Buddy Update

[AK dog doc]

Hi Gang

I thought I'd move the saga-o-Buddy out of the "cerebellar abiotrophy" thread, since it's kind of a separate thing and I don't want to divert that thread for my own nefarious purposes (HAHAHAHA! - evil laughter.) I feel like I already sucked up quite a lot of space over there detailing the story up to this point.

 

I can't tell you all how much it's meant to me (and Buddy, naturally) to hear your well-wishes for Buddy (and me, of course!) It's been a rough week here at Chez Buddy. As of this morning he still had a 103.5 fever and was moving around like he was ninety, rather than nine. I'd been avoiding painkillers both because I didn't want to mask his fever and because I judged him not to be well enough to handle the meds - his liver was very inflamed from the peritonitis. However, he seemed enough improved that I started those today (along with his three antibiotics), since animals heal better if they're not painful, and of course for humane reasons. I'm not sure if it was the pain meds, the antibiotics, my excellent nursing care or all your prayers and good thoughts, but he has perked up considerably. Today he ate 12 meatballs and a half a can of Mixit (though he refused baby food, cottage cheese, Easter ham, hardboiled (Easter) eggs, soup, dry kibble, canned dog food and his all-time favorite treat, pizza crusts.) He's still a rack of bones and has some pretty spectacular post-op bruising on his belly, and he still creeps around like an arthritic mouse, but he seems to be feeling better: he barked at some dogs today, growled to defend his (uneaten) egg when a dog went by his cage, and when we got home, he trotted up the stairs (albeit with about as much grace and coordination as a sailor on a bender, but it's the most energy I've seen out of him since this started, so I'll take it). His collar still hangs off his shockingly thin neck (he lost 6#, which he can ill-afford - evidently the same 6# it took me THREE YEARS to put on him in the first place ), but he isn't shifting and moaning every 10 minutes or laying there as if dead, his head hanging limply off the edge of the bed, too listless even to flick an ear at me if I invite him to go outside. He's starting to have a little Buddy-shine in his eye again, which is vastly reassuring, and today while I was hand-feeding him meatballs, he nudged me with his nose for some petting. That may be the most reassuring sign of all.

 

Meanwhile, histo is pending on the intestinal mass (I'll update you when I have he result). In the interim, I'm just stuffing small bits of food into him every couple of hours, passing along all your hugs to him, and telling him a lot of jokes. (Two Border collies walk into a bar and one has a duck under his arm.... A priest, a rabbi and a Border collie are on a life raft... If a beagle, a Schipperke and a Border collie all jumped out of a plane without a parachute... You know, all the old stand-by's!)

 

So, thank you again for all your kind thoughts and well-wishes, and I'll let you know what the pathologist says and how Buddy progresses during his convalescence.

[Tassie]

Thanks for the update, Doc. (I guess I should have read it before I sent you furry hugs from Oz on the other thread.) Sounds like Buddy is starting to feel a bit more like himself ?I would have been thrilled about the food-guarding growl (don?t our priorities change) ? sounds like he?s taking a lot more interest in life. Wish I had some funnies for him ? but he might get a laugh out of my herding trainer telling me today that my smart, sneaky little demon bitch Kirra is ?holding me hostage? ? (if she can?t do things her way she sometimes won?t work at all ? and I?ve been compromising). Buddy?s response would probably be ?Yeah, dogs rule?. Hope he keeps improving and that the path report is not too dire.

[borderbob]

doc, maybe you SHOULD write a book!! how about 1001 bc jokes

[Rebecca, Irena Farm]

Hope Buddy keeps improving. Still keeping Buddy in Prayer Circle here. Ben wants to send a warm bowl of Creamed Spinach and Salmon, which is what he likes when he's sick (like when he eats a friggin' hallucigenic mushroom). He also wants to know whether Buddy gets to see pretty colors and spinning lights like he did.

[Eileen Stein]

I'm so sorry to hear about Buddy's illness. We all feel we know Buddy, thanks to you, and wish him the best news and the speediest recovery possible.

[AK dog doc]

I'll take the fuzzy hugs (Buddy loves them, almost as much as meatballs) regardless of WHERE they get posted! Buddy also loves it that he's getting well-wishes from all around the world (it's tough when your little brother gets all famous on a calendar, you know, and this is his chance to snoot it over Finn's head. Plus he's threatening Finn that if Finn doesn't be nice to him, he'll tell Kirra on him, and THEN he'll be in trouble! )

 

Becca, thanks for keeping Buddy in the prayer circle, and thank the circle for me, too, if you would. He's still pretty rickety and can use all the help he can get. I was actually thinking about introducing some salmon today (since he loves it), but how do you make creamed spinach? It does sound like he might be interested... and I DO need to get some carbs and vitamins into him, though obviously the protein is important from a point of view of healing.

 

As for the jokes... We'll have to start making them up here, since I was kidding about knowing many doggie jokes. But I'm game if you are! Then we can sell the signed editions (ie, the ones with Buddy's muddy pawprints on the coverleaf) as a fund raiser. (Buddy has, unfortunately, "signed" many of my books already.....)

