When we arrived at the vet clinic late Wednesday evening, we had had to carry him out to the car and then into the clinic because he couldn't even stand without support.

The moment we walked into the clinic - just walk in, no call ahead, so they weren't expecting us - a vet tech grabbed him and took him in for examination, no hesitation, no waiting to get our information. All his vitals were out of order: dangerously low pulse, very low body temperature, shallow breathing, and all the various chemistry heading the wrong direction.

But so many things were wrong that the vet was able to quickly diagnose the problem as Addison's disease. Apparently it's very hard to recognize early, so a fast collapse into crisis like this is common.

They took great care of him, called us with updates, and sent us photos of him.

Today for the first time in weeks he showed real enthusiasm about life, dancing around the kitchen I made his breakfast. That was all the energy he had, so after eating he fell hard asleep on the couch, but when he woke up he looked at me with bright eyes, a wagging tail, and overall a happier demeanor than I'veseen in a long time.

Now it's up to me to make sure he gets his daily steroid pill and monthly steroid shot. If watched carefully, he should have a normal and healthy life.