Lex sniffs out her new gourmet meal. She approves. Charlie is jealous.

A couple days ago Lexie finally stopped eating dog food. She still has a taste for human culinary treats, and in the last day or so has survived on hard boiled eggs (see recipe below), a broiled pork chop and cold cuts.

I called the vet to hear what I already know.

It’s too late to worry about what this will do to her kidney disease. We now are on the last walk we will take together.

So, after having an ugly cry, I wiped my eyes and drove to Trader Joe’s. Quite by accident we discovered they carry a treat that has become her favorite. I rarely shop here, but decided to pick up everything I needed today in one stop.

On the grocery list: eggs, cottage cheese, brown rice, the special dog treats and cinnamon rolls (for me).

Her meal came together like this: one cup of brown rice, a half cup of cottage cheese and two hard boiled eggs. Lex didn’t talk much. She was all business and she gobbled down her gourmet meal.

The good news is that all this protein has given Lexie an unbelievable energy boost. She’s hopping up on the couch with ease, and engaging (even instigating) in some roughhousing with Charlie. The bad news is that all this protein is horrible for her kidney failure, and well, the bad news is that this is a last measure attempt to get her to eat.

The hard boiled truth is that I just don’t know how much time I have left with Lex. Some days it feels fleeting, measured in moments. Other days she looks more robust, and I think I have weeks, or longer. Then there are the times I speak with my vet or look in Matt’s eyes, and I know the reality most likely is more grim than I’ll allow myself to believe.

While she gobbled her dinner tonight, I know better than to expect a repeat performance tomorrow morning. I’ve boiled an extra six eggs with the hopes she will still crave those if all else fails.

And if all else does fail, I will be OK. I’m taking this part of the journey one step at a time.

On an uplifting note, Charlie has learned a new command. He now knows DOWN. In fact, he enthusiastically plops both paws down, emphatically demonstrating his new found knowledge.

Matt is beyond pleased.

He now is teaching Charlie how to dance.

Hard-boiled egg recipe

By popular demand, we have decided to share our directions on how to make the perfect hard-boiled egg. It’s very simple.

• Cover uncooked eggs with water. Bring to a boil. Let boil for one minute.
• Remove from heat, cover. Let sit for 13 minutes.
• Move eggs to ice bath. Let sit until cool. The shock bath shrinks the inside egg enough to make peeling super easy.

Enjoy!

If you would like to receive email notifications when Our Furever Family publishes a new blog entry, please go to the home page and click on “Email subscriptions” in the right nav. Thanks for joining our journey!