Confused and Overwhelmed-Diagnosed Anal Sac Carcinoma (Woody has passed)

[Woodydog]

Thanks everyone he,s home and it's official he hates me lol. He wouldn't come near me at the hospital or at home luckily my niece was with me and he did everything for her.

It was a shock to see him I guess I didn't realise how he would look he has been shaved from his hips all the way down even his wee tail is naked I did get a fright he also has a bald square patch on his back where he had the epidural and off course his belly is shaved. He doesn't look like Woody. But that's all cosmetic it's still Woody when I look into his eyes. The nurses said he behaved beautifully for them and he was the model patient. He has loads of medication home with him but won't take it so I've had to syringe it into him so it's official he hates mom lol. I'm just so glad to have him with me, the staff at the hospital have been great and showed me how to clean his bum as he has been leaking poo which was to be expected. He has a collar on to stop him reaching the wounds but he really is struggling with it so will order him a comfy collar tomorrow x

Tracy and a bald Woody x

[Trish]

Wow I didn't have to wait long for an update did I!!

Awww poor little man, I bet he is pee'ed off!!! We often take it out on the ones we love the most so don't take it personally :cool: Pleased to hear you are getting his meds into him, pretty important he is kept comfy at this stage. I bet he will be tired and sleep quite a bit too, still rest is good for recovery. Is he on antibiotics?

He must look odd bald, can you take a pic for us?? Love to see how he is recovering! xx

[Woodydog]

Trish yeah he,s on antibiotics called syunlox, tramadol painkillers, granules for his stools, lopsec for his digestion and his foretok phew. He is currently hiding under my bed with the "you did this to me" look on his face I will get pics soon as and post them up. I don't think I,ll get much sleep tonight but he,s worth it well that is when he starts speaking to me again lol

He is sore but is walking well and going to the toilet he has leaked a bit so will need to clean him up. I don't think I really realised how big this surgery was going to be bit naive of me, but I'm sure in a few days he,ll be stronger x

[Trish]

Taken himself to a safe place, poor wee mite :) Sounds like they have all the bases covered with his meds. Well I think Mr Woody is going to have a few treats in store for him over the next few days!!

Like you say you will have to keep him cleaned up, don't want any infection from poopy wound. Can you see the actual wound, is it by his butt or abdominal?

I am off to lunch soon, but will be later this arvo and can keep you company plus others will be popping in soon and will be wanting to hear the latest on our little patient!

[goldengirl88]

Tracy:
I am thrilled Woody is home baldness and all. What a trooper. He knows you give him unconditional love, so he is just letting you know he is annoyed with you leaving him at that place where he got shaved. He loves you and will come around. God Bless you both and that wonderful niece of yours is a gem
Blessings
Patti

[Woodydog]

Taken himself to a safe place, poor wee mite :) Sounds like they have all the bases covered with his meds. Well I think Mr Woody is going to have a few treats in store for him over the next few days!!

Like you say you will have to keep him cleaned up, don't want any infection from poopy wound. Can you see the actual wound, is it by his butt or abdominal?

I am off to lunch soon, but will be later this arvo and can keep you company plus others will be popping in soon and will be wanting to hear the latest on our little patient!

He has a large abdominal wound which is suctured and stapled and runs most of the length of him down past his little boy bit. Also two wounds either side of his bum, which is quite swollen. We have done our first bum cleaning and it was a disaster he cried all the way through its not perfect but its clean, I hate feeling as if I,m hurting him when only trying to help him. He wont let me look at his abdominal wound so I,ve only had a quick upside down look at it. I have posted pictures in his album.

[Woodydog]

Tracy:
I am thrilled Woody is home baldness and all. What a trooper. He knows you give him unconditional love, so he is just letting you know he is annoyed with you leaving him at that place where he got shaved. He loves you and will come around. God Bless you both and that wonderful niece of yours is a gem
Blessings
Patti

Thanks Patti I am thrilled he,s home to if not a little bit scared. I only hope that I can look after him properly. He is at the moment settled on his bed in the living room and I will attempt to sleep on the sofa so I,m near case he needs me, but he,s pretty shattered.

My niece is a gem, she only turn 18 on this Friday coming but she has been my rock through this, and has been to all Woody,s appointments with me. I went into OMG panic mode when I saw him today and Rachel just took it in her stride sitting on the floor of the surgery calming him down, telling me he needed the toilet and a drink and she was right. Not bad from a girl who years ago was terrified of dogs until I got my last Jack Russell and he helped her get over it now she is a massive dog lover :D

[molly muffin]

Oh I am so glad Woody is home. I am sure you will be a great nurse for him. How wonderful that your niece is there with you helping out. I am sure Woody is currently disgusted with the whole thing but he will get over that as he starts to feel better. And no more Terry!!!! YAY!!

Hugs
Sharlene and Molly muffin

[doxiesrock912]

Awwww. Woody will get over it before you know it. I'm glad that your niece is there to support you all.

[Woodydog]

Well it's 4.30 am here and it's quite stormy lots of heavy rain and strong winds. It's not fazing Woody at all. He slept for about an hour and half then got up and needed toilet. He came back in and wouldn't settle pacing and crying. I didn't know what was up try the usual thirsty nope hungry nope in pain don't think so, so I worked out after 40 mins that he needed to scratch his ear but couldn't so mom to the rescue with collar off gave him a good scratching and he wagged his tail.

