Friday, October 15, 2010

Home from the Vet - Skelly's condition update

We're home from what I considered to be a positive visit to the doc. (despite some of the hard truths that the doctor brought up)

On the way to the Vet, Skeletor was saying hi in a very loud fashion to the lady next to us at the stop light. She seemed to get a kick out of it. 

Within seconds, the bed sheet I spread across the back seat was wadded up in a ball. Nice work Skelly :)

"Be patient" is a trick Skeletor has yet to master!

He was very interested in a wiener dog he met in the waiting room. She was NOT interested in him :)

Skelly was determined to be heard by every person and pet in the building.

He was practicing his monkey impressions as well. 

"Jeez, can we go back already!?"

"I'm sick of waiting!"

Sit Skeletor! 

 Good Boy!

The Good News is that this monster of a dog weighed in at over 64lbs! I have not been trying to put any more weight on him, but it seems that he has other ideas. 

The Even Better News is that his blood is looking GREAT! His red cell count is up to a whopping 48.46%. This is well within the normal range of 37-55. Way to go Skelly! 

The Other News

Dr. Chick said that he had a chance to hear Skelly's heart during the brief moments when he was not panting from excitement. Dr. Chick explained that his heavy breathing is due not only to excitement, but also to the deteriorated state of Skelly's heart and lungs. Skeletor's heart murmur was noticeable.  I would hypothesize that the heavy breathing is also due in part to his pulmonary hypertension. (the constricting of blood vessels between his heart and lungs that is apparently only treatable by the ever-elusive Viagra)

Dr. Chick explained that the damage that has been and continues to be caused to Skeletor's heart is most likely irreparable. (meaning that his heart will never heal completely) The heart medication he is on is intended to slow down the rate at which he heart takes damage from the parasites. 

Skelly was prescribed an additional heart medication (Enalapril) to take along with his Vetmedin. His prednisone dose has been cut in half. 

He's scheduled for another checkup in 2 weeks. Let's hope that his blood remains stabilized during the prednisone weening period! That lousy recurring anemia is the major thing preventing Skelly from beginning heartworm treatment. 

I asked Dr. Chick if I could take Skelly out for the occasional walk. He said that it was OK provided that I keep them short and cool. He assured me that with heart problems like Skeletor's, too much excitement could literally cause him to collapse and never get back up. 

With the permanent damage to his heart and lungs, Skeletor may never run in dog marathons or swim across the English Channel, but I'm going to continue doing whatever I can to prolong and improve his time on earth. 


Go Skelly! 

10 comments:

  1. Skelly is so lucky to have you and your determination. No matter the future, you have been enriched by his presence in your life. He definitely has a personality that is memorable. Skelly is Happy, Loved, Cared for and he loves his family. What more can a dog ask for?

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  2. How great is it that you're doing all of this for him. I know he says thank you in so many ways!!

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  3. Oh Skelly we are glad you are doing better. WE wish it had been all good news, but we are glad that there was a lot of it at least! We are always purring and praying for him - we just adore him and all of you for taking such good care of him! And hey, if he needs cooling they do make those dog cooling thingies you can buy (I have heard about them but have no clue what they are - I think bandanas for around the neck - cats don't use them so I didnt' pay a lot of attention - I just remember seeing them). And boy, does he look good in those pictures! You would never know that was the same dog you found. You have done a great job with him!

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  4. Two thumbs up for the both of you! GO SKELLY!!!
    -Corbin

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  5. Skelly is so lucky to have you in his corner! Yeah, he may not run a marathon, but he deserves the best life he can and it is so cool that you are giving it to him. Keeping positive thoughts and you and Skelly in our prayers!

    Kirby and his mom

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  6. We wishes the news was better and your heart could go back to 100% Skelly, but we thinks the news was very positive and we hopes the anemia will stay under control so you can get the heart-worm treatment you need. Healing purrs and tail wags

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  7. He looks so good! If I didn't know any better, I wouldn't even know there was anything wrong with him.

    I'm so glad that for the most part, this was a good visit. I just wish he could be treated for those stupid heartworms!

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  8. Thanks very much for the positive comments. It's true, Skeletor is very grateful for his new lease on life. He shows his gratitude on a constant basis! I'm thrilled that he chose me to help him through this rough patch.

    Thanks again for the moral support and donations. Without your help, this simply would not be possible.

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  9. We see that Skelly needs Viagra, ahem, we have no personal experience with the drug but hubby orders his diabetes meds from a place called Polar Meds. They are an online Canadian Pharmacy and are licensed to do business in the U.S. they have good prices for the meds we order so I'm wondering if they might be cheaper for the Viagra Skelly needs. They have pretty good customer service in of all places Texas. Here's a link
    http://www.polarmeds.com/momex/NavCode/drugs/DrugName/Viagra
    I've been following Skeletor's story since the beginning and wanted to say thank you for taking such great care of him. ~The Kattonic Mom, Donna

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  10. Swimming the English Channel is so overrated. Skelly has better thing to do!

    Does Petango have good prices for Skelly's meds?

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