Lady doesn't agree, but when you hear my story, I think you will be with TEAM MARLEY on this one.
DAY 1-Dec 21-Delhi to Shimla 8 hours; Shimla to Jeori 7 1/2 hours
We stopped for breakfast and Lady bought me my own paneer parantha. YUM!
We were going to four different homes over ten days so we had a lot of stuff!
Having a drink from my Outward Hound bowl.
Pallu and her family met us in Shimla and drove us to their house. Pallu fell asleep on me.
DAY 2: Dec 22 Remember that yummy paneer parantha? Well, that fried bread stuffed with spicy cheese combined with 15 hours of mountain roads didn't set well with my system. I've never had this problem before butt, I couldn't poop. I strained so much my butt swelled. I was miserable! Lady and Pallu were busy preparing for Pallu's birthday party the next day. I wasn't in a party mood. I had a fever in the night. So, Lady had Uncle Bill drive us to the local government vet to check me out.
Pallu waited with me outside the vet's. They shot me in my already sore behind, one on each side! They gave me some liquid paraffin to put in my water to help things come out better. Said I had to be on a liquid diet. What??? At Christmas? Said to give me a fever/pain reducer such as paracetamol. I could barely walk from being stuck and from trying so hard to get some relief. The only good thing is that Aunty Rae made me some chicken soup.
DAY 3 Dec 23: Pallu's birthday. My butt hurts. I feel terrible. I am staying by the heater. Lady is in charge of the party. Uncle Bill went to the chemist and brought back an antibiotic and paracetamol. The vet had told him what to get but the doses were too big. And Lady didn't know that the vet had NOT prescribed the antibiotic. Uncle Bill just thought it was a good idea. Lady knew the dose was too big so she split the pills, and only gave me a quarter, and a half of the antibiotic. I did not go to the party. Well, Uncle Bill walked by and saw me shaking badly. Lady ran in to find in having a grand mal seizure. She made sure I didn't hurt myself, and held me when I finally came out of it. That was the first of FIVE before we could get back to the government vet. Lady stayed in the room with me and let Uncle Bill and Aunt Rea handle the rest of the party. I was exhausted from the seizures. Lady cried and cried. She called her friends to pray for me.
Lady: I thought he was going to die. He had never been so sick. My friends were great staying on the phone with me. I begged God not to take him at Christmas.
Me again: Uncle Bill drove us back to the vet. He said the antibiotic was too big a dose and was not the one I had the day before. Lady scolded Uncle Bill. Uncle Bill felt bad.
Lady: Ultimately, it is my fault for not double-checking about the dosage.
I had a total of 7 seizures today. Lady didn't sleep all night. She just watched me breathe and she prayed. And she cried.
DAY 4: Christmas Eve- I made it through the night. We had many people coming for a Christmas service and for a party today. A guy started cooking the chicken outside in a huge pot. We all went up on the roof to get in the sunshine because it was so cold. The power went off, so without the heater inside it was FREEZING.
I started feeling better, but I mostly slept. I slept through the whole party.
I was pretty popular and folks wanted to hold me. I walked around some and my butt was much better.
After the party, Uncle Bill said we better get on the road to Aunty Rae's folks home because it had snowed already. So we packed everything up and were outside about to head down the treacherous hill to the van. Uncle Bill has to carry me because Lady can't manage. I was feeling pretty good by now. I had chicken soup for dinner. Lady wanted me to pee before we got in the van for the 3 hour trip. In just a heart beat, it happened. I walked off a ledge I couldn't see and fell about 10 feet onto my side. I screamed. Lady screamed and ran to my side. I don't know who screamed more or louder. I tried to get up on all fours. Lady tried to keep me still but I wiggled away, and kept crying. She got me still and checked me out. Uncle Bill said I was okay. Lady said...
Lady: I might have said, are you crazy? He fell 10 feet! He's not okay! but I don't remember. I told him to call the vet. He called every number he could. This is a government vet hospital that works with cows and monkeys and sheep. They had all taken off for the holidays. I called his vet hospital in Delhi. They told me to watch for vomiting, and to limit movement. And to bring him in for x-rays. I explained we were very far from home.
