seattlegreygirl

Our best little girl Pugsley lost her battle today and joined her sister, Amaya, at the bridge. We are absolutely broken-hearted. Pugsley was such an amazingly big-hearted girl, the sweetest pup we have ever known. She charmed everyone who met her and I'm sure she'll be doing the same up in heaven. Thank you to everyone who was praying for our girl; the love of this group really helped us over the past two weeks and we could feel the love and healing thoughts coming our way for Pugsley. She has left a huge hole in our hearts and I take comfort knowing that I'll be able to see her again when it's my time. We love you, Pugs.

We just went in for Pugsley's first follow-up; the poor pup was a bit nervous but otherwise, she's progressing! They took some blood and will be checking that and giving me a call later this week. Right now, other than keeping her on her meds schedule we're focusing on getting her appetite back. She's been eating some cooked turkey, rice and chicken and taking her pills with turkey and peanut butter. It is wonderful to have our girl home!

Great news, Pugsley is well enough to come home! We just picked her up from ACCES and she has a follow-up appt. on Tuesday. She’ll be on cyclosporine, prednisone and Pepcid (while she’s on prednisone) and cerenia as needed for nausea. They anticipate that she’ll be on meds for at least 4 – 6 months and possibly for life. We’re going to keep a close eye on her and make sure that she’s calm (no playing), eating and there’s no blood coming from anywhere. She’s a skinny girl right now but we should be able to get her back up to normal soon. I am just so happy that she's rallied so far and I hope she continues to heal now that she's at home!

Pugsley is stable right now. Her RBC was at 29% after the transfusion last night and it was still holding at 29% when they checked it this morning (Yay, Sheldon!). Her appetite is still shaky but that's to be expected. She has more platelets this morning (he didn’t have a count but there were more than there have been previously) and her stool is much less red, mostly brown at this point, which says the intestinal bleeding might be on its way to resolving. We're going to head in for a visit later this afternoon. I am SO hoping she can beat this thing!!!

BooMooandDoo and TINMANPDX, thank you both for your generous offers - you're making me cry all over again, but in a good way! I took Sheldon in to have him screened and there was good news and bad. He has a small heart murmur (which I understand is common in grey's as they have an "athlete's" heart and it sounds different) but he is a match for Pugsley! So, they were able to take a pint from him on this emergent basis but he is not able to be a donor for the future unless he is cleared by a cardiologist first. With the tremendous outlay for our Pugsley, another $400+ to have Sheldon checked out by a cardiologist so that he can be a blood donor in the future isn't in the cards at the moment. I am frustrated that we can't enroll him in the program, but right now my focus is on Pugsley. Pugsley is receiving Sheldon's blood as we speak and we're going in again to see her this evening. I am hoping she will rally!

Just got an update from the vet. Pugsley needed another transfusion last night and while she needed 2 units, they only had one. This morning, her RBC count is still only at 19% and her platelet count is 1300 (very, very low) so they are looking for a donor right now to transfuse another unit of whole blood. She is still bleeding from her intestinal tract but other sites (her gums, tongue, eye) have stopped so we are still cautiously optimistic. I hope the meds are beginning to kick in and that her strong, bubbly self can fight this. In the meantime, I am going to have Sheldon, our two-year old boy screened as a blood donor - it might not help for our Pugsley girl, but if it can help another pup I'm all for it.

That does my heart good to hear that - not only that she was wagging her tail (she loves it when we call her beautiful) but that she brought comfort to you. I am sorry about Truman.

We just returned from our visit with Pugsley and damned if our girl didn't rally. (BooMooandDoo, she is indeed at ACCES on Lake City) Her appetite came back and she ate some food and she's drinking. Her gums and tongue have stopped bleeding. It looks like the meds might be starting to take effect, so we are going to give it another day. She seemed happy to see us and have some love and gentle pets. Her energy seemed okay too, ears perking up when she heard a noise outside the door. So, we shall see how she does tonight and go from there. We were both looking closely (and checked with the vet, too) and she doesn't seem to be in pain or suffering. They have her on tramadol in addition to the other meds as the spleen enlargement could cause her discomfort. She's still walking and her tail wagged when she saw us. So, we'll see how tonight and tomorrow morning go.

We're waiting to hear from the vet right now. As of 8pm last night, Pugsley's RBC was at 19% and she needed another transfusion. We checked in this morning and they are waiting for her new bloodwork results at this point. I am really hoping to hear something soon.

