Reading

Simone enjoys the latest copy of BARK magazine.

Simone Update 10/27

It's been a good two weeks. Simone is doing really well. She went in for a recheck appointment yesterday afternoon. Two of her liver enzyme values have dropped substantially (ALT from 996 to 285 and ALP from 4295 to 1088). I think normal values for those two enzymes are supposed to be under 100, so we're getting closer. An approximately 75% decrease in two weeks is very promising! Her white blood cell count is finally back within normal range (it's been elevated nearly this entire time, indicating that her body has been fighting something), but her red cell count (packed cell volume) is still low at 28%. At least it's holding steady at 28% and hasn't dropped in the last three weeks. It's supposed to be around 40% or so, so it's something we have to watch. She has an appointment to go back in next Friday to recheck her red cell count and just make sure it doesn't fall. If it does, she might be looking at another blood transfusion. We're hoping though that as her liver inflammation subsides, and with her platelets and white cell count within normal limits again, that maybe her red blood cell count will rebound too.

She continues to eat voraciously though, and wants to play all the time. She's very good at distracting me from my homework! I can't resist her "play with me" look!

Simone's Halloween Costume

Simone sunbathes in her tooth fairy costume.

Simone Update 10/11

Things seem to be going pretty good this week. We had a nice weekend at the coast, and Simone enjoyed taking a quick dip in the ocean and sleeping on the bed with us at the Fireside. Overall, she seems to be improving. She is eating dog food again uncoerced, wags her tail a lot more, and frequently grabs a toy and wants to play. She went in on Wednesday for a recheck, and although her liver enzymes are still sky-high, they are a little lower than they were last time. She still has a ways to go before reaching the normal range again, but we are hopeful with her now eating and feeling more happy and energetic that it will happen. She takes her last prednosone pill tomorrow, and then will only be on liver support drugs until the enzyme values come down. The vet is pushing for us to authorize a liver biopsy, but we are against it. For one, the procedure would require surgery, and we don't want Simone to have to go through that. The other thing about the biopsy is that all it would do is give us a better idea of her overall prognosis, and it wouldn't change her treatment or fix anything. We're just hoping that all she needs is a little more time to get back to normal and will still have many happy, healthy years ahead.

Simone Update 10/6

It's been another crazy 24 hours. We woke up yesterday to find Simone in serious discomfort from her enlarged abdomen. Her breathing had become labored, and she was stuck under the bed because of her increased girth. We debated about whether to take her to the emergency clinic (our old vet) or wait until the OSU hospital opened up. We decided to try and wait for the latter since the staff there is more familiar with what's been going on. I kept an eye on her until I left for class at 8:30, and then Gary was able to get her in at 10:30 am. Dr. Gordon said her abdomen did look distended, but she didn't know it was absolutely necessary to drain the fluid. Gary emphasized that it was affecting her breathing, and the doctor agreed to perform the procedure. Gary left Simone at the hospital and then went back to work to wait for a call.

He went back at 4pm and found a happy, energetic, bright-eyed Simone. They had inserted a tube into her abdomen and drained out 1.5 liters (nearly 6.5 cups!) of a clear fluid. No wonder she was so uncomfortable! They also did an echocardiogram to check for clots in her heart/lungs, but didn't see any. Less pressure on her abdomen helped her appetite to return, and she ate some of their dry dog food while we were there (something she hasn't done voluntarily in about 2 weeks). They sent her home with revised medication instructions, and will go back in on Wednesday for a recheck. There is a chance her abdomen will need to be drained again, but we're hoping that with the increased dose of blood thinner (stepped up again from the other day), all of her blood components will be able to stay within the vessels and not be forced out. We'll see. At least for now, things are looking up (yes, again), and we continue to be hopeful that they will stay that way!

So, we are headed to the coast today for an overnighter at a pet-friendly motel in Yachats called the Fireside. We have decided that we need a little family get away from all of the stress and chaos that is our life these days. We are looking forward to a nice walk on the beach and hopefully a good night's sleep.

Simone Update 10/4

We're starting to feel like a yo-yo, continually being yanked up and then thrown back down. We took Simone back in yesterday because she's still not eating and her abdomen has become enlarged over the weekend. The doctor did an ultrasound and discovered new blood clots in her spleen and liver and quite a bit of fluid in her abdomen. They took a sample of the fluid and found it to be clear. The doctor thinks that there is maybe a clot higher up, closer to her heart, that is causing hypertension, which is forcing the watery part of her blood to be pushed out of her arteries and into her abdominal cavity. That's one theory, and there are others too numerous to list. She has suggested we do an echocardiogram to see if there is indeed a clot higher up, but that won't change the treatment (she's already on heparin, a blood thinner). She also suggested doing a surgical liver, stomach, and small intestine biopsy, but we have decided not to put Simone through that. That test also wouldn't really change how she is being treated as she's already on antibiotics and a number of liver support drugs. They did give us another injectable medication to give her three times a day to hopefully stimulate her appetite; it worked last night, but this morning she seems to have a fever and won't touch anything resembling food. We're hoping that maybe once the antibiotic kicks in and she starts feeling better that she'll want to partake of the smorgasbord downstairs (2 different kinds of dog food, a bowl of tuna, and a bowl of eggs). Time will tell. We're afraid that despite having made it through a really scary time last month, we may be headed back to the "dark place" once again.