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ZoomDoggy

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    I Lost My Sweet Chancy

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    My vet called back. Unfortunately I missed my chance to get the ultrasound at his clinic last week. :( The specialist won't b back there for a month, which is obviously too long to wait. I could go to the U, but I'm not thrilled with my prior experiences there, and would prefer to go to the specialist my grey-vet recommends. So the vet is calling around to find out where his specialist is going to be, and will refer me to whatever clinic he can in order to get the ultrasound this week.

     

    I came home to my regular waggy happy-to-see-me trio, but as soon as Chancy went outside to pee, her breathing became horrible (not that it was great to begin with). It's very humid and mid-80s out. :(

     

    I Lost My Sweet Chancy

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    Chancy's been on milk thistle for several months now, and her liver values are still creeping inexorably upward. :( I will likely go forward with the ultrasound, as I agree with those who take comfort in knowing they did all they could. It terrifies me nonetheless.

     

    Knowing VS not knowing, kind of a useless and frustrating debate, if the ultimate result is being helpless to change anything... :(

    I Lost My Sweet Chancy

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted · Edited by ZoomDoggy

    Thank you everyone for your kind thoughts. Chancy had a restless night last night, which is very unusual for her. I think her enlarged tummy is causing some discomfort. :( I'll be calling the vet when they open to see what he thinks about the ultrasound. I'm again leaning toward doing it, even though the thought makes me sick to my stomach. It's just too similar to how I lost Sissy last year. I don't know the odds of it being anything besides cancer, but it seems slim, which is why I was feeling so negative about it yesterday.

     

    She still has a good appetite, good stools, and gets excited (too excited for her breathing's sake :sad1 ) about car rides and walks (even though she can't go far or fast). She's still the sweetest, gentlest hound I've even had the honor of knowing. This morning I watched Sid, our pesty kitten, washing Chancy's face. Both Tip and Marla would've sent the kitten running in terror. Chancy just endured the attention, possibly even enjoyed it. :wub:

     

    This is from a couple months ago, but it's not an uncommon sight here:

    sid_chancy5.jpg

    I Lost My Sweet Chancy

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted · Edited by ZoomDoggy

    Within the last few days, I've noticed a slight enlargement of Chancy's abdomen, in precisely the same location as Sissy's when she was diagnosed with liver and spleen cancer. I've been planning to get an abdominal ultrasound, and had thought I could put it off until early August, since her liver values of eleven days ago were high, but not through the roof according to our trusted vet. With this new firm swelling, and Chancy's ever-increasing breathing problems, I may have to step up the ultrasound. FWIW, her appetite and other bodily functions are in good working order. I had also been considering tieback surgery for her breathing, but the liver seems to be taking a front seat now...

     

    My poor ol' gal is having a rough few days. I am a constant worrier, but I'm especially worried that we may not have much time left with our sweet ol' tigerdog. We're planning a roadtrip at the end of July to Grapehounds, and we intend to bring all the pups. It seems likely to be Chancy's last big trip. :( I can't see leaving her behind, as I truly believe she is happiest when with us, and especially if that means also being in the car.

     

    The pessimistic side of me wonders if there's any point in doing the ultrasound, since if it is indeed cancer, we are unwilling to put our beloved fragile shy old lady through aggressive treatments. I find myself wondering if it could even be anything else besides cancer.

     

    Please help us by sending positive thoughts. I'm not good at staying positive through these things. :( We adore our gentle stripey tigerdog, and two years with her isn't enough.

    chancy_sun1.jpg

    Gabapentin

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    Gabapentin is a drug for nerve pain. As I understand it, it's a human drug not really "approved" for veterinary use yet, but has been known to be helpful for dogs. The pacing is probably a pain reaction, so it sounds to me like the gabapentin isn't doing enough. Either the dose needs to be adjusted, or some other meds might need to be employed either "instead of" or "in addition to" the gabapentin. Discuss all that you're observing with your vet in detail. :goodluck

    Bloat

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    I'd suggest feeding twice daily instead of once. It's easier on their high-metabolism systems. (If I only ate once a day, I'd be insane with hunger by nightfall) And leash walking before and after is fine. But nothing strenuous, no running/jogging until she's had some time to digest.