He has now had something to eat a drink and is resting well snoring actually me I'm wide awake listening to the storm outside and the snores inside lol

[Trish]

So pleased to hear he is eating and drinking, that is great Tracy! Bit hard to scratch an itch when you have a collar on plus your tummy and butt so sore to move about, but you figured it out!! Good on you, its often a matter of elimination like with a baby!

Just a quick pop in to see how you were doing and you are doing just fine!! Nice sunny day albeit windy! Family fish n chip night tonight so out again for a while, hopefully next time I pop in your both sound asleep catching up on your rest xx

[goldengirl88]

Tracy:
I know it is hard to clean a dog while they are crying out and you don't want to hurt them. I am quite sure you did a good job. Woody is in very capable hands now and I know he is going to be good as new soon. I commend you in all you have been through with him. It does take a toll on the humans. Woody is a resilient Jack Russell, and he will show you just how tuff he is. I am so glad you went forward with this. It is what I would have done also. God Bless you all and that wonderful niece of yours deserves a big hug for all she does. Blessings
Patti

[Woodydog]

Well we survived the first night lol Woody settled at 4.30 and woke up at 6 for the toilet then went straight back to sleep till 9 am. He,s not eating a great deal but little and often, had to syringe his meds again and could see the old woody as he tried to spit it back at me lol. We,ve had 2 more bum cleans and has tolerated a cold pack on his bum nurse says it helps with the swelling and can help with pain. He really is being a star.

[goldengirl88]

Tracy:
It is wonderful to hear that Woody is cooperating to an extent. You know Jack Russell's have a mind of their own and use it frequently to frustrate us. I think he is doing great and he is a star to have all that done and let you wipe his butt too! Keep up the good work, Woody knows you are helping him he is a smart cookie. You are so lucky to have a niece to help you. I wish I had some help at times. Hope you both have a good day. We have snow here this morning. Blessings
Patti

[FemaleK9]

Sounds like Woody has forgiven you already - I'll bet he really appreciated that ear scratching!

[Trish]

Good morning Tracy, or evening for you guys!! You would think I would be able to stay in bed longer than 7.30am on my week off, but nope awake and up already :D

Have you had a bit of a catch up on your sleep since this morning. Sounds like you had a bit of a restless night which is to be expected at this stage ;) I think it is good he is eating little and often :) hope today has been good for you both xx

[doxiesrock912]

Yay for improvement already!
It amazes me how quickly pets heal from major surgery. Happy that Woody is feeling better already.

[Woodydog]

Hi everyone I need the angels advice. I live in a flat first floor so when you go in front door it 17 steps into my living room it's not usually a problem but Woody is struggling usually I would lift his under his head and behind his butt but obviously I can't do that now with the wound and bless him he allowed me to lift him all yesterday hand under the head one on his back legs away from wound but tonight I must have twisted him and I hurt him (cry) he lashed out and got my arm so it is bruised but I hurt him. I now can't get him to the garden so spent tonight coaxing him onto the pee pads in the kitchen which he has done. He has been to the door 3 times for toilet he needs a poo but won't do it in the house I really do t mind him doing it in house. So any ideas how I can get him down stairs he can get back up by himself slowly. Also he is taking fibrogel for fibre fir his stools and as I'm handing feeding him at the moment he won't take it it's suppose to go into his food but when I do this he won't eat can I syringe this down. I can't believe I hurt him :eek:

[doxiesrock912]

Get a long, flat board and make a ramp. Just wide enough for Woody as to not interfere with people using the stairs. We did this for Daisy and covered it with carpeting.

[Woodydog]

Get a long, flat board and make a ramp. Just wide enough for Woody as to not interfere with people using the stairs. We did this for Daisy and covered it with carpeting.

Oh goodness I never thought of that I,ll look and see what I've got. I don't need to worry about other people as the stairs are in my house thank you thank you x

[doxiesrock912]

You're quite welcome. We used heavy duty staples and secured the carpeting from underneath. Just be sure that the ends of the staples don't come all the way through to the front of the board.

Make the board long enough to extend a bit past the last stair so that the slope isn't as steep. The ramp that we made is still in decent shape after 2 years of being exposed outside.

[FemaleK9]

A good harness might help you support some of his weight with the leash, and wouldn't press on his owwies.

This one shows the style I have for Rosie (http://www.amazon.com/Lupine-Dapper-10-13-Step-Harness/dp/B001N7SU4M/ref=sr_1_19_m?s=pet-supplies&ie=UTF8&qid=1382655750&sr=1-19&keywords=dog+harness+step+in+small), but I bought Rosie's at a local pet supply store. I like it better than any harness we've ever had for any of our family's dogs. It's very easy to use. I just lay it open on the floor, Rosie comes and stands in front of it, I gently place each foot into a loop, then pull up the harness and clip it together on her back, rather like putting on a bra. When it gets dirty or doggy smelling, I just put it through the dishwasher in the silverware bin.

[molly muffin]

That is the same harness I use with Molly. It's great!

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

[Woodydog]

What a day, Woody had a pleasant night settled at 2 am and slept till 9 am so I feel a bit more rested today. Managed to get Woody down the stairs this morning by sliding him down on my mattress lol, About an hour after his pee break I noticed that his bum was bleeding cue panic mode then "it just needs cleaned" calm, then oh its really bleeding cue panic mode, just as phone rings and its the vet school checking up on him ah relief someone to help me understand, explain to Joe who in a stern voice tells me to get him to a vet asap, cue real panic mode, frantic phone call to vet and emergency dash to my own vet. Craig my vet had a good look over him and told me it was fine it was seepage and to be expected cue massive relief he also looked at his abdominal wound and apart from bruising is healing well. He cleaned his bottom up and said it was healing well, and since woody didn't have any ABs or painkillers this morning the vet gave him a painkiller injection and an AB injection cue calm. He explained that Woody was doing well and it was early days and that I was to try and stay calm round him as he is picking up on it which I know and try my best to do, he said Woody was doing better than me as he started to laugh I looked down and realised I was still in my PJ bottoms and trainers cue massive embarrassment what a day and its only 3pm what else can go wrong/right today :D Oh and came home and Woody with his lampshade has knocked over my juice I may need a glass of wine tonight lol x

[Roxee's Dad]

Oh dear, you made me laugh out loud :) Panic... calm...panic...calm....

