Seymour is doing better with the increased dose of his Prednisone . His head is no longer tilting to one side and he is walking better . He is rubbing his eyes quite a bit , though . We haven 't heard from his doctor yet today . I guess that autoimmune disease is still a big issue with Seymour and the medication is still needed . He is supposed to go from a full pill to half a pill on Sunday - along with his other meds so hopefully he will continue to at least stay the same . This really is a long process ! I talked with Seymour 's nurse about his condition this morning . She responded " That 's not good " and went to talk with his neurologist . They are upping his prednisone dose to 1 / 2 a tablet twice a day . He was at 1 / 4 tablet once a day . They will call to check on him on Thursday . I sure hope that this helps . He had been doing so well . First , Seymour and Zooey no longer like tuna . So now I have to figure out something else to put Seymour 's pills in . I tried going back to the Swiss cheese spread and he wouldn 't have anything to do with it . Peanut butter doesn 't work , either . Tomorrow we will try ham . On another note , Seymour is petrified of storms and we had one a couple of nights ago . He climbed the steps to the sofa and fell off , twice . He now is walking with his head tilted to one side and his back legs aren 't working as well as before . I am giving him his pain pills and hope there is a sprain or something cure able causing this . Otherwise , it will be back to the neurologist . As an added problem , I have an appointment with an orthopedic surgeon this week due to pain in my hip and leg . This is sure the year of the medical issues . We need to find time and better health so we can go camping ! Seymour has been taking his pills in Laughing Cow Swiss Cheese spread and he has loved it for over a month . Now that he is only getting his medication once a day , he wants no part of the cheese . I tried the dogs on scrambled eggs , as recommended by Seymour 's neurologist and for two days , they gobbled them down . Yesterday , Seymour wanted no part of them . Zooey still ate hers . I was starting to worry that there was something wrong with Seymour . Then I tried giving them tuna fish . Seymour loved it so at least for now , his pills are being mixed with the tuna . Who knows how long he will like it . What a sweet , but strange little dog he is ! Seymour went for his monthly visit to his neurologist . How many dogs can say that ? He is doing about the same except that she found some brain activity in his right eye , which is really good . There still is none in his left eye . Because of the damage to his spinal cord , it is difficult to know if he will improve the function in his back legs and butt area . Even if he stays where he is , I will be happy . He does need to gain weight . It is rare that dogs or anyone on steroids doesn 't gain . Seymour eats all he wants but has continued to weigh 6 pounds , 6 ounces for the last two months . Dr . Wolf asked if I have ever given him scrambled eggs - and I hadn 't , so that will be our new food offering . We did stop on the way home to get a soft serve ice cream cone to share ! Seymour 's blood work was fine and we are cutting back on his daily medicine to see if he can tolerate it . I am so thankful for Dr Henry for referring him to the Specialty Hospital and Dr . Wolf for saving his life . She graciously allowed me to take her picture with Seymour . Our next visit is in a month . The saga will continue . . . Posted with Blogsy It has been a while since I posted . I found a new software called Blogsy that is not intuitive so I am still learning it . Seymour is doing about the same . He doesn 't seem to be able to hear when we are outside but does hear me in the house . He still has stiff back legs and can 't have a bowel movement without " walking it out " . But he likes to take short walks and ride in the car . He takes 4 pills every morning and 3 every evening . He goes back to the neurologist on Tuesday . I am having him sleep in an enclosure that includes his bed , water , food and pee pads because I don 't want him to have an accident in the house . He has gotten used to it and actually seems to like it . Unfortunately , he still hasn 't figured out what a pee pad is for ! I couldn 't let Seymour be sick by himself so I came down with an upper respiratory infection that has lasted almost 3 weeks . I am finally starting to feel better . Because it is spring here in Texas and the wild flowers are out , I decided to take both dogs to a Bluebonnet patch for a photo op . Spring feels like a new beginning so we are trying to enjoy each day . Posted with Blogsy Seymour and I are both at the same level we were on Thursday - I am still sick and he is functioning the same . I wonder how much more function he will get back ? He can walk pretty quickly - when he want to - on his stiff back legs . He regularly climbs the 3 steps to the back porch and the sofa without help but I wouldn 't let him try to climb to the second floor of our house right now , and I am not sure he will ever be able to do that on his own without possibly falling . He is eating everything now and loves to chew rawhide bones . I am questioning if he only hears out of one ear because he still can 't always know where a sound is coming from unless