Sad...my dogs really sick

[CityK]

Well I've had a terrible night - next to no sleep and had to take my dog into an emergency veterinary clinic early this morning.

He's been having a bit of difficulty lately, and Cushings disease (its a tumour of either the adrenal gland or pituitary; pituitary in this case) is strongly suspected (via clinical testing). However, there were several other things going on too - small growth on his front right leg, and lameness in his front legs.

He's had a history of weird lameness/limping. When he was 3 he had some sort of neuromuscular problem. Very scary seeing your dog walk like its drunk and then become capable of only turning in a circle before collapsing (I think he was doing his best imitation of the Bismark). Nonetheless, he seemed to recover very well from that within 48 hours, but not without some permanent change - he now bunny hops when running (i.e like a jack rabbit does).

Previous to this event, he was always a very fast runner. Post episode, and after adopting the new running style, he was definitely slower. He could, however, still turn on the afterburners, and people often commented on how quick he could be. I guess he just reserved his energy for the good stuff - beating other dogs to a tennis ball, and chasing squirrels.

Over time our rollerblading escapades got slower and slower. I have to admit that I was initially dissapointed that he wouldn't run like mad anymore. But that, of course was selfish and ridiculus. I came to adopt a "roll at his pace" and new appreciation for our adventures.

Trouble really starting showing up winter/spring of '02 - several episodes occured were he would mysteriously become lame in either of his front legs. So it played out that one week I would take him into the vets about his left leg. Next month it would be his right. However, they never could see anything wrong (visually, xrays, blood work, yada yada yada...). In fact, everytime we went there he would get all excited and act fine - I truly felt like the boy who cried wolf... but with the distinguishing difference that my visits were ending up making someones Lexus payments.

Anyways, it came to one point in that summer were one day in July he simply collapsed on my front lawn and when he tried to move he would yelp in pain. Many neighbours were out outside that evening and witnessed the incident. With the help of some of them, I managed to get him into the house. I called and just caught one of my regular vets as he was leaving for the night. Concerned, he set up an appointment at an emergency clinic to see a speciali$t in the morning, and we decided that the dog was best left were he was in the mean time. So there indeed he remained in one spot all night.

Unfortunately, it was a truly terrible experience - I stayed up, laying beside him trying to comfort him as he was in so much pain, crying/yelping with the slightiest movement. I have never heard an animal cry so loud like he did at one particular time - it even woke my neighbour next door. I had no clue what to do - I couldn't move him an inch and I truly thought he was dying then and there. By day break he had calmed down and some of the pain seemed to leave him. I managed to coax him outside so he could at least relieve himself. Cutting to the chase, I was able to get him into a car and off to the specialist. Tests, xrays etc later - still no clue. They tossed around a couple of possiblities - cancer of the spine, slipped vertabrae, arthritis etc etc .... Meanwhile, back on the ranch, a day or two later, this dog is acting like nothing ever happened. Frustrating and expensive. The end result was we just made sure he took it easy for the summer and rested up his legs. This certainly wasn't what I wanted for him to be doing though - he had got, how shall I say, a little round during the spring of '02 (my place was renovated and while I was away at work, my cousin/contractor and the other guys didn't seem to mind sharing fries and stuff...strangely, I also discovered that he had developed a taste for coffee during that time period too).

During the fall, winter and spring, I really worked hard and succeeded in getting in him back shape. Generally speaking he looked and acted great - was more energetic then in a long time and seemed really happy. There were only a few things of which I took note of:
1) a slight pot belly
2) a minor sist on front right leg
3) lump under skin behind right leg
4) the occasional sore leg days

I reasoned the following:
1) was a vestige of the fatty year before, and plus he's getting older too (now 10)
2) has had them before. Most dogs do over the course of their lives. They come and go. Just keep an eye on it
3) fatty deposit. these also come and go. Just keep an eye on it
4) arthritis (after all the indecision) now seemed like the reasonable explanation

