Guest AussieWilma Posted May 27, 2008 Share Posted May 27, 2008 Dear Grey Talk readers... We moved last year to Houston Texas from Melbourne Australia bringing with us our now 10 5/12 year old greyhound Wilma. Miss Wilma is currently at the Veterinary Emergency Referral Group Inc (VERGI) in Houston where we took her yesterday afternoon with diarrhea and bloody vomiting. Aside from the diarrhea and vomiting, the major concern was that her heart rate was extremely high at 220. The plan is to get her stabilized, do a whole battery of tests and then see where to go from there. They also did an ultrasound and her body was fine, but they have discovered a 3cm tumor in her heart. The tumor is located at the base of the aorta between the left and right ventricle and is pushing onto the right ventricle. Today we have been to see Wilma and her heart rate is back to normal and the vomiting is now under control. Later this afternoon we should get some more radiology results to give more information about her heart and the source of the bleeding. At some point we will also be taking her to see a veterinary cardiologist to determine whether the tumor is malignant or benign and what the prognosis could be. Any advice / information or light anyone can shed on this type of tumor would be most appreciated. We are in touch with GPA Houston who have been wonderful, just no one as yet (fortunately) has experienced a heart tumor with their grey. Thanks in advance for your assistance. Regards, Natalie, Gavin & Wilma PS If you'd like to see the sweet girl this enquiry is about - follow this link to the GPA Houston website bulletin board and her pretty face is my avatar - Wilma's Mum - GPA Houston bulletin board Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patsy Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 Absolutely nothing useful to offer but good thoughts for your sweet Wilma. Quote Patsy and DH with the Humane Society specials, Linus & Jazz, in North Dakota Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CaliforniaGreys Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 Oh I'm sorry I have no experience, but know that your girl will be in our prayers. Quote Missing my little Misty who took a huge piece of my heart with her on 5/2/09, and Ekko, on 6/28/12 For the sick, the lost, and the homeless Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maryz Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 Sending prayers for Wilma. She's adorable! Quote Mary, mom to kitty Rebel.Always missing Sherri (SO DELICIOUS) (12/6/2005-8/29/2018) kitties Marley (4/2000-12/3/2015) and Beady (4/1998-2/24/2006) and Dalmatian Daisy (7/25/1984-5/13/1999). The democracy will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not - Thomas Jefferson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Winterwish Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 (edited) oh I'm very sorry to read about your dear girl Wilma having a heart tumor. She's very adorable. It's a very difficult thing,tho' I suppose each case may be different or have differances that change the course from one dog to another. How is she doing now? Sending prayers and thoughts of calm to you and your dear girl Wilma. Edited June 24, 2008 by Winterwish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest argolola Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 I will pray for sweet Wilma. May God bless. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest greybookends Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 :hope :hope :hope Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest vahoundlover Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 No helpful information here either ...sending lots of prayers for your beautiful girlie, I love her ears! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest whatahound Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 Sending prayers and positive thoughts to you and Wilma. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest koolaidnconner Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 Sending out thoughts and prayers to you Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyBailey Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 I am so sorry to hear about your girl. Our Carrier had a 3 x 5 cm tumor at the base of his heart, but they said that it wasn't affecting or "touching" anything, so supposedly it didn't have any ill effects on they way his heart was functioning in terms of impeding flow or anything. Since Carrier already had cancer, was a tripod and was having heart problems, we opted not to do any biopsy on the heart as going in there would have put a lot of stress on him. This was also the recommendation of his oncologist not to do it. They suspected that it was either a chemodetoma - a slow growing tumor that doesn't respond to chemo drugs, or it was the osteosarcoma metastasizing in his heart. We also didn't have a clue as to how long it had been there. Shortly after the tumor was discovered, he started having an arrhythmia and was in ICU with a heart beat of 250/minute. They stabilized him and sent him home the next day. In calm situations his heart would beat at 90 - 120/minute but when he was stressed - aka at the vets, it would sky rocket. So we tried to avoid this as much as possible. That was in February. We lost him on March 30 and suspect it was the tumor or a blood clot that did it. They informed me that once the tumor ruptures, things can go bad really fast. Something happened to him at 11:30pm and by 10:30 am we had to let him go. I don't want to scare you.. I am only sharing what happened with Carrier's heart tumor. Some things to take into consideration ... since your girl is 10 and is experiencing this, a biopsy and or surgery might be quite tough on her. I would try to get her in to see a cardiologist asap to assess the situation. Sending many prayers to you and your girl. