jennifervb
Well-Known Member
I was not prepared for the news I received from the vet today.
My boy has been on meds for the last 2 months and seemed to be doing well, despite the loss of his buddy, Albert, in September.
2 weeks ago, I put Buddy on Lasix because his breathing still wasn't right. He improved significantly. He came off the Lasix last weekend and the heaving started again. Needless to say, I was convinced that he has a heart issue and expected that the vet would put him on meds for life... which she did.
What I did not expect is that she is only giving Buddy another 4-6 weeks to live.
She said that "if he makes it through December, I will be happy."
The x-rays tell a terrible story. There is some kind of growth in Buddy's chest area which is putting pressure on his heart. The thing is so large that you can't even see the entire heart.
We can't take a culture of it because the danger is too high that the heart could be punctured as well.
My vet says that she has seen something similar before with rats suffering from Myco. Since Buddy has been hiccuping like crazy for the last week (Debbie D. says these are actually sneezes and are only present in rats with Myco) it is clear to me that my boy is desperately ill and there is nothing we can do other than make him as comfortable as possible.
One small ray of hope is that this "thing" in his chest contains fluid and compacted mucous. If this is the case, the Lasix will hopefully kill off some of it, reduce the size of the thing and, hopefully, let me keep my baby for another several months.
He was tired when we got home so I bundled him up into his favorite box and fed him a ton of veggies, soy yogurt, meds and a grape for dessert. (none of mom's cheese was given with the grape since Doxy doesn't like Dairy and vice versa.)
Please keep my boy in your thoughts and prayers.
I will continue to do everything I can for my baby but suffering is not an option. If he takes a turn for the worse, despite the medications, I will do the kindest thing for him and help him to the Bridge... to his Albert. :heart:
This was not what I needed before the holidays. :tearful:
My boy has been on meds for the last 2 months and seemed to be doing well, despite the loss of his buddy, Albert, in September.
2 weeks ago, I put Buddy on Lasix because his breathing still wasn't right. He improved significantly. He came off the Lasix last weekend and the heaving started again. Needless to say, I was convinced that he has a heart issue and expected that the vet would put him on meds for life... which she did.
What I did not expect is that she is only giving Buddy another 4-6 weeks to live.
She said that "if he makes it through December, I will be happy."
The x-rays tell a terrible story. There is some kind of growth in Buddy's chest area which is putting pressure on his heart. The thing is so large that you can't even see the entire heart.
We can't take a culture of it because the danger is too high that the heart could be punctured as well.
My vet says that she has seen something similar before with rats suffering from Myco. Since Buddy has been hiccuping like crazy for the last week (Debbie D. says these are actually sneezes and are only present in rats with Myco) it is clear to me that my boy is desperately ill and there is nothing we can do other than make him as comfortable as possible.
One small ray of hope is that this "thing" in his chest contains fluid and compacted mucous. If this is the case, the Lasix will hopefully kill off some of it, reduce the size of the thing and, hopefully, let me keep my baby for another several months.
He was tired when we got home so I bundled him up into his favorite box and fed him a ton of veggies, soy yogurt, meds and a grape for dessert. (none of mom's cheese was given with the grape since Doxy doesn't like Dairy and vice versa.)
Please keep my boy in your thoughts and prayers.
I will continue to do everything I can for my baby but suffering is not an option. If he takes a turn for the worse, despite the medications, I will do the kindest thing for him and help him to the Bridge... to his Albert. :heart:
This was not what I needed before the holidays. :tearful:
