Not so little eh,so this is how mine will look in a few years time. Nice flowers!

PHYLLIS!! Go to your room! LOL *blush* Thanks Liz! Sheilajoyce, I thought of rock candy... but I'd have to order it online plus it's really smaller than I'd like. I found one other recipe for the hard candy (which was clear in the photo) but it calls for Vodka... which means I'll have to make sure the kids aren't eating it (it's not for a 'kids' party, but there may be a few kids there). Although... most of the alcohol should burn off at 250 degrees wouldn't you think?

I'm so sorry about your Mandy. The only experiences I can share involve my parents' two dogs that were adopted together (they weren't litter mates but were raised together from the time they were puppies) They adored each other. In April the male passed away and the female (they were 12) was devastated. She just wasn't herself anymore. She didn't cry or whine, but laid around the house and just slept and wasn't interested in anything. My parents had two other dogs at the time that were both under two years old so they were still in the puppy stage. Both dogs loved their "big sis" but because they were rowdy puppies that always wanted to play they annoyed her to no end. Also since the puppies were always in your face wanting attention the older girl didn't get as much attention. She just went downhill from there and she passed away in august. She was spoiled rotten in the end though (when my parents realized she wasn't doing well they took her for walks all the time and lavished her with attention and she loved that) I think that getting a puppy might be a bad idea because it might make your older dog jealous of all the attention a new puppy receives. I agree with the others that getting an older dog is probably the way to go. Good luck and I hope your dog is ok.

I understand "only 17". Cats often live far longer than that. I lost one a couple of years ago at 20. Two of the ones I have now are 17 and going relatively strongly. 17 is no longer ancient. I also understand your grief and fear. Please consider taking Dusty to the vet; there are potentially many things that could be wrong and treatable. In the meantime, pick up some human baby food (Gerber, Beech-Nut) - chicken, beef, or turkey (no onions, no garlic). That often will get them to eat something and get their appetite going again. Folks, don't fall for the "7 years per dog/cat year" fallacy to the situation. That is not at all true. Suzieque