This was Gizmo's MRI day and we dropped him off at the vet's place at around 7.30am. Marg and I then caught a bus from the Franconia Springfield Metro to Potomac Mills. This is a vast shopping centre about 10 miles from us, which houses a huge range of outlets and shops of all descriptions, all of which are connected to a central internal walkway. These outlets are mainly focussed on catering to women's interests - regrettably there are no motor parts stores or bike shops, so my interest, which I worked hard at, waned after about 7 minutes.
Nonetheless we spent half a day there, picked up some good but cheap (compared to the prices in Oz) shoes and attempted other purchases only to be thwarted by a lack of availability or specificity.
Burdened with our shoe boxes, we caught the return bus to Franconia Springfield Metro and then called in at Home Depot and Target for essentials, on the walk back home.
We received a call from Leanne that Gizmo was ready to be collected from the vet's and so we congregated there at around 4.30. The vet showed us the MRI results and explained that the ailment causing Gizmo's problem, seemed to be connected to severe disease in his lumbar spinal cord. Treatment will depend on the results of a spinal fluid test which we will recieve tomorrow, but the most likely possibilities are a tumour, or GME (granulomatous meningoencephalonyelitis). Nothing permanent can be done about the tumour, though the treatment for GME is successful in about 70% of cases. It does however, mean long term medication.
We hope for the best with Gizmo - he is a much loved member of the family.
