You guys say a little doggie prayer for my buddy Shug (my Greyhound)...
This all started back just before MV...one night he lost control/balance of the rear of his body, and was falling into stuff for an hour or so. Took him to the vet the next day, and couldn't find anything wrong with him other than his ears were a little dirty, so gave him antibiotics for that. He then got diarrhea, so back to the vet...said the meds might have caused the problem, so put him on a bland diet, with some more meds aimed at his intestinal tract. Didn't help. Went back, and found he had whipworms and hookworms, so medicated him for that. He got to feeling a little better, then relapsed, so another round of meds for the worms. It's now just before the North Georgia trip, during which Nell (my 11 year old Aussie) had a seizure, went into a near diabetic coma (she was on insulin twice a day), found a tumor, and had to put her down. Many tears shed, and Shug was very upset over all of that...still had diarrhea. Still eating well and drinking water. Back to the vet for some more meds, holistic intestinal tract treatment. Did not work. Meanwhile, he's losing weight and getting depressed...you can see it in his eyes. So, since my niece works for a large group of vets here, took him there Tuesday. Still had the whipworms...must have gotten reinfected with the eggs somehow...so another round of meds and more bland I/D canned food. He's down from 90 lbs to 70 at this point, and is showing signs of dehydration...stops eating. Gave him a subcutaneous injection of fluids. I tried everything...his favorite treats, three kinds of food. Keep in mind, this is a dog who would nearly knock you down for his breakfast and supper every day. I even cooked him some chicken breasts and white rice...he ate a small handfull of chicken, and only if I fed it to him by hand.
Meanwhile, I've made arrangements (back a couple of weeks ago) to get the two puppies...to have them for us, but also to get Shug some company again, as it was obvious part of the problem was him losing his little buddy, Nell. This morning, I took Shug back to the new vet, desperate for them to get his fluids back up and force feed him, if necessary, while doing more tests to see what is causing the as yet unchecked intestinal problems. He got IV fluids all day, and I thought it best to leave him at the vet, since the new pups have arrived. I've scrubbed the porch/deck with Lysol, washed all bedding, toys, cleaned carpets...everything but nuke the backyard. More extensive blood work is being conducted to see if his pancreas is functioning properly (initial tests proved that it was), getting his fluids back up, and feeding him whatever he will eat. More fluids tomorrow, and hopefully some better news by tomorrow afternoon. He lost 7 more pounds since Tuesday!! I'm afraid I'm going to lose him to whatever the f#@K has gotten hold of his gut. These vets are some of the best in B'ham (including my old vet of 20 years), and they are stumped. Can only treat the symtoms, you know. Next step if the blood comes back negative (no bacterial infection, and pancreas/liver functions seem normal...protein is low, but what do you expect?), is sonar to see if there's anything in there. My gut feeling is that his system is so screwed up at this point, he's lost all the good bacteria that's supposed to be there...vets are taking radical steps to slow his digestive tract down, as everything is just running through him like a dose of salts. Poor guy...it's killing me. I've been up at least two times every night with him for the past three weeks, so I'm lacking sleep myself, but he has to go during the middle of the night, and all I can do is listen to what's going on out in the yard when he goes to the bathroom, and it ain't a good sound.
My niece spent some time with Shug this afternoon, and assures me they are doing everything possible...there are six vets at this clinic, so lots of expertise to draw on.
So, ya'll wish me luck, and pull for Shug to make it through this and get his strength back so he can bond with the new members of the family. I have been assured by the vets that whatever it is, there is no danger of the pups catching it (not viral), unless they get the whips from the yard. Leaves have covered most of the areas Shug uses, so hopefully that won't happen.
On a bright note, the new Aussies are awesome!! Wide ass open, and beautiful puppies of 5 months. Littermates, and Tango (the female) will probably end up a show dog...that's another story though. Rider, the male (soon to be neutered), reminds me so much of my first Aussie, Sundancer (Sunny), he's got to be the reincarnate. There's a lot of common ancestry, so he's got Sunny's sweet but tough as a pine knot, spirit. And Tango, the female, takes no chit from Rider...she's a fiesty little girl. Pictures will follow this weekend sometime...
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Topic: CVO Pets (Read 383094 times)