Tulip vs. Pneumonia: Victory
Nearly two months ago I reported that Tulip was sick with both pneumonia and liver cancer, and that the vets had to treat the former before addressing the latter. I am pleased to report that after far longer than anticipated, Tulip seems to have beaten back the pneumonia.
At the time of that post, Tulip had:
- been prescribed one set of antibiotics for kennel cough
- been hospitalized overnight with IV antibiotics
- been prescribed a second set of antibiotics for pneumonia
- had that second prescription renewed, aka the third prescription
That second course of antibiotics ran into early May. At that point Tulip seemed to be recovered. She had an appetite, she wasn't coughing or sneezing, and generally seemed like she was in good shape. I even called the vet to tell her she was better. Alas, that was somewhat premature. Four or five days after the antibiotics ran out, her appetite went out again and she started coughing and sneezing. At my vet's suggestion, we scheduled an appointment with an internal medicine specialist. We lucked out and she had an appointment cancel literally the next day, so we drove to the far east side.
The specialist did another x-ray, where they found that the pneumonia was gone, but that she had some chronic bronchitis - effectively, long term lung damage. They also found that she seemed to have some kennel cough still, even though the pneumonia was gone. They prescribed another set of antibiotics. This course ran until right before Memorial Day. At that point, she was visibly in much better shape.
We're more than a week past the end of the antibiotics. We haven't heard the hacking cough in many weeks now, and the sniffling is gone too. She's a lot more perky and energetic, and most excitingly she's eating all her food and putting on some weight. Of course, this is helped by a generous application of treats to her food. We've learned she likes canned pumpkin mixed in with her food (thanks to my cousin Becky for that suggestion), which has definitely helped her put on a bit more weight. She's still a bit lighter than normal, but she doesn't look gaunt anymore. Now that it's gotten nicer out and we're not going anywhere most days, we leave the driveway gate closed and sit outside with her, especially on weekends. All that fresh air and sunshine can't hurt, and she sure seems to enjoy it.
Another sure sign that she's feeling better is that she's waking us up early in the morning again. While she was sick, she would often sleep in later than us, even on bright and sunny days. That was the only one of her symptoms that I actually kind of appreciated.
At this point, we can turn our attention to the liver cancer. She has an appointment with the canine oncologist in early July. She'll have an ultrasound there to see if the tumor has grown or changed any. Depending on that results, the oncologist will lay out the surgical options, and the pros/cons of each.
On a side note, it's possible that I've spent more money on Tulip's vet bills this year than I've spent on my health in the last ten years, at least if you exclude health care premiums.
At the time of that post, Tulip had:
- been prescribed one set of antibiotics for kennel cough
- been hospitalized overnight with IV antibiotics
- been prescribed a second set of antibiotics for pneumonia
- had that second prescription renewed, aka the third prescription
That second course of antibiotics ran into early May. At that point Tulip seemed to be recovered. She had an appetite, she wasn't coughing or sneezing, and generally seemed like she was in good shape. I even called the vet to tell her she was better. Alas, that was somewhat premature. Four or five days after the antibiotics ran out, her appetite went out again and she started coughing and sneezing. At my vet's suggestion, we scheduled an appointment with an internal medicine specialist. We lucked out and she had an appointment cancel literally the next day, so we drove to the far east side.
The specialist did another x-ray, where they found that the pneumonia was gone, but that she had some chronic bronchitis - effectively, long term lung damage. They also found that she seemed to have some kennel cough still, even though the pneumonia was gone. They prescribed another set of antibiotics. This course ran until right before Memorial Day. At that point, she was visibly in much better shape.
We're more than a week past the end of the antibiotics. We haven't heard the hacking cough in many weeks now, and the sniffling is gone too. She's a lot more perky and energetic, and most excitingly she's eating all her food and putting on some weight. Of course, this is helped by a generous application of treats to her food. We've learned she likes canned pumpkin mixed in with her food (thanks to my cousin Becky for that suggestion), which has definitely helped her put on a bit more weight. She's still a bit lighter than normal, but she doesn't look gaunt anymore. Now that it's gotten nicer out and we're not going anywhere most days, we leave the driveway gate closed and sit outside with her, especially on weekends. All that fresh air and sunshine can't hurt, and she sure seems to enjoy it.
Another sure sign that she's feeling better is that she's waking us up early in the morning again. While she was sick, she would often sleep in later than us, even on bright and sunny days. That was the only one of her symptoms that I actually kind of appreciated.
At this point, we can turn our attention to the liver cancer. She has an appointment with the canine oncologist in early July. She'll have an ultrasound there to see if the tumor has grown or changed any. Depending on that results, the oncologist will lay out the surgical options, and the pros/cons of each.
On a side note, it's possible that I've spent more money on Tulip's vet bills this year than I've spent on my health in the last ten years, at least if you exclude health care premiums.