[AK dog doc]

Oh, and thank you, Eileen (since we posted at the same time). I really do appreciate the moral support. You guys have been great.

[INU]

Doc,

I must have missed your earlier post. I didn't now Buddy was ill. Good thing is he has the best vet he can have 24/7.

Hope he will feel good very soon.

[Rebecca, Irena Farm]

Doggie creamed spinach and salmon (you can alter slightly to make it yummy for people, too):

 

Brown clove smooshed garlic and about a tbsp olive oil in a large saute pan

Throw about half pound washed and chopped spinach (don't spin or drain too well) in the pan with the garlic and cover tightly, cooking over medium heat for about 15 min until cooked down.

Add:

16 oz whole milk yogurt

8 oz cream cheese

Stir over low heat until warm through and cheese is melted.

Now, you really need a grinder. If you do have one, cool and stir in one can of pink salmon, and put through the finest setting twice. Failing that, save the whey from the yogurt, add a little water, and throw it in the blender with the salmon. Give it the highest power setting until the salmon is soupy. You might need to stop several times to unhook the blades from the soft bones. You can also use a food prcessor if you've got one with some oomph.

 

The blender/food processor version is more like a creamy soup. The grinder version is like dip (pass the crackers).

 

For very lactose intolerant dogs, you can use drained soft tofu instead but of course it doesn't have the probiotics of the yogurt. Ben is sensitive to dairy but seems to have no problem with this.

 

I got the idea one time when Ben wouldn't eat anything but cleaned up a leftover artichoke heart dip I had made.

 

Oh, another one that a lot of people don't think of - quickie homeade hummus. My dogs love it. Just carmelize garlic in about two tbsp of olive oil. Throw a can of drained garbanzo beans and the garlic and oil in the blender or food proccessor and put it on the highest setting. It's very rich so you only need a couple of tablespoons. Get some pitas and the whole family can share!

 

Best wishes to Buddy - very scary!

[AK dog doc]

Wow! that sound great. Maybe we'll ALL have that for dinner!

 

Thanks for the recipes. (I'm sure Buddy thanks you, too. I'm pretty sure there's NO chance he'll get spoiled from all this...)

[Rebecca, Irena Farm]

For the people version I don't grind it, and I add about 8 oz mozzarella while it's still simmering. Then you can either dish it up and add a few tablespoons parmesean, or, before you add the mozzarella, dish it up in an oven safe shallow casserole, sprinkle with the two cheeses and put it under the broiler until it's bubbly. That's the company version.

 

Buddy must be doing better if you're worried about spoiling him!

[AK dog doc]

Well, I DID feed him deli roast beef (by hand, in bite-sized chunks) yesterday at lunch until he was bored with it... He also seems to be getting VERY used to spending 100% of his time with me... normally, if he's travelling with me, he's in the bed of the truck - naturally I have a shell and crates for safety - with the other dogs. This thing where he rides in the front, in solitary regal splendor, and goes inside every building I do, is a new high for him. Although I'll admit he has some trepidation about going inside the clinic, since that's where Bad Things Happen. (BTW, INU, it probably doesn't hurt Buddy's recovery that he has 24-hour veterinary care - and thanks for saying how good I am at it! - but I assure you that Buddy finds living with a vet a DISTINCT disadvantage at times - he can't get away from the medical stuff even at home!)

 

As an exciting aside, he's back up to 30#, which is a 2# gain from his low point on this episode. However, I believe that mainly represents the weight of the food currently residing in his GI tract (since I've been feeding him every 2 hours since Monday morning)...

[Oreo's mom]

Great news! Thanks for the updates.

[StillTerry]

The news about Buddy is the best news that I have heard all day.

 

I predict that you will be running after the running Buddy very soon.

[AK dog doc]

Terry, maybe you should work for the Psychic Friends (of pets) Network . This morning Buddy abruptly decided that having 4 pills shoved down his gullet before breakfast was NOT on his list of to-do's today, and I had to chase him down to medicate him. I don't think he's up to running in the woods just yet, but he is SO improved. He even did a little cat-stretch when he got up - the first I've seen in 2 weeks. Yay!

 

Thanks once again to all for your interest and concern and all your kind thoughts and prayers. When I get the histopath report back I'll let you know what it says. Meanwhile, I'm running errands today, not least of which is to pick up more meatballs... (BTW, Becca, the salmon and spinach was a BIG hit - I think I'll have to make more. I believe Buddy wants that as his entree at least once daily from here 'til the end of time.)

[Tassie]

Yay - run, Buddy, run! And you mean you don't put Buddy's tablets into little balls of premium grade ground beef for him? Shame on you. My previous old Kelpie/BC girl was hypothyroid, and she had her Oroxine tablets in ground beef every day - my boy Sam had plain ground beef balls - which made it very easy to medicate him when necessayr. Mind you, it also meant that the rattle of a tablet bottle became a very powerful stimulus! Which could be a tad embarrassing when the meds trolley came round when he was doing therapy dog visits!

