Syd has been kind of stumbling and acting out of sorts here and there the past few weeks, but eating okay this past week. I had to go out of town on Tuesday and planned on coming back this morning. I was going to stay a few days longer, but my stepdaughter called me last night saying that when they fed Syd his morning meal, he would not eat cottage cheese or his food. They finally got his doxycycline down him, but that's about it. My stepson tried feeding him Wednesday night and again was able to get his Pepcid AC and piroxicam down him but not any food. She also said he has spent all day Wednesday in the hay dog house instead of his normal padded dog bed by the fence looking outside from the garage. That worried me. She wanted to know if this was normal. I told her how he's been the past week and said I would definintely be coming home this morning.
I arrived home and Syd got up, but walked a few steps and plopped down with 1/2 his body on his bed and 1/2 on the concrete floor. I laid down beside him and he smothered me with kisses. I got everything out of the van and went inside. Everyone joined me inside and I heard some heavy walking and Syd had come up the stairs from the garage and was standing there. His normal routine of lying down is to carefully put his back legs to the side, then plop down onto his remaining front leg. Instead, he just stood there leaning forward on his front leg and acted like he didn't know how to lay down. He then just laid straight down with both legs on either side of him. I helped him get his legs to one side. I tried to get him to eat 2 hot dogs (which he did) as well as some dog biscuits. After a little while, the dogs heard something outside and barked and ran to the door. Syd got up and went to see what it was, but then did the same thing as he had done before, just stood there and plopped down as before. I then went into the kitchen and he came in there and stumbled to get to me and laid down. While I was rebooting my computer, he just kept whining and looking around. My husband called from out of town and I told him that I thought he was weak. He suggested I go get some hamburger and let him eat to help get his strength up. Because he's been on arte, I hate to give him too much that has iron in it.
My vets are not in the office this afternoon, so I called one of the oncologists that Syd has a K-State. I told her his symptoms and told her about his CBC last week and that his temperature was normal. I explained how some of the dogs on CBC list had been on high fat diets recently and developed pancreatitis and had been stumbling around and it was due to too much high fat in their diets. I asked her if this is what could be wrong and she said it didn't sound like it. I asked her what I should feed him to get his strength up due to weakness and she said anything he wants. As I was talking to her, he was just laying there upright and was licking his lips constantly. I told her what he was doing and asked if he might be in pain and she said maybe. She said normally a dog who hasn't eaten for a day or two is not going to be that weak. She asked when's the last time we did chest x-rays and I told her 4/15/04, but we were scheduled to come up next Thursday 6/17. She said she fears that his cancer has come back and we just can't see it. I asked if I should give him stronger pain meds and she said not with the piroxicam. I asked her what are the strongest pain meds to make him comfortable and she said morphine type drugs, BUT that if it were cancer spreading, that giving him morphine would not be a solution if he were nearing the end of his life, and that she wouldn't recommend just giving him morphine until we figure out what's causing him to be stumbling. She asked if he has been vomiting or having any dark tarry stools. I told her no vomiting and just a little loose stools. (She was concerned with upper GI irritation or ulcer/bleeding). She said I could wait overnight to see if he got better with more food in him and I could bring him up tomorrow, if I wanted, so they could see if it has spread to his legs. I told her about some of the other dogs on this list who had mobility problems just before the end and I told her I had felt Syd's back legs and abdomen and didn't feel any lumps or bumps to indicate a tumor. She said that I might not be able to feel anything, but that his leg might be swollen due to the cancer. I told her both back and front legs looked normal size. She said if he was nearing the end, there wasn't much she could do for him to help him get better.
After I hung up and had a good cry, I laid down beside Syd to watch him. I also massaged his back legs and hips with the massager. I tried to give him some more hot dogs, which he refused. When I gave some to Runt, he then tried a piece and ate 2 more hot dogs. I then gave him some water and he drank and drank and drank more than he normally does. Thinking maybe he might be nauseous from no food and all the pills, I gave him a metroclopromide. I laid down beside him and he was breathing really short breaths. I put a pillow under his head and laid beside him and he fell sound asleep. He's been sleeping now for almost an hour. He is not just laying there with his head on the pillow and looking at me like he's zoned out.
I am hoping that he's just weak from not eating, but something tells me it's not. I wish the darn oncologist weren't 3 hours away. I just came from that area this morning <sigh> I think I'm going to see how it goes overnight and then take him up to K-State in the morning if he's not feeling better. I did take him temp and it's 99.9, but his nose is warm. It's been since Sunday night that I gave him his artemisinin and I stopped his fish oil capsules last week thinking that's what was causing his stumbling. I may stop all pills for now (except for the piroxicam with food) until we figure out what's going on. Syd keeps looking at me with sorrowful eyes and I don't know if he's trying to tell me something or not. I wish they could talk. My husband is expected back until Saturday afternoon from out of town and I'm just a basket case. Syd's 9th birthday is Sunday and I just knew a few weeks ago that he would sail past that with no problems, but now I'm not so sure if he'll make it. Please give all the thoughts, prayers and good thoughts coming his way. I sure wish I had Dawn's strength right now.....
|
