This morning we woke up nice and early to take my puppy in for her surgery. She was all peppy and spunky, and couldn't stop BEGGING for breakfast. We arrived at the vet, and he asked how we were. I told him I was having second thoughts because she seemed to be doing so well, and I asked him to reassure me that we had no choice but to do the surgery. The doctor said he couldn't do that, and if I wanted we could wait until next week (but I'd have to monitor her and bring her in for emergency surgery if she got worse).
We talked about it, and I didn't want to put off the surgery and keep her unnecessarily sick just because I was uncomfortable with proceeding. He suggested doing another xray to see what her stomach looked like today, and if we could still see all the blockage then he would recommend going forward. So, we did the xray . . . and her stomach had shrunk back to a normal size, and there was no evidence of any food backed up in her tummy! He could see tons of food and the barium in her intestines. He said he thought it looked like the blockage was passing, although he couldn't guarantee that the blockage wasn't hiding and her stomach wouldn't back up again. He also said the blockage could have moved lower, and she could still end up with a new blockage in her intestine, but for right now, it was looking okay. The other vet was there (he came in to help with the surgery) and they both agreed that surgery may not be appropriate right now.
So . . . we checked her into the hospital for the day so they could monitor her. They fed her small amounts of food every 1/2 hr, and tracked her bathroom habits all day. DH and I went to the furniture store, and we ended up buying couches for the house! When we went back, they told us she was eating normally and moving her bowels and they released her. I have instructions to feed her normally and see if she stays stable for the next few days. We go back again on Wednesday for another check/xray - hopefully there will be no emergency visits before then!
Friday, September 12, 2008
Thursday, September 11, 2008
My poor doggy . . .
Well, we just got back from the vet, and the news isn't great. My poor doggy has to have gastric surgery tomorrow morning. There is a giant blockage in her tummy - it is about 2 inches thick, and 4-5 inches long (perhaps bigger). On the xray, he noticed her stomach had not yet emptied, so then he decided to give her barium and do a 2nd xray. It became quite obvious that about 1/2 of her stomach is totally blocked, and it is preventing things from digesting and passing through to her intestines.
So, tomorrow morning, we will get up and go take her for surgery. While the doctor is fairly sure this is something she ate, he said that he cannot rule out cancer until he goes in there and looks around. Wish us luck! I hope the surgery isn't too awful and that the blockage is nothing more than things she should not have eaten.
So, tomorrow morning, we will get up and go take her for surgery. While the doctor is fairly sure this is something she ate, he said that he cannot rule out cancer until he goes in there and looks around. Wish us luck! I hope the surgery isn't too awful and that the blockage is nothing more than things she should not have eaten.
24 weeks 2 days
Today I am 24 weeks 2 days pregnant! We had another appointment today, and we finally managed to record the heartbeat again. He was playing keep away with the doppler, and even kicked it a few times before running away. He kicked so hard the probe actually moved! There are actually 2 recordings - the first one is the actual heartbeat, and the second one is the baby moving around and kicking the doppler. Hope you enjoy!
I did get in "trouble" today, however, for not gaining weight. Or, perhaps more accurately, for losing another 1/2 lb. I'm still pretty surprised I haven't been putting on weight considering how big I'm getting, and I'm not really sure what else I can do! I eat . . . and eat . . . and eat, and the weight doesn't seem to go up yet. I think this baby has DH's metabolism! I also had gained so much weight before getting pregnant that I wonder if this is just my body stabilizing . . . kind of like an advance on a paycheck or something.
Other than that, I'm still worried about my dog. She hasn't passed the blockage yet and still isn't eating. We go back tomorrow for another xray, and I'm hoping they will say she is okay.
I did get in "trouble" today, however, for not gaining weight. Or, perhaps more accurately, for losing another 1/2 lb. I'm still pretty surprised I haven't been putting on weight considering how big I'm getting, and I'm not really sure what else I can do! I eat . . . and eat . . . and eat, and the weight doesn't seem to go up yet. I think this baby has DH's metabolism! I also had gained so much weight before getting pregnant that I wonder if this is just my body stabilizing . . . kind of like an advance on a paycheck or something.
