Wow...we are less than two months away from Bento's 12th birthday. Five and a half weeks ago, we didn't know if we'd hit this point. The vet, if you recall, told us Bento had two weeks to live IF he was taken to the animal hospital everyday and placed on an IV drip for eight hours a day. Uh...no.
At the end of May when Bento was diagnosed, we didn't know if we'd hit June - I remember wondering if we'd make it to June 2nd, so he'd be 11 years and 9 months old. Today we are past 11 years and TEN months old. Yay us! Once we passed 6/2, we wondered if he could hold on until my parents' 37th wedding anniversary on 6/19. Once that passed, we wondered if he'd hold on until my brother's birthday on 6/23. Every time we pass an event, we wonder if he'd make to the next one. Now that we've passed 7/2, and even the Fourth of July, we're wondering if he can hang on until my mom's birthday on July 28th. I try not to look too far ahead because I know he could leave at any time. He has good days and bad days, though his bad days outnumber his good days right now. He's had a few good days - Fourth of July weekend was pretty good overall. He had a very good Friday where he ate on his own and chowed down on a spare rib all day and a good Saturday morning. He was very lethargic Saturday afternoon on, though he was in a pretty good mood yesterday because he got to go to church. Sadly, I'm pretty sure his pep is not due to communing with God, but more because he got to go on a field trip in his little carrier that did not involve the vet's office. And not being left home alone as he has been his entire life when it was time for church. We had family over last night and we had a crap load of ribs (again. We're a big rib eating family) and he chowed down on one too. He also had a little bit of chicken, so even though he was slow in the afternoon, he had a pretty good eating day at the end of it. He's been subsisting on porridge/congee we've been injecting into his little mouth for the most part, so for him to show an appetite and ask for food - we clap for him like he cured cancer.
See? We were so excited we took a picture of him eating. How many meals has he had in his short life? I'm pretty sure before he got sick this was not an occasion that called for memorialization and great applause. But considering the atmosphere we've been living in, small victories like food and being able to drink out of his own water bowl instead of relying on us to feed him water are a big deal. A BIG deal.
He hasn't liked his walks as much - it may just be that he doesn't have the energy to keep his little head up and look around, but when I pay attention to him, I can see his little brows move when his little eyeballs are roaming back and forth taking in the sights of suburban housing.
I try to snuggle with him as much as I can - but I try not to overdo it because I don't think it's as comfortable for him now because the poor baby is all skin and bones - he doesn't have any fat cushioning him anymore, so I think he may be more comfortable laying on his own. However, he IS awesome enough that he will let me cuddle him for an hour or so at a time when he naps, as long as it's on top of me.
So we've gone well past the time his vet estimated he had. Overall, even though he's slowed down a lot and he has more bad days than good, I'm treasuring the good moments he has and grateful that I can see flashes of my Bento in peppier and healthier days.
No comments:
Post a Comment