Been up all night with a very sick dog...

[Yéil]

Our goof ball collie rescue started last Friday morning off with a big pool of bile vomit. For a collie, this is not a situation that doesn't occur at least once or twice a month. They are notorious for having sensitive digestive tracts and the slightest change in diet can set them off.

I usually treat an episode of bile vomit with one Tums and something yummy to get food in their guts. Most of the time it resolves itself by lunchtime.

Not this time, this little girl went from being a total goof ball ( I swear she hung out with Labs or GR because her retrieving skills are none stop) to a dog in crisis. All within 3 days.

She went totally off her food by Sunday and I couldn't even get a few grains of rice down her, chicken broth was ignored. She was still drinking and the vomiting was confined to the early morning (between 1-4 am) so we figured she had a bug that she might have picked up off of anyone or anything. The tummy upset was the fallout of the bug.

She was still fetching and active on Sunday so along with the fluid intake and only once a day vomiting, we figured she'd be ok until Monday before we headed for the vet.

On Monday, the bile vomiting was being triggered by her eating snow - probably eating it to cool her throat down from the acid being chucked up it - and now she was vomiting after drinking water/snow. Called the vet, couldn't get her in until today. She went on the decline from Monday afternoon until Tues at noon when I could barely get her to lift her head. I had to carry her out to the car - couldn't use the truck, I couldn't lift her into it.

The thing about collies (rough, smooth) is that they are very stoic dogs. They have to be in a great deal of pain or very sick before you'd hear a pip out of them. I should have clued in sooner when she stopped barking at the evil dog next door. These dogs also throw vets into a tizzy over their illnesses because well, they just don't get sick like all the other dogs. They've been known to fool a vet or two on a DX or a symptom that doesn't quite fit with a known disease or a test result that is way off the scale.

Today it's been non-stopped bile vomiting and by the time I got her to the vet, even with using pedialyte for her electrolytes for the last 3 days, she was very dehydrated. The vet put her on an IV for fluids and gave her an IM anti-nausea injection to help with her vomiting.

They also did a blood panel to check for an infection, liver and kidney functions and the usual screening tests for diseases. I expected the vet to come back with she has irritable bowel or colitis or something collie-ish with the digestive tract. I got instead, elevated calcium levels that could lead to kidney failure or cancer or Addison's or parathyroid tumours. The condition is called Hypercalcemia - means the body is kicking out the calcium from her bones into her blood and if we can't get it down by finding the underlying cause, her kidneys will just stop working. One question the vet asked was did we give her Vitamin D? We don't but then I thought of some of the newer rat poisons that use Vit D to kill the rats. I can't think how she might have got into it unless the rail yard here has been using it - anyone know what they might use here?

Now I'm sitting her watching over her, and thinking please, please, please let this be one of those weird collie things that drive the vets crazy because they can't figure out why the dog is doing what it is doing. I really want it to be because she's dehydrated and it's throwing her levels off... I'm hoping that tomorrow when I take her back for her next IV and more tests that she'll be fine. That's my mushy emotional side of my brain talking.. the rational side knows it's only going to be bad news tomorrow.

I've had so many dogs over the years and when one is losing a fight to gain their health back, I just can't seem to use all that heartache and experience and put it towards the dog that is now sick. The thought of trying to be "brave" when the vet tells me what is going on, I just simply can not muster the braveness. This denial thing is strong...

Hubby is away right now and all I can hope for is we can get by hour by hour so she's still here when he gets home. Right now, I'll take 30 minutes in between the vomiting. Her throat is going to be a mess by now... tried giving her a bit of honey to soothe it... she's not having any of it. I'm dribbling water into her mouth with a little syringe so it won't hurt her throat. She really tried hard to lick an ice cube but she gave up - too exhausting for her.

This sucks. Anyone have any similar experiences with their dogs?

[DarkAisling]

What a miserable thing to endure. I haven't had a dog who has gone through it, but I did have a cat go through something similar.

I'm confused as to why the vet has not provided you (at a cost) with the tools to provide fluids at home. It wasn't difficult to provide subcutaneous fluids at home for my cat: I was more freaked out by the needle than she was by the whole process.