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patricia Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 Sending my prayers for your sweet baby girl. Quote Patti-Mommy of Lady Sophia 7-28-92 - 8-3-04... LaceyLaine 8-2-94-12-5-07... Flash Gordon 7-14-99 - 8-29-09... BrookLynne...Pavé Maria... and 18 Bridge Kids. WATCHING OVER US~SOPHIA~QUEENIE~LACEY LAINE~ CODY ANGELO~FLASH GORDON. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest AussieWilma Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 Do you have any specific questions? I'll try to say what may be most helpful,tho' I don't want to upset you anymore then I know you already are. The most important thing for me,was preventing his heart or the tumor from rupturing,prevention of suffering. Did the doctors say Wilma has a pericardial effusion? I don't want to scare you.. I am only sharing what happened with Carrier's heart tumor. Some things to take into consideration ... since your girl is 10 and is experiencing this, a biopsy and or surgery might be quite tough on her. I would try to get her in to see a cardiologist asap to assess the situation. A very big thank-you to everyone for your kind words and support. Miss Wilma is doing better today - she had a good night - and the main priority is to deal with the effects of dehydration from the vomiting / diarrhea. Her albumin (?) level is very low at 1.1 so she had plasma overnight and we hope to get her latest test results at about 11.00am today. With regards to the heart tumor - no mention of the type as yet - other than there are different types and that the veterinarian cardiologist is the best person to determine Wilma's situation. The vets at VERGI don't believe that the vomiting / diarrhea are related to the tumor so are concentrating on stabilising her first. One positive is that there hasn't been any indication of fluid around her lungs/heart and her breathing is good. So as soon as Miss Wilma is released we'll be seeing the cardiologist as soon as we can get an appointment. Special thanks to Winterwish and LadyBailey for sharing your experiences. As soon as we have seen the cardiologist and have more information I will be asking you lots of questions. We will certainly be focusing on Miss Wilma's quality of life as a priority. Thanks again for caring and sharing. Natalie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Winterwish Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 (edited) Hi Natalie,I'm glad to read Wilma had a good nite and is doing better today. It's my understanding that there are different types of heart tumors,and can also be hard to see if they see it at all,even with a very good echocardiagram and reading. I hope your girl Wilma will be stabilized for a very long while Natalie,with many love filled days ahead! If you have any questions,about what can happen or anything you just feel you need to know,I'll do my best to respond as clearly as I can. And to LadyBailey too , Edited June 1, 2008 by Winterwish Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest paulamariez Posted May 28, 2008 Share Posted May 28, 2008 Oh Miss Wilma, what a cutie pie you are! I just adore your picture! I am sending lots of prayers, love and light to Miss Wilma. Hopefully they can take care of her tender heart and she'll have lots of good quality time left with her family for good lovin'! Tiger, Bueller and Domino are sending Miss Wilma lots of healing doggie kisses as well! Get better soon Miss Wilma! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest AussieWilma Posted May 29, 2008 Share Posted May 29, 2008 UPDATE: THURSDAY 29 May: Again, a big thank-you for everyone's ongoing support, thoughts and prayers. Sadly Miss Wilma seems to have taken a turn for the worse with indications that her kidneys are failing - she has a of swelling in her legs, her urine protein / creatinine ratio is at 4.4 (with anything over 0.5 being of concern), she is still listless and despite having plasma her albumin levels have only moved to 1.4. So she is still a very sick girl and with the lack of progress it seems that there may be a lot more to the heart tumor than we are currently aware of. