A heavy heart.

When it rains, it pours.  Saturday was a pretty rough day for us.  Sunday was cold and rainy, but Mike managed to finish the inside of the new coop for our laying hens and roosters and we got them all moved over.  He made an amazing nest box, his carpentry skills are really improving.  The cows had a good weekend and seemed to quickly work out their herd hierarchy.  It is amazing how quickly they learn their routine.  I give them each a litle grain in three different spots, now when I come in the barn, they just go right to their places.  The sheep are also doing well, today we put them in the pasture, they just followed me there and back, they are so sweet.  We have 14 turkey eggs and it seems like the turkey hens are starting to brood.  We bred our rabbis a month ago, and yesterday one rabbit gave birth to two babies, but when I went to give her fresh water this afternoon, they were dead.  Our rabbits are still young (about 10 months old) and this was her first litter.  I have been told this is very often the case with young, first time mommas, so we will try again in a month or so.  The babies were so cute, it was pretty heart breaking to see them so still and so cold.

But, what we are really and truly beyond upset about is our greyhound, Izzy.  We adopted her four years ago when a track in the town we now live next to closed.  She has been the best dog, so sweet, so loving.  On Saturday, I noticed she was favoring her back right paw.  She tends to do this each spring, gets a little stiff from winter and then seems sore for a while.  I assumed that was the problem, but this time, there was also a little redness around her hock.  On Sunday, she looked a little better and was eating and drinking fine, just staying off that leg.  We tried to keep her inside and resting, just like in the past when this has happened.  Izzy is eight years old, for a greyhound that is considered old age.  Monday morning, I woke up early and went to feed and water the livestock.  I came back in and noticed she was still upstairs.  I went to see her and was shocked to see her leg had swollen about three times the size it normally was.  I called the closest vet and took her right there.  They ran blood tests and everything came back normal.  They kept her to do some x-rays and additional tests.  That afternoon they called to say they thought it might be an unusual greyhound-specific disorder and recommended us to a specialist vet hospital in Rhode Island.  I took her there last night and they put her on IV fluids, pain meds, and ran more tests.  After talking to the vet this evening, they are pretty sure she has angiosarcoma, an aggressive form of cancer.  They will be running more tests tomorrow and then it will be decision time.  This is so hard, Jackson keeps asking me about her, and I have told him that she is very sick and the doctors might not be able to fix her.  Our other dog Zsaka seems lost without her.  She was the boss and he has been exceptionally clingy and anxious all day.  Izzy has had a fabulous life and has been a wonderful part of our family for four years.  We hope there is an easy, straightforward treatment for her ailments, but in all honesty, that is probably not the case.  If we are able to, we will bring Izzy home and make sure she is as comfortable and happy as possible before we send her over the Rainbow Bridge.  We have no intention or having her undergo numerous invasive procedures that may or may not improve her health.  Please send us your thoughts and well wishes, our hearts are very heavy tonight.