Update - Ava's really sick

[Stacy]

I just got off the phone with one of the Internal Med doctors at the emergency vet. Ava has a fever, and her abdominal ultrasound looked normal, but her chest x-ray shows some significant patchy infiltrates. The vet said that it doesn't look like pneumonia, but it doesn't quite look nodular like you would see in cancer either. They aren't sure what it is. T

hey're going to ultrasound her chest and try to get an aspirate that way, but if they can't they're going to keep her overnight and give her fluids and in the morning do something called a BAL, where they put fluid into her lungs and suck it out and try to get some of the abnormal tissue out with it. The vet sounded... not overly optimistic. Her labs on Thursday didn't show an elevated white count, so I'm afraid that it's not something infectious, but instead cancer. It isn't a typical presentation, but neither one of these girls have ever had a typical presentation for anything.

I can't believe this is happening. This was supposed to be something orthopedic. She was supposed to have arthritis. But I had a really bad feeling. And my bad feelings often have a way of being right. I just don't want her to hurt. She's such a good girl and she's had such a hard life. We haven't had enough time to make up for all the things that happened to her before. I just love her so much.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

I am so sorry about this. I hope Ava improves with the antibiotics.  Sending love, hugs, and prayers.

[Stacy]

Thank you - Ava is coming home this morning. We still have more questions than answers, and I'm not sure she's really better than when we started this nightmare, but at least she will be home. I can breathe better when she's home.

[Stacy]

Hopefully last little update on Ava for a while. She's home. But there are still no answers. I find that really hard. How can we fix the problem when we don't know what it is?

We're still waiting for cytology on what they aspirated from her lungs and the myasthenia gravis titer, which I think they had to send to California. No one has ever called me Patience, so I'm thinking, come on people, let's hustle. But she's on antibiotics for the bacteria that they found.

They took another x-ray this morning and said her esophagus didn't look dilated today. It's so weird. They have no explanation for why it didn't look dilated on Monday, it did on Tuesday, and it didn't again on Wednesday. She says it's very unlikely that it would be anesthesia related, but she doesn't really have any other answer. 

And just because sometimes I need to be hyperfocused on tiny inconsequential detail, since the whole picture is overwhelming, I'm bummed that they had to shave her whole belly. It took a whole year to grow that hair, and now she's naked again. 

But it's so good to have her home. I can't even begin to express how content I am, just to be here with her. Katie was a mess all day yesterday too. Barky McBarkerson at everything, and just unsettled. Now we are going to do all of the snuggling forever, at least until tomorrow when I actually have to show up to work. Oops. 

Thanks to everyone for reading my ongoing saga. It helps!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

You aren’t alone. We care. I’m so sorry about all of this. 

[Stacy]

Thanks. It's been hard. I'm still fighting to get her to eat, a problem that the vet didn't seem to share. Tomorrow I'm going shopping for something that she will hopefully find more appealing without making her sick. Antibiotics and new food sounds like a terrible idea, but she has to eat. I also have my fingers crossed for some test results. I'm afraid I'm going to make a total pest of myself at the vet!

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

What about one of the Wellness LID foods?

[Stacy]

Thanks  - I think that Wellness is a really good suggestion, one that I had myself.  I ended up talking to the girl at the store and we thought that since Ava had been eating Fromm chicken ala veg most recently, that the canned chicken and sweet potato or or the canned  Fromm gold chicken pate might be a good choice for her. And she's been eating both of them! Even mixed with some of her kibble. It's the first time I've seen her have any interest in her food in ages and I'll take it. I just want to get some calories in this kid. Hopefully it will continue for the long term. 

[Debbie and Toby]

You could also steam some sweet potatos and mix a little into her kibble, when Toby goes through times where he doesn't want to eat, we have tried this and he absolutely loves it.

[Stacy]

Sweet potatos are great, but I'm not sure they would be enough to entice her right now. I was cooking eggs for her, and she started out willing to eat them, and then started refusing them too. I would put them in her mouth and she would spit them back at me. It's distressing to not be able to feed your child. But she seems to be eating the canned okay. She finished most of her food this morning. 

[charlotte bednarsh]

I wouldn't worry about being a pest at the vet....it's his/her job to be responsive to your questions and from my experience, vets are generally compassionate and appreciate an owner who wants the best for their furbaby.   From my experience, it is so tricky to find food that will appeal to a dog when he/she is feeling poorly.  You might try boiled chicken and rice, which is easy on the stomach....and if it's okay with the vet, you might want to add daily probiotics to counteract the effects of the antibiotics.  Thinking and praying for you  and your beautiful fur baby.

[Stacy]

I do think that this vet in particular understands that I'm very involved and generally educated about what is going on. Still, lab results take the time that they will take. And nothing will make them come back faster. It's a fine line between being knowledgable and being the client that no one really wants to deal with. 

I am currently giving probiotics, and at this moment I seem to have found something she will eat. Fingers crossed that that continues to be the case. It's definitely not easy. I never expected that we would be in this situation. I appreciate your words and your thoughts. Thank you so much. I am still hoping for a diagnosis that has a happy ending. Ava and I still have so much more to do together.

[Nancy, Ned, Clancy, and Charlie]

Thank you for keeping us updated.  I am so glad that you found something to entice her to eat.  Hopefully, the energy she gets from actually eating will help her feel better too.