Remolacha

thanks everyone! her incision is oozing a lot less and I think the swelling is starting to go down a bit. I have to keep reminding myself that she had major surgery and then almost died and that was only 5 days ago!

Poor baby, that must have hurt! I hope he is OK

I've been told 1500 for the glucosamine and at least 1000 for the MSM.

OK, I guess I didn't break her They were pleased with the way the incision looked, and thought it was oozing less than it had been yesterday. They did some bloodwork, her PCV is 33%, still low but improving. The edema they think will go away as she reabsorbs fluids, so she won't have little Lab feet for too long. They showed me how to massage her feet and legs to help with that. It will take some time, but she should eventually be OK. Her regular vet is coming tomorrow to look at Sallie's foot and will check her incision and rebandage. I will deal with leaks until then, what I had been doing was fine. Unless anything changes, I will update next week after she has her surgical follow up and I hopefully have the biopsy results. Thanks you all again for helping her get through this!

I am not sure that they didn't send her home too soon. Her incision is still oozing, not unusual I know, but I have not been able to do a very good job with the bandage changes, I feel like such an incompetent idiot She also has edema in her legs and feet. On the up side, she is eating well, and so happy to be home! I am taking her back today for a check on her incision (scheduled when we left yesterday), so we will see if my clumsy bandaging is good enough, or if she has to stay. I hope not. Her clotting factors are normal and her PCV is in the 30's low for a greyhound, but within canine normal.

I am so sorry! Sometimes these things just happen so fast, there is nothing you could have done

Well, we are home. They wanted to check her coagulation factors one more time (normal ) She is still oozing some from her incision, they gave me some gauze pads to replace if it seeped through the bandage, which it had by the time we got home, so I tried to replace them and have made a mess! She has this elastic body wrap, looks like a net version of racing silks. "just roll it up, replace the gauze pads, and roll it back down" easy-peasy NOT. Still she seems comfortable, she is eating fine. She has some edema in her lower legs, back legs in particular, so I am supposed to see that she walks around some to help that absorb. She ended up getting 7 units of blood and three of plasma I take her back tomorrow for a check on her incision, then if all is well, a check in with her surgeon in about a week. I am so pleased to have her home, but so afraid I will do something to mess her up

Seizures can be so scary! I hope this is a one time thing.

$98 was the generic! I might could have done better if I had had time to order it online, but I was calling around trying to find some on Saturday for her surgery on Monday, so I didn't have a lot of time.

she is not fond of the flashy box, but here is a recent demonstration of her best bed fail

OK, I don't feel quite so bad for paying $98 for 15. After everything else that's happened, $98 seems like nothing, and I sure am glad we had them!

I am sorry, I hope the coughing is not related to his heart. If it is any consolation, Sugar was on a ton of meds for a variety of heart problems and I lost her her at 12 1/2 to kidney failure.

Afternoon update is pretty good! She is slowly but steadily improving. She still has fluid in her abdomen, but they don't think she is still bleeding, just what was there hasn't all absorbed. I went out there this afternoon, they wanted to see if she would eat for me. She was very enthusiastic, but didn't eat a lot. That's OK, she did eat. We went for a few short walks, too. She is pretty wobbly still, but she is on a lot of pain meds. They are keeping her tonight to be sure she doesn't need anymore blood, and they hope her incision will stop oozing, but she may get to come home tomorrow!

Congratulations! I am glad you decided to call her Wasabi

This mornings update is cautiously better. All her "numbers" have improved overnight, although they are still low. The only one I remember for sure was the packed cell count (?) was 10 earlier in the evening, had risen to 18 late night, and was 27 at 3 a.m. Also her heart rate and blood pressure have been stable over night (they weren't earlier in the evening) There is still some fluid in her abdomen, but not as much. I will talk to them again this afternoon and hopefully we can make a long term plan then. I am still under my credit card limit, and if we reach that, well, I have checks I am sorry if this is too much detail for some people, or too frequent updates, but it helps me to write it out. Thanks again for everyone's good thoughts, prayers, white light, they are working!

I went back out to the hospital where she is staying overnight thinking I was going to say goodbye. When I got there (it is about 1/2 hr away) she had finally started to respond! She has had 3 or 4 units of blood, but as they explained to me, that wouldn't help her platelets much. They definitely said platelets. Anyway, I talked to the ER vet (who I swear is 12!) and the critical care vet who was on call. I felt better after talking to her, she is very familiar with greyhounds, trained at MSU. I got to visit with Molly for a little while. If she continues to respond tonight and is stable by morning, they think she will make it, although she will still have stay at least another 24 hrs in hospital. We are up to $5,000-$6,000 and I just authorized another $2,000+ for "blood products". If she makes it will be worth every penny, even if she doesn't, it will still be worth the money knowing I gave her every chance.

things are not looking so good. I called to see how she was doing, and her surgeon called me back to say her platelet count was dropping. They are giving her transfusions, but it isn't helping much, she is obviously bleeding inside. He doesn't know where it could be bleeding from, the surgery part was pretty straightforward. And yes, they are giving her the amicar, I asked. He is willing to go back in and see if he can find the cause and stop the bleeding, but he honestly doesn't think the prognosis is very good. I appreciate his telling me straight what he thinks. He is going to talk to the dr on call at the emergency clinic and the surgeon on call and see what they think and someone will call me back when they have the latest numbers. things are looking bad for my Princess

I am so sorry for your loss of both Malcolm and Lulu

She made it through the surgery OK. Her red blood cell and platelet count were low (so glad I started her on the Amicar!) and he suspected bleeding. When he got in there, he found signs that she had had some bleeding off and on, but not heavy. The spleen was nasty, and of course they took that. He said the liver was a little enlarged and the lymph node was inflamed (I think that was his word), but neither showed any masses, so both those things *could* be a reaction the the spleen. They biopsied all three, we will hear back in about a week. She has to stay overnight, and will probably get a transfusion, but hopefully can come home tomorrow. He said she was a very good patient, hadn't given up! That's my stubborn little princess, always polite . We can still use any good thoughts you have to spare, that she has an easy recovery. You have all done great for her so far, Thank You!!

I feed mine on slightly raised (bowls set on a stool or plant stand @ 6"-8" high) just because it looks uncomfortable for them with those long legs. Feeding him on the floor should be fine.

good ideas. mine don't particularly care for carrots, but I know many dogs do. I did the same for Fletcher with the "slimy stuff", minced and hid it in with the ground

I don't know if it would help or not, check with your vet. As I understand it, sub-q fluids are primarily to flush out toxins (so used with kidney problems) and counter dehydration.

I am sorry you did not have better luck with Specky. I do realize that once they get in there, it may be much worse, but like you, I want to give her a chance. I hate the idea of having to let her go like that (not sure why it seems worse) but will do what's best.

Walgreens supposedly had some in stock (in a store on the other side of town) My vet called it in this morning and they are still saying it is "being processed" after telling me it would take about two hours to fill. If I haven't heard anything by tomorrow morning I will call and try to find out what is going on. I hate dealing with Walgreens, this is so typical of their pharmacies!

Called Costco, CVS (several), hospital pharmacy, Walgreens (several). Lots of them offered to order it for me, but I need to start it on Monday. I get that it isn't a "popular" drug, but it's not like I live in rural Podunk! Oh well, I found some, so that's all that really matters. I did find it at one Walgreens, I am hoping it is only $30! ( no, I didn't ask, was just so glad to find it)