he is right beside it . He sometimes just stops and seems to be staring , but then he comes out of it and continues with whatever he was going to do . His bark is still very hoarse and would not scare anyone . Zooey makes up for it though . Even with his disabilities , he is still the Seymour I love . He wants to lay beside me . He follows me into the bathroom , hoping that means a walk is in the near future and he lets me dress him in whatever fashion I want . Unconditional love ! I , on the other hand , hope to be functioning and sleeping better soon . I went to Target to get a recommendation from the pharmacist on what I could be taking and unfortunately , she gave suggestions of things I have already tried . I still bought up most of the cold and flu isle . I switch between natural remedies and drugs , hoping to find the cure . I am not a patient sick person ! I am glad the the dogs help me to keep my attention on something besides myself . I am a bit boring right now . More , and hopefully more exciting updates in a couple of days . I am also still searching for a new blog program that will allow me to post pictures again . Posted by Monday night , Seymour wanted to sleep with me , as usual . He had been given new meds at the vets and I put him back on the anti diarrhea medicine . He sleeps on a pee pad - mostly . One issue he has been having recently is that he doesn 't seem to be able to hold his bowel movement very long . He sits up in bed ( I can feel him get up ) , his eyes get big , and before I can run with him out of the house , he has already started going . The first two times he got the majority of a regular poo on the pad , but I had to change the sheet . The next two times - yes four times during the night - he had majorly runny diarrhea , so I changed blankets and the sheet again . Last night I decided not to take a chance so I set up a portable enclosure for him with his bed and blankets , a large pee pad and food and water . He wasn 't excited but at least he could see me because I was only about 5 feet away . We live in a " cozy - sized " house . He had no accidents . I tried to write my blog and add a picture and it isn 't working . I also couldn 't fix errors . So , hopefully I can figure out the problem soon . Blog Press updated their software last night to fix " bugs " but I am afraid the bugs have multiplied ! Unfortunately , I can 't post pictures when I write directly on the Blogspot account . Hopefully I can post my exciting " bowel movement " blog tomorrow ! Well , the good news is that Seymour really is doing better than most . His diarrhea is probably caused by the Prednisone and the fact that he wasn 't on anti diarrhea meds . They said use them until they ran out , but obviously Seymour needed more . So he is back to 4 meds twice a day , with 1 / 4 pill instead of 1 / 2 of the Prednisone . I stopped the pain meds and he doesn 't seem to miss it . Don 't want an addicted dog ! Luckily , he is good about taking his pills in a blob of Laughing Cow Swiss Cheese spread . Zooey gets her own blob of pill - less cheese . During this visit , he was also given the third drug they use to treat Meningitis , which is Cytarabine . He will have to go back for more treatments and check ups for about 9 months . His next visit is scheduled in 3 weeks . The neurologist said that there is about a 10 % chance that the Meningitis could return and she just saw a dog this morning whose Meningitis came back about 9 months after his first bout . I am hoping that Seymour is in the 90 % category . Currently Seymour 's blood work looks good . I guess that this will become the year of taking care of Seymour . Hopefully , it won 't stop us from traveling , but maybe not as far from home as usual . - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad Seymour started having diarrhea yesterday , less than 24 hours after his took his final anti diarrhea pill . I called the hospital and they want to see him today . They will also do his follow up visit blood work , etc . today instead of Thursday . Hopefully , this is something that can be resolved quickly . In spite of this set back , Seymour has been doing well . He is shaky , but he goes up the steps to the sofa by himself now . I will write more when I know more . - Posted using BlogPress from my iPadLocation : Wimberley , Texas We took our first shopping trip since Seymour got sick . We went to pet friendly Home Depot . Seymour walked from the car to the store and was eager to get in the cart . His back legs are still too weak for him to stand on two legs like Zooey . He did go up the steps to the sofa twice and once went up the 3 steps from the yard to the porch , but he has also fallen when he has tried , so he is a bit scared to do it . It is something I need to work on with him . He walks all over the back yard and Zooey now is the instigator of getting into trouble . I left them in my fenced back yard for about 10 minutes and when I came out they were nowhere in sight . I called them and Seymour slowly came out from under the shed but Zooey took her good old time coming out . Why do they easily learn each other 's bad habits ? One other little bit of progress . Twice now , I have seen Seymour lift his back leg an inch or so when he went peed . So , I guess it will just take time to get strength back in his back legs . I