Some of you may recall that Lenore was in pain last week, we thought it was a muscle pain, looks like it is something more than that, she is in a lot of pain again, and in different places. I don’t really know what it is, but I am heading back to the vet with her today for X-rays and another look.

I want to say something about why I am sharing this news. Dogs and other animals get sick all of the time, it is almost always quite treatable, especially in a healthy and well-bred dog like Lenore. I am still startled by the volume of messages I am getting about Simon and the depth of grief over his death – most of it is wonderful, but some of it seems like too much to me – so I want to be careful in my sharing of Lenore’s story.

I don’t write this because it is a drama, or because I expect Lenore to die, or because I want to arouse fear or sympathy in people who love her or dogs. I am not reaching out for advice, we have good vets and trust them.  I am sure most of the people reading this have had sick dogs or cats or have one now.

I share this because I write about dogs, among other things, and one of my purposes on the blog is to share my life with them, and part of that is dealing with vets and illness and, on occasion, life and death.

There are always decisions to be made when pets or animals become sick, emotional and financial, and it’s important to talk about it and write about it. That’s why I do it.  But to me, this is not a drama or a crisis, it is part of the flow of life with animals. I just wanted to say that, especially in the week that Simon died.