Brutal, beautiful cold

Brutal, beautiful cold

Dawn in the heart of winter is a brutal, beautiful time. The temperature by the car thermometer was -24C. This may be nothing by some standards yet by banana belt Ontario standards, it is awful. Life is simply trying to endure and to get through.

Several sights about this dawn caught my eye. The way the ditch angles through the frame made an interesting almost asymmetrical contribution. The sun blushes the edge of the lower level clouds. there in the middle left of the frame, cirrus clouds are light, feathery, almost invisible. This photo and the others I took were well worth the cold stinging my bare fingers.

Goldfinches

Goldfinches

They are very hungry, emptying the feeder, trying to survive.

Brutal cold

Brutal cold

Today the high temperature was -11 or 12 F. With wind chill it felt like -19 or about -2. It was at times a bleak and very forceful reminder that we have a warm cars, warm offices, warm houses. We and our pets are blessed. Wildlife has none of this, the songbirds scramble for food, water, shelter. I topped up the bird feeder after getting home, liberally scattering seed on teh ground for the juncos and other ground feeders. Saturday and Sunday will will be warmer, then the brutal cold returns for a few days. It is winter, winter is brutal, it is a time of testing, of endurance.

Kendal is better

Kendal is better

It has been a rocky few days. His energy level as well as interest in food, water, and exercise are all still off. Present, it is true, but not his normal self.

Tuesday we took him back to the vet. Dr. Vallee, the senior vet at the clinic, reviewed Kendals’ record and x-rays. He recommended discontinuing the doxycycline and scheduled an ultrasound for Tuesday morning.

That night was rough. Kendal could not get comfortable, was groaning, trembling, breathing was off. We were prepared for the seemingly very real possibility that he would not come home. Tuesday morning, Dr. Vallees’ demeanor and discussion indicated that he expected to have to give us very bad news.

Well the ultrasound revealed. . . nothing earth-shattering let alone awful. He, and we, were puzzled. He took a pee sample and requested a full culture, and gave a cortisone injection to ease Kendals’ discomfort and improve his appetite. Kendal isn’t his normal self but he definitely feels better. Better appetite, better energy, more comfortable.

Today, New Years Day, he called us with initial results which suggest a leptospirosis infection. His explanation and our research indicate that Kendals’ symptoms – lower energy level and nterest in food, discomfort/pain, diarrhea, a bit of vomiting – and the bloodwork results coincide with how lepto presents. Dr. Vallee recommended resuming the doxy which we have done.

It’s not a definitive diagnosis but it makes sense. We should know more tomorrow.