So it came to the end of May this year for his yearly check up. I sign him up for the whole blood and urine analysis thing. I didn't suspect anything to come from that because of his general happy disposition and good visual health. It was then when it was suggested then that he may be entering the early stages of Cushings - his blood work showed elevated levels of corticosteriods. More elaborate blood work and clinical testing was done. Statistically, the results just weren't significant enough to say anything definitive. And truth be told, he didn't really exhibit any clinical signs characteristic of cushings - frequent drinking, urination, lathargism, pot belly (extended abdomen). Er, well maybe the last one a bit. But he's getting old, and deserved some slack I reasoned. The vets tended to agree, after all the poking an proding. We felt the best course of action was to monitor and retest him over the course of the summer - after all, the last thing you want to do is start anybody/thing on chemo for no reason.

At this paticular point in time, I was felling rather whipped out - I had been studying like crazy for a program i'm taking, unemployed and no current income stream, one of the cats was diagnosised with of cancer (lymphomia and would die shortly afterwards), my mother is slowly dying of cancer (brest/bone), other family members at times are annoying the hell out of me, and now my dog potentially has cancer. Need I say my emotional strength was and continues to be tested.

Anyways, to continue my rambling, over the summer I started to notice some slight behavioural changes in my dog. His July blood work came back pretty much the same. Status quo continues. Then he starts getting sorer in his legs. Almost every morning he gets up limping, and similarly when he gets up after lying down for a while after exercise. By the end of Aug, I become convinced that he is indeed now drinking and urinating more frequently. Plus, he is starting to become more lathergic and, at times, I can tell he's feeling a bit depressed. So I arranged for him to go in for a full day last friday. The vet gives him the best physical exam I have ever seen a vet perform (we were in the observation room for an hour and twenty minutes - best $45 I've ever spent at a vets). She feels a little bit of "crunchiness" in his front legs, but other than that she likes the look of him - nothing feels abnormal in the belly, lumps and sists are unchanged etc etc. We do xrays on the legs for checking for signs of arthritis or fractures or tumours etc. and he also has his blood work done again (it comprises having his adrenal gland's production of steriods artificially surpressed and then having blood samples drawn across the hours and having counts performed - thereby monitoring if his adrenal gland is functioning properly). Results to come after the long weekend.

So, in the meantime, he seems to be doing pretty good and I take him for a couple of hikes - limping, as I've come to expect, in the morning. He also begins to start licking his legs, in particular his right front leg. Wed I finally hear back from the vets - radiographs show nothing (no signs of arthritis, tumours, fractures). However, results from the blood work are worse from last time. They suggest we begin chemo and I concur. The meds have to be specially ordered in and won't be recieved until monday (tommorow). The following day one of the vets calls to discuss the chemo treatment and to answer some questions I had. At the same time I ask for them to have the sist on his front right leg removed - his licking of his leg so much had ended up with the sist getting all inflammed and stating to bleed. Unfortunately they only do surguries Thurs and Tuesdays so I'm out of luck until this coming Tuesday. So I wrap up the spot so he can't get at it and its doing a pretty good job, expect that it keeps coming undone (ackward spot right at the "elbow"). So what I've been doing is take it off for short walks around the block etc. and at night to give him so relief. This has meant me sleeping in the living room on the couch just so I could prevent him from licking at it - and its working, inflamation down, scab healing. (Him sleeping in the living room is actually one of the behavioural changes that has unfolded over the last couple of months - he used always sleep beside my bed).

Its strange how things changed so quickly. Yesterday he seemed quite happy and energetic - he had quite a lot of strength yesterday while playing tug of war. Then shortly before 3AM he started whimpering to go out. He collapsed on the front lawn. I managed to coax him to get up and very very slowly he climbed the stairs and went back into the house. Same thing like last year - parks himself in one place and doesn't want to move (Although this time round there is no yelping or whinning). His breathing is short, shallow, rapid breaths, heart rate up. He constantly lifts his head and seems to favour one side...then shortly later on he will favour the other side. Extremely depressed and generally unresponsive to my best attempts to cheer and comfort. At 6AM he doesn't budge for breakfast. When my dog doesn't move for food, there is something seriously seriously wrong. He does however take another huge drink (had brought a bowel to him a 4:30 with the same results).