Other than that, I'm still worried about my dog. She hasn't passed the blockage yet and still isn't eating. We go back tomorrow for another xray, and I'm hoping they will say she is okay.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Still worried about my dog
I know this blog is supposed to be all about the pregnancy . . . but right now I'm concerned about my other "baby." I mentioned yesterday that my dog was not feeling well, so I took her to the vet. After explaining to him that she hadn't been eating all day and was completely lethargic . . . she promptly bounced into his office, ran up to greet everyone, wagged her tail, and went scavenging for new discoveries all over his office. They had a jar of doggie treats, and they started tossing a few to her . . . and lo and behold, she scarfed ALL of the treats down immediately. Naturally, I felt like an idiot, but was still convinced she was sick. They took her temperature, and it was really high (102.5), so at least that gave me some "proof" that I wasn't completely insane. After checking her over, the vet determined that she has a skin infection (she ALWAYS has a skin infection) and that the medicines she takes to try and help keep her skin in order might be causing a mild gastro infection. He took some skin scrapings to verify the skin infection, and then we talked about a new treatment plan. We are going to switch her from daily prednisone pills to a steroid injection of dexamethasone every 2 weeks. The side effects should be far less than the daily pills, and will hopefully bring her the same benefit. He gave me a 20 day course of antibiotics for her to see if we can get her skin to heal up, and he sent me on my way!
I was filled with newfound relief that my dog would quickly be back to her old self. Since her appetite had returned, I thought I would give her a treat. We dropped by my parents' house, and there they have a bag of dog food for my brother's dog . . . my dog tends to think of this stuff as "McDonald's" - you know, kind of like the junk food mom never lets you eat. I put out 1/4 c for her, fully expecting her to scarf it down . . . and nothing. She didn't even want to sniff it. She sat around and wallowed for about 1 hr before we left, although on the way out the door, she did eat 1 or 2 bites of food.
We got back home here, and again, no eating. I made her a big thing of white rice, thinking maybe I could coax her into eating that, but again, we barely got her to eat a tablespoon. Before bed, she did finish off the little bit of food that was in her bowl . . . maybe 1/4 cup?
This morning, we woke at the usual time, and she seemed much peppier. She followed me to the bathroom, and watched me while I got dressed, and when I suggested we go for a walk, most of her usual gusto returned and she bounced after me for our walk. When we came downstairs, I did a quick search for any vomit patches . . . and I found one. Except, it wasn't normal vomit . . . it was a GIANT hairball, about 4 inches long. Naturally, you must be wondering why I was so convinced this was vomit (well, perhaps after you get over your disgust as I describe a giant puke hairball). Well, it was in her normal puke spot, and it was mixed with the rice we fed her last night for dinner. Clearly, this came out of my dog, undigested. What concerned me the most was that it appeared to mostly be MY hair, not her fur. In recent months, she has developed a nasty habit of licking the carpet in the living room. Back and forth, all day. I thought it was gross, but haven't really bothered to stop her. Of course, now I'm wondering if she managed to ingest enough of my stray hairs from licking the carpet that she now has a giant human hair blockage in her belly. Of course, seeing the hairball also gave me some relief. I mean, she threw it up, right? That must mean the blockage is gone and she should be feeling better.
After cleaning up the nasty hairball mess, we head outside for our walk. She has the normal spunk in her step, she keeps trying to eat everything disgusting, so I figure we are all good. She even "did her business" so I took that as another good sign that everything was working properly. We came back inside, and I scooped her food into her bowl - and much to my surprise, she looks at it and walks away. Still not eating! Have I mentioned that my dog NEVER doesn't eat? She can have severe pancreatitis and spend 24 hours vomiting . . . and all she wants is to keep eating. In ten years, I have only once ever seen her lose her appetite . . that was following the great Father's Day debacle of 2005, when she developed a severe case of gastroenteritis (thanks, in part, to 6 different family members deciding to feed the dog lox under the table all day!)
I called the vet again, and I think we need to figure out how to get back there for ANOTHER visit - and I need to bring the hairball. I'm a little afraid of the hairball . . . I think it might be alive, and it could possibly out-muscle me on the way to the vet. It is days like this I wish I took the dog to a more conveniently located vet. Wish us luck - hopefully, it isn't anything significant, but right now I'm worried that we are dealing with a blockage and a possible surgery.
I was filled with newfound relief that my dog would quickly be back to her old self. Since her appetite had returned, I thought I would give her a treat. We dropped by my parents' house, and there they have a bag of dog food for my brother's dog . . . my dog tends to think of this stuff as "McDonald's" - you know, kind of like the junk food mom never lets you eat. I put out 1/4 c for her, fully expecting her to scarf it down . . . and nothing. She didn't even want to sniff it. She sat around and wallowed for about 1 hr before we left, although on the way out the door, she did eat 1 or 2 bites of food.
We got back home here, and again, no eating. I made her a big thing of white rice, thinking maybe I could coax her into eating that, but again, we barely got her to eat a tablespoon. Before bed, she did finish off the little bit of food that was in her bowl . . . maybe 1/4 cup?