     

    Congrats on your new greyhound! What's her name? Where are the photos?? :D

    Laryngeal Paralysis And "gulping"

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    Back from the vet. He still stands by his position that the tieback surgery is (from his personal observations) far too risky unless Chancy is in a much more serious crisis than she currently is. FWIW, I very much trust this vet's opinions. He's popularly considered the premier grey-vet in the Twin Cities metro. Her liver values are still increasing, slowly but surely. The vet said they were certainly elevated, but not at a point where he'd go for aggressive diagnostics yet. He did say he thought Chancy looked in great shape for her age. :) I just wish her breathing were easier. :(

     

    The vet did say that if I decide to go forward with the surgery, he'd help me find the best possible surgeon to perform it at his office, so he could oversee the anesthesia. This was a great comfort to me, especially since I've lost some faith in the U of M vets...

     

    Any rescue group in your area that you can reach out to? That may help alleviate your qualms if you're able to talk to someone who had first hand experience with the surgeon you may be considering.

     

    I'm an active volunteer with my group, but I don't know of anyone who's gone through this.

    Laryngeal Paralysis And "gulping"

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted · Edited by ZoomDoggy

    A couple months ago I was looking to have a surgeon at the U of M do the procedure, but it seems that there's no way I can "interview" them beforehand. :angry: What I don't like about the U is that the last time I had Chancy there, the vet we saw had no idea that greys have different blood values than other dogs. And they use greyhound blood donors all the time! I lost a bit of confidence at that point...

     

    The other problem is that the U vets wanted to figure out what was going on with her liver before considering the tieback (abdominal ultrasound, biopsies, etc). I can't help but feel that the breathing is a more immediate concern. Not to downplay liver problems by any means, as I know that a compromised liver can badly affect anesthesia recovery. It's just that I feel she might suffocate from laryngeal collapse before her liver can kill her. And really, I can only afford to address one thing at a time... :cry1

     

    Did I mention I'm in a quandary?

    Laryngeal Paralysis And "gulping"

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    I wonder if the gulping might indicate something other than LP... I s'pose it's dumb to try and guess... I just didn't want to do the endoscopy until/unless I was fully prepared to do a tieback. I don't want her to go under anesthesia twice if we can help it. :(

     

    By the way, I did join that LP Yahoo group. Thanks for the link. :)

    Question For Senior Owners...update Post #1 Home Resting Comfortably

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    If you're going forward with the ultrasound, see if they can get a need aspirate of the tumor. They *may* be able to get enough cells to determine if it's malignant, without doing an exploratory surgery. That worked for Sissy. Sadly it turned out that Sissy's tumors had metastasized to her liver and spleen and probably her intestines and elsewhere before we even knew she had cancer. :cry1

     

    But my point is, maybe they can get an answer without surgery... :goodluck

    Laryngeal Paralysis And "gulping"

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    My Chancy has probable LP (did xrays and flouroscope, but haven't done the endoscope yet), and I've noticed in the last month or so, her swallowing noise is a definite "Gulp" sound that wasn't there before. The gulping is not connected with any particular breathing crisis, she just gulps loudly every time she swallows. She eats & drinks just fine. I just wondered if anyone else has noticed "gulping" in their LP dogs, or if that might be something else entirely...

     

    We're going to the vet today to see what he thinks of her worsening breathing. Last time he saw Chancy, he felt that her LP was too mild to consider surgery. That may not be the case now... :(

     

    I still balk at the idea of surgery due to the risks I've read about, and also because Chancy's liver values are elevated, making anesthesia even more risky.

     

    I'm hoping my vet can help me make the best decision for my sweet stripey tigerdog.

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