I know all the positive vibes, good thoughts, prayers, etc... helped
. My favorite sanity saver is feeling much better today, even ate a bit breakfast this morning
It's been a long two weeks and while I'm exhausted, I'm beyond relieved. It started two Saturday's ago with an evening trip to the vet's office. She had had bloody diarrhea for several days and was refusing food and water. Before bringing her in, we had her stool tested for worms because even while on preventive medications, whip worms are very common around here and easily transmitted from dog to dog. The test came back negative. The covering vet (her "primary doctor" was on vacation) put her on medications to stop the diarrhea and a probiotic.
She seemed to be getting better, stool almost back to normal, eating again. The covering vet said whatever she had wasn't contagious, thought she probably ate something she shouldn't have, and said it was fine to board her for the weekend. (We went to visit difficult child 1 and his girlfriend for the weekend. difficult child 2 met us there and difficult child 3 traveled with us. Way off track, an entirely different thread, maybe for another day.) She seemed fine when we picked her up but things went downhill from there.
We ended up at the emergency clinic very early Monday morning. She was vomiting blood, refusing even water. When the ER vet looked at her records, saw how high her liver enzymes were (they had more than doubled within a three month period), coupled with her symptoms, she thought there was a possibility my favorite sanity saver could have liver cancer. She ordered blood work, x-rays, an ultrasound, fine needle biopsy if necessary, put her on an IV, gave her medications to stop the vomiting and diarrhea. We were able to pick her up that night and came home with lots of medications. The bottom line is that the tests showed a slightly enlarged liver and left adrenal gland and a spot on her spleen, most likely benign. No sign of liver cancer! However, these issues didn't cause her immediate illness. The ER doctor concluded she must have gotten into something outside.
Yesterday morning she was so weak from being sick that she couldn't even get up from a lying down position on the kitchen floor. Her "primary doctor" was back from vacation and we brought her there as quickly as we could. The best news is that she is going to be OK!! Her own vet reviewed all the records, ordered another blood test and said that my dog has what she calls, "the local Crud." She has seen other dogs in her practice with the same exact symptoms that my dog has. She said it's a super nasty bacterial infection that she thinks they're catching outside, easily transmitted from one dog to another. My fur baby was put back on an IV, given an injection, some more pills, watched for awhile and then allowed to go home with us. She is now on a very strong antibiotic and medications to calm her digestive system. She should make a full recovery
.
The bad news is that if her regular "doctor" hadn't been on vacation, we would have saved megabucks as her regular vet wouldn't have ordered all that testing. Although my husband and I decided awhile ago not to prolong her life through treatment if she has something like cancer, when the tests were ordered, we wanted to know what we're dealing with. We want to be able to make informed decisions as to what we believe is best for her. We will provide her with everything we possibly can to make her comfortable and happy. We know when she is no longer comfortable and happy, she'll let us know in her own way when it's time for her to go... I believe that letting go is the best final gift I'll ever be able to give her. I know I'll be a total wreck, need cases and cases of tissues to get through it, but, I'm OK with this.
I'm getting way ahead of myself, lol...!! For now, and hopefully for lots longer, my favorite sanity saver is ruling our household, spoiled beyond spoiled, very much loved, the way it is supposed to be, lol...
Thanks again for all your good thoughts, positive vibes, prayers, etc... Couldn't get by without my board "family!" SFR
