2 Things

First, an update:

DS's baseball team has been in first place all season (a new thing for us, lol) and so they're in the play-offs. The lower ranked teams played last Thursday and were scheduled to play the first and second seed teams today.

We were scheduled to go on our boat trip this week - originally on Saturday the 28th, but then rescheduled because of the game. So, this is the scenario: If his team won today, the championship game is played Tuesday night and we leave early AM on Wednesday and add a day on the end of our trip and flip the itinerary. If they lost today, then we leave early AM Monday morning with our original itinerary ( Kingston, ON, then 1000 Islands for the weekend)

So, the game is scheduled for 2:45. The sky has cleared. Thunderstorm warning has been lifted. The kids are pumped. The team that has advanced to this round is one they've beaten twice.

Unfortunately they don't play a very good defensive game, and at the bottom of the third, they are down 10-6. Our heavy hitter is up at bat. Behind us, the clouds are very threatening. Just as he's at the plate, they call everyone off all the fields and to their cars to wait for 20 minutes because they saw lightening. Anyway, it looked like something out of the Wizard of OZ and when the buckets of rain started, we knew they were calling it off. DH is beside himself - he's so eager to start vacation, but he wants DS to win, too. So now, we wait to resume the game tomorrow night, and we could end up losing and still missing several of our vacation days.

So, the kids have a chance to rally tomorrow night and pick up the game at bat at the bottom of the third. The pet hotel is on hold for the dog, the neighbor cat and mice sitters are on hold, and I'm going to work tomorrow.

The second thing:
Our dog (who's been a member of the family since I was pregnant with number one son) was at the vet for his rabies vaccination and because of his age (13), they wanted him to have his semi-annual check up.

So, it turns out that he's lost 12 pounds since last year! Yikes. So, when the vet was checking him out, he felt a mass or hardening in his spleen. Desmond (that's our dog) was not in any pain or discomfort, and there's no way to tell if it's a tumor or tissue wrapped around it, or of part or all of the organ is affected, without doing a full senior blood work up on him - to the tune of $100.

He was diagnosed with laryngeal paralysis a few years ago and has been doing well with that, even without surgery. He has pills for when he gets overexcited, and we keep him out of the heat and don't over-exercise him.

The vet said his life expectancy for his breed is 11-13 years, and he'll be 14 at Thanksgiving.

So, the $100 bucks we could handle, but for what point? If it indicates surgery is needed, I'm not sure that would be best for an elderly dog with breathing issues who could die on the operating table and any surgery wouldn't really extend his life, since he's pretty much exceeded expectations at this point. He's not in pain, so it's not a surgery that would increase his comfort. He's already showing signs of significant slowing down and a typical loss of muscle control in his rear legs and corresponding incontinence that goes along with that.

He still acts like a puppy sometimes, getting all excited when he thinks he's going for a walk or ride, and prancing around us. He thinks he's a lap dog, even though he's a golden/lab mix. But really, he spends most of his days sleeping by the foot of my bed or on his dog bed in the laundry room.

What would you guys do? I feel an emotional attachment because he's part of our family, but this is a dog, not my grandmother, kwim?