Omar.

My dog isn't doing so well.

Before I continue with this post, I'd like to introduce you to my dog. Omar is a Shih-Tzu my family got as a 9 month old puppy about 14 years ago. I can remember the day we bought him. I remember my mom giving us a choice of getting this dog or going to Old Country Buffet for dinner. (Like we would choose anything over the adorable, pathetic-looking, flea bitten puppy that was so enthusiastically playing with us. I remember the drive home where we were all trying to decide on a name for him. My brother kept insisting we name him after Omar Vizquel, one of his favorite players from the Cleveland Indians. I didn't like it because I didn't like the Cleveland Indians, nor baseball for that matter, (still don't,) but my mom liked it, too. Since we were ultimately getting a Shih-Tzu because she wanted one, she got the final say and his name was Omar. Even so, the name fit him, and I quickly grew to love it for him. I remember playing Frisbee with him and our other dog, Sam; how Sam was so good at bringing the Frisbee back, while Omar would rather take it and chew on it and not let her steal it back. I remember him stealing our socks all the time and us finding them in odd places around the house.

When we had to put Sam down, it was hard. She was the first dog I ever remember having. I was 17 and she was 14. We grew up together. After she was gone, Omar kind of became my baby, especially now. When I'm home, I'm always taking care of him and I always try to bring him up to sleep with me at night. He's my baby, he's 15, and now he's not doing so well. It's hard.


Today, after I had tried to call my mom earlier only to have my brother answer and tell me she was at the vet with Omar, my mom called me while I was at dinner with some friends. She understands how much I love Omar, so she wanted to let me know how the vet visit was. She took him in because of what turned out to be a hematoma on his ear that she was worried about. That wasn't all she found out. Not only that, but he's got ear infections, no moisture in his eyes, and either a possible tapeworm or diabetes. Most of the stuff is fixable - the hematoma isn't much to worry about, he's got stuff for his ears and eyes, and he's on a deworming medicine. All we have to do is hope is that he's got a tapeworm because we can't afford insulin shots if he's got diabetes. And if he's got diabetes... Well, the outlook isn't too good.

I was nearly crying at dinner with my friends, which is something I don't do. I don't like crying in front of other people. Thankfully, I suppose, no one noticed. I'm crying now, again. I can't even think of what might have to happen without the threat of tears. It's just really hard right now and I wish I could be home with him. I miss him so much.