I'm not sure if you're trying to get her to eat. The vet who treated my cat advised me to make a purée from a roasted Safeway chicken. He advised me that Safeway does something to their chickens when they roast them (he had no idea what) that makes them virtually irrasitable to critters. He insisted that if an animal had any will to eat, the animal would eat the purée.

Sadly, I lost my cat. The anorexia brought on by her fatty liver disease was too far advanced.

[Arachnodisiac]

I'm so sorry for your dog, and for all of the associated trauma.

It's really rough to watch a loved one weaken and fail, especially when we imagine them to have been suffering wordlessly.

Be realistic, but do not let that small spark of hope to fade entirely!

I did have a similar experience with a cat. The opening from her stomach to her intestine was too small, and deformed. We had her (a stray) without incident for the first several months. Then she had kittens, and went downhill very fast. Kept her alive for five weeks or so after the kittens were born, though she was too weak to feed them. We tried exploratory surgery, a liquid diet... everything we could think of.

In the end, we had her put down. The veterinarian felt so badly for us that they charged us only for the outside lab work sent to the city.

Good luck, and keep us posted!

[Yéil]

I got my 30 minutes and then some...this is good...now to get to 9am and to the vet.

DA, I don't understand why I didn't get the IV stuff to take home either. They left the catheter in so all I have to do it change the bags...it's not like I haven't done this before.

I wish we had a Safeway in town. I'd be over there in a flash if it would get her to eat.


Awww, crude... spoke too soon... more bile vomit. sigh

[rottie]

To soothe her throat ,would she chew/suck on frozen broth of some sort
Good luck

[FishingMOM]

Sure hope she pulls through.


Had a collie as a kid, so I recall the vomiting and the crazy spunky character.

[Dacotensis]

Collies, yep. I had one that did the same thing. It got to the point-so bad over the course of a few months that I had to put her down.
The bile and uncontrolled bowls are what finally did it for me. I knew she wasn't well.
When my dogs got sick I would cook up = parts ground meat and rice. This usually helped them to get something in their gut.Just a cup at a time. I nursed my little terrier mutt back from the brink many times. She lived 15 years but the last 3 were not quality for a dog like her.
I know this desn't help to hear it, but non-the less try some ground meat and rice.
Dac

[GOPHERSPLAT]

Sorry to hear,a traumatic time for you both.
When our collie/shepherd had a similar problem (not as severe mind) we were told to give him Cottage cheese,on its own or with plain boiled rice,Cottage cheese is easily digested and can help neutralize acidity,small amounts to start then maybe add some rice to it,then after a few days start adding plain boiled or grilled chicken.
Hope it all comes good.

[Yéil]

Thanks folks, she's at the vet now on an IV. They are going to sedate her and then load her up with anti-nausea meds. They need to get her calcium levels down because right now they are past the toxic level. Vet figures if we keep her there overnight then she can keep the IV running and Little Miss Smarty Dog won't be able to get into the toilets to drink and then start the vomiting again.

I offered her everything I knew she loved to eat and she turned her head away the minute she sniffed it. This dog does backflips for a small piece of moose jerky, not even that enticed her. If I can get her past this day and onto the meds, maybe she'll be enticed with all your suggestions.. thanks for them.

[DarkAisling]

Poor girl. :(

Hopefully the vet can get her feeling well enough that she'll eat.

[Arachnodisiac]

Do you have any indication yet what the root problem is?

[Yéil]

Do you have any indication yet what the root problem is?

Vet is looking at Addison's - which is the best of the possibles... then cancer - Lymphoma which is the worse or Parathyroid Gland tumour which is rare with only 15% of dogs presenting her symptoms actually have. Won't have the Addison test back until maybe Thurs.

No phone calls yet from the xrays... fingers crossed they don't find any lumps or bumps.

[outwalking]

My fingers are crossed for you. I have a border collie rescue dog and she means the world to me.

I always go back and forth in my head when one of my critters gets sick - do I wait and see if it gets better, or do I go now before it gets worse?

Are there any health food stores nearby? Go get her some Slippery Elm powder. If you can get it down her, it will go a long ways towards stopping the vomiting...at least in my experience.

Also...isn't Tums very high in calcium?

[Calamity]

Poor dog! Almost sounds like Parvo except without the diarrhea or a poisoning.