At 7AM I get him over to the emergency clinic. The vet takes a look - shows me his gums > next to no colour. Says he's dehydrated. Listens to heart and chest, feels pot belly (which has become the most distended I have ever seen it). He takes him to the back right away for chest/abdomen xrays and to start a IV. Says he's going into shock. An hour later, vet comes back (without the dog) and shows the xrays. Not good. His spleen is about the size of my foot, and his liver is enlarged too, pushing up against the lungs and heart. Additionally, there was a lot of fluid in the abdomen - likely hemmoraging. The vet didn't beat around the bush - its most likely cancer. I was then left with the uncomfortable decision of how to proceed. Put it this way, its costly. Very costly. And this just gets to determine if its cancer or not...plus some level of care at making him more comfortable and removing the immediate danger to his live. I choose the most cost effective root (most bang for the buck) for the time being. He's still at the hospital and was to undergo some blood work and stuff. The vet suggested not going to the back and seeing him before I left because he was calm - said he was actually more alert now, so was probably responding to the shock IV they gave him. That was hard, but I was happy to hear that he wasn't as bad off as when I brought him in.

I should go and give them a call to see how he's doing - its been 6 hours now. Sorry for the long long post. Its just theraputic for me and helps me to access the whole situation. I felt like shit before. I still feel like shit, but I think writing this has taken some of the edge off. Sigh...sad times to come.

 

[jtr1962]

I empathize with you. Reading between the lines I can see you are very attached to your dog. I know the feeling. I can only wish for the best for both of you. If nothing else you've known for a long time that he wasn't in the best of health, and hopefully, at least on a subconscious level, have prepared for the unthinkable. This is why I think Suzette's passing less than two month's ago was a little easier on me than Tiger's was last October. I had known she wasn't in the best of health for the last three years, and was probably on borrowed time. That's not to see these things are easy. They never are, and it sounds like you love your dog like a parent loves a child. I felt that way about Tiger. In a sense losing her, especially that it occurred so suddenly, was no different than losing a child. Some of the pain had passed, and then Suzettes's death opened old wounds in addition to the sadness I felt from her passing.

I can relate to your situation. It seems bad things happen at once. My mom was in a car accident three years ago and has been through a shoulder replacement, two hip replacements, and cartilage surgery. This combined with 9/11, the two cats dying, and my inability to make any decent income in this economy have led me to feel in a rut at times. I can ony tell you to take each day at a time. Treasure any time you have left with your companion. Remember the goods times when all you have left are memories. The hardest thing about having pets is the fact that they will nearly always die before we do. I even wish I could say that going through the death of one makes the death of the next one easier, but it doesn't. If anything it opens old wounds that never quite heal. All the best to you.

Joe

 

[blakerwry]

I'm sorry to hear.

I, also, empathize. We lost our cat Mocha a couple years back. We made the decision to put her to sleep. She was old (we'd had her for as long as I can remember), and it was probably her time to go anyway. We wanted it to be peaceful rather than painful.

I hope you cherish the time you spend with your pet, no matter what your decision. They are great to have around and are probably the best friends we can ever have.

 

[Mercutio]

The bond between people and their animals is a sacred one. They trust us to care for them, to feed them and keep them safe. In return they give us the reward of their companionship.

We learn, without any words, to communicate with our friends, to be sensitive to their body language and the tiniest inflections of their voices. In a way that we just cannot manage with our human companions, we understand them.

I understand completely everything you're done and what you feel. I've felt it too. I can't really say anything that's going to make things better but it sure sounds like you did everything you could.

I'm so sorry CityK.

 

[Adcadet]

City -
I'm so sorry. This past Labor Day was the 1 year anniversary of when my family euthanized our dog (a dachshund). He too had Cushings and had slowly deteriorated. 12 years before that (minus a few weeks) we put our first Dachshund down after a slipped disk and hind limb paralysis. Both were very hard to handle. In one case the dog was just fine mentally. In the other, the dog slowly deteriorated and there didn't seem any clear line at which he was too sick.

Anyways....