I went to see Pugsley to bring her favorite stuffed giraffe and visit with her for a while this afternoon, Here's the update from the vet: Transfusion of whole blood last night bumped Pugsley up to 43% RBC, but unfortunately she's now back down in the mid-30s. Her appetite seems to have diminished significantly. She ate a little bit of food but not much today. According to the vet, this is to be expected as the problem is still in her system, and the meds have not had chance to work yet. She is still having explosive bloody liquid instead of diarrhea. She is also pretty thirsty, this is normal for her, and also it could be a result of the meds she is on. I also gave the vet the OSU consult link and she is going to check it out. Right now, it is largely a waiting game.

How would I consult with OSU? I agree - has anyone consulted with OSU in this matter?

Pugsley is stable this morning, doing pretty well and hanging in there. She is on steroids & antibiotics, and also an antacid to keep her tummy settled from the steroids. Her chest x-rays look fine; there is possible lymph node enlargement but they are not worried about it right now. No cancer was found on the ultrasound. Her bladder & spleen are enlarged and show signs of internal bleeding. Her red blood cell count has gone from 56% when they first drew blood to 39% yesterday afternoon, but they gave her a whole blood transfusion last night. They are a little worried because they are seeing bleeding in so many places, but the vet is hoping that the fresh platelets will help. This morning she started regurgitating a bloody liquid and there is still some active bleeding. According to the vet the regurgitation is to be expected since it can take the meds several days to really begin showing results. We should be able to go see her this afternoon. Since the first photos in this post were of the not-so-great side of Pugsley and the signs of thrombocypenia, here's one of my favorites of her which truly captures her sweet nature:

We spoke with the e-vet and the vet this morning and both agreed that she needed to see a specialist. So, she is now with the specialist/internist and they are running tests. It looks like it could be Thrombocytopenia - they are running a tick panel, plus x-ray & chest ultrasound to rule out a tumor. Unfortunately, her bruising is worse and her urine is bloody at this point. She's still trying to be her wonderful, sweet self though! I am hoping to hear back from the vet later this afternoon, on pins and needles right now. I just want her to be able to heal and recover from this!

Pugsley is at the e-vet, we took her in late last night. Platelets & white blood cells are low, they are giving her plasma. I'll know more when I transfer her from the e-vet to our vet later this morning. Hopefully, we can get a diagnosis soon. Please keep her in your thoughts!

Hello everyone, I discovered one large and several small spots on Pugsley's abdomen and legs which look like bruising. She hasn't had any accidents that I am aware of, and this seems to have come on suddenly as I don't recall seeing these bruises on her before today. Has anyone seen anything like this before? I am going to schedule a vet appt. in the morning for her. She seems totally fine and is still playing and eating normally, but I am worried about her. If anyone has seen something this before, I'd love to know what it might be!

This is horrible news Give lots of extra loving to Spud, you're both in our thoughts!

I do this as well.

We make dogs wear collars all the time, and nobody thinks it's cruel. A muzzle is just the same, it's something we put on them to wear for their safety. We do the same thing.

Once upon a time, I tried recall training with the word "come" with our pack. No luck with that, but now I have inadvertently trained them to come running when I yell "Who wants bully sticks???" Fingers crossed but they haven't gotten out - however, I am fully prepared to be known as the crazy lady in the 'hood if they do ever get out and I'm running the streets yelling "Who wants bully sticks???"

Ours know but won't cop to several words but the number one most recognizable phrase is: "Who wants bully sticks???" They come running every time.

greysmom, I was so sad to see that Dude is also an angel - but take comfort that both of them are now running amok at the bridge

Amaya (racing name: Anna Malle) 02-16-2002 ~ 05-23-2012 Our beautiful spitfire, Amaya, went to the bridge on May 23. It's been a tough time and the rest of our pack is still in mourning. She was a little girl with a huge presence, and we miss her tremendously. Godspeed, little girl!

Ours get sardines (a tin split between the three of them) in olive oil, once a week. They have officially been dubbed Stinky Fish Saturdays and the pack comes looking for me Saturday AM if I happen to forget!

One sits and the other two do not (but I do plan on trying to train them both). As soon as treats come out in our house, Whidbey's butt hits the ground lickety-split

Yes, like Velcro! And since there are three it's either one starts and the others scramble to follow or all three behave like I'm the president and they're my security detail, covering me from all angles to the point of tripping me on occasion.