With a nod to Daniel's sad news about his 'Zu-hound, Gizmo: http://www.4x4wire.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=68;t=011185
... I thought I'd post some better news.

Gozar's liver isn't likely to improve, and we're still making weekly trips to the vet to manage the effusion (almost a liter per day!), but his protein count is looking better. Our vet isn't ready to say that it is trending upward, but the plummeting stats have at least stabilized, and I can almost see my way into an upward trend. We're still way low of normal, but... well, we're ecstatic that he's still lint-ing up the air conditioner filter at Chez Burleson! <img border="0" title="" alt="[Big Grin]" src="images/icons/grin.gif" /> I've been scared to get my hopes up, but the numbers have been looking better for a while now, so I'll risk guarded optimism. Diet, drugs, and supplements seem to be helping! Thanks, folks, for your support in this thread, on the phone, and in email. We knew Gozar was special, but it is cool to hear that other people thought so, as well.

I'm not sure how long we have with Gozar, but he's plugging along for now, very much enjoying his new high-protein non-kibble prescription diet. We're spoiling the big furball rotten, and that takes some doing, since he was pretty spoiled to begin with, as our only child. I'll be taking him down to the river this evening -- that's the one place where his calm demeanor slides away into excitement (for a Newfie, that is movement that can be detected without aid of a time-lapse camera <img border="0" title="" alt="[Razz]" src="images/icons/tongue.gif" /> )

Many thanks for the support from Gozar's extended family! <img border="0" title="" alt="[Cool]" src="images/icons/cool.gif" /> I'm very grateful for the added time to role-model my fur-buddy's disposition. <img border="0" alt="[Rat]" title="" src="graemlins/rodent.gif" />

Randii