[yorkietalkjilly]

Having never been sick a day in his life, Tibbe began shaking and standing in the middle of the floor with his tail down and looking woefully at me Thursday afternoon. Nothing I tried seemed to comfort or satisfy him. Even cuddling, he would eventually get up and get to the same spot in the floor and shake and look at me. Also, he went down the hall to the other end of the house and got beside the bed - another time he isolated in one of the bathrooms. After about one hour of this, I got him up, saw good pink gums, no drainage, he wasn't tender any where and his eyes were bright but I felt of his ears and tummy and he felt a bit warm so without even stopping to take his temp myself, we were on our way to the vet. He examined him and took chest films, did some blood work, said his temp was only slightly over 102, diagnosed a very enlarged heart and recommended I take him to the Emergency Vet so he could be properly supported over night and further diagnostic work-up done. I don't really remember the short drive from the vet's to the ER Clinic I was so scared and shocked.

The ER Vet did more x-rays, a cardiac Doppler and said his heart was 100% fine once the cardiologist read all the tests, but that he had very early, focal aspirate pneumonia - probably from choking during some unwitnessed vomiting or spitting up. Tibbe stayed there overnight with fluids, antibiotics, etc. and I picked him up yesterday evening. He is doing quite well on his meds at home, a lot less energetic than usual and sleeping a lot but his temp is back to normal, his appetite is good and I think he is on the mend.

The ER Vet said the very early recognition that something wasn't right with him and bringing him on into the vet so quickly saved him from a lot of suffering and a lot worse case than if I had waited a day or so. I am just so grateful that Tibbe was able to "tell" me that something wasn't right with him and that early treatment is hopefully going to set him right within the next couple of weeks. Thank God for the wonderful vets that are caring for him, too.

Could you all please pray for little Tibbe that his recovery will continue and he will be his normal little Tasmanian-Devil-self, tearing through the house at top speed before long? I honestly don't think I could stand to live without his loving and merry little presence lighting up each and every day of this life.