am happy with how far he has come . Posted using BlogPress from my iPadLocation : Dripping Springs , Texas Progress has slowed down , but Seymour walks , eats , likes to go for a car ride and a stroller ride . Three times I left him on the sofa while I got the mail , etc . Three times he was at the door to look for me . I finally saw him use the steps to the sofa . He is a bit clumsy , but makes it down the steps . He won 't even attempt to go up stairs . I think his back legs are still too weak . Friends of ours , Mary and Rick , came to visit yesterday . Both dogs have stayed with them and both dogs love them . I think it gave Seymour a boost to see them . Zooey , who is usually cautious around most people , went right up to both of them demanding attention . I wish they lived closer ! - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad Seymour now can shake his head almost normally . A week ago , he would try to shake it once and he couldn 't do it again . Another good sign , but now the progress is a bit slower . I probably will write my blog every other day unless something happens . There should also be more news after his doctor 's visit on March 19 . Thanks to everyone for their concern . Seymour is a special little dog . I think our trip to Italy bonded us even more . I am glad that I have those memories ! - Posted using BlogPress from my iPadLocation : Wimberley , Texas Posted by Seymour 's neurologist called today to check on him . She re - scheduled his appointment until March 19 because ( I didn 't know this ) he needs to come in every 3 weeks for some kind of shot / immunization and blood work to check his white blood cells . She didn 't tell me how long he will need to do that . She did say that most dogs don 't progress as Seymour seems to be doing and she sounded cautious . So , he has a long way to go and I am still hopeful for a good recovery . On a lighter note , my daughter and grandson came over this morning and she said she was having a bad day . She hadn 't seen Seymour so I thought it might cheer up up to see his progress . Then I said that she might want to hold him because he likes to be held . As we were talking she said " He has bad gas . Here , you hold him " . She wasn 't quite fast enough , because he was having a bowel movement . Really , he has never done that before , but it is hard to know when he has to go now . So , her bad day continued . Her shirt in being washed as I write this . Luckily we have been able to laugh about it tonight . - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad It is nice to say that . Both dogs are here with me and both are relatively healthy . The improvement I hadn 't mentioned before is that now both of Seymour 's ears are standing up . When I first brought him home , only one was up and then both were up for a short time . Now both are nice and straight all of the time . I am still trying to figure out his hearing . I think that it is improving and he does understand when I say his name in the house . Outside still seems to be a bit of a problem . In this dark picture above , you can see a portion of the steps I bought to help the dogs get on and off the sofa . Today , I started working on helping Seymour climb those steps . I think it will probably take some time to get him to do it on his own , but I think he will be able to learn . His back legs still have some weakness and stiffness , but I think that he has the motivation . I am starting my list of questions to ask the neurologist on Thursday . My two main questions are " Can dogs with his severity of meningitis get back to normal functioning ? " and " Since this is an autoimmune disease , can he get it again ? " . Posted using BlogPress from my iPadLocation : Wimberley , Texas Seymour continues to walk around but he can 't walk straight . I will have to find out if that will ever improve . Yesterday , Seymour was on the couch and I went upstairs to find Zooey . When I came back down , Seymour was on the floor . He did it again when I went to the mailbox . I don 't know how he is trying to go down the 3 steps I have for the dogs to get on and off of the sofa . I am guessing he goes down one step and falls down the other two . He doesn 't even try to go up the steps . But just in case , when I went out , I took the steps away so he wouldn 't try to climb them or fall off of them . They are now both spoiled by being given chicken instead of dog food . Seymour can chew strips of chicken and still gnaws on his bone a few times during the day . I continue to be amazed at his progress ! - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad Every small step is important . Seymour is still very skinny and very unbalanced , wobbly and stiff . He still falls a lot but can get up by himself if you give him time . He hasn 't been able to chew so I could only feed him puréed food . Last night he started chewing on a small bone Zooey had accidentally dropped near him . This morning I decided to see if he would chew his favorite in the whole world , a chicken wrapped chew bone from Trader Joes . He went after it ! After about 5 minutes , it tired him out , but he loved it . I now plan to go to the grocery store and get some chicken I can cut into pieces , not puree . He needs to gain weight . It 's a small step but hopefully they will all add up to a full or