For a little while now I’ve suspected that Lucy had some sort of urinary tract issue going on, but I didn’t think it was any big deal. The only thing I’d noticed was that she would squat a number of times when I took her out but not really pee much, but otherwise she’s been fine. She’s been eating normally and drinking normally and behaving normally — playing with Asbjørn and running around outside, etc. — and not seeming to be in any pain, even when she was doing the multiple-unproductive-squat thing. Still, I’d planned to take her to the vet during Olof’s vacation near the end of the month, when I wouldn’t have to arrange babysitting.

Yesterday, though, she peed in the house three times, and the last time there was a little blood in the puddle. That combined with the fact that she wasn’t quite herself had me on the phone to the vet’s office to arrange an appointment as soon as possible. This morning Olof’s mom came to stay with the little girls and Lucy and I and a urine sample went to town.

The news wasn’t great.

After palpating her abdomen the vet said she suspected bladder stones, and a quick x-ray confirmed those suspicions. I saw the picture myself and there are a lot of them, and they’re big. She needs surgery to remove them, and the quicker the better. Unfortunately, we’re going into a holiday weekend now, so they couldn’t schedule her in until Tuesday morning, so we’ve just got to wait out the next several days.

Poor thing.