I am glad Woody is doing well and it does sound as if he is doing better than you LOL.

[Squirt's Mom]

LOLOL Boy, you sound like me! Our minds can really take some very fast 360 degree turns, huh? :D:p:D:p And the PJs are priceless! :p:p:p And, nooooo, I've never dashed off to the vet with half my head in rollers or anything! :D

I'm glad Woody got a good report and hope things settle down so you can remember to change your pants from now on. :D I can just see the mattress dragging, too! :p

[goldengirl88]

Tracy:
I really needed a good laugh today and you provided it. I could see the image of all this in my mind and was laughing out loud so much Tipper thought I was crazy. You sound like me you panic, then get calm. The pj bottoms put me over the top. This is one funny story. I know it was probably not so amusing to you when you were going thru all this. The mattress put me in stitches. What parents will not do for their babies!!. I am glad all is well and that the vet did give Woody a pain injection. That will make it easier to clean him up. I think you really deserve that glass of wine. You are doing an excellent job, and your Woody knows it. Blessings
Patti

[FemaleK9]

What an emotional roller coaster you're on, your stress hormones must be sky high, and I had to laugh out loud over the pajamas, but it's all because you care so much about Woody. I would be just the same for my Rosie.

You really do deserve that glass of wine (or two).

[molly muffin]

I joined the giggle brigade here too. It just sounds like something we all either have done or would do. :)
The panic/calm/panic/calm had me in stitches along with the mattress (which what a visual that made!) but the clincher was the pj's.
Yep, a glass of wine is in order tonight. What a day indeed!!
Glad Woody is doing so well. :) I'm sure you will be too after that wine! LOL

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

[Trish]

OMG you have had an umm interesting day since I last checked in on you and Woody!! Phew glad his wounds are looking OK, such a worry whenever you see blood, no matter where it comes from :rolleyes: Has it been better this evening?

Oh dear out in public in the PJs, I hate to say it but you would fit right in here... some of the ahhh shall I say lower socioeconomic group have decided wearing their PJs to the supermarket is now acceptable outside attire!! I have even seen them walking around in town :eek: Seems it is too much trouble to throw on some clothes to go pick up their wine, smokes and junk food.... :eek: Dear god, I just realised I am turning into my mother :D:D

Anyway, your PJ wearing to the vet is quite acceptable in a moment of panic Tracy :D I bet it gave your vet a smile! xxxx

[Woodydog]

Evening all, I am so glad I gave you all the giggles as you have kept me going through all this as well. When I sat down and thought of everything I,d been through today I did have to laugh out loud it wasn,t funny at the time I assure you of that :p I didn,t tell you he made I right show at me at the vets, he was one stubborn little dog refusing to walk into the surgery and was given me the look of "your gonna pay for this Mother " so I was all a fluster trying to get him to go in when the vet came out and said "aw Woody what have they done to you " and he was off trotting behind the vet quite the thing, then after his examination and jags as always Craig always kneels on the floor to speak with him and Woody was trying to get up on his knee so he took the collar off and gave woody a good all scratch and he looked at me like "oh your really gonna pay this is how I,m suppose to be treated " then licked the vets face :eek:

So tonight he has been really good sleepy but very settled so I decided to go to my nieces birthday party she turned 18 today and I wasn,t going to go but did, I was only out less than an hour and came home to find him still asleep, I,ve just been to try and walk him and he got to the top of the stairs looked at me, looked at the stairs so I went off to get the mattress, hauled out the bedroom, dragged it to the stairs and yup Woody was at the bottom lol. I swear this dog is making me pay for all he,s went through. Again Woody makes me laugh everyday sick or not.

I had Emma the IMS on the phone earlier this evening with his bactology results from his prostrate flush, they have found a bug in this and guess what its multi drug resistant and not normally found in the urine, there not worried about it and for the moment we,re doing nothing about it, until he gets his stitches out then they will repeat the urine culture and take it from there. This could only happen to Woody lol I,m not worried about it and will deal with it along with everything else he throws at me.

[frijole]

The visuals of your saga are killing me - in a good way. Please take a photo of going down steps on a mattress. That was my first good laugh... then the pj's... oh my that was funny... and it goes on and on. Thanks, I think we ALL needed a good hard laugh. Continued best to you and dear Woody. Kim

[molly muffin]

Oh I am so glad you were able to go to your nieces birthday party.

Yes indeed, you are going to pay for what you put Woody through. The nice thing is that he loves you to pieces so as soon as he feels better and the stitches are done with, he'll be right back there as you at the cats meow to him. :)
I'm sure he had a good time, giving Craig the vet kisses, while showing you whats what. Oh woody, woody, woody. He is a hoot isn't he.

I'm with Kim, pictures of that mattress escapade please. That sounds so ..um.interesting!

