The picture on the left is what Simi looks like when she smiles. This was taken a few years ago. Look at how happy she is. I would do anything to have her back to constantly smiling.
I am sad to see Simi in her current state. She has barely any energy to walk. She tries but even getting up is a chore for her. She is on a regimen of medicine and has to be constantly monitored. She has something called Immune Mediated Hemolytic Anemia (IMHA), a condition where her own immune system is attacking her own red blood cells. I took her for a blood test today and her percentage of blood volume made up by red blood cells was 17%. This is very low. The normal number in canines should be at least 35%. I feel helpless. It is difficult to see her this way.
I am no doctor but she all the medicine she is on doesn’t seem to help. I take comfort that she is not in pain and her brain function is totally fine. She opens her eyes and I can see the twinkle when she sees me. It disappears in a second though. She has a sad, helpless, puppy-dog look, and then she closes her eyes and sleeps.
Simi has never been an energetic dog. But just a month ago, she was a happy dog who smiled at me all the time. She did smile at me once this morning but it wasn’t because she felt good; it was to make me feel good.
I have to take her in to the vet for a checkup again tomorrow. I wish there were something that can be done to get her back to being happy.
Thinking about running has obviously taken a backseat over the past couple of weeks. I have barely thought about it since returning from South Africa. When loved ones are hurting, all ambitions and goals become secondary. All I can think of is Simi.
I am behind on work too. With jetlag, I was up super-early trying to catch up.