But ya know what - you obviously gave that dog one great life. Think of how many times you saw him absolutely happy. Now obviously he's in discomfort, and obviously you'll do that right thing when the time comes. But that doesn't make it easy.

 

[The JoJo]

My condolences Cityk.

My most dearest friends have been 3 (different ages) german shephards. They are all gone now. They used to be my best friends for almost 4-6 months every summer ever since I was less than one year old.

I hate it when they are put to sleep. But I prefer that to having them suffer.

Take care. Keep in mind that your dog probably thinks about it's live with you as something very, very, very positive and good!

Damm....getting all teary eyed...

 

[i]

CityK ... I feel badly for you. I remember what it's like when a pet falls seriously ill. My family's cat was just approaching age 17 when illness finally caught up with her. During all those years, she was one of the few pieces of consistency and stability I'd had in my life. It was a really hard time.

 

[Clocker]

CK-
Sorry to hear about you and your pet's troubles. We'll say a little prayer for ya...

Sincerely,
Kevin

 

[CityK]

Hi. I actually logged in earlier on today and was typing something up but got interupted before I had completed and never got a chance to post to the forum . I did save to notepad what I had written and will post now just for the hell of it. In between that time and now, events have transpired and there is really no way I can any longer recount things in the same way I was going on earlier.

---------
Thank you for all the kind words and support guys. It is obvious that many of us have held similar bonds with our pets and have experienced the unfortunate hardships that come with the territory.

When I called the emergency clinic in the afternoon, his attending vet told me that in her and her collegues opinions (from looking at the results of the bloodwork and more xrays), the most likely situation is a (or several) hemangiosacroma tumour(s) in the spleen. What had occured during the wee hours last night was what they termed a "bleed out" from the tumour/spleen. As a result of the hemorraghing he was becoming dehydrated and lapsing into shock. This, apparently, is the common order of events for this type of tumour - small bleed outs here and there, and then eventually a big one from which he won't be able to recover. Most likely when I had observed my dog being depressed and lethargic during the previous couple of weeks, he was probably having really small bleed outs.

The only way of determining for certain what type of tumour it is (could be others - i.e. lymphoma etc), or whether it is something else (very unlikely), or even by chance that it is benign, would be by performing a biopsy. However, as opposed to such an invasive procedure, it is more prudent to perform an ultra sound in order to help determine to see if there has been metasis/spreading and whether surgury is even worthwhile option. Even if surgury is possible, if it turns out to be a hemangiosarcoma, the prognosis isn't much different - 6 months max.

She also informed me that he had stablized and that provided he was to remain that way for several hours, they didn't mind the idea of releasing him. So I went to the clinic about 8PM last night to see if that was a possibility - I obviously would much prefer to have him at home if I thought it a reasonalble course of action. Although taking him home from the emergency clinic ran the risk of him relapsing and being away form the fully staffed 24/7 supervision he would recieve there, it turned out to be an easy decision.

They brought him out from the back, IV in tow, into the examination room where I awaited. He didn't spot me at first as I was behind a table on the other side of the room. But I noticed right away how attentive he was while walking and traversing through the doorway with this silly tube coming out of his leg (which is what he was probably thought about it). Although fatigued looking, visually it looked like he had recovered a fair amount. You should have seen the joy on his face when he turned and saw me. No doubt about it, he was coming home - something I know for a fact that made me and, more importantly, him quite happy.

Before we left we had a good long chat the attending vet. It was pretty much a rehash of everything we had spoken about earlier on in the day. I appreciated her objective candidcy and also her subjective opinions and support that she offered - all round great vet.

My instructions were simple - just keep checking his mucus membranes (ie. gums) to make sure they remained pink, and if there were any problems, just bring him back in. I was also given the option of arranging for a Ultrasound at the emergency clinic or through my regular vets office. I choose my regular vets and so was given his set of xrays and told that they would fax off his charts/data to my vets.

