Wonder

FINALLY the vet called. He was supposed to call at 10am. The vet is a jerk but he saved my dog. He actually joked that he made me wait all day for an update. I can pick him up at 4:30 today. He has not clue why his bilirubin is elevated but told me to check it again in a few days. I asked if I could add asprin in case of a clot but he said no. That was what OSU suggested, to be on the safe side.

I stopped to see him before work. They brought him up front to a room instead of letting me back to his kennel so I didn't talk to a tech. He seemed more like himself, came over to me when I walked across the room and called him. His gums are yellow. I checked his weight and it's 62 so I don't think he's lost as much as I thought. I think they will do bloodwork soon. Today's pic I took one while he was standing but he looks too skinny so I deleted it from my cell. I heard back from OSU: Bilirubin is typically elevated due to blood breakdown (hemolysis) or liver dysfunction. Greyhounds can normally have a slightly elevated bilirubin but this is too high. They may consider repeating an abdominal ultrasound to look for clues. I have seen clots in liver vessels cause such elevations. In this case therapy is supportive, along with possible administration of aspirin to help prevent future clots.

I ask a ton of questions and I realized that they think I'm questioning their care. I'm not, I'm just trying to understand what is going on. I have a super over active brain so I think the worst but if they explain to me what is going on, I am calmer. Well calm is not the right word but I'm not freaking that much I just called and he's sleeping. He's on a bunch of drugs now. ABT - amoxi/baytril Something for the GI track Antacid Liver protectant They will recheck bilirubin in the morning.

I do already have a consult open at OSU on the mass so I could send them the bloodwork tomorrow. I asked for a copy today. Thanks for reminding me.

I'm on the verge of losing it. If I start crying, I won't stop. Good news, I brought Hammie (my foster since June and bounced twice) to a new home. The family has brother and have wanted him for a while. If he fits in, the will adopt him.

His bulirubin is 6.7. I'm really scared. They started some treatment for it. Doc has no idea why. He said the liver looked fine when he was in there. They also started amoxi and baytril. I asked the first day why he wasn't on ABT's. His WBC was way too high. Doc said it was high because of the mass and wasn't concerned. I should have pushed the ABT's. He did try to crawl into my lap when I was there but otherwise he just lays there. He barely responds to me. edited to add: I asked for them to run a SNAP 4DX test the next time the draw blood. Doesn't hurt to rule out TBD's. They think the lidocane was causing the puking so they stopped that this morning. Heart rate is normal now. Doc said that he's ok sending him home with ireg heart beat as long as the rate is normal. That was before the liver issue came up. He was puking Thur and Fri which I keep telling them. Not sure if it's related or not.

More bad news, liver function, somerhing wrong. Starting abt's, stopped rimadyl.

He's not coming home today He's been throwing up so they are stopping the lidocane to see if that helps. They are giving him something for an upset tummy. His heart rhythm is normal. If his heart rates stays down, they will see about sending him home tomorrow. I am going to go see him now. I miss him.

Update Sat afternoon Good news and bad news. Bad news- he is staying another night. Good news- he is responding to the lidocane treatment to regulate his heartbeat. They have him on a drip so that's why he has to stay. I am going there around 1:30 and will spend the afternoon with him.

It's common with a splenectomy. I asked if it could have anything to do with his hyperthermic issues and he said not really. It's from the chemicals that get released when the spleen is removed. Doc did say he would be better off at home because of his hyperthemic issues but he could keel over without treating the irreg heartbeat. So I really didn't know what to do. I want him home but don't want him to die here either. I am finishing up a few things at home and will go spend the afternoon there with him.