Sending prayers your way that the poor thing makes a complete recovery.

:(

[countrykid]

Our goof ball collie rescue started last Friday morning off with a big pool of bile vomit. For a collie, this is not a situation that doesn't occur at least once or twice a month. They are notorious for having sensitive digestive tracts and the slightest change in diet can set them off.

I usually treat an episode of bile vomit with one Tums and something yummy to get food in their guts. Most of the time it resolves itself by lunchtime.

Not this time, this little girl went from being a total goof ball ( I swear she hung out with Labs or GR because her retrieving skills are none stop) to a dog in crisis. All within 3 days.

She went totally off her food by Sunday and I couldn't even get a few grains of rice down her, chicken broth was ignored. She was still drinking and the vomiting was confined to the early morning (between 1-4 am) so we figured she had a bug that she might have picked up off of anyone or anything. The tummy upset was the fallout of the bug.

She was still fetching and active on Sunday so along with the fluid intake and only once a day vomiting, we figured she'd be ok until Monday before we headed for the vet.

On Monday, the bile vomiting was being triggered by her eating snow - probably eating it to cool her throat down from the acid being chucked up it - and now she was vomiting after drinking water/snow. Called the vet, couldn't get her in until today. She went on the decline from Monday afternoon until Tues at noon when I could barely get her to lift her head. I had to carry her out to the car - couldn't use the truck, I couldn't lift her into it.

The thing about collies (rough, smooth) is that they are very stoic dogs. They have to be in a great deal of pain or very sick before you'd hear a pip out of them. I should have clued in sooner when she stopped barking at the evil dog next door. These dogs also throw vets into a tizzy over their illnesses because well, they just don't get sick like all the other dogs. They've been known to fool a vet or two on a DX or a symptom that doesn't quite fit with a known disease or a test result that is way off the scale.

Today it's been non-stopped bile vomiting and by the time I got her to the vet, even with using pedialyte for her electrolytes for the last 3 days, she was very dehydrated. The vet put her on an IV for fluids and gave her an IM anti-nausea injection to help with her vomiting.

They also did a blood panel to check for an infection, liver and kidney functions and the usual screening tests for diseases. I expected the vet to come back with she has irritable bowel or colitis or something collie-ish with the digestive tract. I got instead, elevated calcium levels that could lead to kidney failure or cancer or Addison's or parathyroid tumours. The condition is called Hypercalcemia - means the body is kicking out the calcium from her bones into her blood and if we can't get it down by finding the underlying cause, her kidneys will just stop working. One question the vet asked was did we give her Vitamin D? We don't but then I thought of some of the newer rat poisons that use Vit D to kill the rats. I can't think how she might have got into it unless the rail yard here has been using it - anyone know what they might use here?

Now I'm sitting her watching over her, and thinking please, please, please let this be one of those weird collie things that drive the vets crazy because they can't figure out why the dog is doing what it is doing. I really want it to be because she's dehydrated and it's throwing her levels off... I'm hoping that tomorrow when I take her back for her next IV and more tests that she'll be fine. That's my mushy emotional side of my brain talking.. the rational side knows it's only going to be bad news tomorrow.

I've had so many dogs over the years and when one is losing a fight to gain their health back, I just can't seem to use all that heartache and experience and put it towards the dog that is now sick. The thought of trying to be "brave" when the vet tells me what is going on, I just simply can not muster the braveness. This denial thing is strong...

Hubby is away right now and all I can hope for is we can get by hour by hour so she's still here when he gets home. Right now, I'll take 30 minutes in between the vomiting. Her throat is going to be a mess by now... tried giving her a bit of honey to soothe it... she's not having any of it. I'm dribbling water into her mouth with a little syringe so it won't hurt her throat. She really tried hard to lick an ice cube but she gave up - too exhausting for her.

This sucks. Anyone have any similar experiences with their dogs?

This sounds frighteningly similar to something that happened to my Sister’s dog this summer. Melly (puppy) spent 3 days at the Vet on IV meds. Melly wouldn’t even move when we went to see her and the Vet told us that if her condition didn’t improve by the next day, the humane thing to do was to euthanize Melly. Well the next morning she was up and had chewed her IV line off. Little goofball had even gone for a walk with one of the Vets that morning. We never did find out what she had, but Dr. Pru theorized that it could have been exposure to Gopher poison or something of that nature.

