keeping you posted
Talis and I spent 2 to 3 hours at the vet this afternoon. He was in heaven, despite how poorly he feels. He loves the attention, and everyone at the vet loves him to pieces. He gets a ton of treats, a plethora of snuggles and a google of pettings - from the vet staff and any other people waiting in the waiting room. It doesn't matter -how- he feels when we go in there; he's happy to be there.
First off - he hasn't eaten since Thursday. He's had at -most- a couple of nibbles of food, and that was this afternoon after we got home. However, he hasn't really lost that much weight - only about 3 pounds. He hasn't had much to drink either, but he is taking water more frequently than he is food, even if it is only small amounts. He has had ridiculously uncontrollable diarrhea since Thursday evening. We gave it Friday to see if it'd clear itself out, but he was still doing it on Saturday and on Sunday it started to have blood in it. Completely liquid, mostly mucus and totally disgusting - made worse by the fact that he literally and simply could. not. control. it. [We need new carpet. MK has already acknowledged this fact, so you know it's bad.] I have had a rotation of four blankets going from him to the patio to be hosed off to the washer to the dryer literally nonstop since Thursday evening. He's been confined to the space between the back of the couch and the sliding glass door - about the size of a full bed. I've scrubbed the carpet endlessly, bleached it, scrubbed it more - it is unable to be saved, especially at the back door area. I've had to hose him off multiple times a day as well, since he's so exhausted and worn out that he's taken to not even -trying- to stand up to go, but rather just lays there and does his business without moving. It's been cold out, and he is already sick - so i towel him down right after and i have a space heater pointed in his direction to help keep him warm.
So. He got weighed. He got his blood taken and worked up - everything was wonderful in that department. Everything showed up straight down the middle of the chart in the 'normal' range. They took a stool sample which was probably the single thing he was -not- happy about seeing as his rear end is completely tender. When the vet was listening to his heart and feeling around at his insides, she thought she felt a lump. So the coaxed him up onto his feet and back into the x-ray room to take a picture of his tummy. Sure enough, we can see a really big lump there that isn't supposed to be there. Due to it's position, the vet cannot tell if it's attached to his spleen or to his liver -- not until they get inside there and see what's up.
Yeah. He needs surgery. This worries me, mostly because of his age. [He is officially their oldest great dane ever at the vet's office. They don't call him 'old' anymore. They call him 'ancient.'] How will the recovery process be on him? He already has enough trouble standing up on his own, and even standing up at all for any real stretch at a time. Anesthesia is frightening at his age too, and all of the medication... ugh. I am just so terrified that by trying to HELP him here, I'll end up HURTING him more.
He came home with two types of medication - one for the diarrhea and one for infection. 3 pills each, twice a day. Hooboy. He normally is really good about taking medicine. His mouth is so big i just take a hold of his bottom jaw and pop the pills down his throat. But he's exhausted. He's grumpy from hurting and he's generally in a pretty bad mood this week. He would -not- take the pills. He wouldn't let me slip them down his throat, and he wouldn't swallow them when i got close to the mark. He kept spitting them out and i could tell he was getting upset with me for continuing to try. Now, i know i am in control when it comes to Talis, but i also know his mood and how he's been feeling - and i have no doubt he'd let me know if i was really starting to irritate him. I ended up crushing the pills up into some peanut butter and coaxing him to eat that. I don't think it'll work a second time though; he didn't like how it stuck to the roof of his mouth. *wry grin*
MK and i are going to weigh the choices and options tomorrow. The surgery isn't cheap, but he's already said that it's not an issue - we are going to be considering the health-related issues and how everything will affect him. I'll continue to keep ya'll posted. MK is on shift today, so i had to do the vet thing on my own. A challenge in more than one respect, including the 'get him in and out of the car by myself' challenge. I think the hardest part though, was when they had him out of the room and i was alone in the exam room and i had time to -think-. I cried. A lot.
I appreciate all of the hugs and support. I am really not looking forward to the next few days.
First off - he hasn't eaten since Thursday. He's had at -most- a couple of nibbles of food, and that was this afternoon after we got home. However, he hasn't really lost that much weight - only about 3 pounds. He hasn't had much to drink either, but he is taking water more frequently than he is food, even if it is only small amounts. He has had ridiculously uncontrollable diarrhea since Thursday evening. We gave it Friday to see if it'd clear itself out, but he was still doing it on Saturday and on Sunday it started to have blood in it. Completely liquid, mostly mucus and totally disgusting - made worse by the fact that he literally and simply could. not. control. it. [We need new carpet. MK has already acknowledged this fact, so you know it's bad.] I have had a rotation of four blankets going from him to the patio to be hosed off to the washer to the dryer literally nonstop since Thursday evening. He's been confined to the space between the back of the couch and the sliding glass door - about the size of a full bed. I've scrubbed the carpet endlessly, bleached it, scrubbed it more - it is unable to be saved, especially at the back door area. I've had to hose him off multiple times a day as well, since he's so exhausted and worn out that he's taken to not even -trying- to stand up to go, but rather just lays there and does his business without moving. It's been cold out, and he is already sick - so i towel him down right after and i have a space heater pointed in his direction to help keep him warm.
So. He got weighed. He got his blood taken and worked up - everything was wonderful in that department. Everything showed up straight down the middle of the chart in the 'normal' range. They took a stool sample which was probably the single thing he was -not- happy about seeing as his rear end is completely tender. When the vet was listening to his heart and feeling around at his insides, she thought she felt a lump. So the coaxed him up onto his feet and back into the x-ray room to take a picture of his tummy. Sure enough, we can see a really big lump there that isn't supposed to be there. Due to it's position, the vet cannot tell if it's attached to his spleen or to his liver -- not until they get inside there and see what's up.
Yeah. He needs surgery. This worries me, mostly because of his age. [He is officially their oldest great dane ever at the vet's office. They don't call him 'old' anymore. They call him 'ancient.'] How will the recovery process be on him? He already has enough trouble standing up on his own, and even standing up at all for any real stretch at a time. Anesthesia is frightening at his age too, and all of the medication... ugh. I am just so terrified that by trying to HELP him here, I'll end up HURTING him more.
He came home with two types of medication - one for the diarrhea and one for infection. 3 pills each, twice a day. Hooboy. He normally is really good about taking medicine. His mouth is so big i just take a hold of his bottom jaw and pop the pills down his throat. But he's exhausted. He's grumpy from hurting and he's generally in a pretty bad mood this week. He would -not- take the pills. He wouldn't let me slip them down his throat, and he wouldn't swallow them when i got close to the mark. He kept spitting them out and i could tell he was getting upset with me for continuing to try. Now, i know i am in control when it comes to Talis, but i also know his mood and how he's been feeling - and i have no doubt he'd let me know if i was really starting to irritate him. I ended up crushing the pills up into some peanut butter and coaxing him to eat that. I don't think it'll work a second time though; he didn't like how it stuck to the roof of his mouth. *wry grin*
MK and i are going to weigh the choices and options tomorrow. The surgery isn't cheap, but he's already said that it's not an issue - we are going to be considering the health-related issues and how everything will affect him. I'll continue to keep ya'll posted. MK is on shift today, so i had to do the vet thing on my own. A challenge in more than one respect, including the 'get him in and out of the car by myself' challenge. I think the hardest part though, was when they had him out of the room and i was alone in the exam room and i had time to -think-. I cried. A lot.
I appreciate all of the hugs and support. I am really not looking forward to the next few days.