Me: Uncle Bill went back to the pharmacist and got liquid paracetamol and some betadine for the cut on my head. He said we could postpone the trip and see how I was the next day. Lady called Nancy in Shimla. She said immediately, bring me to Shimla and they would call the vets there. Uncle Bill said he would drive us to Shimla. Lady was grateful. She didn't know if she could find a taxi on Christmas Day. Lady called my uncle in the US. They talked through how to get me safely to Shimla on the windy mountain roads for seven hours.
Lady borrowed a suitcase from Aunty Rae, and packed me in hers. This is how I rode all the way to Shimla and then all the way back to Delhi. I was as snug as a bug in a rug, and I was safely tucked in.
DAY 5 Christmas- Lady didn't sleep again. She watched me. Lady, Pallu, Uncle Bill, and Aunty Rae opened a couple of presents and ate breakfast. I didn't get any because Lady was afraid I would get sick on the way through the mountains. We finally left at 11:00. Nancy had called and said no vets were available anywhere until Saturday, so we didn't rush. We got there at 6:00 and said good-bye to Uncle Bill, Rae, and Pallu. We went to the church, first, as they were still cleaning up. Uncle MP is the pastor. They had fed 1500 people and had 1200 at the service. Aunty Shallu made me some fresh chicken soup, and some paneer for Lady. I ate the soup. We took the rest home to have later. I seemed to be fine in the front. I was super tender on my abdomen, and my lower back. I tried to stand but would fall over. They have two German Shepherd puppies who came to annoy me. Hello. I can't see. I'm hurt. Leave me alone. We went home to Nancy's house and had Christmas. I'm still in the suitcase. I feel awful. But Lady is grateful.
Lady: Yes, for such awesome friends who changed their plans and drove us to Shimla, and awesome friends who took us in two days early, fed us, arranged for us to see the vet tomorrow, and made it feel like Christmas. Service, giving, that is the heart of Christmas. It didn't go as I had planned but it was special nonetheless because of our friends.
Lady brought gifts my grandma sent me and I opened them. Even blind I am the expert gift-opener! I even helped Lady open gifts the Critter family had given her. When I figured out it wasn't mine, I quit! Thanks, Grandma!
Uncle MP and Aunty Shallu gave us their big bed. Lady made me comfortable. I finally got out of that suitcase.
DAY 6- Dec 26 They packed me back up in the suitcase. Uncle Deepak drove us to the government vet. They took an x-ray and determined what Lady had figured out, that nothing was broken. They could not run lab tests to check my organ functions because the lab humans were gone. The vet shot me again a couple of times. She gave us a prescription for an antibiotic and a pain killer.
I just hung out with Vicky ( Nancy's brother) at the church.
Nancy and Lady had to go to the lower bazaar to get supplies for me. I used up all my bed pads. Lady wants to get back to Delhi so she asked Uncle MP to find us a driver. Uncle Deepak volunteered to drive us to Chandigarh where we would change taxis.
DAY 7 Dec 27 -10 hours travel. Bad night. I woke Lady up at 2:00 and puked up my Christmas dinner. I made a big mess. I woke Lady up again at 6:00 am and pooped bloody poop. I made a bigger mess.
Lady: I don't care. I will clean you up. I love you.
Me: I got packed back up in the suitcase for the four hour drive to Chandigarh to Wyatt, Tate, and Sara Grace's house. We had lunch here, and another Christmas. Tate gave me a Ninja Turtle band-aid for my head wound. It stuck too well. It took two hours to find another driver. Lady was anxious to get back to Delhi to my vet hospital. They close at 7 pm. Well, we didn't make it. Lady called and they said a vet would wait for me. They open for emergencies. The driver drove us to my house where Lady unloaded our stuff.
Lady: I was a bit anxious. We were late. The driver helped me carry all the stuff upstairs. Then he drove us to the vet's nearby. He got a tip. He only stopped for a ten-minute break instead of the usual thirty, plus a ten minute break. He got a tip.