another update post 1

update post 1

I brought Lucky in on Tuesday for his annual and mentioned his was marking a lot in the house. I thought he had an UTI. I used a vet that is 5 mins to my house since Lucky get hyperthermic and stressed so I thought a closer vet would be the right thing (less time in the car to stree, my vet is 25+ mins away). Plus this vet does the exam in the room so I would be there to comfort him. Vet recommended urinary ultra sound so did that yesterday. She saw a mass on his spleen so did a full adbomin U/S. She thought she saw something on prostate but the final report that I saw today said it was ok. She said kidney's and liver were fine. Final report stated node on liver. I decided on surgery and scheduled it for next Tuesday with my vet that is a longer drive. He is awesome with surgery so I knew I would have him do it. Fast forward- he was just not doing well and I knew something was really wrong. I had gone home at 11 to check on him. He had not eaten since yesterday morning, very lethargic, bloated, gums white, temp 103 and just laid there. By 1pm, I decided to leave work and take him to the closer vet because my vet is out of town. I did talk to him and he told me to get a PCV. The closer vet was booked but said they would "work" us in. He could tell he had fluid so took a sample and it was blood. He said he only had hours so I had to do surgery. I asked for a chest xray. I was sure he would have lung mets and well, Lucky wouldn't have a chance. The lungs are CLEAR! So I ran him home, fed the other pups and then got back in the car. The emergency vet is 30 minutes away and I had to go during rush hour. blah. Got here, they checked us in quickly. This is the same clinic that I used for Thunder and the staff is awesome! I didn't wait long and talked to the vet. She went over my options. She said I made the right decision to bring him in or he would have died. They took him back to prep for surgery. The surgion talked to me, can't remember a word he said. They showed me the est, I don't care, just let me sign it so they can start. They said it will take about 20 mins. They will keep me informed the entire time. The tech has already come out to tell me that he's doing great. They sediated him and he is calm. So he should be done in about half an hour. He could use a ton of prayers. They gave him a 50-50 chance. ============= update Sat morning I can't believe he's alive. I am so lucky! The surgeon told me it was good I had not waited any longer or he would have died. He said the surgery went as well as can be expected. He could not take off what was on his liver but he wasn't too worried. Prostate was clear- He took out the mass and spleen. Biopsy results will be back middle of the week. So I still need lots of prayers. I think there is a 75% chance it's HSA. The surgery gave him 3 more months if it is. I did get to see him last night. I sat in the kennel for over an hour. He was pretty worked up. They did NOT have him sediated which I wish they would have. It was very loud back there. 2 dogs were pretty much screaming off and on. Lucky does not do well with noises. I got him to lay down after I had been in the kennel with him for 5 mins. He totally calmed down and laid his head on my lap. He was still panting and breathing heavy. I could hear him whining as well. I felt so bad but glad I could make him feel a little better. I left at 10pm. I had to get home to my other pups plus the kennel was not comfortable at all for my back. I honestly would have stayed all night if I had someone to be with my pups. The staff at the emergency vet are awesome. This is the same location that had Thunder. They were wonderful the 3 days he was there. In fact, I was talking to his ICU tech and recognized his voice from when I called every 3 hours to check on Thunder. He remembered Thunder and said he was so sweet. They were totally cool with me hanging out in the kennel with Lucky. They just worked around me, checking his vitals. He had a IV with fentenal (sp?) and they put a patch on him as well. He will start rimadyl this morning. I'm already checking my pharmacy stash at home to see what I have and what I'll have to go pick up, drug-wise. I called at 4am and he was doing fine. They had him outside a few times. I did beg that they used a fenced area with him instead of just walked out back. No idea if they listened to me or not. Trust me, I know my dog and I don't need him spooking outside and taking off on them. The doc is supposed to call me around 10am. If I don't hear from him, no news is good news but I can always check in. I am going to call in a bit to find out what drugs he will be on and when I can bring him home. I need to get my livingroom organized for Lucky. He won't be able to do stairs for a few weeks so we will all have to sleep in the livingroom. 2 of my awesome friends came and sat with me during the surgery. One brought me dinner and the other pretty much kept me calm. My mom came and also went back to see Lucky. Thanks for the prayers. He still needs them. They said recovery is quick, just a few days so that's great news. I still can't believe how quicky everything happened. He did not have any symptoms except marking a ton in the house. I never would have known if I had not done the U/S and he would have bled out and died. ==================================== Update #2 Sat The Doc just called. Said he's doing great, temp is good, blood pressure is normal. BUT he his heart rate is increased. So he's concerned. Gave me 2 options- send him home tonight and hope he doesn't keel over or treat it and keep him there a few more days. He said the treatment might or might not work. I asked if they can try it and see if he responds and if he does, then keep treating him. If he doesn't then I guess I will bring him home and hope for the best.