 

Hope Buddy continues to improve as he's been doing.

[AK dog doc]

Well, I WAS putting his meds into little meatballs - but he DETESTS his metronidazole, as a result of which he has become mighty suspicious of meatballs, so that was the end of that. He'll still eat the meat, mind you, but the pill is another matter entirely. However, today there were three distinct episodes of actual trotting (this time without the drunken-sailor weave), and for the first time in his entire life Buddy opened a door by himself (in a failed bid for escape from the dreaded Cat Ward, in which he is housed while at the hospital, because it has in-floor heating so the dog cages on the bottom row are always toasty and rarely fully occupied.) Could surgery have made him smarter??? Or maybe just more desperate?

 

I cracked up picturing Sam mugging everyone in sight for the meatballs that they surely MUST be getting their meds in at the nursing home.... Isn't that how they GIVE meds at nursing homes and hospitals? In a ball of raw meat? (Yum! Maybe I'll start taking my vitamins that way!)

[AK dog doc]

Buddy's histo came back as a round-cell sarcoma. This is cancer (but they don't know what kind - could be several types, they can't tell. I'll call them next week and see if I can pin them down a bit more.) We resected all visible tumor, but the nature of the abdomen is that there might be cells that broke loose and washed around the abdomen and are implanted and growing elsewhere. I'll pray that his peritonitis sufficiently stimulated his immune system that it was able to chase down and kill any such cells, but now it's wait and see time.

 

Meanwhile, he feels good and has resumed all his old behaviors (except that he's lost muscle mass and therefore strength, so jumping up on things is harder for him.) He's gained a pound of real weight (not just that "I'm eating everything in sight so my gut is full of heavy food" thing he did right after surgery) and is off meds now. We'll do some dietary mainpulation to support him and tell him a lot of jokes and pray that we got it all and it doesn't come back.

 

Well, time for his mid-morning snack and cuddle, so I'll have to sign off. And I'll apologise in advance if it turns out I have less time to post. So far so good, but if I disappear a bit from the boards, it isn't because I'm mad or something. It'll be for Buddy-time.

[Shoofly]

Aww, i'm so sorry to hear that about Buddy. Hang in there and we're sending virtual hugs his way.

[Oreo's mom]

So sorry to hear about Buddy's diagnosis.

 

Keep us posted as you can and take care.

[2 Devils]

We will all understand if you disappear for awhile.

 

At least Buddy is feeling better.

 

And we are all hoping that you got it all.

[Betsy]

Very sorry to hear about Buddy. He (and you) will be in my prayers.

 

Betsy

[borderbob]

he could not be in better hands doc!!!!!!

[Tassie]

Hey Doc ? that is a bit of a bummer, but at least there?s a chance you got it all. Glad to hear Buddy is putting on weight, and feeling so much better. Does he know he?s a lucky boy to have a mom who pays attention to her ?little voice?. And how could we not understand if you have to take Buddy time out ? you have been so generous with your time and expertise and empathy.

 

Fergus and Kirra send more hugs - well, they would if they weren't deep in their midday nap.

[AK dog doc]

Thank you all so much. I really appreciate the prayers, thoughts and doggie hugs (perhaps Fergus and Kirra are astral-travelling in their dreams to deliver their doggie hugs "in person". Dogs can do that, can't they?) It may be an advantage for Buddy's survival to live with a vet, but I assure you HE doesn't think so. He's pretty worried every time I inspect his incision. On the other hand, he DOES like the daily massages, and the liverwurst and dog-cookie sandwiches aren't hurting his feelings, either.

 

Buddy and I did some gardening today (transplanting tomatoes - indoors, since we're still getting a few frosts at night - and raking the yard in prep for spring plantings). Buddy's job was to bark at everything. He's very good at it. Tomorrow I'm getting a fence installed (a REAL one, as opposed to the makeshift one with which we have been making do) so after that ALL the dogs can help me garden. I can't simultaneously garden and watch all three of them without benefit of some kind of restraint, and I don't believe in letting my dogs loose to terrorize the neighborhood, unlike some of my neighbors (sigh). Especially not now, since the lake is on the verge of breakup and they might punch through the ice, even if they didn't race off to find some other hazard, such as the Rottie who is always loose, or the fat cattle dog (ditto), and I believe that moose cow-calf pair is hanging around yet. I saw them across the road a few days ago.

 

Anyway, thanks for the moral support. I admit this is making me tired and sad. Out of the 5.5 dogs I've owned (the 0.5th one being my step-dog, Pepper), this makes the third cancer case. The other two dogs are Finn and Kenzie, who are both too young to be likely candidates. Even though I know better than most people that cancer is the leading cause of death in older dogs, I have to say that I didn't think that ALL my older dogs were going to get it. So here's hoping that Buddy doesn't have to die of it as well. At any rate, he believes he's well, so that's a good outcome for the moment.