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

[Trixie]

Hope you've had that glass of wine by now! I'm sure those here who have had their dog home soon after surgery can relate to the panic and stress you've been under.
Woody seems to have weathered all this in an amazing way, and you're doing a great job with all the post-op care! In another day or two the wound will probably be so improved and the comfy collar will make a big difference for him. Keep up the good work! ;)

Barbara

[FemaleK9]

That little Woody has a real sense of humor, doesn't he? "Gotcha, Mom!"

[goldengirl88]

Tracy:
I often talk about the intelligence of the Jack Russells. Woody is really smart and is plotting about how to get back at you for all this. It sounds exactly like something Tipper would do to me. I am glad you made it to your nieces birthday party, as she is a wonderful beacon of light in yours and Woody's lives. I know you have been through a lot, and you have a wonderful attitude. I am sure with Terry gone the bacteria issue will be solved when he heals up. You have a wonderful place to take him to there, I wish I could say the same. I am glad Woody slept while you were gone and that he is improving every day. Blessings
Patti

[Woodydog]

Afternoon everyone Woody has had an uneventful night tried and failed to get up on the sofa as I wouldn,t let him jump the look was priceless. He has woken up how can I put this "like a new dog" full of beans, and wants to cause mischief lol His comfy collar arrived today Yay, but as I was trying to blow it up he stole it off me and started to rag it like a toy :rolleyes: Guess he doesn,t realise that he is suppose to be sick. He took all his tablets and as had his bottom cleaned twice, he is still not really pooing but still thinks he needs to if you get what I mean. He is now fast asleep at my feet and we will be having a lazy day.

Hope everyone has a good weekend ;)

[FemaleK9]

Glad to hear Woody's recovering from the surgery so well, and getting his mojo back!

[goldengirl88]

Tracy:
You Woody is a wonderful child. I am glad he is getting on with his recovery very well. I have a soft collar for Tipper too and she went nuts when I tried to blow it up, jumping at it trying to kill it. They are all a little touched with the crazy bug in their little heads. I love hearing all of Woody's little antics, it makes my day knowing he is doing well now. God Bless you both
Patti

[doxiesrock912]

Patti,
I have news for you. It's not just Jacks. Dachshunds are crazy enough to not be afraid of badgers. They have to be nuts for that. :-)

[Woodydog]

Well Woody is not so good tonight, he is going through the involuntary pooing stage, he doesn't know he is doing it, he just jumps up and its there. He,s not at all happy about this and he has been trying to scoot his butt which he managed once and made it bleed a little. I,ve been trying my best to reassure him that its all alright but he is panicing keeps looking at his bum area and looking at me. He,s not in any pain but I think he is just in shock. He has a worried look in his eyes. This was to be expected but as this is now day 4 I thought he had gotten away with it. If he keeps trying to scoot I,ll speak to the hospital and see if there,s anything I can do for the moment I am just saying no. I,m still being cheery around him so I think we could be in for a long night but hay ho.

[molly muffin]

Oh poor little Woody. I'm sure it's a shock to smell something, jump up and see poop. It if it was me, I'd be a bit worried too. Although we know it isn't actually something to worry about, just that the area has to be cleaned a lot to keep any fecal out of his wound. Yep, I bet you are right, long night, if he keeps trying to bum scoot. :(
Hopefully this won't last long, and is just one of the stages that too shall pass.

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

[Woodydog]

I've had to put a call into the vet hospital as Woody passed blood yikes. They are calling his surgeon and ringing me back fingers crossed its nothing to worry about bit the nurse thinks he has disturbed the wound :(

[Roxee's Dad]

Keeping fingers and paws crossed that it will be okay.

[molly muffin]

Right here, waiting with you. Hope all is well.

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

[Woodydog]

Surgeon just rang asked loads of questions but seems to think that it is unlikely the wound but more a touch of colitis or a reaction to his meds in turn making him poo loads clean him 4 times in an hour. She does want to see him in the morning and will ring me at 9 am to arrange a time. For now I've to monitor him and keep him calm. She was a bit surprise to hear the he was pooing himself as if there going to be incontinent then it's usually from day one. Woody for the moment is resting and he won't let me near him I,ll monitor him from a distance. I knew it was going to well lol

[doxiesrock912]

Awwwww. This seems to be the night for poo.
I hope that Woody is much improved by tomorrow.

[molly muffin]

Well I'm glad that they don't seem to think it is anything too serious but will be checking it out anyhow.

Nothing is ever entirely simple it seems, even recovery. :) You're doing great though. Try to get some rest when you can tonight, that's a long drive on no sleep.

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

[Trish]

Yes, recovery can be a bugger that's for sure. I hope it is just bit of upset tummy too, you keep Woody calm and we will do our best to keep you calm!! I would not let him jump on anything, or do even steps, jump in car etc to try keep as little strain on it as possible. Little devils though are quick as anything when you have your back turned!!

