June 29, 2025

Late June Sawyer Update

It’s been a rough week.

My original plan for the last week of June was to finish up my sabbatical. However, I was not feeling well after our trip to out west to Washington, Yellowstone NP and Grand Teton NP. Plus the weather was HOT this week, so I decided to go back to work early.

To top it off, our 10 year old chocolate Labrador mix was not eating when we got back from the trip. Then he started to get more sluggish and lethargic this week. My wife took him to the vet, tests were run, cancer was eliminated (we think), but no definitive cause was found. He is extremely jaundice, red blood cell count was low (not to the point of transfusion but close) and his white blood cell count was high. He’s lost 12 pounds since March, down to 66.

We took him back again on Wednesday (6/25) because he seemed worse. They gave us another medicine to stimulate his appetite. My wife has been syringe feeding/watering him for days.

The same day, our son went to the doctor because he felt a lump in his “private area”. As a dad with 3 hernias to his credit I assumed he had the same fate. He started to worry about missing soccer due to potential surgery…but turns out it was just a swollen lymph node due to folliculitis. Some good news at least.

We had our daughter’s birthday party Friday night, since Sawyer seemed stable enough. Yesterday he was moving less and when he walks it looks painful - his back is arched like his hind legs hurt.

Today we went back to the emergency vet. I think it was 75% we might have to put him to sleep. They did another blood test and his red blood cells were almost back to normal. I think that surprised the vet. She gave him a bag of fluid in his back (weird to watch), a shot for anti-nausea, plus some pills to coat his stomach, hoping he would eat.

He’s home now (about 7pm) resting, he ate via syringe. It sucks to see him struggling like this. I knew he was slowing down, but I wasn’t expecting to have to consider the worst option already.