This is my dog Basal. He was purchased by my ex from a mall puppy store even though I warned him not to do it.  Basal had a history of colds and stomach upsets from the day we brought him home. But he was a lovable and kind dog that lived for playing catch and bringing back his favorite red ball. Over Christmas in 2007 Basal developed horrible diarrhea and started losing his fur.  Basal went from 24 pounds to 10 pounds in a less than a week.  Special food, lots of puppy pads and an attitude of patience and tolerance become my way of life.  I was able to get Basal's weight back up to 19 pounds but he was never able to get a full cut of hair back.  By Christmas 2008, Basal was on 7 different pills daily and an injection once a week.  He had an extreme case of PLE - Protein Losing Enteropathy, which covers a host of diseases.  PLE in basic terms means that Basal was no longer able to absorb proteins, fats, and at the last calcium through his digestive tract.  That is what finally caused his system to fail, Canine Hypocalcaemia - I wrote an article about the symptoms -

http://www.helium.com/items/1278955-dog-stumbling.

On January 5, 2009 I had to put my Bay-bay to sleep, he was no longer interested in his ball, he couldn't stand and I couldn't stop crying.  I know he is with my father and other loved ones in a place without pain, where the balls grow back their squeakiness, and treats grow like clover blossoms.  Basal was only 6 years old when he passed.
           Night Bay-bay.