[Dailydrool] Kelvin's day on the calendar

[Carmen Kraus]

2 years ago today I brought home a skinny old man.  He stank of too many 
things to count and had poo crusted over his backside.  He weighed 34 
pounds.  He had been dumped at a kill shelter and no one else offered to 
pull and old geezer.  Even the staff didn't think he'd make it through 
the neuter.
http://www.krausdesigns.com/images/Dogs/DSCF3290a.JPG
http://www.krausdesigns.com/images/Dogs/DSCF3307a.JPG

We couldn't bring ourselves to adopt him back out, even with all the 
rescues we had at the time.  Something about him made us keep him.
He's gained his weight back.  He now weighs close to 60 pounds.  He was 
diagnosed with CRF and given 6 to 8 months in February of 2009.  I think 
we kicked that time line out the window for a while.  He still hasn't 
fit in completely with the herd here, mostly prefering to keep to 
himself though occasionally playing with our dane mix Tesla.  He would 
rather spend his time on his bed or on the couch with the cats.  He's a 
crotchety old man.  Doesn't like change.  Doesn't like me to leave for 
too long.  Panics if I don't get him his hush puppies on fish Fridays 
from the gas station, he can smell them even 8 blocks over and gets all 
excited as soon as a whiff of catfish reaches us.  I have to take him up 
there for them, he sits in the truck and drools down the side of the 
door until I bring 3 of them out.  That's all he gets, 3, and he's ready 
to go home.
http://www.krausdesigns.com/images/Dogs/IMG_0075a.JPG
]http://www.krausdesigns.com/images/Dogs/DSCF4751a.JPG

But now, he doesn't feel so good.  We've been adjusting his protein 
intake and meds, trying to make it better but he's slowly starting to go 
down hill.  We'll have another blood test in the next few weeks to know 
if anything has helped.  Until then we are taking it one day at a time 
not acknowledging the affects CRF has had on him here recently.  Not the 
strange change in tone of his bark from a wonderful basset bark to a 
screech.  Or the ammonia breath that keeps getting worse.  Or the fur 
loss.  Or the days he has trouble eating.  Or the overall lack of energy.

We gave him at least 2 years he wouldn't have had.  2 years of cats and 
couches and treats and beds and baths.  We are hoping for good news with 
the next batch of tests.  Or at least better news than what we've been 
prepared for.