okay, time for an update!
I consider the project pretty much done. I trimmed the fur, added back eyelids, lined the mouth, added whiskers, etc etc but it still felt like it was missing something.
I decided to give it some more depth by drybrushing shadows/highlights with oil paints (rather than acrylic, because I just prefer oils and it seems to work better in dispersing in the fur).
before and after (sorry about the angle change). Darkened around snootle, eyes, ears; lightened around inside of eyes, some of the snout, and ears.
this is a quick comparison of the brushed vs nonbrushed side (right side is brushed). I'm gonna add more whiskers about where the paint ends.