We got home and had a good night. He followed me around everywhere and eventually stretched out beside me in the living room. Its hard to say how much physical and emotional stress he had experienced through yesterdays events

---

Well thats as far as I had got to. What I was leading up to was that I managed to get a radiologist to come into my regular vets clinic this morning to do an ultrasound. The interruption I recieved while typing my above response was the call from the vets to come pick my dog and to discuss the results of the ultrasound.

I knew it wasn't good just by the tone in the vet's voice when she called. My suspicion was confirmed by the actions of the technicians who greeted me when I came into the clinic - I know the staff pretty well. It was the kind of greeting people give to someone they know something vital about, but they aren't the ones to be the bearer of bad news. People, in such situations, will never look you in the eye. I know it must be hard for them too.

I'm kind of spent right now but the bottom line is that the ultrasound picked up multiple lessions on the spleen (not a surprise) and three on the liver. The radiologist diagnosis was consistant with what I was told the day before - hemangiosarcoma.

He's back home with me now. Currently doing really fine - you would never know that he was really sick. He had a great afternoon out in the backyard with me and some friends just lazing around.

I'm still have to hear from a surgeon just to get a full perspective of all the options available. Essentially they all just boil down now to making him comfortable and to provide a good quality of life for his remaining time. It pretty much looks like its going to come down to me on making the decision of when to put him down.

Left untreated, the vet thought that the major bleed out would probably come fairly soon, but know ones to know for sure. It would be pretty quick, but likely rather painful and uncomfortable.

Surgury would ultimately be pretty pointless (given if the diagnosis is correct, which I'm pretty sure is the case), but may buy him some time. Then again, in his already fragile and current anemic condition, he could very well die on the table.

If only he would pass at home in his sleep, but I don't think that will occur, given how the Saturday night/ Sunday morning unfolded.

Fuck I hate this.


Once again, thank you for your thoughts and for sharing your own painful experiences.

I'm going to leave the thread as it is for the time being. When the time comes, I'm pretty sure I'll need an outlet again. Take care.

 

[Jake the Dog]

my thoughts are with you CityK.

as horrible as this time is for you now, it's also the very best time to show your dog just how much he means to you. no doubt he loves you very much and it'll be you your true friendship, love and affection now that will to keep him happy more than anything.

 

[jtr1962]

You have my sympathies. Something similar happened with Tiger. When we bought her into the vet the second time because the lumps on her throat weren't getting smaller, the vet basically said the situation was hopeless. She was too weak to operate on. I made the decision to make her as comfortable as possible. Since she wasn't in any pain, just weak, I couldn't bear to have her put down, and hoped when she passed it would be a quick, easy death. The next morning she died but I gave her one last night and she wasn't in any apparent pain. I was hoping against hope that the cancer would go into remission, but it wasn't to be.

Enjoy the remaining time you have with your friend, whether it's a few days, weeks, or hopefully months. The happier he is the longer he'll live. Take comfort in the fact that he's lived a long and happy life, and do what you can to make his last days as comfortable as you can. If the time comes that he's in chronic pain and can't be helped further, you will have to decide what's best for him. I sincerely hope that you're spared that decision. It's the most difficult thing a person can do.

 

[e_dawg]

What a sad story, CityK. I shed a few tears for you and your dog. I guess the only thing I could wish for you is that your dog will enjoy the remaining days and that there will be no suffering. And when the time comes, I hope it will be painless and quick, and that you will be there by his side to comfort him and say goodbye, to have his last memory be of you and him... together... best friends, always.

 

[CityK]

It is with great sadness that I must write that I had my dog, Tyler, put to sleep at approx. 5:30 AM this morning in my home.

In case you are wondering, I opted back in Sept. to have the spleenectomy performed at the emergency hospital/clinic. I felt that (a) if there remained any hope at all for his life, then the operation had to be done and (b) that he had a strong will to live and this was what he would have wanted done.

I won't lie to you, it was a extremely difficult decision to make, and ended up being an incredibly stressful and exhausting experience. To begin with, the surgeon came out shortly after the procedure began to inform me that there was indeed other tumours on the Liver and asked me how I wished to proceed. I felt pretty much crushed right then, and that sinking feeling rushed in as hope faded away. Nonetheless, for whatever reason, I knew in my heart that he still had some good days yet to live out, and so told the surgeon to carry through with the operation.

