Maybe we're finally getting to solving this problem

UPDATE ON MELODY:
Took her in to the vet today - I got an early appointment. Talked to the doctors, explained things. They looked at her - there was some weight loss. They seem to think there was some soreness in her gums but generally not bad. So a blood test was run.

Some of her levels on one sheet were all normal.
The 2nd sheet showed some interesting things though. 4 items were showing High, and I forget the names of what she told me the abbreviations mean, but the ALKP, ALT, Cholesterol, and TBIL levels were high. The BUN level was low, but since another indicator was normal (Phosphorus), the kidneys were ruled out as being a problem. Melody pees just fine.

She somehow developed a problem with her liver. The one doctor noted the yellow in her eyes, so that also indicated a liver problem. Without doing a biopsy or other physical tests, it's hard to determine if this is a tumor, cysts, or something close to cirrhosis, and possibly this is something that may heal. But the yellow in her eyes would be due to her not eating well and then the body is using the fat stores in her body. Anyway, the two things are related.

They were amused by her good spirits and sitting up to beg for attention. It was decided to see if medication and a change in her diet could help things, after all a change in the chemistry is expected to help the liver. As such, a protein-restricted diet has also been recommended. They sent home 4 cans of expen$ive brand dog food and a recipe I can make - but I don't know where to find calcium carbonate.

Medications prescribed include Prednisone and to help the liver function, Zentonil. After all those years of giving pills to Ariel, Melody shouldn't be much different.