Hope all goes well with your appointment in the morning Tracy! x

[Woodydog]

Thanks everyone Woody is still pooing for Scotland so I clean him up best I can and best he,ll let me then clean the house. I've not taken him out at all so not to stress him with stairs etc. He is calm as long as I have my hand on his head. I'm soooo tired I've not really slept in days well weeks really so I'm having a milky hot chocolate see if I can drop off for an hour or two. The clocks her went back an hour for winter and your suppose to get an extra hour in bed not gonna work for me this year lol

Dogs huh who we,d have them ........well all us off course x

[Woodydog]

Well Woody finally settled at 6 am and slept till 8 with no more pooing, me I've not shut my eyes yet. The hospital rung at 8.30 for an update and his surgeon is sure it is colitis and I think it is too. She has advised me to try and get some fibre in him as this will help and to try and get his meds into him. We decided to monitor him for a few hours then ring back in a few hours. I have managed to get him to eat a little chicken in stock with his painkiller in it. He is now. Askeep in his crate sleeping

[goldengirl88]

Tracy:
Sorry to hear about Woody poohing. I am sure that is very upsetting to him. I am glad the surgeon said it is not anything serious. I will be anxious to see what the Dr. says after the examination. I know form experience that some animals have a hard time going pooh after anesthesia. Did you say for a while he was not going? Maybe he is just getting rid of what was built up in his bowels, and he can't stop it for now. I say a special prayer every nite for him. I am confident with the care he has received that they will be on top of anything. Hope you get some sleep, I passed out last nite early and slept like a log. I do not usually do that as I am always listening for any problems with Tipper. It scared me that I slept that soundly and did not check her thru the nite like I do. Hoping for a better day today with Woody. We have not turned our clocks back yet, I think it is the 1st week in November. Blessings
Patti

[Woodydog]

Patti thanks for the prayers boy do i need them. I had a melt down earlier and had to go into garden so not to upset woody I guess all this has finally taken it's toll on me. I just keep thinking if it's something I did by not getting the fibrogel into him guess I'm just tired and emotional today.

I have managed to get Woody to take his lopsec and antibiotic hidden inside some ice cream it was the surgeons idea as that way he is getting some fluid as well. I just need to figure out who to get some fibre into him.

[Squirt's Mom]

awwww, I'm sorry for the both of you. Pooping unknowingly has to be distressing for Woody and for you...and seeing that blood probably made your heart stop for a second or three. :(:eek::(

There is an herb called Slipper Elm Bark that might help Woody's current situation BUT it has to be used 2 hours either side of all other meds as it will prevent absorption of those meds. Be sure to discuss with the vet(s) before using. ;) Here is some info on SEB -

http://www.littlebigcat.com/index.php?

http://www.holvet.net/slippery_soup.html

http://www.webmd.com/vitamins-supplements/ingredientmono-978-SLIPPERY%20ELM.aspx?activeIngredientId=978&activeIngredientName=SLIPPERY%20ELM

http://botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/e/elmsli09.html


I hope you and Woody both have a much less eventful day (or night by now :)) and you are able to get some much needed sleep.
Hugs,
Leslie and the gang

[Junior's Mom]

I haven't posted yet, but I have been following along on your adventures. Woody is a great little character, and he is lucky to have you, you've been wonderful with him. You might try some canned pumpkin for fibre, not the pie filling, but plain canned pumpkin. They usually love it, and it can help on both sides of poop problems-loose or constipated.

[frijole]

The pumpkin does work but note in small doses! No more than 1 TBS ever but in your case I'd start out a one teaspoon. Too much causes the reverse which you already have. Never have understood this but it plugged my pups up fast. Kim

PS not sure if you have canned pumpkin there but as she mentioned it has to be the plain kind not the kind with spices in it.

[FemaleK9]

A nice bran muffin (without raisins) might tempt him? I wouldn't recommend them as a steady diet, but I don't know of any harmful ingredients. Others more knowledgable may disagree, though.

[doxiesrock912]

Tracy,

All natural canned pumkin from the baking aisle. Daisy hoovers it.

[Trish]

Hi Tracy

I just use normal pumpkin and boil it up and given him a teaspoon of the flesh, he has always loved it when we have it for dinner.

I have added Metamucil powder just a 1/4 tsp dissolved in about 50ml of water and add it to his dinner and he eats it right down. The fibrogel you have will do the same thing though.

Hope you got some sleep today and have a better night, it is very wearing not getting enough and I also hope your little meltdown in the garden was helpful releasing the pressure, in the shower is a good to do that too!!

Sleep well Tracy and Woody!! xxx

[molly muffin]

Checking in to see how you and Woody are doing. Hopefully you were able to get some rest today and Woody is doing better. Any luck getting some fiber into him?

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

[Woodydog]

Morning everyone. Well I think the crisis maybe over Woody slept from 9 pm till 8 am soundly so I took the chance and slept too apart from checking on him twice I had a good sleep and feel a bit more normal. Not managed any fibre yet so I'm going to speak to my vets today see if I can give him the slippery elm or the pumpkin. I may pop him along just to get wound checked as I think he may have a little infection as it's quite red this morning maybe just paranoid but better safe that sorry.

[goldengirl88]

Tracy:
Glad to hear that you and Woody got some much needed rest. You are being smart taking him with you to get examined, that way things are caught early if any problems are present. I sure hope for no infection on his part. Things go a lot easier when you have some rest, and everything seems to be less stressful. Hoping for a good report from the Dr.'s. Blessings
Patti

[Woodydog]

Well back from the vets and there,s no infection and wounds are all looking good. The vet gave him some extra AB,s just in case and we,ve to go back Wednesday for it to be checked. He said usually the wound breaks down in the first 2-3 days and as we are day 6 we may get away with it. He agreed it is red but said this would be due to the colitis he had at the weekend. Emma the locum vet was there and we,ve not seen her since before Woody was diagnosed so she came to say hello. She has a lovely manner with Woody and he instantly feels at ease with her so she got lots of kisses and cuddles from Woody and I got that eye again you know the one where he,s still saying "still gonna pay for this mother" lol. Both vets are impressed at how Woody has bounced back and how good he was looking and I have to say considering all he,s been through this last week he is looking great, and quite bright I have put up some more pics of his recovery. :)

[Roxee's Dad]

Great to see a positive report :) Woody will get you alright.. he will lick and kiss you to pieces when this is all over ;)

[goldengirl88]

Tracy:
So glad to hear Woody got a good report. He is a remarkable dog with all he has been through. There will be ___ to pay when he gets well mom! You are doing a great job managing all this. Blessings
Patti

[FemaleK9]

Glad to hear Woody is recovering well from the surgery!

