Our sweet old Mallory is getting up there in years. She is white around the mouth and eyes, she is much slower and has a hard time getting up when she is lying down. The past couple of months she has started coughing. We were in denial and refused to go to the vet because we were sure it would not be a pleasant outcome. Well over the past few days the cough has worsened and started keeping her (and us) up at night so we decided it was time to take her in. Shawn and I were totally prepared for the worse case scenario, and I really didn't believe we would be walking out of the building with Mallory. Well an exam, an X-ray, several bottles of medication and a few hundred dollars later we did walk out with Mallory happily leading the way! Although she has an enlarged heart (very common in labs) and it is not reversible, we did get some medication to help her be more comfortable. So while she may only have a few months to a year left with us, they will be cherished days that we didn't think we would have.