and i wish for one more day to give my love and repay debts...
As it turns out, Rory was diagnosed with an inner ear infection early yesterday morning. They cleaned out her ear and gave her antibiotics and sent us on our way. Last night when I got home from work she was catatonic. She didn't like to move so she would either stand or lay in one place staring off into space. I woke this morning to the sound of my father frantically calling every animal hospital in the tri-city area. I left my room to discover my dog laying on the floor next to the couch. Not moving. Just barely breathing. I managed to give her the anti-biotic, hoping that would help and used a water bottle to hydrate her as much as she would allow me.
Upon arrival to Brookside Animal Hospital, she had an accident. We laid her out and they took her temperature, checked her ear, etc. Then the doctor saw her. The first thing she asked was if Rory had gotten into any toxins. No, of course not. She's such a good dog that even when I clean the floors, she stays in the living room, on the couch, away from the bleach. She would never lick anything up, try to drink anything but water and is very picky about everything she consumes. Any history of trauma? No, in her 3.5 years, she's never even been sick. Okay, well, this dog is near death, so if theres anything she got into... Commense bawling. I spent a total of three hours crying just this morning. Rory's heart rate was 30bpm when we got her to the vet. They decided to put a catheter in her and started her on a sodium chloride drip while we were waiting for any news, good news, as to her condition. Around 1230, an hour and a half after the ball was dropped, we were told that she appeared to have a disease called Addison's Disease which is a steroidal deficiency. What happened this morning is called, if she has the disease, Addisonial shock. Her potassium got real high, her sodium real low, making it seem like kidney failure. We were then sent to Coral Springs Animal Hospital. Unfortunately, we only have enough money to have her treated for one night with minimal care. The test to be sure that she has Addison's disease won't be back until Tuesday. It doesn't matter if one day of treatment is enough or not, we just don't have the money. So whether she's doing better or not, she's coming home tomorrow. Hopefully she's feeling better, well enough to wait for the test to come back so we know if we can put her on the steroid, once-a-month injection right away. If not, the best we can do is make her as comfortable as possible until she passes.
There's no for sure cause of Addison's disease, as far as I've read, they're pretty much born with it and it manifests between 4 and 5 years of age. I've been told that if she makes it she's required to get the once monthly steroidal shot and any time there is a high-stress situation [i.e. parties, leaving town, etc.] she'll need another shot to compensate. So my guess is, the stress on her body from the ear infection caused the sudden shock to her body.
Here's the kicker, while we were waiting for estimates at CS Animal Hospital, I had my brother call my mom just to let her know what's up because I knew she wouldn't cough up any money to help. [That's a whole other story] All she had to say was "I can't afford it." That's it. I left her a well worded voicemail expressing how I think she is the most insincere person I've ever met. I then did not answer any phone calls from her. She has been nothing but irresponsible, immature and selfish and I'm pretty much done with her.
I just hope with every fiber of my being that Rory can pull through. I love her with all my heart. She is one of the smartest, sweetest, cutest dogs that I have ever had contact with. She is so young and this is the last thing she deserves. The last thing I would have ever expected. I wish there was more we could do. She deserves every bit of care humanly possible, I just wish we could afford it.
Upon arrival to Brookside Animal Hospital, she had an accident. We laid her out and they took her temperature, checked her ear, etc. Then the doctor saw her. The first thing she asked was if Rory had gotten into any toxins. No, of course not. She's such a good dog that even when I clean the floors, she stays in the living room, on the couch, away from the bleach. She would never lick anything up, try to drink anything but water and is very picky about everything she consumes. Any history of trauma? No, in her 3.5 years, she's never even been sick. Okay, well, this dog is near death, so if theres anything she got into... Commense bawling. I spent a total of three hours crying just this morning. Rory's heart rate was 30bpm when we got her to the vet. They decided to put a catheter in her and started her on a sodium chloride drip while we were waiting for any news, good news, as to her condition. Around 1230, an hour and a half after the ball was dropped, we were told that she appeared to have a disease called Addison's Disease which is a steroidal deficiency. What happened this morning is called, if she has the disease, Addisonial shock. Her potassium got real high, her sodium real low, making it seem like kidney failure. We were then sent to Coral Springs Animal Hospital. Unfortunately, we only have enough money to have her treated for one night with minimal care. The test to be sure that she has Addison's disease won't be back until Tuesday. It doesn't matter if one day of treatment is enough or not, we just don't have the money. So whether she's doing better or not, she's coming home tomorrow. Hopefully she's feeling better, well enough to wait for the test to come back so we know if we can put her on the steroid, once-a-month injection right away. If not, the best we can do is make her as comfortable as possible until she passes.
There's no for sure cause of Addison's disease, as far as I've read, they're pretty much born with it and it manifests between 4 and 5 years of age. I've been told that if she makes it she's required to get the once monthly steroidal shot and any time there is a high-stress situation [i.e. parties, leaving town, etc.] she'll need another shot to compensate. So my guess is, the stress on her body from the ear infection caused the sudden shock to her body.
Here's the kicker, while we were waiting for estimates at CS Animal Hospital, I had my brother call my mom just to let her know what's up because I knew she wouldn't cough up any money to help. [That's a whole other story] All she had to say was "I can't afford it." That's it. I left her a well worded voicemail expressing how I think she is the most insincere person I've ever met. I then did not answer any phone calls from her. She has been nothing but irresponsible, immature and selfish and I'm pretty much done with her.
I just hope with every fiber of my being that Rory can pull through. I love her with all my heart. She is one of the smartest, sweetest, cutest dogs that I have ever had contact with. She is so young and this is the last thing she deserves. The last thing I would have ever expected. I wish there was more we could do. She deserves every bit of care humanly possible, I just wish we could afford it.