almost full recovery . Oh , and the hospital called to check on him again and I admitted that I gave him too much medicine twice when he first came home . She said to watch for blood in his stools but that the excess medicine should be out of his system by now . Scary lesson learned - thoroughly read the instructions ! Posted using BlogPress from my iPadLocation : Wimberley , Texas Little by little , I see improvements in Seymour . This morning I took him and his sister out to the back yard while I checked on plants . Soon I heard his sister Zooey barking and then I heard a noise like a goose flying over . It was Seymour 's first attempt at barking . Unfortunately , he was facing the opposite way from Zooey , so he still is having hearing location problems , but it 's a start . I might have wanted the barking to come back a little later . He has been using his tail to help balance him when he walks but it has always been pointing downward . Yesterday I saw him lift his tail horizontally to his body . He can 't lift it up further yet but he is getting there . He seems to understand basic commands like " lay down " and it takes him a little time to get down , but he does it . When I came back after being gone for about an hour this morning , he was waiting at the door for me . So , Seymour continues to improve . I can 't wait to see where he is functioning when he goes back for his check up next Thursday . - Posted using BlogPress from my iPadLocation : Wimberley , Texas Who cries because someone poops ? Yep , I did ! I took Seymour outside and he toddled around . They next thing I knew he was doing his business . I consider that a big milestone for him . I tried to upload a video of Seymour walking in the back yard but I couldn 't figure out how to do it . Trust me , he was walking . Initially , I hadn 't wanted to wait for an appointment at the north location of the Pet Specialty Hospital because Seymour was declining so fast . But now I am so thankful for being able to have taken him there . Dr Wolfe and her team were amazing . They were also kind and caring . I looked forward to the calls every day to see how Seymour was doing . Many times the calls weren 't good news , but they always focused on the good part of the news . " He 's eating and drinking " . Seymour has a follow up appointment there next Thursday and I hope I can show them how much he has progressed . Keeping the faith ! - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad Last night and this morning , when I took Seymour outside , he peed on his own . Not with his leg up , but with a squat . Not bad . I accidentally gave him more of his medicine that he was supposed to get , so I hope I haven 't harmed him . I need to read the instructions more thoroughly ! Seymour is still working on his walking , especially when I leave the room . Can we say " co - dependent " ? I 'll take half of the blame : - ) . When he walks , the back part of his body wants to go in a different direction from the front . I hope that improves . Both dogs ended up sleeping with me during the night . And both did the same thing when I said " Do you want to go outside and go potty ? " " We can 't hear you " . . . I am hoping for continued improvement . The next thing I am waiting for , with a bit of trepidation , is when Seymour finally has a bowel movement . He has eaten quite a bit and nothing has come out yet ! Posted using BlogPress from my iPad Last night , I had to " help " Seymour pee . This morning , he had peed on his pee pad in his bed , which is good . He whined when he was sleeping in his bed in front of the heater but was fine all night when I put his bed on the sofa bed with me . Zooey was fine , also . Seymour 's alien eyes continue . This morning , after I gave him all of his medicine and fed him , I took him outside and he was able to balance on his front legs to sit up . I am so happy that we set up the canopy since it has been raining and there is now a dry place to set him outside . I then put him back in his bed beside Zooey 's crate in front of the heater and needed to go out to run some errands . I was gone almost an hour and when I got back , Seymour wasn 't in his bed . I called for him and he came wobbling out of Zooey 's crate and wobbled over to me . What a wonderful surprise ! He is walking a bit sideways , but he was walking a little . I took him back outside and he stood up on his own . I need to get a video of it . I then carried him back to his bed and he got out and came over to try to get on the couch . That was about 6 feet of walking . He saw the steps but couldn 't use them - yet . I don 't think it will be long before he tries . He is having amazing gains in less than 24 hours since I thought there was no hope for him . He still has a long way to go , but what a miracle dog he is ! Posted using BlogPress from my iPadLocation : Wimberley , Texas I didn 't know what to expect when I went to see Seymour and talk to the neurologist . Dr Wolfe and Rachael told me that he was doing a little better and had even tried to scoot under a blanket . When they brought him in , he was more alert . He looked at me and even followed me with his eyes when my friend Lynne was holding him . They showed me some physical therapy techniques to keep his legs from atrophying and also showed me how to squeeze his bladder to get