Been At The Vets Today.. Brain Tumor Is Suspected

[Guest UnrulyHounds]

Give that sweet brave boy a kiss from me

[Guest trevdog]

Sending lots of good thoughts to your boy.......

[CaliforniaGreys]

He is really spoilt rotten now. Today he got a electrical heated bed, with memory foam. I guess my dentist visit can wait until next month..or so.

 

This really made me smile. Swedish massage next

You're the best!!

[4greyhounds]

Sending more prayers and hugs.

[Guest Alexandra_W]

Im not so sure i want to know what 'swedish massage' means in you guys ears.. It sounds dirty *S*

[Guest trevdog]

Maybe do some online research and searches on GT for some helpful hints if that's the case? I know there have been some posts on here about it and several greys in the states that are dealing with it....

[Guest Alexandra_W]

Update:

 

I am terribly diasppointed, sad and starting to getting irritated.

 

The result of the ANA-test should be in no later than thursday last week (it is monday 9.20 pm here now). Most likley sooner. Vet should contact me asap when the result came, as if they were positive we would start treatment immediatley, and if they were negative we should take the joint fluid test and then immediatley put him on the meds.

 

I agreed to not start treatment before the results came, as he can't be on steroids or NSAID when the joint fluid test is taken, if we needs one. Felt lousy KNOWING the dog is in severe pain, and not giving him any treatment, but okay, it was MAXIMUM one week, and in the dogs intererst.

 

Days came and went, thursday came and vent. No call. The dog started detoriating again, the behavioural issues came back (ie the pain was exaggrated again). On friday morning I called the hospital, and they promised the vet should call med that day. The nurse that answered the phone could tell THAT the result was in, but NOT is it was positive or neg, only the vet are allowed to reveal that information.

 

But fair enough, a bit irritated they hadn't called me asap when the results came, but done is done and the vet would call med that day.

 

She did NOT. I was heartbroken, and felt rally sad. They KNOW I am sitting with a dog in PAIN, it was friday night and th weekend coming up. And they did not call.

 

So, I put him back on the metacam. I KNOW it will mess up things - if the test is pos it will mean we have to stop the metacam and wait some time before we can put him on steroids, if the test is neh it mean we have to stop the metacam and wait some time before doing the joint fluid test. But I just couldn't sit and watch him get in more and more pain. So I put him back on metacam by my own choice and decision.

 

Weekend came and went, so did monday morning. No calls. At 10 am I called again, talked to a nurse that asked me to wait, and went to talk to the vet. Nurse came back, said the vet was really sorry but things had been chaotic on friday, she had seen the note to call me but there were just no time. But that the vet promised to call me today, but it could take som time and maybe not be until early evening. But she should no matter what call me TODAY (monday).

 

Now it is 9.20 pm monday night as said. And NO calls.

 

And I just want to cry - for the dogs sake. I am disappointes, sad and irritated, and fells very nonchalated. If it was just ME waiting, and waiting a day or a week did no difference for the dog, fine. But when they KNOW it is a dog in PAIN in the entire body, lots of pain, and that he had his metacam stoppa TWO WEEKS ago, and they dont MAKE that damn 5 - 15 minutes to make the call =/

[carronstar]

I am so sorry that you and your pup are going through that. I completely understand your being sad and disappointed. I would personally want to choke the darn vet for not being responsible or caring enough to call you even if they had to do so after hours. There is no reason at all to keep that dog in pain, they should give you answers. I will continue to keep you and your pup in my thoughts and prayers.

[CaliforniaGreys]

This is all so unacceptable

[MandysMom]

Oh how heartbreaking. I can't imagine how hard it must be for you. I'd be furious at a vet who seemed to be so nonchalant about an animal in pain. I'm so fortunate my vet is so caring and accesible. Sending good thoughts for you and your pup.

Edited March 23, 2009 by MandysMom

[Guest trevdog]

How frustrating and annoying...the poor boy.....

[Guest Leah]

I am so sorry. Prayers for all of you.

[Guest Alexandra_W]

The vet called yesterday (tuesday), and it had been a series of misunderstandings at the hospital. She did not try to excuse herself, but explained what had happened. And I got her e-mail adress so I can contact her straight on next time. (The mishap was that someone that should give me the test results hadn't. My vet was convinced I had got them, and that the dog already was booked in for the synovial tests, and that my questions was about that.)

 

I left him at the hospital this morning, poor guy. He will go under in this afternoon, and they will take synovial fluid from four separate joints. If things go by plan I can collect him again this afternoon. So now I am glued to the phone, waiting for the call telling me that the procedure is done and that he has come around from the anasteshia (spelling??)

[Guest SusanP]

[Guest Alexandra_W]

He is home now. With bandage all over, and feeling really hung-over.. Poor thing.. But he made it thru the anastehia, and now just to wait for him to recover and the test results to be in. Hopefully a bit faster than last time..

[CaliforniaGreys]

[Guest Annie]

Oh, Alexandra, I understand how you feel so well!!!

 

I am praying for you and your boy.

 

I hope that whatever is wrong, is easily treatable, and that he can enjoy a painfree life once again!

[duncan41]

Alexandra, you have been through the wringer and back again! I can feel your pain and frustration - all justifiable! I am so sorry you had to go through this. Ask your Vet (for the NEXT time) if a note can be put in the chart that it is OK to have the results sent to you by email or fax, if that's possible. You can read the results and then email the vet with any questions you might have.