Me: They were waiting for us. Two more x-rays. I didn't cry. As a matter of fact I am not as sore anymore. I can move better. Vet said soft tissue damage, no hairline fractures. Gave me even MORE shots. I feel like a pin cushion. I wanna go home. We get home about 10:00 pm and Lady settles me into our own bed. I can tell we're home. I sleep through the night. I think Lady gets a little sleep as well.
Day 8: Dec 28 Lady notices a small hole at the base of my tail. It gets bigger after I poop. Lady gives me my antibiotic. A little while later, I have another seizure. Lady loads me up in the stroller and off we go to the vet.
We get in the door and I have another seizure. They shove a syringe up my butt and poop comes out. I get all loopy but stop seizing. Lady cries. They stick me multiple times to find a vein to draw blood. They do a blood test. My liver is fine. My kidneys are not. They talk renal failure, kidney damage, need to change food, need to flush my kidneys. They put in a port in my leg. Big owie! They hook me up to an IV and I have to lie there forever. Finally we are finished. They wrap the port. I have to come back tomorrow two more times for IVs. Lady loads me in the stroller and is paying my bill. I start to seize again. She scoops me out and hollers for a vet. Well that place is crazy busy today. Finally one comes and shoots me in the butt again. He gives Lady a syringe in case I have another seizure at home. Lady cries.
We stop and buy more bedpads. I sleep and pee, and pee and sleep. I don't drink or eat. Lady hasn't eaten all day so she orders pizza. I smell it. I don't even want it. Our friends Debbie and Erin come over because they thought we could use a hug. Lady cries. Erin takes over scratching me so Lady can eat her pizza. We feel better.
Lady: Again we are blessed by wonderful friends.
DAY 9: Dec 29 To the vet twice again. More shots and more drips. Buy more bed pads. I slept through the night. Lady listens to me breathe. Vet gives Lady a can of renal diet to try with me.
Day 10: Dec 30 - I got up and pooped and peed on the balcony. Lady was so excited. Little triumphs, she said.
Lady: I was finally encouraged today. Marley has been so pitiful and not eating or drinking much of anything. I prayed for God's will in his life. I hate seeing my little guy so sick. I wondered if he would ever get better. The vet said to wait for the results of Friday's blood test. I didn't know if I could make it that long. I was afraid to sleep. I keep my hand on him to know that he is still alive. So, yes, I was ecstatic when he peed, pooped, and ate the canned food.
Me: Hey, that's good stuff. I smelled it and got up to check it out. I licked the bowl clean. After two hours, and I kept it down, Lady let me have more.
We went for drips and more sticks in my backside at 10:00 am and 6 pm. The vet said I can't have any salt. NO CHIPS? I can't have dairy. NO CHEESE? NO MILK? I can have tofu and egg whites. I can have chicken, no red meat. For how long? Vet said let's see what the blood results show.
I am walking around pretty well. My backside wobbles. It is easier to poop now. I sleep well at night. I don't bother the port on my leg. I know better. I don't want to wear one of those cones of shame. I have to go back tomorrow and the next day and the next...but we are going to try only one drip now.
So, who's with TEAM MARLEY? WORST CHRISTMAS TRIP EVER
TEAM LADY: A BLESSED CHRISTMAS FILLED WITH CARING FRIENDS
DAY 1-Dec 21-Delhi to Shimla 8 hours; Shimla to Jeori 7 1/2 hours
Having a drink from my Outward Hound bowl. 
DAY 3 Dec 23: Pallu's birthday. My butt hurts. I feel terrible. I am staying by the heater. Lady is in charge of the party. Uncle Bill went to the chemist and brought back an antibiotic and paracetamol. The vet had told him what to get but the doses were too big. And Lady didn't know that the vet had NOT prescribed the antibiotic. Uncle Bill just thought it was a good idea. Lady knew the dose was too big so she split the pills, and only gave me a quarter, and a half of the antibiotic. I did not go to the party. Well, Uncle Bill walked by and saw me shaking badly. Lady ran in to find in having a grand mal seizure. She made sure I didn't hurt myself, and held me when I finally came out of it. That was the first of FIVE before we could get back to the government vet. Lady stayed in the room with me and let Uncle Bill and Aunt Rea handle the rest of the party. I was exhausted from the seizures. Lady cried and cried. She called her friends to pray for me.