Keep a good thought, our prayers are with you.

[Sneeze]

I wish you and your pup the best.

If I can make a strange suggestion... if you have the means, get a second opinion on the dog from another vet. While your vet may be great at what he/she does, sometimes another qualified brain in the mix really can change the outcome in your favor. We do it with humans (the 2nd opinion), doesn't hurt to do it with our pets too.

I am sure your vet has covered it, but has your dog been checked for an intestinal blockage? Does the vomit have a feces like smell? Sometimes the best answer is the simplest one.

Thinking about your pup.

[outwalking]

I wish you and your pup the best.

If I can make a strange suggestion... if you have the means, get a second opinion on the dog from another vet. While your vet may be great at what he/she does, sometimes another qualified brain in the mix really can change the outcome in your favor. We do it with humans (the 2nd opinion), doesn't hurt to do it with our pets too.

I am sure your vet has covered it, but has your dog been checked for an intestinal blockage? Does the vomit have a feces like smell? Sometimes the best answer is the simplest one.

Thinking about your pup.

I was thinking the same thing.

Sometimes, despite their best intentions, vets (and doctors too I guess) get an idea in their head and only explore that avenue, example: I brought a very sick dog to the emerg vet once after she ate a ton of chocolate. Instead of focusing on the chocolate issue, they fixated on the fact that I feed raw and that it was causing my dog to get sick. They were concerned about the bits of bone in her tummy from her breakfast that day (seen in the xrays), and said it was the bone that was causing the weakness, falling over, low temp and blood pressure, and inappropriate urination. No, idiots, she's been "poisoned" by the chocolate, worry about that!! They said she was constipated and that they extracted bone shards from her anus, and although they told me they kept it, they refused to show me. I remember the phone call, "we did a third set of xrays, and the bone seems to be dissolving, we don't understand it"...I flipped my lid..."if you went through however many years of expensive vet school, and you don't even know how a canine's digestive system works, I'll picking my dog up right now and take my chances!!!". She was not constipated, she just didn't want to poop (sensitive collie I guess haha) and I guess it's the IV that flushed the chocolate poison out of her, thank goodness.

Anyways, I agree too with getting a second opinion, it never hurts. The vet should not get offended because you're simply looking out for the best interests of your pup.

[Yéil]

Thanks folks:

After a day of IV fluids, her calcium levels are up even further and her kidneys are not doing so good - elevated levels since yesterday.

Good news, she has stopped vomiting... probably because she's confined and not moving around to cause nausea. But I'll take the gift right now.

I wish we could get another opinion but you know rural Alberta... limited services. I did have a consult with our old vet with the vet here on the phone.. we did a bit of brainstorming.

Vet was going to do an ultrasound about half an hour ago.. going to look for everything from her lungs down to urethra. Going to push fluids tonight and see how she fairs in the morning.

Here's the goof ball doing her wannabe Lab imitation.

[RobG10]

Sorry to here what your going through :( hopefully the vet will have answers for you soon! she is a very pretty pup!

[Ken07AOVette]

Which Vets have you talked to? Have you been to or talked to Weir or Gray in Lloydminster?

[Pixel Shooter]

prayers, hope she is on the fast trak to recovery soon, doesnt feel good I know, . scary stuff

[Mike_W]

Hope your pooch gets better! Best wishes from me and my pack!!

[vcmm]

Try some plain cooked hamburger with streamed rice. We had to do this as per vet instructions last time are mutt was violently ill. Started off in small amounts and it worked. Her stomach problems were caused by the meds she was on.
Good luck and hope she gets better soon.

[Yéil]

Vet found some enlarged lymphnodes in the groin area as well as her spleen is slightly enlarged. I hate the either/or of this stuff... because she's been so sick, it could be reactive rather than cancer. Vet took a biopsy and started her on prednisone. The other tests will be in tomorrow...fingers crossed.

Outwalking, I feed my guys raw and have also had those conversations with vets. I just remind them that they spent about one class in one semester on dog nutrition and I've spent 30 years breeding, showing and feeding my dogs raw...I make it clear, they get to do the medicine part and I get to do the nutrition part...

