Well, there's a lot that's happened since my last post. Cookie, as it turns out, has canine distemper. If you're unaware of what that means, let's just say it's not good news. And it's potentially devastating news. Google it if you want the full story. It begins with the fact that it's incurable. And potentially fatal. And if not fatal, there's the potential for life-long complications like seizures and blindness.

The good news is at least we're now with a vet we're more confident in. Cookie's had the symptoms of distemper ("obvious," according to our new vet) for a few weeks, but our first vet didn't pick up on them for some reason. Neither Ami or I has spent much time with dogs as adults, so we weren't clear on what was happening. Now we know.

Right now, Cookie is fighting these symptoms: pneumonia, hardened paw pads (a permanent condition, even if she recovers), weight loss, loss of appetite, (a ton of) nasal mucous, a weird eye discharge, and obvious fatigue. We're doing everything we can to help her, but the downward spiral of her health is obvious at this point and Ami and I are starting to fear for the worst. We even spent a couple hours on Friday e-mailing each other and our vet with information about a highly suspicious "cure" that we found on the Internet.

So for now, we're all holding our breath and hoping for the best. Cookie's such a good dog. She deserves better than this.