I am looking forward to what 2019 brings us. We have plans to add turkeys and more guineas to our mixed flock, to hatch out more eggs, expand our garden spaces, and plant more perennial foods (rhubarb, fruit trees, blueberries, grapes, etc.). I'm sure we will have other adventures that I haven't planned for too.
Today little Amos is 19 days old, and the other kittens are 23 days old. Today Amos had crusty eyes, and I cleaned him up again with a damp paper towel. I've been trying to give him a bit of goats milk in a bottle every morning, and what he doesn't drink I put in a little dish with a few kibbles of the grain-free cat food and soak it for a while before offering it to the other kittens. Today Butter-Beer and Amos turned up their noses at the goats milk and mushy cat food, but the other kittens all got a little taste. Only Ginger Bear seemed interested in attempting to eat the mushed kibbles. They're still young yet. The older cats appreciate their leftovers though!
Today my mom informed me that my brother's dog (Mitzu) is not doing well. He was recently diagnosed with prostate cancer, and despite being on anti-tumor and anti-inflammatory medicines, he is going downhill fast. I know they switched his medicine on Saturday to try to better help with pain relief, but he's not getting any better. He's in pain constantly, and it breaks my brother's heart. This dog is like a child to him. He loves this dog with all his heart. My heart breaks for him. He has decided that if Mitzu has another rough night and is still in unbearable pain in the morning, he will have him put to sleep tomorrow to end his suffering. What a very sad way to end the year. I wish him strength to make the hardest decision - the decision to put his pet's needs above his own. The decision all pet owners dread. The final decision. May the knowledge that this decision was the humane and kindest option, and the decade of good memories sustain him during what is sure to be a devastating time for my dear brother. Mitzu has a burial spot already set aside for him, on the edge of my parents' yard, right beside his brother, who died a few years ago. Unfortunately, the ground is frozen now, so I have offered to keep Mitzu's body in our new chest freezer until the ground thaws in the spring and he can be buried properly. It seems the least I can do to help comfort my brother.