Downhill...

Max (on Tuesday), snuggled up with William (who has been very concerned about Max)

Max is getting worse. I feel so completely helpless because I don't know how he got sick, and there's really nothing I can do for him now. It's hard to anticipate his needs, like when he's thirsty or when he needs to potty, because he's too tired to alert me about these things. He hasn't made a single sound since Monday, and even then it was just a low growl to get the other animals to leave him alone. I had made an appointment to have his cell count rechecked on Friday, but today we rescheduled it for Thursday. I'm scared that if we wait until Friday, it could be too late.

I just don't know how to deal with this right now. I know maybe some people think it's silly to get so worked up about a dog, but he isn't just a dog to me. I love him so much. I don't want him to suffer, but I'm not ready to let him go yet. He's only 6 years old, and I've only had two years with him. It amazes me how he could deteriorate so quickly. Just last week he was running around the backyard, giving me hugs, begging for a bite of whatever anybody was eating. I have had no time to deal with this, to process what's happening to him. And nobody can tell me why this happened, which is so frustrating. If he gets better, how do I keep this from happening again? How does someone just suddenly get an autoimmune disease? How does someone go from totally fine to practically dead in just a matter of days?

[update]: We just got back from the vet, and as I suspected, he's worse. His red count has dropped a little bit, as well as his protein levels. Also, his temperature is below normal and he's showing some jaundice in his ears and gums. We don't have very many options at this point, so he's having a blood transfusion. Best case scenario, he starts getting better and the red cell destruction stops. Worst case scenario, the transfusion could actually speed up the process of cell destruction, and he'll die. It could be a day or it could be a week before we know what's going to happen. It's hard to be optimistic at this point.