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December 24, 2004

This morning I found Connie meticulously grooming Precious in their indoor enclosure. When I served their breakfast Precious did not come to her food bowl. She remained inside, so I brought her morning drink and some food to her inside and noticed that her breathing was shallow, she appeared listless and her eyes were not as bright. She did drink and was eating, but with shallow breathing; I decided that she needed medical attention right away.

Lee took Precious in to the University of Florida vet school for tests early this morning. Her radiographs showed that she has disease in her lungs, a strong possibility of pneumonia. We will know more once all the tests are back. For now, they must keep Precious for a few days to monitor her. Precious is on an IV catheter, the vet is just 10 minutes away and they have oxygen right there. Precious will be checked on every 1 - 2 hours and if the vet feels it is necessary, she can be moved to ICU where she will have 24-hour observation. Lee was with her at the vet school most of the day today. The vet will call me tomorrow morning to give me a report and schedule a time for me to come in and visit with her. We will be visiting with Precious at least once a day until she can home. Her human family is making travel plans to be here with her during her recovery.

Please send your healing thoughts to Precious and say a prayer for a quick and full recovery.