Caring for a Three Legged Dog or Cat
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Gilda is so poorly right now, I dont know whats going on with her, maybe someone has had similar problems and can shed some light.
She had a large growth on her spleen some 6 months ago which she had removed, the spleen had doubled in size, the lab results came back ok , no cancer
She had a follow up blood test 8 weeks ago which showed she is not producing red blood cells like she should and her iron level were still very low, it also showed she was suffering form pancreatitis.
She has been having meds to treat that, iron supplement and has also been having anti inflammatory for her good wrist which hasn't been too good either under the pressure.
She has also been loosing weight, she has no muscle on her face and has lost allot of muscle form not being very active, due to not being well, this hasn't helped.
After becoming very weak and having difficulties standing, along with being sick and showing no interest in food, we rushed her to the vets yesterday and she was immediately put on a protein drip and given injection of antibiotics and anti inflammatory, her gums were very pale which indicates she still isnt hanging on to the iron shes been having.
She had xrays which were all good, nothing abnormal going on and her temperature was fine
Shes just been laying on her bed now looking very poorly, she is drinking quite allot of water but is not wanting to eat, she has had about a quarter of chicken breast, thats all, shes still very weak.
I have a pet cam set up so i can watch her if i have to pop out or when im in bed i check on her through the night.
Im in constant contact with my vet who i know will do all he can for her, but its so frustrating, she has everything she needs and is so well cared for in every way, has the best of food and she needs anything she has it, i dont know what else to do, its heart breaking seeing her like this, she has been through so much, i just want my baby girl back :'-(
sorry for going on :-/
Oh goodness! You are NOT "going on" at all! I'm glad you posted so maybe our Volunteer Vet can give you some insight.
Did the pancreatitis seem to be the tipping point?i. I'm just throwing stuff up against the wall under our Doc chimes in. Was a vlood transfusion discussed?
Does she appear to be in any pain? Does the leg weakness seem to be from pain?
I'm sure you're trying every food known to man....cheeseburgers, bacon, cheese pizza, etc. Maybe some baby food?
Jave the Vets come up with any additional suggestions ornplan of action since she's not getting any better since the ER visit?
I know you are frustrated and probably feel somewhat defeated. Goodness knows you are doing EVERYTHING possible for your sweet Gilda! And she is, indeed, SWEET GILDA!
STAY CONNECTED'and knkw thst we are all sending healing thoughts and positive energy fornyour Gilda. Hopefully others will chime in with some insight.
Lots of hugs
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!
Happy Hannah had a glorious additional bonus time of over one yr & two months after amp for osteo! She made me laugh everyday! Joined April's Angels after send off meal of steak, ice cream, M&Ms & deer poop!
One more wuick thought...is it possible the iron supplement, or any of the others meds, coukd be causing her lack of appetite?
Happy Hannah had a glorious additional bonus time of over one yr & two months after amp for osteo! She made me laugh everyday! Joined April's Angels after send off meal of steak, ice cream, M&Ms & deer poop!
Thank you benny really appreciate your reply.
She had a blood transfusion after her op but hasnt had one since, it may be an idea i will speak to vet later today, the worrying thing is that she is not holding on to the iron shes having, shes loosing it somewhere which will make her weak, shes also obviously very anemic.
She cant have fatty food with her pancreatitis so i have to be careful what i feed her, i make her food, she has chicken breast chicken livers, spinach broccoli sweet potato and crown rice, all full of iron.
After weeks of searching the net we have found her a good leg support which will be arriving any day now, so that will help .
As for pain i would say she is experiencing some discomfort but she is on pain relief and anti inflammatory s, her tummy is quite tender as well, due to her condition.
Il give anything a go :-/
What is her PCV (red cell count)? Is she making new red cells? What about her platelets? If her anemia is regenerative then you are looking for blood loss somewhere or destruction of the cells (autoimmune disease). If it is non-regenerative that is worse because then you are usually looking for cancer somewhere such as in the bone marrow or sometimes chronic infection.
What exactly did the splenic biopsy report say? Has she had ticks? (They can sometimes transmit Erlichia or other diseases that can mess with the red cell count).
Pam
Her red cells are down and white high which indicates an infection, she has been on antibiotics for pancreatitis which the bloods also indicated. No cancer was found, which was my fear,
We had to take her back to the vets this morning as she wasn't getting nay better and i feared we may loose her. She has been on a drip again and has had lots of vits and mins to try and help her feel well, i was thrilled to see her on her feet earlier this evening walking around unaided, although still very poorly she was pleased to see us and actually wagged her tail which was amazing.
Her kidneys are fine and working well so they have been eliminated, however the vet is more convinced now that it is the pancreatitis so will be keeping her in and feeding her via drip until Friday to give her pancreas a total rest, he said by them we should have a better idea whats going on, he is going to send bloods off to be checked again once she has stabilized a bit.
She is still panting quite allot, but she dos have all the symptoms of pancreatitis, i just think she has so much to deal with at the moment its all got a bit too much for her, hopefully the fluids will help her to become stronger and fight off the problem..
She looked terrible this morning , her eyes had sunk and she literally couldn't stand on her own, really weak :-/ Im trying to stay positive and hope and pray we will know more on Friday and can get her the treatment she needs to fight off this infection
never had ticks, would the bloods show bone marrow cancer ?
Whew, what a day you and Gilda have had!! To be able to see some improvement already from the fkuids, etc is HUGE!!!! That is soooo encouraging!!
It sounds like your Vet is really on top of things and is on the right path to get her stabilized. It seems like, as you've said, one thing after another has taken a toll and she needs to be brought back up to snuff!
We'll look forward to each update getting better and vetter! You hear that Miss Gilda? Better and better!
Hugs and love
Sally and Alumni Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie too!
Happy Hannah had a glorious additional bonus time of over one yr & two months after amp for osteo! She made me laugh everyday! Joined April's Angels after send off meal of steak, ice cream, M&Ms & deer poop!
I would have to know more about her numbers. Pancreatitis should not cause severe anemia. Did your vet give you a number for PCV? TP? Did he say if she is making new red cells (is the anemia regenerative)?
Pam
Sadly had to have my beautiful baby girl pts earlier this evening, she had another tumor in her small intestines.
She has been through so much such an amazing girl :'-(
Thank you to everyone for all the help and suport you've given us over the past couple of years x
So sorry for your loss Debbie. 
Bless you for being such a good mum to Gilda.
Tripawds Founders Jim and Rene
tripawds.com | tripawds.org | bemoredog.net | triday.pet
Oh Debbie, dear sweet Debbie. So very sorry to hear this. I'm not going to write much here. I do hope yoi'll start a thread, or add to her blog, so we can help you celebrate t GLORIOUS GILDA. We also want to be able to support you during this really tough time. You are surrounded by people who understand how much Gilda was loved and adored by you...and by us. We all know yiu did everything possible for your sweet girl.....and she knew it too.
Gilda will always be a Beacon of Hope for everyone starting this journey. She is, and always willbe, a Legend of hipe and possibilities for us all.
And when you do make another thread for Gikda's story, we MUST have pictures...but you already know that.
With love
Sally and My Chunky Spiritual Being Happy Hannah and Merry Myrtle and Frankie
Happy Hannah had a glorious additional bonus time of over one yr & two months after amp for osteo! She made me laugh everyday! Joined April's Angels after send off meal of steak, ice cream, M&Ms & deer poop!
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