*Update on Noah*

It's highly likely that if you've even only had a handful of conversations with me or read my blog on just a few occasions that you've heard about my dog, Noah. He pees in the house when we've just come in from outside, he's ruined furniture and broken windows, and I'd guess that I've lost a couple hundred dollars in underwear thanks to him mistaking them for special snacks. He's not the worlds worst dog, but I'd say when the vets office has said he's one of their most obnoxious clients, that he's ranking pretty far up there! Still though, that dog loves life, like really loves life, and boy do I love him. He makes me crazy, but it seems I just can't get enough of him!

This past week he's been crying out like he's in pain on multiple occasions and I haven't been able to figure out what is wrong. Additionally, a few days ago, he started to seem a little off balance when walking and such. So, after a week of this, I decided yesterday to take him to the vet. I assume the visit wouldn't take that long and since some of the issues seemed to correlate with his need to relieve himself, I assumed he was just dealing with some sort of small infection that we could clear right up. But, what I heard was way different.

Over the course of our 2 1/2 hour appointment, not only was the vet we had come to see checking out Noah, but also 2 other vets, all trying to see what was going on. After checking his blood pressure and ears to try and pinpoint his balance issue, they still didn't have an answer. The vet said that usually the next step they would suggest would be to see a neurologist because it seemed like his issues are brain related. On top of that, she said she had to add that Boxers, more often than other dogs, have issues of higher rates of canter and brain tumors! But, just to cover all their bases, she offered to run a few more tests there. While none of them showed anything worth looking into, she prescribed him some medicine for things that she wouldn't be able to find via testing just to see if maybe he'll respond to those. However, over the next few weeks, if he's not responding, she said that we could pretty much assume the worst.

I know I'm a tool for doing it, but of course the minute I got home last night, I looked up symptoms of brain tumors in dogs. I found a ton of information on the NCSU Vet School website, who go figure, has been researching brain tumors in Boxers because the rate of this breed having brain tumors at a much younger age is "concerning". It was pretty scary reading the website because a great majority of the symptoms I found for brain tumors in dogs, including crying out as if in pain, are all things that I've noticed in Noah lately. Looking back, not that I could have changed anything, but there are things I've noticed in him for weeks, or even months, that didn't seem at all out of the ordinary, but after reading the website, now stick out vividly in my mind.

Of course, myself, and more than just a few others are praying that it turns out to be nothing but a great big scare! At the same time, conditions don't look favorable and I'm also kind of expecting the worst. Don't get me wrong, it's not me being negative at all. In reality, knowing that a lot of the symptoms he has point to a possible brain tumor and knowing the vet mentioned this as an equally likely cause, make it hard for me to think it could be much else. If it turns out be nothing big, then I'll have a million reasons to be ecstatic!!! But, if it does turn out to be a brain tumor, or something of the sorts, then at least I've been able to try and make the last weeks of my once wild-little pups life the best ever AND I've had time to prepare myself as much as I emotionally can for what is coming.

All in all, he is just a dog, and from an eternal perspective, I know that he doesn't have a soul. So, while that doesn't make me feel any better on the emotional side of things, it does help offer me some peace in the midst of this scary time, even when I don't have any understanding.

He's a 70 pound lapdog with tons of attitude and thinks he can do whatever he wants..but honestly right now, I just don't know what is going to happen.

So, if you would, pray for a miracle! Pray that it's nothing at all and that the emotional wreck I've been for 24 hours straight will have all been in vain. But, also pray, that if it is confirmed as the worst, that though my heart will be really broken, I'd be happy with the memories I've had with Noah and be filled with peace about the whole situation.

He's just a dog, I know, but reasonable as it might seem to some and silly as it might seem to others - he's my little family...and I do not want to lose that.