Lady: I thought he was going to die. He had never been so sick. My friends were great staying on the phone with me. I begged God not to take him at Christmas.
Me again: Uncle Bill drove us back to the vet. He said the antibiotic was too big a dose and was not the one I had the day before. Lady scolded Uncle Bill. Uncle Bill felt bad.
Lady: Ultimately, it is my fault for not double-checking about the dosage.
I had a total of 7 seizures today. Lady didn't sleep all night. She just watched me breathe and she prayed. And she cried.
DAY 4: Christmas Eve- I made it through the night. We had many people coming for a Christmas service and for a party today. A guy started cooking the chicken outside in a huge pot. We all went up on the roof to get in the sunshine because it was so cold. The power went off, so without the heater inside it was FREEZING.
Lady: I might have said, are you crazy? He fell 10 feet! He's not okay! but I don't remember. I told him to call the vet. He called every number he could. This is a government vet hospital that works with cows and monkeys and sheep. They had all taken off for the holidays. I called his vet hospital in Delhi. They told me to watch for vomiting, and to limit movement. And to bring him in for x-rays. I explained we were very far from home.
Me: Uncle Bill went back to the pharmacist and got liquid paracetamol and some betadine for the cut on my head. He said we could postpone the trip and see how I was the next day. Lady called Nancy in Shimla. She said immediately, bring me to Shimla and they would call the vets there. Uncle Bill said he would drive us to Shimla. Lady was grateful. She didn't know if she could find a taxi on Christmas Day. Lady called my uncle in the US. They talked through how to get me safely to Shimla on the windy mountain roads for seven hours.
DAY 5 Christmas- Lady didn't sleep again. She watched me. Lady, Pallu, Uncle Bill, and Aunty Rae opened a couple of presents and ate breakfast. I didn't get any because Lady was afraid I would get sick on the way through the mountains. We finally left at 11:00. Nancy had called and said no vets were available anywhere until Saturday, so we didn't rush. We got there at 6:00 and said good-bye to Uncle Bill, Rae, and Pallu. We went to the church, first, as they were still cleaning up. Uncle MP is the pastor. They had fed 1500 people and had 1200 at the service. Aunty Shallu made me some fresh chicken soup, and some paneer for Lady. I ate the soup. We took the rest home to have later. I seemed to be fine in the front. I was super tender on my abdomen, and my lower back. I tried to stand but would fall over. They have two German Shepherd puppies who came to annoy me. Hello. I can't see. I'm hurt. Leave me alone. We went home to Nancy's house and had Christmas. I'm still in the suitcase. I feel awful. But Lady is grateful.
Lady: Yes, for such awesome friends who changed their plans and drove us to Shimla, and awesome friends who took us in two days early, fed us, arranged for us to see the vet tomorrow, and made it feel like Christmas. Service, giving, that is the heart of Christmas. It didn't go as I had planned but it was special nonetheless because of our friends.
Lady brought gifts my grandma sent me and I opened them. Even blind I am the expert gift-opener! I even helped Lady open gifts the Critter family had given her. When I figured out it wasn't mine, I quit! Thanks, Grandma!
Uncle MP and Aunty Shallu gave us their big bed. Lady made me comfortable. I finally got out of that suitcase.
DAY 6- Dec 26 They packed me back up in the suitcase. Uncle Deepak drove us to the government vet. They took an x-ray and determined what Lady had figured out, that nothing was broken. They could not run lab tests to check my organ functions because the lab humans were gone. The vet shot me again a couple of times. She gave us a prescription for an antibiotic and a pain killer.
Nancy and Lady had to go to the lower bazaar to get supplies for me. I used up all my bed pads. Lady wants to get back to Delhi so she asked Uncle MP to find us a driver. Uncle Deepak volunteered to drive us to Chandigarh where we would change taxis.
DAY 7 Dec 27 -10 hours travel. Bad night. I woke Lady up at 2:00 and puked up my Christmas dinner. I made a big mess. I woke Lady up again at 6:00 am and pooped bloody poop. I made a bigger mess.
