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We got the tests back today. Thirteen doesn't have diabetes and she doesn't have kidney disease. Whew!

So what does she have? Well we don't know. Maybe mild hypothyroid. Maybe mild anemia. Maybe something else entirely. Maybe nothing.

There are a lot of options for test we could do. Really expensive options. Not that the expense matters if it's going to improve or lengthen Thirteen's life. When Lina tore the ligament in her knee, we went to the veterinary college in Raleigh for her to have bone surgery, even though she was 12 years old. She was so active, it was totally worth to money to keep her from losing mobility. But it doesn't sound like the same situation with Thirteen. These tests would basically be a shot in the dark. We might find nothing. And if we do find something, it would likely be something we couldn't treat anyway. If they do a chest x-ray and find a tumor in her lungs, what are we going to do about it? Nothing. She's too frail for surgery or chemotherapy.

I talked it over with Dr. Pagel and we decided to start by giving her more food and a vitamin supplement. She was, after all, on a weight loss diet. Maybe all she needs is more nutrition. If she gains weight, then great. If not, then we'll start with the tests. Probably the first one we'll do is a more thorough test for hypothyroid.

This evening I bought "senior" dog food for Thirteen, the first time she's been off "light" food in more than a year. Woo hoo! I looked at the vitamins at PetSmart but couldn't find what I needed. Dr. Pagel said Thirteen needs iron and B6. PetSmart has vitamins with iron but not with B6. I called St. Francis and they have something called Nutrical, a goo that I can put in her food. Mmm, goo.