So....when last I left this blog, my dog had unknown liver issues that were not remedied by antibiotics and we were waiting to get an ultrasound done.
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| shaved belly |
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| Scout didn't want to walk. |
Ultra-sound was done, and it found that he had some nodules in his liver and that his liver was rounded, enlarged , and was hardened. So we set up an appointment to do a liver biopsy to try and figure out what is going on with the sweet puppy boy. Liver biopsy went well and the incision site was really small. We waited and waited, trying to be patient, and tried not to worry. Easier said then done. I was stressing out, thinking that Scout has cancer. I hate the c word.
Scout now looks like something is going on with him, and when we meet other dogs on our walks the owners usually say something like...."ohhh he's not feeling well, let's not bother him" to their dogs. To which I reply that he just had an ultrasound (I don't even mention the liver biopsy), and that he's okay to play. Scout hasn't shown any "signs" of liver distress. We found out because of trying to get his teeth cleaned and the tests came back with elevated levels. The only issue he's been having is that he seems to have twisted or aggravated his foot, so he's been having some issues walking. We couldn't give him any anti-inflamatories because they processed through the liver. So we've just be "dealing" with it. It was heart-breaking watching my dog age before my eyes. My playful old man, not wanting to go for a walk. Not greeting me when I got home. Taking a long time to get up and limping along. I got frustrated and called the vet. I said is there anything at all we can to to help eliminate this issue? (to be fair, they tried giving him 2 other pain relievers - which weren't processed through the liver- but they didn't deal with the issue that NSAID's do) The front desk took my message and said the vet was in surgery but would call me when she was out. She did. FYI - I love my Vet!! Turns out the biopsy report came in, and she reported the results (thus far) to me, and with the results came more questions, because there was nothing definitive with his liver. The are still doing tests (or rather she asked them to do more tests) to see if he has copper storage disease, and Cushing's is still on the table. Anywho, Dr Green prescribed an anti-inflamatory that is processed less through the liver at a lower dose. So far....it seems to be working. Scout is still a little slow to get up and limps a little when he first does get up, but he wants to go for walks.....long walks. He wants to play. He wants to greet us when we get home. He's almost back to his old self!! AMAZING!
We are still waiting on results and to see what the next steps are...they are less scary with cancer off the table for now.
Tomorrow is a new day!
