I express my self through my writing, Maria often expresses herself through her art. She created this image of Red yesterday in her studio, she doesn’t yet know what she will do with it. She just need to make some art of him.

This weekend, I need to help Red eat something, he is rejecting all of my many varied concoctions and experiments – pork hot dogs, fresh hamburger, white rice, chicken broth, meat-based baby foods, Muenster cheese. I don’t really know how he is even standing, he has eaten so little in the past week.

I am determined to be creative and find something for him to eat. He licks the food, circles it, sniffs it, the vet thinks it’s the fever. I’ll keep trying. I stopped at a local hot dog stand and brought home a hot dog for Red, he did eat it, slowly, and in small chunks. I’ll try that again today.

Please do not send me any more links to tick sites, or stories about tick-damaged dogs,  we know all there is to know about ticks and all I want to know. We are here with Red, and we see what works and doesn’t, and we have a great vet. Unfortunately, the experience of other dogs is not especially relevant, every case is different and Red’s is quite nearly unique. Very few dogs have ever tested positive for four different tick-borne diseases at once.

I am basking in support and good feeling and  drowning in well-meaning advice. It’s not what we need at the moment, even though I full well understand the good intentions. There is nothing much for others to do but wish us well and leave it to  us, and I thank you for your love and support, it really does matter.

Sometimes, even on social media, we just have to let people deal with life in their own best way. My motto is always to do the best I can for as long as I can.

Your good wishes and big hearts are felt here, and they matter. He is sick, and I am stubborn, and Maria and I are creative, so we will figure something out, or the antibiotics and natural defenses will do their job. This is ours to solve with Red, and recognizing that he is not only my dog, I am comfortable sharing the process. But not giving it away.

Off to teach my class, more later. I love this drawing Maria did of Red, marker on line, Maria is eloquent in her way.