Update on Kate

Sorry about the lack of blog posts over the last week.

I had to go to Gannett headquarters in Virginia for a couple days for training, and, let's face it, it's been a week. And not in a good way.

A week ago Saturday, Kate woke up around 4 a.m. and was stumbling around the house. I have wood floors and practically no floor coverings, and if she ended up on the floor she couldn't get up.

And when she did get up she would walk to the left. At times, in the kitchen, she would just go in circles to her left or she would walk through the house always turning left. Oh, and it was raining. Kate hates when it rains. And there were some pretty big thunder claps. Kate hates when it thunders.

I had to go away Monday and Tuesday for the training and I was panicking about leaving her. My neighbor was going to come in three times a day to let her out and feed her, but she couldn't have managed Kate if anything happened.

I called the vet, and when he finally returned the call, it was a half hour from closing. He said to bring her right over. He said he didn't think it was a complication of the renal failure. He said it seemed more like a neurological deterioration of some sort.

He suggested, since I was going away, to board Kate at the vet's so they could monitor her and run some tests. That took a load off my mind.

They only did a blood test, and it showed the kidney damage is progressing. That was expected.

I called while I was gone and the vet said she was doing well, was able to stand on non-textured surfaces and was eating.

When I went to pick her up Wednesday, it was raining again. Kate wasn't doing well. The vet said possibly the damp conditions were aggravating her arthritis, and he gave her an nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory.

Getting her home wasn't easy. She was yowling most of the way, something Kate never does. Fortunately, I asked a neighbor to sit in the backseat with her and keep her calm. She wrapped a towel around Kate and that helped a lot.

Finally, we got home and Kate's back legs really weren't functioning all that well. They were crossing at times, and occasionally the top of the paw would end up on the ground. I had to use the towel (it's red and, by the end of the exercise, it was quite hairy) to lift up her hindquarters.

She was better Wednesday evening.

Since then she's been OK. It rained a little Friday morning but it didn't seem to bother her. She actually came to the door when I came home from grocery shopping.

I put a large rug down on the floor next to her so she has some traction. A neighbor gave me a comfy dog bed her poodle wouldn't go hear, so Kate has a choice.

Actually I found that she had even another choice, much to my surprise.

I got home Thursday and opened the patio door. Usually I can see Kate on one of her beds from the door, but she wasn't there. I had blocked off part of the kitchen and living room so she couldn't go too far afield.

My heart skipped a beat until I got in the living room and turned on the lights. There was Kate, on the couch, as nice as you could please. (Photographic evidence above.)

Frankly, I didn't think she could still get up on the couch, but I was wrong. My real concern was whether she could get off the couch.

And she could.

So that's why I haven't been blogging. I've had my mind elsewhere, and on top of that, Wednesday and Thursday were crazy busy in the newsroom.

I'll keep you updated on Kate.

Photo: Michael Woyton/Poughkeepsie Journal.