Lady: I don't care. I will clean you up. I love you.
Me: I got packed back up in the suitcase for the four hour drive to Chandigarh to Wyatt, Tate, and Sara Grace's house. We had lunch here, and another Christmas. Tate gave me a Ninja Turtle band-aid for my head wound. It stuck too well. It took two hours to find another driver. Lady was anxious to get back to Delhi to my vet hospital. They close at 7 pm. Well, we didn't make it. Lady called and they said a vet would wait for me. They open for emergencies. The driver drove us to my house where Lady unloaded our stuff.
Lady: I was a bit anxious. We were late. The driver helped me carry all the stuff upstairs. Then he drove us to the vet's nearby. He got a tip. He only stopped for a ten-minute break instead of the usual thirty, plus a ten minute break. He got a tip.
Me: They were waiting for us. Two more x-rays. I didn't cry. As a matter of fact I am not as sore anymore. I can move better. Vet said soft tissue damage, no hairline fractures. Gave me even MORE shots. I feel like a pin cushion. I wanna go home. We get home about 10:00 pm and Lady settles me into our own bed. I can tell we're home. I sleep through the night. I think Lady gets a little sleep as well.
Day 8: Dec 28 Lady notices a small hole at the base of my tail. It gets bigger after I poop. Lady gives me my antibiotic. A little while later, I have another seizure. Lady loads me up in the stroller and off we go to the vet.
We get in the door and I have another seizure. They shove a syringe up my butt and poop comes out. I get all loopy but stop seizing. Lady cries. They stick me multiple times to find a vein to draw blood. They do a blood test. My liver is fine. My kidneys are not. They talk renal failure, kidney damage, need to change food, need to flush my kidneys. They put in a port in my leg. Big owie! They hook me up to an IV and I have to lie there forever. Finally we are finished. They wrap the port. I have to come back tomorrow two more times for IVs. Lady loads me in the stroller and is paying my bill. I start to seize again. She scoops me out and hollers for a vet. Well that place is crazy busy today. Finally one comes and shoots me in the butt again. He gives Lady a syringe in case I have another seizure at home. Lady cries.
We stop and buy more bedpads. I sleep and pee, and pee and sleep. I don't drink or eat. Lady hasn't eaten all day so she orders pizza. I smell it. I don't even want it. Our friends Debbie and Erin come over because they thought we could use a hug. Lady cries. Erin takes over scratching me so Lady can eat her pizza. We feel better.
Lady: Again we are blessed by wonderful friends.
DAY 9: Dec 29 To the vet twice again. More shots and more drips. Buy more bed pads. I slept through the night. Lady listens to me breathe. Vet gives Lady a can of renal diet to try with me.
Day 10: Dec 30 - I got up and pooped and peed on the balcony. Lady was so excited. Little triumphs, she said.
Lady: I was finally encouraged today. Marley has been so pitiful and not eating or drinking much of anything. I prayed for God's will in his life. I hate seeing my little guy so sick. I wondered if he would ever get better. The vet said to wait for the results of Friday's blood test. I didn't know if I could make it that long. I was afraid to sleep. I keep my hand on him to know that he is still alive. So, yes, I was ecstatic when he peed, pooped, and ate the canned food.
Me: Hey, that's good stuff. I smelled it and got up to check it out. I licked the bowl clean. After two hours, and I kept it down, Lady let me have more.
We went for drips and more sticks in my backside at 10:00 am and 6 pm. The vet said I can't have any salt. NO CHIPS? I can't have dairy. NO CHEESE? NO MILK? I can have tofu and egg whites. I can have chicken, no red meat. For how long? Vet said let's see what the blood results show.
I am walking around pretty well. My backside wobbles. It is easier to poop now. I sleep well at night. I don't bother the port on my leg. I know better. I don't want to wear one of those cones of shame. I have to go back tomorrow and the next day and the next...but we are going to try only one drip now.
So, who's with TEAM MARLEY? WORST CHRISTMAS TRIP EVER
TEAM LADY: A BLESSED CHRISTMAS FILLED WITH CARING FRIENDS