[Squirt's Mom]

I'm SO glad he got a good report and hope you get the stink eye from him for many years to come! He's NOT gonna forget this, ya know. ;):p:D

[molly muffin]

What a wonderful report!!!! and Super Yay, no infection!!! wooot wooot

Hopefully you'll both get some normal rest tonight.

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

[goldengirl88]

Tracy:
Hope you and Woody had another good nite of rest. How is the boy looking this morning? He will be getting better and better every day and before you know it all this will be history. Did they happen to tell you when he must start chemo? It is to be 70 here today, hope you and Woody have a good day, he is one step closer to being able to go outside and explore his kingdom. Blessings
Patti

[Woodydog]

We had another restful night up twice for toilet then settled straight away and we both slept late. He has been ok today managed to get fibergel into him and he,s had diar since so I'm not giving him anymore and going to stick to the all bran that I gave him yesterday. He has vet tomorrow for a wound check then back to hospital on the 5th Nov to get stitches out and it will be at this appointment that we discuss the next step of chemo etc they also want to redo the urine culture to see about the bug that was found in it. Woody has lost just over a kg in weight in 3 wks due to diar etc and I've lost 9lbs which we both needed to do but what a way to lose weight lol. I have re named Woody to poopy bum Steele our surname and when you say it to him he wiggles his tail

[Roxee's Dad]

So glad to see continued improvement :)

Poopy Bum... LOL

[Woodydog]

Please send help I have a naughty dog who,s suppose to be sick. He has tried to jump on the sofa numerous times, picked up a toy to play with tried to jump up on my knee and has pulled like a steam train for a proper walk and not a toilet break. He is not allowed to do any of this but try and tell a Jack Russell no! He is huffing loudly at me with the bored.com look on his face. I think he,s feeling a bit better long may it continue

[Budsters Mom]

It definitely sounds like Woody is doing better to me and I'm so glad!:) do you want me to come over and tie him up for you?:D

[molly muffin]

Oh my you do have your hands full! Woody is definitely feeling full of himself today.
What great news :) hugs sharlene and molly muffin

[doxiesrock912]

Woody is going to have to suck it up and wait, as hard as that is :)

[Trish]

Awww sounds like he has forgiven you if he wants up on your knee! Yay for Woody, sounds like he has turned the corner in his recovery, so pleased to read this update Tracy!! I remember when I took Flynny for his first walk after surgery, he was chomping at the bit too... I let him free and he promptly leapt over a little creek :eek::eek: Back on the lead he went but it sure does our hearts good when they get that love of life back!! Great stuff xxxx

[goldengirl88]

Yahoo Woody that's the Jack Russell spirit that can never be broken!! I am so glad to hear this. He has pulled ahead in his recovery like I knew he would. I know that they are a handful, as certain surgeries Tipper has had I nearly lost it trying to make her not so things she was not allowed. I think this breed is allowed to do certain naughty things, it is written up in their behavioral traits! God Bless you and Woody, it makes me happy to know he is getting his old ways back. Blessings
Patti

[Woodydog]

Another vet visit today and another good report, his abdominal wound is looking great and his bottom is good to although a little swelling to keep an eye on. As I stood with my vet discussing things little poopy bum lived up to his name and poped on the vets floor cue me going oh I'm so sorry I will clean it up and the vet going way to go Woody that looks good:D. He is eating well today and has taken all his meds and has now settled down for the night

[FemaleK9]

Sounds like Woody was giving the vet payback for for the surgery, lol! Glad to hear he's doing well, we love good reports here!

[molly muffin]

Well I can see how Woody, Poopy Bum, might want to poop on the vets floor over all, after surgery and everything. LOL

Might be that his bum is a bit sore and clinching those muscles does feel good so he is just letting everything hang loose so to speak.

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

[Trixie]

I think by pooping in the examining room that Woody is just showing the vet that everything is working okay again! :D So happy to read that the recovery is going so well. Woody is already getting frisky and before you know it he'll back to all of his playful antics!!

Barbara

[Trish]

Fantastic, at least he got a good look at his poop!! Smart boy Woody!

He sounds great again today Tracy, so pleased to hear this. When are you back to the surgeon again to find out the next stage of treatment? You must be feeling better catching up on your sleep too :) xx

[Woodydog]

Fantastic, at least he got a good look at his poop!! Smart boy Woody!

He sounds great again today Tracy, so pleased to hear this. When are you back to the surgeon again to find out the next stage of treatment? You must be feeling better catching up on your sleep too :) xx

We,re back on the 5th nov at 11am to get his abdominal staples out and discuss the next step. Woody is suffering a little bit of fecal incontienance but my vet assures me this is normal and should rectify itself given time. He had another good night and woke up in good spirits so although he,s only allowed a 5 min toilet break we sat in the garden for 20 mins calmly watching the world go by and now he is fast asleep. My vet said yesterday that Woody had the look of " cancer pfft bring it on, I,ll win " look on his face and it's true this little guy amazes me and his recovery defo dealt with it better than I have lol

[goldengirl88]

Tracy:
Woody is just full of himself and ready for anything. That pooping on the vets floor was probably just Woody's thought on this whole thing!. I am glad you and he enjoyed the outdoors for a while. That probably lifted both of your spirits. He is on the road to being his old self so God Bless you both.
Patti

[molly muffin]

Excellent news. I agree, Woody is just awesome, with a spirit that had no limits.

hugs,
sharlene and molly muffin

[goldengirl88]

Tracy:
Just checking in to see what the Woody dog is up to?? Hope he is still moving forward with recovery, and is probably going to be glad to get those staples out. Is he itchy at all on the incisions? Have a good weekend with your baby. Blessings
Patti

[Woodydog]

Patti no he doesn't seem to be itchy and has not once bothered his staples which is good.

