie. We are approaching some of the same tough decisions with Carly.

In December she started getting sores and she was diagnosed with an auto-immune disorder called Pemphigus Foliaceus. I had never heard of it before but I know a lot about it now. Her body suddenly thinks her skin is foreign and is attacking it. Last Tuesday I got an appointment 100 miles away in Edmond to see a pet Dermatologist at 7:00 am. We have a plan of action for her now but I have to be realistic. We have her on steroids, antibiotics and another medicine to decrease her immune system. We are walking a fine line here because she is older and we don't want to damage her liver.

1 comment:

Michelle M said...

Carly's the most "in-your-crotch" dog I've ever known, but still so drooly and lovable. I think she'll pull through, but she's definitely on medication for the rest of her happy tail-wagging life. If you're lucky, Dad will save you a Ziploc bag full of Carly hair like he did for Jenny when she moved to the dorms at UW. Dark clothes just wouldn't be the same without Carly all over them!