pee out . So , he can 't walk or pee at this point ; he can 't even sit up , but he is alert and seems to have the will to live . That 's all I need for now . I had thought that today would be his last and I think it is a miracle that he rallied over night . On the way home we stopped for take out at a local BBQ restaurant and when I got home , both dogs ate the beef I gave them . Seymour had been too weak to chew before he went to the hospital . He also finally drank some water from a bowl instead of just drinking from a syringe . Although Seymour looks like an alien here , this was when Zooey first saw her brother . I think she knows not to bother him so she is sleeping on the couch next to his bed and not trying to get in with him . We have hope again ! Thanks for your prayers and good thoughts . Posted using BlogPress from my iPad His vet just called and said he seems a little brighter so I will visit today to talk to her to figure out the plan for him . I hope he does look a little better today . Maybe we will have a miracle . - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad I visited Seymour at about 11 : 15 am . He has declined so much since I saw him last that I cried . They said his neck is getting affected which is starting to affect his front legs . He really looked like someone with severe cerebral palsy . He didn 't look at me and I don 't think he could hear me , but when I started to feed him , he lifted his head and looked my way . I know that his eating may just be a function of the steroids . It doesn 't look like the medications are helping him . After discussion with his neurologist ( who said she prayed for him last night ) , we decided to keep him on the medication for one more day . If he doesn 't show any signs of improvement , he won 't be kept alive any longer . It sounds awful and I am crying while writing , but he has no quality of life now . Not only is my heart broken , but poor Zooey is stressed and can 't understand where her buddy is . The doctor will call me again in the morning . I will hope and pray for a miracle . - Posted using BlogPress from my iPadLocation : Round Rock , Texas Dr Wolfe called and Seymour has declined . He now is weak in his front paw . He is still eating and they haven 't totally given up but it doesn 't sound good . They are letting me come to visit earlier in the day so I plan to be there by 11 am . She also talked about me bringing him home tomorrow and I fear it is because there is nothing else they can do . I hope I can hold it together . - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad I just received a call from the doctor and she said there is no change with Seymour but he is eating and drinking a little , so that is good . He will be transferred back to the neuro section of the hospital with Dr Wolfe tomorrow . And they will call me again in the morning . I really appreciate these calls . Even though the hospital is closed on Sunday , a doctor comes to check on each animal and calls us . That never happens in hospitals for people . Unless there is ice on the roads , I will be going to visit him tomorrow . Unfortunately visiting hours are not until late afternoon . Thanks to everyone who sent me comforting emails . I know that not everyone understands why I am putting this much effort and emotion into Seymour 's health , but anyone who personally knows me is not surprised . More tomorrow - - Posted using BlogPress from my iPadLocation : Wimberley , Texas and Round Rock , Texas I received a call from the doctor on call this morning . Seymour is the same as yesterday . I so want to visit him but the weather and road conditions are bad and the hospital is over an hour away . I was told that the neurosurgeon was in an accident on the way to the specialty hospital this morning . Unfortunately , the hospital closes at noon today and doesn 't open again until Monday . A doctor does come in Sunday morning for a couple of hours to check on the animals and to call us , but no one can come to visit . When the hospital is closed , the Emergency Care group is there but they aren 't affiliated with the hospital , so I can 't visit . I am torn because I would hate for something to happen to Seymour this weekend and me to not at least have seen him . I know he is scared and wonders where I am . But , unfortunately I think there is a good chance that I won 't be able to get there this morning . I am pretty bummed . . . - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad I got a call this afternoon from the neurosurgeon at the Specialty Hospital . She said that she and the neurologist looked at Seymour 's blood specimen and it appears that he may have meningitis . They have put him on steroids , a chemo drug and at least one other drug . Based on googling this , his symptoms put him in the late stages of the disease so I don 't know how he will do . They say it is an autoimmune disease in dogs , so once it starts up , the body starts fighting itself . It settles in the brain and spinal cord . It doesn 't appear to be contagious . They are doing all they can for him . I am thankful he is at that hospital . I asked if I could bring him food when I come tomorrow and she said yes . I will try to feed him with a spoon again to see if I can get him to eat my homemade ground chicken , carrots and brown rice . I can 't wait