starting new thread

Lots of good thoughts for Pinky

ThanksI contacted him at home and I'm waiting to hear back from him on what I should do. The vet at Minnehaha is also off today so I talked to another vet there.

I really want Rodger to do the surgery but I will keep that in mind. Thanks for the suggestion.

I just checked on him. He must have heard me come in and was standing when I walked into the room. That's a first since this all started yesterday. Temp is 103.4 Gums pink, not white like last night. Slight panting when outside but otherwise not panting when laying down. Both of the vets that I've been dealing with are out today. I talked to another vet. He told me to keep an eye on him. Although I don't know what there is to do if the mass is bleeding, I don't think they can do his surgery early esp if they are both out today. Vet said he's hoping the mass clotted and if he starts to perk up, that is prob what happened.

Diane, did you really text me at 2:30am or was my cell acting funky? As for why ABT's...his WBC is double what it should be. So he wanted him on ceph now and the a diff abt after the surgery.

I used to buy it there but now I can get it from work. Huge can for $5

Crap, I've hit the... I can't even function mode. Vet is off on Friday's. I can text him but am going home at 11 and want to check on him first. I swear his tummy looks bloated. Making all kinds of noises which would be normal since he has not eaten since yesterday morning. He has fluid in his abdomen. I've been emailing Christine at OSU. She's been awesome about replying quickly. So far I am not second guessing (which I normally do) my decisions about anything and she's confirming all the decisions. Wishing I had not given xanax but there's no way I could have known he'd react this way. If it's not the xanax, it's the mass which was bleeding yesterday. No way to know for sure.

Tuesday Ok, take a deep breath and try not to get ahead of yourself... From what I could tell based on the earlier posts, Lucky has been acting fine other than accidents inside, and high globulins was found on routine bloodwork. There is always a small degree of risk with any surgical procedure, but the chances of Lucky not making it home are pretty low. Even if the vet thinks things look bad during surgery, I wouldn't necessarily advise making a decision on the spot if he's not really sick right now. Because Lucky is a spook, do you usually stay with him for procedures at the vet? Maybe all your vet meant by that comment was that you wouldn't be able to stay for the surgery and would have to wait in the lobby? There is also something on his prostate. My vet said that's generally cancer. I am going to do a chest xray before surgery. Those results will determine if we go ahead with the surgery. He is not doing well at all. I am hoping it's from the xanax and not the bleeding from the mass. His gums were pure white last night and he had thrown up when I was at work. He's panting yet feels cool to the touch. Temp was 102.4 last night. Wanted nothing to do with food. Just lays there with his eyes open. Doesn't respond to me unless I repeat. This morning, temp was 103.1, gums pink, drinking lots of water and then threw up. Poop is liquid. Won't eat. Just lays there. I will go home at 11 to check on him. He's only had a dental which was last year. Before that he's never had anything done since his adoption neuter. Those notes said he thrashed around after waking up. I did tell the vet that did the denal this. After his dental, they called me to come get him right away instead of making him stay there for the afternoon for observation. He was very anxious there. I am calling for those records today to check to see if they noted his temp. I mentioned these and his spiked temp during the U/S to the vet that will do the surgery next week. He said I should bring him right before the surgery instead of early like normal. Then keep him in the car until it's time to take him in the back to draw blood. He wants to check his TP and PVC before the surgery.

Me too. You have no idea how much.Thanks

Both Passon and Thunder are very vocal on pheno and both were vocal before pheno. Thunder is super HYPER Passion is just whiny