Thanks for the names Ken, I've always been reluctant to take on a new vet when a dog is in crisis. The one we have here knows my dogs and is willing to consult with our old vet (who is a collie owner himself and knows the breed). The vet also contacted the collie health foundation for some additional info... so I think they are willing to do what they have to do to get the info to get her well.

Thanks for the well wishes, and to think I was going to take advantage of hubby being away and head off to do some shed hunting with her this week and do some ice fishing. Maybe next week.

[Emo]

Thinking of your pup, hope you get some results, answers or good news tomorrow....

[HunterDave]

I hope that your dog's condition is improving. Can we get an update?

[Yéil]

Just got back from a visit. Still waiting for the test results to come back from the city.

So after 2 days of pumping fluids in her, treating her with two-different anti-nauseas, 1 day of prednisone we have only been able to stop the vomiting. She's still very nauseous, still not eating and her calcium levels are going up instead of down as are her kidney numbers. Today she also started diarrhea with fresh blood (more blood than stool). The vet says that from the anal gland/rectal exam that had to be done to rule out rectal tumors. I'm being realistic here, she's has crashed quite badly and if all we have managed with this amount of aggressive treatment is to stop the vomiting, we're running out of options if those calciums levels don't go down.

Bless her heart, she was happy to see me and perked up a bit when I gave her one of her toys. I even got a tail wag from her. But she spent most of the time leaning against me and if you guys know dogs, when they do that they are pretty weak.

They shaved her belly, so she now looks like a pot-belled pig.. with her skin all pink and fuzzy and belly all full of fluids. If she survives and we get her home... gonna have to pull out the pink coat again (hubby is mortified to be seen with a dog with a pink coat).

This sucks.

[countrykid]

I am a firm believer that part of healing is a mental process. If you go and visit her and keep her happy, she stands a better chance of recovery.

Praying for you and your dog,

Mike

[Sooner]

Keeping my fingers crossed for you. Hope your mutt gets better real soon.

[doetracks]

I'm here in the wings, watching and hoping for everything to work out as well.

Best wishes.. I know she will pull through!!

[Yéil]

Addison's disease tests are back, they are negative - one down, three more DX to go. Still waiting for the biopsy results.. maybe tomorrow. If that comes back neg, then we have to do a parathyroid test. I'm still hoping that it's dx number 4... no known cause = the dog is simply weird and likes to scare the heck out of me.

[2 Tollers]

My heart goes out to you on this. Tough to have your best friend in trouble that you cannot directly help with. How has the dog doing now given the amount of time in a controlled environment at the vet are their signs of improvement?

[Yéil]

My heart goes out to you on this. Tough to have your best friend in trouble that you cannot directly help with. How has the dog doing now given the amount of time in a controlled environment at the vet are their signs of improvement?

She's not doing as well as we had hoped. The vet is changing the meds today and hopefully, we'll see a slight improvement overnight. Whatever the cause of this is, it's kicked the crap out of her.

So things I've learned since this onset.

1. Vitamin D for dogs can be deadly. Old and now illegal rat poison contains enough Vitamin D to kill a dog. Check your barns and sheds folks... get rid of it if you have dogs and cats and watch that gopher poison too.

2. Calcium supplements are not a good idea for dogs. Don't buy into the pressure to buy calcium supplements for your dog... they don't need it and it could make them very sick. Same goes for Vitamin D supplements.

The above were the first two questions the vet asked when my girl's calcium levels were seen. Now I don't give my dogs anything other than their food so we then had to move onto other underlying reasons for the high calcium.

3. Dehydration can be a major caused of raised calcium levels, so keep the dog hydrated when out in the field, boat, trail. My girl crashed within 24 hours.

4. If your dog's gums are a bright pink heading towards red... get that dog some fluids.

After we got fluids in her, it was really clear that this was not just a matter of dehydration or tummy upset. So onto the next level... biopsies and special tests...

5. Vomiting isn't always about an upset tummy. Nausea is most likely to be a brain function and no amount of pepto or pepcid is going to stop it. After 36of vomiting, get the dog to the vet, it'll be dehydrated and heading towards a
multi-system crash.

