charbess

Thank you, Batmom. My peabrain can't take it anymore!

Thank you, tbhounds. I cannot reconcile the end result with the complete (to human eyes, anyway) lack of symptoms. She had, to our minds, recovered well from the dog attack in June...to us, it was a frightening event but one that had no lasting effects. Follow up exams to remove the drain and then the stitches went well; the vets were pleased with her progress, as were we. She exhibited no visible sign of stress...always happy and eager to go for walks, no skittishness in meeting other dogs, happy, happy, happy. We did notice a reluctance to come and sleep upstairs with us, as was normal for the entire 6 years we had her. But, we wrote that off to soreness from the stitches and the fact that it is cooler on the first floor, especially this year. .Made sense. I have been fanatical in reseaching this but there is just so much I can comprehend without a medical education...it helps so much to have people available who can say, "been there, done that." Google just goes so far.

I realize your finances prevent you from getting a second dog but would you be able to foster one for your group? Presumably they pick up the tab until the dog finds a permanent home. This would be a good time to try since you are home.

Charlotte has been gone 9 days now. Your messages of condolence and empathy mean so much and I thank you all. I am now trying to decipher and understand what exactly happened...the vet at the ER was very patient and explained things to us but I must confess, I shut down after a while. I have been on websites for a week, trying to educate myself. I gather "diffusely thickened walls" is a sign of trouble...did this cause the vomiting and severe diarrhea? Are thickened walls a symptom or a result? Would it heal itself over time, perhaps with changes in diet and meds or is it an auto-immune issue and this was the tip of the iceberg? I am trying to equate this "condition" with humans...what would the treatment be? In the worst case scenario, would a colostomy be the treatment of choice? As the vet explained it, if it was cancer and we chose to go the chemo route, they would first have to know what kind of cancer it was in order to use the correct drugs. That would involve a biopsy (surgery.) If it was not cancer but IBD the treatment would differ and involve trial and error for drug regimes and all the potential side effects. If we had wanted to bring Charlotte home for a bit she would prescribe prednisone but that would involve experimenting with the dosage to see what worked with the least amount of negative side effects. As it was, she had put her on it the night before but there was still leakage from her bowels. There was no "quick fix.". Of course I am second guessing myself here...did we act too fast in deciding on the euthanasia?. I just really want it explained to me in layperson's terms. Any info would be very much appreciated. Thank you.

Well, we spent quite a bit of time alone with her first...I brought a "picnic lunch" for her, the rest of the chopped meat I had cooked up on Thursday along with a hard boiled egg and a piece of pita bread, all her favorites. She gobbled up the meat but passed on the egg and bread. Then we spent time hugging, kissing, crying and taking pictures. She looked so vulnerable...her little butt was raw from the constant leakage and the staff was cleaning her up every 30 minutes and applying cream. We had hoped to take her out for a short walk but when we saw her stretched out on the floor after her few bites of food we could not ask her to indulge us in the heat. She dozed on and off while we massaged her poor body and until the final solution was administered. I have to keep remembering that when the dreaded "second thoughts" descend...We would not be able to attend to her like that at home without a great deal of stress on our parts. Selfishly, we did not want the additional burden of a $1500-$2000 colonoscopy or even an analysis of abdominal fluid to see what kind of cells were present and if she had septic stomach. That would have required the risk of anethesia (sp?) It would have made for a great learning experience and I envy the young vets there who have this exposure. The "old timers" are behind the scenes but the young woman vet who happened to be on emergency rotation when we came in Saturday morning could not have been more kind, compassionate and thorough. She took our questions to her mentors and we all got an education. We felt supported throughout this horrible ordeal. I told her never to quit her day job because she is a perfect companion and educator for those of us on this sad journey.

She is in heaven now.