to see him . I hope it gives him a little boost to see me . - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad I received a call from the neurosurgeon this morning and they couldn 't do Seymour 's testing until early this afternoon . They said that he is stable , no better or no worse . If they find a spinal problem they will operate right after the scan and he will be in the hospital until Monday . If they don 't find a spinal problem , they will do the brain MRI . I don 't know what would come after that . I thought that I would be able to sleep with Seymour not here , but worry kept me awake most of the night . Zooey did settle down and slept either beside me or in her crate . I went out this morning with my daughter to my new grandson 's pediatrician visit and to run some errands and when I came home , Zooey was on the back of the couch , in her nervous mode . I am sure she is afraid of losing her brother and her owner / mother 😳 We continue to wait . . . - Posted using BlogPress from my iPadLocation : Wimberley , Texas I received a call from the Specialty Hospital . They didn 't get to do Seymour 's MRI or spinal tap because they had 7 scheduled and one animal died during the MRI so I guess they stopped for the day to deal with that . Tomorrow a neurosurgeon will do Seymour 's tests and if he needs spinal surgery , they will do it right away . They still think the back legs issue is separate from the brain issue . I just signed a consent and it says that if they do the surgery , there is only a 70 % to 90 % expected improvement . It is worth it to me since he is unable to move his back legs at all now . They were giving Seymour pain meds tonight to help him sleep . So now we continue to wait - and hope - and pray . - Posted using BlogPress from my iPad Last night was awful . Zooey was freaking out , probably due to not understanding why Seymour wasn 't himself . She climbed onto the back of the couch , hid upstairs for hours and I finally put her in her crate . I feel bad for both dogsSeymour can no longer walk at all . He wants to go outside but he can only sit . About every 2 - 3 hours he would whine and cry and I would try to rub him but it didn 't help . So I took him outside and he would sit for 5 - 7 minutes , then I would bring him back inside and he would be okay for another couple of hours . I wasn 't sure how long I could handle the lack of sleep and inability to help him . Finally I put his bed in the new rocker bed I bought for my new grandson ( sorry Augie ) and was able to put it beside the couch and rock him a little to calm him down . We all finally got about 3 hours of uninterrupted sleep . This morning when I was heading out to drop Zooey off with Jan and pick up Betty to come with me to the Neurologist appointment , Seymour pooped on himself . I was just glad to see that he was still functioning there ! When we got to the Speciality Hospital , Seymour again pooped . I cleaned him up as best I could . The people who worked with us at the hospital were very nice . They took Seymour to check vitals and then the Neurologist , Dr Wolfe came to talk to us . I liked her and her reasoning . She doesn 't know what is wrong - it could be 2 different things . The sight and hearing could point to a brain tumor but the legs may be different . She mentioned possible meningitis but won 't know until they do more tests . So I had to leave sweet Seymour there for them to do an MRI and spinal tap . They will keep him until tomorrow but I might get a call tonight from Dr Wolfe to let me know how he is . I am scared but relieved that he seems to be in good hands . The next step will depend on what they find . I am starting to have a little hope again , but the operative word is " little " . Seymour certainly can 't go on like this . He has no quality of life but just maybe . . . . Zooey was a bit freaked at JaPosted by We had a pretty good night last night . Seymour slept beside me and whined a couple of times so I took him outside . I think he might have gone to the bathroom once . I actually got at least 6 hours sleep . But , last night my daughter texted me about the class action Beneful lawsuit . Great , Seymour could only eat their blended food . She then saw that it was just for the kibble but that was all I needed to hear . I took some chicken out of the freezer to thaw and this morning cooked checken , carrots and brown rice and then blended it together . I started feeding Seymour with a spoon while holding the little bowl of food under it to catch the drippings . In no time , Seymour went at it in the bowl . It was wonderful to see . I still have to give him water with a syringe but I guess if it tasted like checken , he would lick that bowl ! We then took a stroller walk around the neighborhood and headed to visit our friends Jan and Betty . The dogs were both calm in the car . Jan was the second person to meet Seymour after I adopted him . He has known Seymour just about as long as I have . He watched him many times when I traveled for work . I had to give Seymour another chance to be with his friend . Betty , Jan 's wife , is a retired nurse and she graciously volunteered to come with me to Seymour 's appointment . I graciously accepted . I told her that I will need her less emotional nurses side to be with me . She will try . Jan will watch Zooey while we