Now we wait to see what the rest of the tests are going to say... she's comfortable but is very confused why she can't be at home. She's breaking my heart.

[gunmum]

omgosh, I truly feel for you! Poor pup :(
This might seem odd to you, but sounds like your pooch might be going through something I did. It's called hyperparathyroidism, causes high calcium and KIDNEY STONES. Sometimes those things can get stuck and cause vomiting and all those other wonderful things. Can you get her PTH tested? It's the hormone that the parathyroids release to increase the calcium levels in her body.
I had no choice but to have my parathyroids removed (that's another story).
Really hope its not. Hope she pulls out quickly!
Keep us posted.
GM

[Sporty]

My heart is breaking for both you and your girl. Hope everything turns out all right and she fully recovers.

[Yéil]

omgosh, I truly feel for you! Poor pup :(
This might seem odd to you, but sounds like your pooch might be going through something I did. It's called hyperparathyroidism, causes high calcium and KIDNEY STONES. Sometimes those things can get stuck and cause vomiting and all those other wonderful things. Can you get her PTH tested? It's the hormone that the parathyroids release to increase the calcium levels in her body.
I had no choice but to have my parathyroids removed (that's another story).
Really hope its not. Hope she pulls out quickly!
Keep us posted.
GM

We're waiting for the biopsy for the cancer to come back before we test her for the paraythyroid. The PTH test is a whopping 250.00 and the disease only hits about 16% of the dogs with hypercalcemia. So the vet and I decided to first rule out the Addison's - which is now negative (easier test, results are back faster) and then look for cancer which shows up in about 40% of the dogs with these symptoms. The vet is on the hunt for cancer. I hope the tests come back today, the uber, aggressive treatment has to be delayed because the use of certain drugs may cause my dog to become resistant to any chemotherapy should we have to go that way. If the biopsy comes back negative, then we'll go looking for the parathyroid disease. At least that one can be treated and the prognosis is way better than lymphoma.

Waiting for today's calcium levels to be taken. Yesterday, they were still creeping up.

I hope I can bring her home tonight, I think she would be better on her bed with me around.

[rugatika]

Fingers are crossed it's something simple.

[darius]

i 've been following this posting .

cheering for your pup ! , mans best friend

[Yéil]

So I went to see my sickie girl and got met when I walked into the vet's with the smallest of woofs coming from my girl as she heard my voice. She hasn't barked all week so hearing her faint woof made me put of a big goofy grin and squeal out a whoohoo...

So she's still needing a bath every day because she's peeing on herself from the fluid push and being confined but an alive, wet dog is better than a dry, dead dog. I'm not kidding myself that she is on the mend, what is making her feel better is the cornucopia of meds that are being pushed on her. Without them, she wouldn't survive on her own. The calcium levels would shoot back up and cause a toxicity that will kill her if her kidneys, lungs, heart and liver don't fail first.

She even ate some food today and kept it down. First food in over a week. I'm happy that she's able to feel a bit better.

Her calcium levels are back to 2.9 instead of the very scary 5.2 from yesterday. Her kidney functions are still elevated but better than Wed's levels. So at least for today, the toxic levels aren't killing her. Whew!

The cytology isn't back yet. So the cancer diagnosis is still unconfirmed.

She's still with the vet as she's not stable enough to be at home. I grabbed one of hubby's t-shirts and one of mine and she has them on top of her kennel (since she keeps peeing because of the fluid push) so hopefully she'll know we haven't left her.

So the hopes for the next few days is for her to get a little stronger so she can be weaned off some of the meds and support herself.

[Deb]

Healing prayers and sincere hopes that you'll hear a gazillion more 'woofs.'

Deb

[Albertadiver]

Just seeing this now. Hang in there and hope your dog is on the mend. She's a family member.

[Pixel Shooter]

I hope the results come back definitive with a positive course of action to bring her to 100%. hang in there, sounds like everyday is getting a little better. great news today, will keep checking back in, prayers are with you

[Albertadiver]

How's she coming along?

[Yéil]

She's with the vet over the weekend... we agreed that no news is good news. So far no messages. We just have to hold tight until we get the cytology report back on Monday.