 

In the meantime, sending prayers for your boy and hugs for you. You both deserve a break in all this. I pray that whatever "it" is, will be treatable.

[Guest Alexandra_W]

'It' is, according to the vet, to 99.9% auto-immune, no matter what the results show. But the tests might tell us WHAT kind of auto-immune disease it is. Worst case scenario is degenrative reumatoid arthritis. Ie the type that breaks down the joints. 'Best' - not that it feels anything good about it, is any other auto-immune evilness... =/

 

So, I guess hope is far gone it should be something easy and quick to fix, or even something that we could cure.

 

But if things go well, we will be able to keep it under control, and porr guy pain- and inflammation free for a number of good years with the aid of steroids. He will be put on steriods in a couple of days, no matter what the results of the synovial fluid test is.

 

Only thing that would get us 'out' from auti-immune is a septic/bacterial joint infection, but that is only a theoretic chance. He would have a lot of other signs, things would be more acute and so on if that was the case.

 

So my prayers goes out to ask the Gods that the steriods help, that we can stop the inflammation, keep it away and same with the pain, and that he would not have too terrible side-effects. And that he will have a number of happy, painfree and active years to come.

 

And THANKS for your support! I am starting to slowly, bit by bit, taking in and understanding what this really means for the future. I have been in some kind of chock and vacuum the last weeks, just making it through one day at a time..

 

And on the cute side - I worked the nightshift tonight, and as I should leavde the dog at the hospital this morning by 8.20 am, and quit my job at 8.00 am - a 1½ h hour travel from home, and the hospital is located in the same city as my work, my LOVLEY boss agreed that I could smuggle in the dog by the back door and have him with me during the night. Officially it is NO dogs allowed at my work. But my boy got a 'sneak in permission'. He was in heaven, being wiyh mum at WORK. He took his job with great responsibility (I work with mentally diasbled people with a range of agreesive and outraging behavior. But they all LOVE the dog. He has been there and met them out in the yard some times, and they always asks how he is, when he will come back and visit them and so on. So they were thrilled to have him in the house and 'sleeping over'

[CaliforniaGreys]

That is so cool of your boss, cudos to them!!

Not only is that boy saving lives as a blood donor, he's a great counselor as well.

He needs every good thing possible to come his way, as do you.

He's always on my mind and in my prayers and just know that we're here and on the ride with you. Wish there was more we could do.

If you've kept your sanilty this far, you're doing great!!

[MaryJane]

'

And on the cute side - I worked the nightshift tonight, and as I should leavde the dog at the hospital this morning by 8.20 am, and quit my job at 8.00 am - a 1½ h hour travel from home, and the hospital is located in the same city as my work, my LOVLEY boss agreed that I could smuggle in the dog by the back door and have him with me during the night. Officially it is NO dogs allowed at my work. But my boy got a 'sneak in permission'. He was in heaven, being wiyh mum at WORK. He took his job with great responsibility (I work with mentally diasbled people with a range of agreesive and outraging behavior. But they all LOVE the dog. He has been there and met them out in the yard some times, and they always asks how he is, when he will come back and visit them and so on. So they were thrilled to have him in the house and 'sleeping over'

 

I'm glad you're close to a treatment plan for your boy. And I just want to mention that I'm impressed with how you've gone through these tough times with your boy -- you've managed to keep the doctors focused, stayed on top of the treatments and kept an optimistic spirit.

[carronstar]

I am so happy to hear that you finally have a diagnosis and treatment plan for your boy. You have held it together so well through all of these weeks, staying positive, keeping the vets on their toes. Kudos to your boss for being so compassionate. We're all out here pulling for you!

[brandimom]

We are also sending our prayers!

[MandysMom]

Continuing to send prayers.

[Guest Alexandra_W]

A sad update.. He walked over the bridge today

 

He was treated with massive doses of cortisone, but did get nothing out of it except for the side effects.

 

Revisit at the vet after 4 weeks of hogh doses of cortisone showed no improvement at all.. They uppered the dose again to an even higher, and he was put on morphine to be pain free. Next visit was 10 days after, and still no improvement, he was even worse.

 

The prognosis was really bad even if we had tried treat him with cyclosporine or similar, and then he had been needes to take blood samples every week, due to the high doses he would need to have, and he would be extremly prone to infections.

 

As he had no worth of life left as it was, was a sad shadow of his old self, and the prognosis was bad, I decided to say no to cyclosporine and give him the last gift I could - to let him go.

 

I took him home, we uppered the morphine dose and he did get one last weekend of being a dog. After months on a leash and a terribly sad life, he was again, for a short, last time, allowed to be a dog. He had to play with his friends, play fetch a ball and run free on long walks in the woods. He was so happy, but noone could miss to see that he still was marked by the disease, but at least he did get a bit of joy and quality back in his life for some days.

 

I spoilt him rotten, and he has never eaten so much in his life. But today the morphinebought illusion was to be ended, and at 1.40 pm today he walked over the bridge, with his head in my lap. And I still haven't stoped crying my heart out. He was only 4½ years, he was so sweet, so brave and was worth so much more. If it was anything like justice in life, he should have had years of happy, painfree life left...

 

Utter - we miss you terribly, but please tell the ones already there that mom still thinks of them. And run, play, eat and enjoy - you are worth it. Mom did everything she could, and is so sorry she couldn't help you in any other way.