The next day or two were filled with a lot of self doubt, as in "what have I done to my dog?" and "did I do the right thing?". Indeed, he was in pain for the first couple of days home. However, he was soon to make an excellent recovery from the operation. In less than a weeks time I was struggling to keep him from running around after everything. It was pretty much then that I realized that my gut decision had been correct and that I had done the right thing.

The following 5-6 weeks (whatever amount of time its been) were pretty great, and we spent a lot of good quality time together. I don't know if he ever realized how special that time was, but I can guarentee that he was so happy and affectionate towards everyone.

Last weekend was the first point of where things changed. He probably suffered another bleed out, but by Monday had recovered. That wasn't to last long, as early Thursday morning he developed laboured, wheezing/raspy breathing, and you could see that his abdomen was quite distended. I took him into the family vet clinic after a couple of discussions with the staff there. I am very grateful for the examination and work they did, all in my presence, essentially for free. The two xrays of his chest and abdomen that we took showed a pretty grim picture of the cancer having further spread and recking havoc internally. We tried to drain what fluid was in the chest cavity, but the small sample drawn was pretty much pure blood, and taping any more risked causing a pressure change that would have catastrophic results. In short, one or more tumours was slowly bleeding out. The two vets estimated a day or two tops given the current situation.

Tyler, however, bounced back once again. Happily, his courage and strong will to live allowed us to spend a enjoyable weekend together. I'm so happy that I was able to give him a good walk yesterday in High Park.

He started to go down hill last night. Before I turned the lights out at around 12:30, I pretty much figured it was going to end up being a long night. Everyone had told me that you'd know when, and they weren't wrong. It came as no surprise to me that he woke me just before 3AM. His breathing had deteriorated again, but for the very first time since his spleenectomy, it was now painfully obvious that he was in a fair amount of discomfort in his abdomen region. I spent the next hour or so just comforting him, and hoping, but I could tell it was time as there was a certain look in his eyes of his life slowly slipping away.

I am truly lucky to be in such friendly relations with several members of the family vet clinic staff. On the previous Thursday, two of them had provided me with their personal numbers to call at any time if the moment came were I thought he was suffering. I told them then and there that it was going to be in the night - it was always in the night with Tyler, ever since he was a pup.

They arrived a little after 5AM, and well, I guess the rest is pretty much history. After a couple of minutes with him, I gave them the go ahead to proceed with the injection. It came quick, was painless, and I was there with him, holding him right through the end. I wouldn't have had it any other way.

They left with him, to take him back to the clinic, just after 5:30. The house was so quiet, and it was so strange not to hear the sound of him breathing. I felt really weak, and light. The worst part is how truly empty I felt, with not a clue of what to do. I waited till after 6 and still had to take a bit of time before I could muster up the will to make a few phone calls to those family members who truly cared and wanted to be kept informed.

I feel a little better now. The suns up and the morning is in full swing. I think I'll probably go for a walk and grab a coffee or something. I cheerished the time I had with that dog. We had some great times and he really enriched my life. He was so smart, so strong, and so couragious. I will truly miss him.

 

[Mercutio]

It sounds like you did everything you could.
Tyler was obviously loved and well cared for; you did more for him than anyone else would've done.

It's sad to hear of your loss, CityK.

 

[jtr1962]

I'm sorry to hear this, even though we all knew it was coming eventually. Your dog died in your arms, as I'm sure he would have wanted. You did all you could, you cherished every remaining moment with him. He couldn't have had a better friend.

 

[e_dawg]

I know that Tyler wanted to fight and was grateful for you giving him a chance through the splenectomy. I know that he also cherished his remaining time with you, and that he looked back on his years with you with much fondness. At 3 AM, he knew his time was up, and he wanted to wake you up to say goodbye one last time.

"And when the time comes, I hope it will be painless and quick, and that you will be there by his side to comfort him and say goodbye, to have his last memory be of you and him... together... best friends, always."