I have to say, our vet is the most compassionate, knowledgeable and determined vet I've run across in a long, long time. The techs are awesome folks that really do care about the beasties. Nice to see professionals at work.

[gunmum]

thanks for the 'update'. Hoping for good news on monday!

[doetracks]

Me too!

[tina-marie]

Hoping for good news tomorrow, will be watching for an update.

[Yéil]

We got her home today, they took her off the IV yesterday and the dx is lymphoma. We've got her stable and home and we'll wait it out until she crashes again.

Now I'm hoping that she can stay comfortable and happy for what time is left. Thanks for you all your thoughts and wishes.

[Albertadiver]

Sorry to hear this diagnoses. Glad she is comfortable for the most part.

Not sure what else to say other than to take care.

[mulie4x4]

Its great you have her at home and making her comfortable, I hope you are ok to. Take care.

[Lefty-Canuck]

sorry to hear this diagnoses. Glad she is comfortable for the most part.

Not sure what else to say other than to take care.

x2....

Lc

[Lady Bowhunter]

I am truly sorry to hear what the diagnoses is. I have been following your thread from the beginning hoping for the best. I am happy to hear you have her at home where she is comfortable and with her human family. Poor girl... Im sure I can speak for all of us by saying we are hear for you and feeling your pain.

Take care.

[outwalking]

I'm so glad she's home with you. The diagnosis royally sucks, if I may say so, but at least it's better than not knowing.

[HunterDave]

We got her home today, they took her off the IV yesterday and the dx is lymphoma. We've got her stable and home and we'll wait it out until she crashes again.

Now I'm hoping that she can stay comfortable and happy for what time is left. Thanks for you all your thoughts and wishes.

I went through the same thing with my Brittany except it was kidney failure. I'm glad that I had a little extra time to spend with him after the IV flush. Very sad and tough situation. My thoughts are with you.

[doetracks]

Certainly not what I was hoping to see when I logged on tonight.

She's in good hands.

[Calamity]

I'm sorry to hear about the diagnosis but I'm glad that she is home now where she is surrounded by her loving family.

[2 Tollers]

Tough to hear but having her home for awhile will be good for you as well. All the best

Hugh

[rugatika]

I too was really hoping for some good news. Very sorry to hear, our thoughts are with you.

[Sneeze]

Enjoy these days. Make the best out of your last while with her. She deserves it.

Give her a belly rub for me!

[GoneFishin']

I am truly sorry to hear what the diagnoses is. I have been following your thread from the beginning hoping for the best. I am happy to hear you have her at home where she is comfortable and with her human family. Poor girl... Im sure I can speak for all of us by saying we are hear for you and feeling your pain.

Take care.

x2

[Yéil]

Thanks very much folks...we really appreciate your very kind words.

This has been a very large learning curve. For those of you that have dogs between the ages of 3 and 7 who all of a sudden start vomiting bile and turning their heads away from food for more than 24 hours, take them to the vet right away and get their calcium levels tested. The nausea isn't from a tummy bug it's a brain thing and if their calcium levels are up, they will continue to have nausea until those levels are down.

One big symptom of a lymphoma is that it shoots their calcium up very quickly and too long a wait can put them in a serious crash.

So we have anywhere between 5 days to five weeks, it'll depend on when the meds stop working. We have to watch for excessive bruising and huge changes in her personality. We also have to keep her away from animals that might be infectious with viral and bacterial illness, her immune system is trashed from the lymphoma.

She seems to really be liking the venison and rice - which makes pilling her, much easier. I have some mulie backstrap that she seems to really like. It's just so darn good to see her eating again... :)

When she saw hubby, she got all twisty and her tail was wagging at zillion miles an hour...I was happy that she was feeling better enough to come home with her best buddy.

Her name is Branwen, it means White Raven in Gaelic.

[gunmum]

:( this sux.
I`m so sorry. I was really hoping for some good news.

Enjoy your time :)
She is beautiful!

[catnthehat]

I cannot get the words out that I want to say, so sorry for your pup.:(
Cat

[Yéil]

Thanks, she seems to be holding her own on the steroid medication.

The one issue that has come up is her inability to go more than 2 hours between pee breaks. The steroids make her thirsty and drink/pee more. So we started to lift her water at 2200 and we're doing a 2300 pee break until 0500. I bought some puppy pads and put down some towels where she likes to sleep and that's helping.

