Syd's vet visit

Syd's vet visit

The good news is that her weight is up to 62.5 lbs, that's a lot better than the 54 she was at for the last visit.  She looks like hell, with the sores and the pee-colored fur and her fur just looks crappy even without the staining.  She was laying on the rug in the entry way when the vet came out, he thought she was dying. That's a bad sign.  She wasn't, well, she is, but right that minute she was just being a typical greyhound, why be upright when you can pass out on the floor with your tongue hanging out.

He confirmed that her lymph nodes are swollen again, and said that it looks like the prednisone is no longer working to minimize the effects of the cancer.  She yelped when he palpated the ones under her chin. That is the first time she has yelped over something like that, I think ever. She is the stoic one.  He said the sores can be caused either by the prednisone, or they could be the lymphoma spreading. He can't tell without a biopsy, but the results don't really matter, the end result won't change.  He wants to increase the pred dose from the 30 mg dose up to 60mg / day for a few days to see if it reduces the lymph nodes. If it does, she will step back down gradually again.  The problem with the high doses is the side effects it causes... like the sores, if they are from the pred, and the incontinence, and her excessive thirst and peeing.  The problem with the low dose is that the cancer will take over that much faster. He didn't know why her waist is expanding.  He said there is no way of knowing how much longer, but we went over the signs of when it was time.  And he said to enjoy every day. He refilled the prednisone prescription, and only gave us 40 tablets.

Whoever said that having the time to spend before a loved pet dies has obviously either not watched their pet die before their eyes, or they have forgotten how very painful it is. Yes, I'm grateful that I know in advance that her time is limited, but this is like getting kicked in the gut over and over and over again. I keep thinking I will get used to it and it will hurt less, but that is so not the case.  This sucks so bad.

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