 

[mubs]

I'm so sorry, CityK. Tyler was blessed to have received this much love, attention and care from you. I hope you'll find solace in the sweet memories of the wonderful times you've had with your dear friend.

 

[Handruin]

I really don't know what to say, so I'm going to say I'm sorry for the loss of your dog. That was very sad to read and I can't imagine the sadness you have, and will continue to go through. I hope the days get easier over time.

 

[timwhit]

CK-I know exactly what you are going through. My dog died about 4 years ago. I still miss my dog, but I know that in time I will get a new dog and will be able to have just as much fun as before. That doesn't help things immediately after the fact, but a couple years down the line it does. It's just that I can't get a dog until I have a house of my own or an apartment that will allow dogs.

Anyways, in time your pain will ease and then you will be ready for a new dog.

 

[The JoJo]

My deepest condolences.

 

[CityK]

Once again, thank you all for your kind words.

 

[Howell]

I'm sorry to hear about the loss, CityK. I'm at something of a loss for words. I'm not sure how I would react.

 

[Jake the Dog]

My deepest condolences City.

 

[Mercutio]

I hate to appropriate CityK's thread but it's probably more appropriate than starting another.

I got up at my usual 5:45ish this morning. My cat Gracie wasn't on my bed.

Which is unusual, because Gracie is almost always on my bed. She's a snuggling cat who has her own side of my bed and a penchant for eating paperbacks.

She hadn't taken the recent move very well, nor the fact that I took in a third cat, and for the last six weeks, has really confined herself to my bedroom and to the bathroom where her litterbox is, and hasn't been eating much. Stress, I thought.

So by itself this wasn't cause for alarm, but certainly odd.

After showering and dressing I wandered down stairs... and found Gracie in a little ball on the cold, hard floor of my living room. A breakthrough, in a way, because she hadn't chosen to spend time downstairs, and... she was, I thought, sleeping peacefully.

I continued my morning routine, until I realized that she wasn't snoring on the floor at my feet, but breathing - hard - though her mouth. I hadn't turned on any lights, but I reached down and picked up a cool, wet wretch.

She hadn't been able to even stand away as she voided herself in the night, some time earlier, and in the light I could clearly see her eyes and nose crusted over. She was too weak to even fight me as I washed and dried the various humors off of her.

I rushed her to the closest vet.

... who has no idea what's wrong with her. Initially we thought "Fatty Liver Syndrome" - typically a side-effect of anemia in cats. She's certainly anemic, but she's always been a skinny litttle cat, so it would've been hard to notice. But we got her bloodwork back and her results don't match the expected range for cats with that type of problem.
Her body temp is down almost 10F degrees and she has yellowed skin, in addition to whatever respiratory ailments she most likely has.

It's only been a few hours, I know, but I'm going out of my head over this. I haven't been home as much as I'd like, and to be honest, if she's been sick, I can't really say if I noticed any signs of it or not. I knew she hadn't been eating well but this...

The vet just called and told me she has a "guarded chance" to make it through this. I've said yes to literally everything they've wanted to do and they make it sound like she won't make it through the night.

 

[jtr1962]

I'm really sad to hear about this happening to you right now, Mercutio, especially with all the other trials you've had in your life the past year. I hope Gracie can be cured of whatever she has.

How old is Gracie? I'm asking because you say she's been on the skinny side her whole life much like Tiger, and if she's over about ten her symptoms are similar to Tiger's when we found out she had hyperthyroidism at age 11. This causes general weakness and would definitely make your cat more susceptible to any other ailments, and it does appear that Gracie has other ailments in addition to possible hyperthyroidism. Anyway, I hope the doctors find out what is wrong with her, and that it's something curable. Losing an animal under any circumstances is hard, but when it happens suddenly it's all the more difficult.

 

[Mercutio]

She's 3. Not nearly old enough to be sick like this.

 

[CityK]

Sorry to hear of Gracie's illness Mercutio. Please keep us informed.

