"No treats!"

Among my favorite pictures of Bailey as an old guy. 

Yesterday, Bailey had a liver enzyme blood test. The results revealed that his numbers have elevated over the past month. He's now on two drugs and can have no treats. That's right: No Treats! Last night after dinner he stared at me like, "What in the world is going on? Get my bones!" Today, he howled for his 10am carrots and moped around for his bones, but he seemed to have given in by the afternoon. We'll see what happens after dinner tonight. 

I've thought about my end-of-life decisions with Bailey since he was a puppy. Now that he's an old dog, the choice is a little simpler. He's 12.5 years old. If he's got liver cancer, I can't imagine putting him on chemotherapy. But, I'll wait and see how he does over this month. Today, beside his groaning for his treats, he had a good day. We took a few walks... he had good, firm poops and seemed upbeat and involved during his walk. The previous two days we've hiked, and he did well on those, too. 

On Sunday, we climbed Mystery Mountain to the summit. On Monday, we hiked around the cross-country ski trail at Black Mountain, and that too was fine, though he did roll in animal poop. Such is life. 

So, we'll continue the days and hike when we can hike, and walk when that seems like the best decision. We'll head back to the veterinarian's around December 1st to see how the numbers are. 

Meanwhile, we'll do what we do. 

Mystery's summit

November woods

White Mountains

Two old guys

Map of Mystery +

AllTrails