Duke began throwing up last Wednesday, so by Friday, we took him to the vet. She noticed some bruising on his belly as well as pinpoint bruising in his ears, a sign that all was not well. A blood test confirmed that he had extremely low platelets, 18K--the range should be 117K to 450K +. Needless to say, we were very concerned. She put him on prednisone and three other meds to build up his system.
Friday 3 a.m. he started throwing up a good amount of blood, so we ended up taking him back to the UGA Veterinary Hospital ER; by then, he was in much pain, lethargic, and obviously suffering. Last night they gave him platelets, but he was having a lot of trouble with that, so they also gave him a regular blood transfusion, which seemed to perk him up a bit. Today, he is stabilized, but is not in very good shape. Their job is to determine what is causing his low blood platelet count. Likely not the bone marrow, since his other blood elements are fine; could be an autoimmune response, where his body is devouring the platelets; could be some form of cancer.
Being completely honest, I vacillate from "everything is going to be okay" to "I'll never see my sweet fur baby again." I have to accept whatever comes. If it means he has to be on autoimmune meds the rest of his life, we are willing to do that. We do want him to have a good quality of life, though.
This situation is very difficult to accept. We've had Duke since he was eight weeks old, and he's just turned ten. He's been a wonderful pet and companion, even a nurse when I had my knee surgeries--he stayed right by my side to make sure I was okay.
Your prayers would be greatly appreciated. I know he's "just a dog," but for those of us who think of our fur babies as family members, we go through about the same things as we do for humans. If that sounds weird or freaky, so be it. It is what it is.
God is in control, and if His eye is on a sparrow in a tree, He's watching over Duke right now.
Dachshunds . . . you gotta love 'em.
Oh, Mavis..those of us who have been there are sending you huge hugs and prayers right now. Our fur babies are family and it is so hard to see them suffer..we wish they could tell us what to do for them...the vets are doing everything they can...all we can do is pray. God knows your heart and He will give you strength for the days ahead. Please know you are not alone..so many people feel your hurt. <3
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Janet. It helps to know other fur baby parents understand how much they mean to us! God will get us through this, whatever the outcome. Thanks again <3
DeleteI will you include you in my prayer's little one.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much! Prayers are very appreciated
DeletePrayers!!
ReplyDeleteThank you, LoraLeigh <3
DeletePrayers for Duke for healing.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Marilyn ♥️
Deleteprayers for Duke - so sorry for your and his pain. Doxies are so wonderful they seem more like humans than dogs in my opinion!
ReplyDeleteThank you! Doxies are really humans in fur with four legs, lol
DeleteI know your pain. Prayers for Duke and family.
ReplyDeleteThanks so much, Sherry Watson ♥️
DeleteThat poor baby. I pray they can diagnose him and he gets the right treatment. It is so very hard for our babies to be sick. We lost ours five years ago. I still miss her everyday.
ReplyDeleteThank you, and I am sorry for your loss ♥️
DeleteSending prayers ♡♡
ReplyDeleteWhat a cutie ♡
Appreciate the prayers very much ♥️
DeletePraying for all.
ReplyDeleteWe can use prayers! Thank you ♥️
DeleteJust now seeing this blog post ... had not realized Duke was so ill until today.
ReplyDeleteBe assured that I am praying for Duke. He is FAMILY, cherished and precious. Praying, too, that Duke's veterinary team is given wisdom and grace to treat him well, and with God's will, successfully.
I know this awful strain and anxiety, and give you my hugs ...
Thank you, and prayers have already meant so much. Vet said he had a good night and is stable. One step at a time, right?
DeleteHi Mavis, one of my girls developed an auto immune problem last year after a bout of peritonitis and a spay. She had 2 massive haemorages and had 2 blood transfusions. She had NO platelets..... Vet put her on Prednizone - after 3 weeks we found platelets (all 10 of them). It was a long slow recovery..... but she's fully recovered.
ReplyDeleteSo glad your fur baby recovered. We know it's a long road ahead, but we are cautiously optimistic.
DeletePraying for your pup! We lost our doxie Manny last August and know how hard it is! Manny was 12 when he left us and we'd had him since he was a puppy too...such a big part of our lives. We still miss him every day. Hope your Duke recovers and is well very soon!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much, Della. Prayers are always appreciated. So sorry for your loss of Manny--when our pups leave us, they take a piece of our hearts with them.
ReplyDeleteMavis, they are not "just dogs", they are our beloved friends. Hugs and prayers.
ReplyDelete