I thank everyone for their vibes for Marty. I'm sure they helped make his passing easier this morning.
As per our scheduled appointment, we took Marty to see the vet this morning. She was going to drain some of the fluid from his abdomen, to ease his discomfort, and suggested that we come back in an hour, maybe to get a cup of coffee or whatever. She told us that if he perked up, things would be fine, but if he didn't that we'd better plan for the worst.
Over breakfast, we talked about anything and everything except Marty. When we got back to the animal hospital, we were told that Marty had passed on quietly just minutes earlier.
They had set him down off of the examination table, and he walked around for a little, and then he laid down to rest. So at least he was comfortable.
He was a very good dog, always taking care of the other pups (even if he did have to put them in their places now and then). It's better for him now. And he had a much longer life than we'd been told he would have.
He made my life better, I know that.
Rest in peace, my big baby boy.