Sadly, I had to trim back her pantaloon area to assist me cleaning her up when she has her little pee leaks overnight. I hated seeing parts of her lovely coat getting shaved and clipped off... but I can't keep bathing her as her skin would revolt.

Still eating like crazy so that's a good thing. But she is losing muscle mass which is not surprising but still a concern. On to week two... whew!

[Yéil]

We had to say goodbye to our beloved girl today. The cancer was relentless and although the meds could make her comfortable, they could not stop her lymphatic system from failing. Her system couldn't handle the build up of fluids and her kidneys started to fail.

I miss her and I'm heartbroken.

[Lady Bowhunter]

:sad0125: So sorry to hear that.

[Redfrog]

Sorry for your loss. I've said it before they pass too quickly.

[Sooner]

So sorry to hear, was hoping for a better result for you. In dec I lost my 12 yr old gsp to cancer, he went from healthy to skeletal in 3 months. Now my 14 yr old shorthair is still going but her time is limited due to her age. I know how you feel but I can tell you it gets better.

[Lefty-Canuck]

Sorry for your loss....

LC

[Albertadiver]

My heartfelt condolances.

I dread the day where this comes for our pup.

Take comfort knowing that you gave her the best life she could have, and she was happy with her pack till the end.

[HunterDave]

My sincere condolences. I went through almost exactly same thing with my Brittany and he spent about the same amount of time back home before I had to put him down. I feel your pain. :(

[thumper]

"A good dog never dies,
he always stays,
he walks beside you on crisp autumn days,
when frost is on the fields,
and winter's drawing near,
his head is within our hand,
in his old way"
- Mary Carolyn Davies

http://i16.photobucket.com/albums/b23/Canmoron/Max%20Molly%20Dogs/maxsilouette211-11-01.jpg

[Whipper Billy]

Hardly any consolation, but your sharing this tragic event, such as the calcium levels, I'm sure has made some of us on the forum wiser.
Thanks & Sorry for your loss.

[doetracks]

Yeil, so very sorry for your family.

Sounds like she lived a good life with a good family. You will meet again :)

[pikergolf]

Very sorry to hear of your loss.

[rugatika]

Like Redfrog said, one of the cruelest things on Earth, is the short lives of dogs. My sympathies go out to you.

[Dakota369]

I always find these types of threads and messages to be the hardest to read and to type.

It is with great sadness that I send you my condolences, as I know how it is to lose part of your family way too soon. Take some solace from the fact that you did all you could to make her life better, and to easy her end of days. She is truly blessed to have had such a compassionate and loving owner who was there for her, as we all know how bad it can be out there for many dogs who are not so blessed.

[greylynx]

My condolences to the loss of your family member.

Please take care.

[AvayaAce]

Sorry for your loss, it's never an easy time, stay strong

[nekred]

Hat in Hand...

Tear in eye..

For once nothing to say!...

[AMisler]

Sorry for your loss, I can't imagine how it feels

[2 Tollers]

While the end is tough and I was sorry to hear the loss, I am really glad that you got to spend a few days of quality time at the end.

All the best

Hugh

[roachman]

.I am going to go out on a limb here. I have a chi with addisons. Very difficult for a vet to detect, and quite frankly mine was really pleased with his diagnosis. My dog was a challenge!!!! I am going to say.... go back and get another opinion, however with addisons time is limited. Force another check. I give my dog meds daily when I thought I would not see her again. Traumatic events in life have been known to trigger such things and while breeding my female, I made the mistake of moving her and her litter. That alone put her into a very stressful situatiion. I urge you to speak to another vet. If her electrolites etc are out of whack you can bet your bottom dollar you will only have to give her half a pill a day. I am not sure where you are located... but if you are within the calgary area... by all means. pm me. I will give you a number. All the symptoms surround what I have been through. Maybe my vet can help.
Fingers crossed for you



roach and toots

[ctd]

Sorry to hear of the loss. I have read this thread from start to finish. It is always a hard time when a pet is not doing well. For those who understand Dogs, and those who understand that they truly are mans best friend know the feelings a person goes through when they pass on.. Here is to better days ahead.