 

[Mercutio]

Spent most of the day at the vet's. Bugging the crap out of the staff, no doubt.
Gracie's had three blood transfusions since yesterday (two from the same donor, the third from a different cat - now we need MASSIVE steroid doses to keep her from having a reaction). Her red cell count was about 3% of what it should be. It's probable that the state I found her in was her body shutting down everything it could to keep her brain oxygenated.
When they shooed me out this afternoon, her red cell count was up over 30% (the good news), which is at least good enough for her to resume some motor activity, although she's too weak to actually do anything so complicated as standing up. She's being fed by IV, and in one of the few positive signs thusfar, I'm told she's alert enough to be pissed about the needle.

They haven't been able to tell me WHY she's like this yet. The vet says it's probably a blood parasite, but their tests have come up negative for the ones they normally test for (they're doing a PCR to be sure). Short of that, they don't have any idea. My vet's talking to the nice people at Purdue and UIUC's vet schools, and we may be transporting her down there over the weekend if there's no improvement by tomorrow morning.

 

[Fushigi]

Merc, as they diagnosis proceeds you may want to inquire about any environmental factors that could have triggered the condition. Since you moved fairly recently, it is possible the prior occupant had a diseased pet (eg. a cat with feline lukemia) that could have left traces for Gracie to be exposed to.

 

[Mercutio]

I took her down to Purdue's vet clinic over the weekend, and they've been running tests and doing blood transfusions every few days and I've had a really hard time getting ahold of someone to talk to because of my work schedule.

I might be able to take her home Saturday if her redcell count stays stable and somewhere over 20% of normal. I went down to see her last night (2 hour drive, one way), and... I saw her (she's not very alert, but she is alive), but there wasn't a vet there I could talk to, only students and assistants.

I think the vets are ducking me because they don't have a diagnosis.

 

[jtr1962]

I really wish you lived near the vet I go to. Dr. Kirk has a reputation for diagnosing conditions in five minutes that other vets were puzzled by for weeks. Letters all over his office attest to that. I don't know if anything can be done long distance, but if you want to try, I can give you his number and if he has the time maybe he can talk to one of the vets where Gracie is staying. I know that's a long shot. Also, have you tried searching the Internet for cat diseases with similar symptoms? I'm thinking this is something environmental. Any chance that an exterminator visited your house before you moved in, or did your brother have any hobbies using exotic chemicals(i.e. photography, electronics)? What about carpets? Some types of carpets or carpet padding give off formaldehyde and other fumes. These can certainly affect both people and animals(yet another reason I hate carpets).

 

[Mercutio]

Purdue is one of only 11 vet schools in the US, and one that specializes in small animal care (unlike the school at the University of Illinois, which does cows and horses and stuff). When I was there I met people who had come from Poland(!) to have their dog cared for.

I don't think I can do better. Really.

 

[mubs]

Hope Gracie gets well fast, Merc.

 

[Handruin]

Sorry to hear about your cat Merc, I hope she pulls through.

 

[Mercutio]

Gracie is home now. She's alert but she's too weak to walk.

The vets presented four different theories on what's wrong with her, most centering on autoimmune disorders of one kind or another. No evidence of cancer or a root infection that would lead to her present condition.

She's much better than she was - her blood chemistry has stayed within the range of "not life threatening" for two days now.

 

[jtr1962]

I'm glad to hear the (relatively) good news. Now the big questions are can you nurse her back to health, and what exactly caused this problem so you can prevent it from happening again? I've never had anything quite like this happen to any of my cats, so much as I might wish to I can't draw on my experience to help you. I'm also glad to hear it's not cancer. That's the word I dread most whether it's coming from a veterinarian or a doctor.

 

[Handruin]

I'm happy to hear the good news also. To continue the trend of sick pets, one of our fish is rather ill. We've created a rescue tank, 5 gal. in size to medicate the gourami by himself while he is ill. However, it has been a week now and he continues to lie on his side at the bottom of the tank. I don't think he is going to make it.

 

[Mercutio]

Thanks for well-wishes folks. I appreciate it. I haven't been around much because of all this. Hopefully now that she's (fingers-crossed) on the road to recovery I'll be getting back to normal here as well.

 

[Mercutio]

I saw Gracie get up and walk just now. Man does that make me feel better.