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burpdog Posted May 29, 2008 Share Posted May 29, 2008 Sending lots of prayers. Quote Diane & The Senior Gang Burpdog Biscuits Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest LynnM Posted May 29, 2008 Share Posted May 29, 2008 Best wishes for you and your girl. The outcomes of these sort of things that I've seen have not been good, but there's also not a veterinary cardiologist in town, nor is there one that does cardiothoracic surgery. I hope that the cardiology/surgical consult offers you some good news. Lynn Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Winterwish Posted May 30, 2008 Share Posted May 30, 2008 Wilma has been in my thoughts and prayers all day,and I hope so much she is resting comfortably with you tonite Natalie. I'm so sorry Wilma is having additional serious concerns. mary Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest AussieWilma Posted May 30, 2008 Share Posted May 30, 2008 What a day! After much discussion about next steps and what is best for Wilma we were still no closer to working out what to do. So we decided that the only way to really know was to go and see Wilma and see if we could work out what she needed to do. I had seen her this morning and it wasn't good - she was 'spacey' and didn't respond to her name or even me. At the vet we had more discussions with the vet who admitted her and talked some more about giving steroids a try to see if we could get some improvement that way. The vets observation was that Wilma hadn't given up - she was still eating - and had a really good 'attitude' - and that especially in older dogs, sometimes the steroids can give their systems the kick they need to get sorted out...so what to do? It's not solving the potentially underlying issues or the heart tumor, but might make them easier to diagnose? Then they brought Wilma in for her visit - and she comes straight over looking for some love - I guess her message to us - not to give up on her just yet either! So - Wilma is at home - and we started her new medications last night - and if they are going to make a difference - we should see improvement in 24 - 48 hours. She is on Prednisone 20mg, Doxycycline 100mg, Vasotec 20mg, Prilosec 20mg and Pepcid AC 10mg - all twice a day. Then she has Tramadol HCL 50mg every 6-8 hours for pain. She rested comfortably on her sheepskin and has had lots of love already - and has been demanding more. I guess we all feel much better at home than in hospital - and Wilma is no different. Wilma had a good nights rest - she was a bit restless (changing positions every couple of hours - she would have usually gone to sleep in one position and stayed there until it was time to get up on the morning) but had a good night. She's been out for a potty break and that went well. She's had some water and a snack and is doing what she does best now - "resting". Her legs are still quite swollen so she will be in the spa bath later this morning for her hydrotherapy - she hates the bath - so that will be interesting. We're taking each day as it comes - worrying about tomorrow when we get there... We really appreciate your support, encouragement, love and prayers. Natalie, Gavin & Wilma PS: Apologies for the long winded posts - you can just imagine how much I talk!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VinnieAndRexsMom Posted May 30, 2008 Share Posted May 30, 2008 Sending healing thoughts for your Wilma and hugs for you. Quote Tonya, mom to May, and my angels Vinnie, Rex, Red, Chase, and Jake. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
2NOFLEAS Posted May 30, 2008 Share Posted May 30, 2008 Sending paws in prayer............. Our ReRun left the day after his 12th birthday last year from a heart tumor that ruptured. They said there was no hope and we may never have known about it any sooner. Where it was - he would have had no chance. It was his time to be with his adoptive sister Lambie Pie. But the vet did say if it was in another place - he may have. So we're saying prayers and thoughts that your baby can be strong enough to pull through this and for you to be strong with her. It sounds like you have a good team to work with and you have some pretty good odds in your favor. Be strong - get well. Hugs. Quote Tina dogmom to Rocket and Angels Cofax (my girl) 5/9/01-7/1/10(OS), ReRun (my boy)(4/18/95-4/19/07 Heart tumor)) Dedicating my life as much as I could - to keeping the smile alive of my Lambie Pie - lost 12/04 to Rocky Mtn Spotted Fever.... & then there's the hubby - Bob .... http://www.freewebs.com/3nofleas/ . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LadyBailey Posted May 30, 2008 Share Posted May 30, 2008 Sending more prayers for you girl. Please keep us posted on she is doing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Winterwish Posted May 30, 2008 Share Posted May 30, 2008 I'm glad to see Wilma was able to come home and hope the medications help her very much. She must be loving getting loved on by you and Gavin. And you're not long winded at all! Sending prayers and best wishes for your girl Wilma. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
galgrey Posted May 30, 2008 Share Posted May 30, 2008 I'm so sorry to hear about your girl and I send my healing thoughts to her and to you. I've had two dogs with heart tumors (a greyhound and a weimaraner). Sadly, both had hemangiosarcoma. The greyhound's cancer was already wide spread by the time she was symptomatic. I certainly hope you get better news for your Wilma. Quote Cynthia, & Cristiano, galgoAlways in my heart: Frostman Newdawn Frost, Keno Jet Action & Chloe (NGA racing name unknown), Irys (galgo), Hannah (weim), Cruz (galgo), & Carly CW Your Charming Princess http://www.greyhound-data.com/d?i=1018857 "It came to me that every time I lose a dog they take a piece of my heart with them. And every new dog who comes into my life, gifts me with a piece of their heart. If I live long enough, all the components of my heart will be dog, and I will become as generous and loving as they are." -- Unknown Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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