Charlotte has been "unofficially" diagnosed with either Irritable Bowel Disease or Lymphoma. I am reeling. Started off with soft stools about a week ago. It progressed to explosive liquid diarrhea, vomiting, frightening weight loss (4 lbs in 2 days although on different scales but I know it is right...her bones are showing more and more.) Took her to our regular vet on Thursday night after 3 vomits and the beginning of bad diarrhea (not that there is good diarrhea.) Blood panel and fecal tests came back "great!" She was given an injection of anti-diarrhea meds and sent home with metronidazole. Friday morning, my heart almost stopped...her bedding was soaked through and there were puddles of feces and liquid all over the downstairs. The best way I can describe the sight is that her insides seemed to be shedding. Called the vet who said to keep an eye on it (!) and make sure she had plenty of water. While I was cleaning up (and the smell was very different from normal bowel results) I KNEW it was bad. But, the vomiting had stopped and she was enjoying the chopped meat and rice I made for her. Yesterday, Saturday, we took her to the emergency facility near us; she was admitted and tested. They have found fluid in the abdomen, enlarged lymph nodes, and enlarged spleen, evident on the Sonagram. Options explained to us are more diagnostics, exploratory surgery, prednisone, chemo. Researching this condition I see it is NOT common in dogs, more so in cats, and for dogs presenting with diarrhea as a main complaint it is the WORST prognosis. This condition represents only 7% of canine lymphomas. The hospital has put her on Prednisone to see if the leakage would stop...it has slowed but not stopped and she has to be cleaned up every 30 minutes. Diapers are not feasible, she would be constantly wet. Charlotte is 10 and up until a month ago was in great shape. Then, while out on a walk with my husband, she was attacked by a neighbor's dog and required 25 stitches in her chest area. She has healed from that but we think the stress of that may have set this whole horror in motion. We are not putting her through anymore and will go today to say our goodbyes. Our hearts are breaking but we feel this is the only solution. We have had her only 6 years and she is a doll. God forgive me but I don't think we can take a constantly leaking bowel, prednisone and no hope for the long term. I will gladly take her pain and discomfort upon myself but I hope to God I can bear it today.

Ha! Don't laugh...now that she has no teeth her tongue dangles out the side of her mouth...I've been thinking about applying a glop to the roof of her mouth to stick her jaws shut to prevent frostbite on her tongue!

Charlotte LOVES bread...just rattling the bag gets her running. She is particularly fond of Portuguese rolls. Now that she is toothless I give her little stale pieces in her bowl.

Dear All Helpful Hinters...we are getting along fine...I was more worried than Charlotte! I soaked her kibble and mixed it with Ricotta cheese, pot roast juice (made especially for the occasion,) crumbled chopped meat. Now I am wondering what treats I can give her...back in the day when she had teeth, she loved Denta Sticks, Milkbones and the like and Greenies. I dare not try those now. I have been giving her Milo's Meatballs, broken and crumbled. She loves them but I think she misses the satisfying gnawing experiences.

Thanks for this...guess I'm being a nervous Nellie...BTW, what is TOTW food? Not familar with this acronym.

I'm more concerned with choking hazard than chewability.

Charlotte had the remainder of her teeth pulled Monday due to auto-immune issue gingivitis. While her gums heal she needs soft mushy food. Vet recommended just soaking her kibble in water to soften it up but it takes too long. Right now we are using Hills Prescription A/D but it is too rich for long term use, both in terms of calories and cost. Whatever canned food I've used in the past is too chunky for a pup with no teeth! I'd rather not use my blender for dog food processing, so any suggestions for me and my Gummy Bear?

Absolutely agree to let your vet know WHY you are switching, but SWITCH and do it NOW. No one needs the stress imposed by this nasty person who is obviously in the wrong job...as long as you are happy with the alternative vet, don't waste a minute feeling guilty. I would feel terrible if I ever avoided contacting this office to avoid the stress of dealing with this witch...and put my pups at risk for my avoidance.

Especially for Dental issues: Dr. Scott Linick, Plainfield Animal Hospital, 2215 Park Ave, South Plainfield, NJ 07080. 908-755-2428. plainfieldanimalhospital.com Hours, M-F 8am-8pm, Sat 9-5, Sun 9-3. Dr. Linick has always had an interest in veterinary dentistry and in 1997 he became a Fellow of the Academy of Veterinary Dentistry, one of only 85 Fellows worldwide. Currently, Dr. Linick is on the Academy's Board of Directors. As a Fellow, Dr. Linick is trained in advanced dental procedures. These include endodontics (root canals and vital pulpotomies), restorative dentistry (crowns and fillings), orthodontics (braces and other appliances), oral surgery and oral medicine. He has lectured and taught dentistry locally, nationally and internationally. Of course, he still performs basic dentistry and cleanings. Dr. Linick strongly believes that a healthy mouth provides pets with healthier and happier lives.

This may be what my Charlotte has, an auto-immune issue resulting in gingivitis that cannot be controlled except by extracting all the teeth. I know, sounds awful but after several dentals over the 4 1/2 yrs we have had her with no long term results, we brought her to a doggie dentist. He did tests that revealed the auto-immune issue. Long story short, we are having all her teeth pulled. Right now there are 9 to go. Due to the sensitivity to anesthesia the extractions must be staged over several visits. When all is said and done, my kid will have a $5K smile without a tooth in her head. Then again, your issue may be controlled with "pulse" therapy, a monthly 5 day regime of antibiotics (clindamycin, 150 mg 2xdaily.) My other dog, Bess, is on this. At the very least, the vet should start antibiotics asap. Gingivitis can lead to organ failure if not treated. Apparently Greys are prone to this, genetically. Who knew? My first two had ugly teeth but nothing approaching the severity of what Charlotte has.