are gone . I decided to put an Easy - up canopy in my yard outside of my back door so both dogs could go to the bathroom where it is dryer , since we are anticipating rain . My friend Bandy came over to help . Both dogs stayed with him the night my daughter had her baby on Feb 13 and Seymour was like normal , except for a hearing problem . He was shocked to see that Seymour is pretty much immobile now . Of course I had to have a picture of him with my kids , I mean dogs . Zooey is now totally freaked out by Seymour 's whines . She doesn 't like babies cries , either . Every time I took her out to the back yard , shPosted by Tuesday late afternoonI am trying to make Seymour 's days enjoyable . This morning , I took both dogs around our neighborhood in their stroller again . It was only about 34 degrees but we were all bundled up and I needed a little stress reducer . The dogs just needed a change of scenery . I let Seymour walk when we got back to our front yard . It is difficult for him , but he managed to walk about 30 ft . to the front door . I headed out alone to get him more dog food that he didn 't have to chew . He has to eat it off of a spoon , but at least he can eat it . When I got home , my daughter said that her newborn August ( Augie ) was awake and we could come visit . Seymour loves babies , Zooey , not so much . I wanted Seymour to meet Augie . I couldn 't choose between the following pictures of Augie and Seymour . I will cherish them both . The sweet thing was that when it was time to go , I stood Seymour in her yard and after he managed to do a little " business " he tried to head right back to Shan 's front door . Maybe we will visit again tomorrow . Posted using BlogPress from my iPadLocation : Wimberley , Texas Tuesday MorningA night with Seymour is like a night with a newborn . I had him sleeping in his bed next to me all night . Every whine or groan woke me up and I tried to figure out what they meant . I took him outside 3 times to see if he could go to the bathroom . I don 't think he did . When he panted , I gave him water with a syrange . He actually likes that . I opened Zooey 's crate so that she could get out at about midnight but she choose to stay where she was - better sleeping , I suspect . Finally after a 4 : 30 am trip to the back yard , we all finally fell asleep on the couch until my alarm went off at 7 : 30 am . I took them both outside and Seymour just sat there . So , I came in to quickly dress and when I went out again , he was laying beside the back steps . I think he tried to climb them but couldn 't . He doesn 't complain , just lays there . So I put him back in his bed beside the heater and Zooey joined him . Sorry that the picture is blurry . I plan to take the dogs for a ride today and maybe visit some friends . I want to keep things as normal as possible . Posted using BlogPress from my iPadLocation : Wimberley , Texas Monday Afternoon - update ( I decided to take the vet 's name out of this blog . I was frustrated when i wrote this . ) Okay , so I waited until almost 4 pm to get a call back from the vet to change Seymour 's referral to the south location of the Specialty Hospital . I called twice and emailed and finally gave up and made the appointment at the north location with the neurologist . I realize The vet is busy - they said he was " swamped " , but I made the decision to see the neurologist when overwhelmed with what I was told about Seymour on Saturday . Later , after talking to a few people , I realized I could probably get enough info through a cat - scan and talking to the doctors In the south location to know what to do for Seymour . But you can 't change without a new doctor 's referral and I couldn 't get it . This was my final attempt through email : Hi , I know the vet is busy and he doesn 't have to call me , but could he call the south specialty Hospital and change my referral to them ? I needed time to process all that he told me on Saturday . Seymour not only seems to have a brain tumor but something hurts him when I pick him up in his upper chest area . He can refer for whatever services he thinks we need there . If he could do that today I would be greatly appreciative . I would like to call them and get an appointment asap . Feel free to email me his response . I just need to get Seymour seen . Thanks so much , Susan I am disappointed that I couldn 't get the appointment at the north Specialty Hospital until Thursday . I wonder if I could have gotten in sooner at the other location ? The way Seymour is declining , I just hope he will last that long . The good news is that I have been able to feed him his chopped food with a spoon and today he ate almost the whole 3 oz can . I have taken him out to try to go to the bathroom numerous times today and so far , nothing . He seems to be most content in his bed , covered with a blanket on the couch beside me and Zooey . Yes , he is in there ! ! - Posted using BlogPress from my iPadLocation : Wimberley , Texas Monday morningLast night Seymour was whining and I would check on him but couldn 't find anything wrong . Finally , as a last resort , I carried him outside . I have to stand him up and he usually doesn 't move for a minute or so . Then he walked wobbly a few steps and went to the bathroom . He still has enough presence to know that he doesn 't want to wet his