He us doing really well and at 2 am this morning hit me on the head with a tennis ball from his toy box as I'm still sleeping on the floor with him cue me getting up like a rocket switching on the light and seeing Woody tail all wagging with a big grin on his face. Let's just say the toy box was removed quick smart so safe to say Woody is back yay! His bottom swelling is almost gone back to normal but he sti isn't pooping right but with time that will come right I'm sure

[Trish]

Yikes, what a rude awakening, that would have scared the bejeezus out of you LOL :D:D Pretty cute though! xx

[molly muffin]

Well, Woody must feel he has some make up play time coming his way. :) Not nice when you're in a good sleep though. Guess waiting isn't on the top of list. LOL
Glad he feels like playing though. It'll be much better when those staples are out and he's healed.

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

[Woodydog]

Evening everyone, we,ve had another good few days and Woody is getting stronger each day. I have put up some pics of his recovery. He is really quite bored and is feeling coup up so this afternoon I walked him to the church fete about 200 yards from the house, he had lots of fuss made of him and I got some bakery and we came home and he seemed more settled. Anyone with a Jack Russell will know how they live for their toys and walks so he,s been finding it hard :) He,s not had any pain relief for 2 days now and seems fine without it. I am craving my own bed tonight, my back is sore from sleeping on the sofa and floor so I tried to go to my bedroom and shut Woody in the living room (so he doesn,t jump on the bed as its quite high) but he wouldn,t settle so looks like I,m back on the sofa tonight, oh well it won,t be forever I hope :D

Hope everyone had a good weekend and all pups are keeping well.

[molly muffin]

He looks Really good. :) I bet he really enjoyed getting out and having people make a fuss over him too.
Life really will get back to normal and you'll be back in the bed again. :)

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

[Trish]

Sounds like the walk, fresh air and attention agreed with Woody! Can't keep a frisky dog down for long can you!! His pics are great, sure show how he is recovering well. Your doing such a good job with him :)

My bed is quite high but Flynn does not sleep in it (his preference) he has his own little bed right next to mine, when he was recovering I moved the spare bed in and my bed out as it is much lower and I could lean out to check him and cover him up etc, saved my back!! But I have spent a few nights on the couch too! Poor you, hope you can get back in there soon!

[goldengirl88]

Tracy:
I bet Woody just ate up all the attention he got. I know how irritable a jack Russell can get when they don't walk or play they go crazier than they already are! I am going to get a look at Woody's pictures and see how he is doing. Sounds like he is making a remarkable recovery. Hoping you can get in your own bed soon, it will be like heaven. Blessings
Patti

[Woodydog]

Another good day here, Woody has finally managed to poop almost normally, and almost formed so on the mend. Only here can you talk poo :p He is still sleeping a lot which is best for him as that's when he heals and he has been a little bit naughty today. I removed the toy box the other night due to the tennis ball incident so no toys anywhere, so he decided that he would use his blanket as a toy and tried to rag it. He also did the unthinkable I went to empty the washing machine 2 mins most and came back and he was flat out on the sofa snoring, I did leave him sleeping for a little while there. He has also managed to get his comfy collar off today by lying on his back and roaching and wriggling and then slides along the carpet and pop off it comes, I forgot how naughty this little guy can be :eek:

We,re back at the hospital in the morning to get the staples removed which will make him feel better. We will also get the pathology report and discuss what this multi drug resistant bug that he has in his urine, and what can be done about it so still lots of things to think about but whatever it is I,m sure Woody will face it head on like he has been doing.:D

[goldengirl88]

Tracy:
I used to love to read all the antics about Buddy Kathy's sweet boy. Now I am hooked on Woody. He has his way about him and you aren't going to change him, oh no! He is just an adorable baby and I can see why mom is so smitten with him. He reminds me so much of Tipper and the stuff she does. They are too smart for their own good. Woody took no time in figuring out that soft collar and how to get rid of it! I am sure whatever happens with this bacteria in the urine, Woody will sail thru that too. I am quite sure whatever life throws at Woody he is smart enough to throw it right back. Hope mom gets into her snuggly bed soon. Good luck on the staple removal. Jack Russells can tolerate a lot more pain than the normal dog so Woody will do fine. I am sure he will be every bit as stoic as my Tipper, she is tuff as nails, I showed he Woody's picture. Blessings
Patti

[molly muffin]

Woody is a little go getter and I can't see much of anything keeping him down for long. I mean, major surgery sure didn't!! LOL
Hopefully they will have a plan ready to go for you, with options on how to treat, so you can decide.
I know once those staples are out, he's going to be even more of a handful to keep in check. :)
hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

[Woodydog]

We had visitors tonight my big sister and my niece came to visit for a while and I was completely ignored :p My niece hasn,t seen him since his operation as she has been busy with work so he was playing up to her something terrible with the "I,m not being looked after, she doesn,t walk me or let me play" face on him and as usual each time I looked over to him I got the "still gonna pay for this mother". My niece has bought him a new toy that he will get tomorrow after his hospital visit so that should please him.

