She pointed to the numbers one by one. Electrolytes were off. Muscle breakdown markers were elevated well beyond normal ranges. Nothing here suggested a simple adjustment problem. Sam felt the weight of it sink in as the pattern became harder to ignore.
“This is too severe for stress alone,” the vet said gently. She didn’t sound alarmed, but she didn’t soften the truth either. Stress could explain fear, maybe appetite loss. It couldn’t explain what Fortune’s body was doing now.