This morning, we woke at the usual time, and she seemed much peppier. She followed me to the bathroom, and watched me while I got dressed, and when I suggested we go for a walk, most of her usual gusto returned and she bounced after me for our walk. When we came downstairs, I did a quick search for any vomit patches . . . and I found one. Except, it wasn't normal vomit . . . it was a GIANT hairball, about 4 inches long. Naturally, you must be wondering why I was so convinced this was vomit (well, perhaps after you get over your disgust as I describe a giant puke hairball). Well, it was in her normal puke spot, and it was mixed with the rice we fed her last night for dinner. Clearly, this came out of my dog, undigested. What concerned me the most was that it appeared to mostly be MY hair, not her fur. In recent months, she has developed a nasty habit of licking the carpet in the living room. Back and forth, all day. I thought it was gross, but haven't really bothered to stop her. Of course, now I'm wondering if she managed to ingest enough of my stray hairs from licking the carpet that she now has a giant human hair blockage in her belly. Of course, seeing the hairball also gave me some relief. I mean, she threw it up, right? That must mean the blockage is gone and she should be feeling better.
After cleaning up the nasty hairball mess, we head outside for our walk. She has the normal spunk in her step, she keeps trying to eat everything disgusting, so I figure we are all good. She even "did her business" so I took that as another good sign that everything was working properly. We came back inside, and I scooped her food into her bowl - and much to my surprise, she looks at it and walks away. Still not eating! Have I mentioned that my dog NEVER doesn't eat? She can have severe pancreatitis and spend 24 hours vomiting . . . and all she wants is to keep eating. In ten years, I have only once ever seen her lose her appetite . . that was following the great Father's Day debacle of 2005, when she developed a severe case of gastroenteritis (thanks, in part, to 6 different family members deciding to feed the dog lox under the table all day!)
I called the vet again, and I think we need to figure out how to get back there for ANOTHER visit - and I need to bring the hairball. I'm a little afraid of the hairball . . . I think it might be alive, and it could possibly out-muscle me on the way to the vet. It is days like this I wish I took the dog to a more conveniently located vet. Wish us luck - hopefully, it isn't anything significant, but right now I'm worried that we are dealing with a blockage and a possible surgery.
Monday, September 8, 2008
Whirlwind continues
The past week has been quite crazy. The baby is kicking and moving around, and my belly grows larger by the minute. I discovered this the hard way . . . apparently, it IS possible to catch your belly and bruise it when trying to stand after sitting at a dining room table. Who knew? I need to practice backing away from the table BEFORE standing now.
I'm officially 24 weeks pregnant today! I can't believe how fast time is flying. We have an appointment on Wednedsay to see the midwife again, and my gestational diabetes test is coming up soon. DH has been crazy all week with work, and we are still fighting with the contractors over getting the house finished. I'm not convinced we'll be able to move before this baby arrives, but supposedly, they will have everything but the vanities and backsplash done this week - I'll believe it when I see it!
DH and I are actually making progress on getting things in order - I actually would not be humiliated today if someone came into my house, which may be true for the first time in quite a few months. We have appointments set up with our organizers for the next few weeks to help us with packing and moving . . . assuming we are ever able to move.
This weekend we celebrated my niece's 2nd birthday. Here is the Dora cake I made for her:
DH was a big help - he did the baking, and I did the decorating. We make quite a team!
Today, however, I am worried about my dog. She is lethargic and not eating . . . and she ALWAYS eats. We'll be heading to the vet this afternoon, but I hope she is okay.
I'm officially 24 weeks pregnant today! I can't believe how fast time is flying. We have an appointment on Wednedsay to see the midwife again, and my gestational diabetes test is coming up soon. DH has been crazy all week with work, and we are still fighting with the contractors over getting the house finished. I'm not convinced we'll be able to move before this baby arrives, but supposedly, they will have everything but the vanities and backsplash done this week - I'll believe it when I see it!
DH and I are actually making progress on getting things in order - I actually would not be humiliated today if someone came into my house, which may be true for the first time in quite a few months. We have appointments set up with our organizers for the next few weeks to help us with packing and moving . . . assuming we are ever able to move.
This weekend we celebrated my niece's 2nd birthday. Here is the Dora cake I made for her:
DH was a big help - he did the baking, and I did the decorating. We make quite a team!
Today, however, I am worried about my dog. She is lethargic and not eating . . . and she ALWAYS eats. We'll be heading to the vet this afternoon, but I hope she is okay.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