bed . I decided to let him sleep in his bed by the heater last night because he never gets out of it now . But at about 2 : 30 am I heard a little thud . I turned on the light and Seymour had somehow climbed the 3 steps to get on the couch . Unfortunately , 2 of his legs slipped between the stairs and the sofa and he was just sitting there , stuck . I pulled him up and then moved him beside me . I let Zooey come sleep with us , too . It was almost like normal with the dogs leaning against me . So soothing . This morning , I decided that I probably should just go to the south Veterinary Specialty Hospital for his appointment and forego the neurologist but I found that , as with people , if the referral says neurologist , you can 't switch without another referral . I am waiting for a call back from the vet to get his opinion on what I should do . Seymour definitely has a brain issue but he also has something wrong with his body since he sometimes yelps when I pick him up . I was hoping to have him seen today but that won 't be a possibility now . I hope to get a call soon . - Posted using BlogPress from my iPadLocation : Wimberley , Texas Saturday night and Sunday , February 22 , 2015Seymour wobbled to his bed and pretty much has stayed there . I am back to sleeping on my sofa bed because Seymour had been able to climb the 3 stairs to the sofa until a few nights ago . I know he can 't climb the steps to the 2nd floor bedroom and I was afraid he might get confused and fall down the stairs . I decided to move his bed onto the sofa with me so I wouldn 't worry about him falling trying to get up the steps in the middle of the the night . He may not even try since he is so weak , but I didn 't want to take a chance . It was a difficult night . I heard every moan , breathing problem and saw every twitch . He often just laid their with his eyes open and I would stroke him so he knew I was there . His nose was dry so I tried to get him to drink water . Maybe he couldn 't see the water level , but he didn 't drink . I finally put water on my fingers and in my hand and he drank that . I also got a little syringe and gently squirted water into his mouth . Who would have thought that I would be doing this 2 weeks ago ? He has declined so fast ! At about 2 : 30 am Zooey wanted out of her crate so I carried them both outside , with Seymour still in his bed . I put him on the grass and he just sat there . We finally came back in the house but tried again at about 5 : 30 am . He then had a bowel movement but he can 't push it out , he had to let gravity do it 's job . Exhausted , we all got back on the sofa bed and I read for awhile and intently watched Seymour before I could finally fall asleep . It was a long night with little sleep . I decided that I would make sure Seymour continued to experience what he loved . I bundled both dogs up in our trusty pet stroller and headed out . Usually Seymour wants to walk but this morning he seemed confused and faced backward the whole time . Zooey just lets him take up most of the the room and she squeezes in where she can . She never complains . She was a rescue and had been a used by another dog . Seymour is the only dog she is not afraid of . She is in love . Just befoPosted by My 10 1 / 2 year old chihuahua mix Seymour ( on the left in the picture with his little sister Zooey ) is my best friend , confidante and travel companion . I would say that we rescued each other over 8 years ago . He has had some medical problems but nothing has stopped his joy of life , walks , and travel . He loves meeting people and having them fawn on him . Recently , his medical problems have gotten worse . I noticed that he not only had cataracts but his hearing was fading . He could hear sounds but couldn 't localize them . Then he started stumbling a little . Here is our on - going diary of Seymour 's life challenge . Friday , February 20 , 2015 I called our vet and got an appointment for 11 am . I am starting to feel that my vet considers me a crazy old woman . I do take my dogs in when they have difficult to diagnosis symptoms , but I know when they are not themselves . At this visit , they had a young female vet look at him . I really thought she may be an intern but it didn 't have that on her name tag . One of the regular vet techs came with her . I was most concerned about his hearing but told her the other symptoms he had . She felt him and put the stethoscope to his chest for one second in each of 4 spots . Seriously , what do you hear in one second ? I asked if she was going to check his ears . She said she had to find a scope ! A few minutes later they came back with one they were cleaning . His ears were fine . I asked them to check his temperature and they did . It was the worst vet visit I have ever been to . Then I asked if they could recommend a neurologist . Nope , no response . They obviously we 're brushing me off and I was frustrated . I am not including the name of the clinic , at least for now . I still didn 't know what was wrong with Seymour . Saturday , February 22 , 2015 Seymour was having trouble going up the 2 steps in my back yard . I cried because I didn 't know what to do for him . He was continuing to get worse . Just down the street from my house , there is the Cypress Creek Animal Hospital . I had gone there long ago with my cat buPosted by