You are all right don,t think there is anything going to keep this little guy down, he has always made me laugh on a daily basis with his antics and even through all this has kept my spirits up any time I,ve gotten down about all this he does something naughty and that's me laughing, they really are a tonic. :D

[Trish]

Good luck for the appointment today! He is going to feel so much more comfy with the staples out. I will be looking out for his update later on! xx

[goldengirl88]

Tracy:
Hoping for a good say for Woody to get rid of those staples. He will be thrilled to get them out and get a new toy all on the same day WOW!! Good Luck. Blessings
Patti

[Woodydog]

We,re finally back, staple, stiches and collar free :D Woody was amazing and done really well for the vet called Ian and Lisa the student vet.

Let me give you another giggle and insight into what I have to put up with owning this little guy. We arrived at the hospital made our way to the oncology department, where we were met with a man in scrubs (thought he was a nurse) who asked his name, and what he was in for as we chatted for a few minutes he told me he was not a nurse but he was a camera man doing a documentary on the hospital oncology wards and was looking for stories, he asked if he could take footage of Woody, which I agreed to so out comes the sound man, and the camera man and start filming Woody, who is staring right into the camera, a few oh and ah later and Woody spots the sound mans fluffy cover on his microphone and decides he,s having it as his toy, cue a Jack Russell in a comfy collar running up the corridor with a microphone in his mouth and me and the camera man chasing him. Got to him to realise that there was no way he was giving it up and as I was trying to persuade him to give me it, I looked up and all the vets, nurses, owners and admin staff are all out laughing and cheering at him. I was sooooo embarrassed and Woody well he took it in his stride and the camera man let him keep it. It was hilarious. :p

The second part of our day wasn,t so funny, confusing and gut churning is what I,d say. I will try and paraphrase all that happened. Woody,s pathology results showed that there was NO cancer in the anal sacs, they were inflamed, and impacted possible cause the diar he had the week leading up to surgery. It was found that there might or could be cancer cells floating towards his adrenal gland as the right one was 9.2 mm but this didn,t make sense to Ian the oncologist, as it was a left lymph node that was defiantely infected with the cancer and according to him if its left side node then it would be an organ on the left side infected and same with right side. The fluid flow showed that the cancer cells from the infected lymph node were most likely heading for the anal sacs and would infect them at some point down the line. He is asking the pathologist to have another look at all this as it doesn,t make sense to him, it can happen but it is very rare. So they can,t find the Primary Tumour, it may well be that it is so microscopic and this is why they can,t find it. My first question was had I put my baby through that surgery for nothing as that is how it felt, but I suppose they would have needed to come out in a few months time anyway.

So I may be dealing with a tumour of the adrenal gland now but will waiting and see what they say. We spoke of Chemo when I was there and the different types IV or tablet, and unfortunately they don,t think he is a good candidate for either :( There reasoning behind this is that the drugs suppress the immune system and with this bacteria bug in his urine (which can,t be treated) they feel he may need to be hospitalised for periods of time, and I know how stressed he gets so I couldn,t do that to him. Ian has said that he will have a meeting with the Head of oncology, him, Sam (pathologist) and Emma my IMS to discuss this case and see if there is anyway that the side effects from the chemo can be minimalized and also to go over the results to try and figure out if they can come up with a difinative answer on the primary tumour.

Sorry I,ve written an essay, but I was in with them for 4 hours going over everything. If Woody can,t have chemo, then I will love and spoil my boy for the time we have :D

[FemaleK9]

Wow! What a day you and Woody have had!

We'd love to see Woody running off with the mike cover, it must have been a real hoot! Maybe they will give you a link so you can see the video when done, if so, you must share!

Too bad the vet can't let you relax, but has to come up with more scary stuff to worry about. Just take it one step at a time, don't despair, and let us share the worry with you.

It sounds to me like it was just as well the anal sacs were removed; it seems like they cause nothing but trouble, anyway.

Hang in there, and enjoy Woody's recovery from the surgery.

[goldengirl88]

Tracy:
Woody was really full of himself today. He deserved to have a little fun at the camera mans expense. I am so sorry that you now have more worries, but we are here with you thru it all. Did Woody have an MRI or an Ultra Sound? I am wondering why they cannot locate this tumor. I know the MRI is the gold standard for finding many small things starting up that is why I wondered if he had one. I hope they can soon get to the bottom of this. The surgery you had done on Woody was necessary as they said it would likely end up there anyway, so best to get rid of it now. I know you have been thru an awful lot. Pray on it and ask God for mercy for Woody. I am still saying special prayers for him so God willing you will get this all behind you. Please take care of yourself I know this has been hard on you. Blessings
Patti

[Woodydog]

Patti - Woody has had 2 US, but no MRI scan, I did ask today about an MRI scan to see if it could be found and Ian told me it would be a waste of money as if the primary tumour was that small and not found on a US it was unlikely to be picked up on a MRI. He also told me that in 20 years of working in oncology apart from Woody he had one other patient that they couldn,t find the primary tumour in trust Woody to be his second lol

I briefly spoke to Emma my IMS on the way out today and she has said the same sometimes you just can,t find the primary tumour but she is adamant in her opion that the tumour was in the anal sacs I don,t know anymore what to believe what I do know is that Woody still has cancer somewhere in his body and I just need to try and deal with that, I,m not naïve and knew that Terry would win the game sooner or later I had just hoped it would be much later, although I have not written the little guy out just yet and with his spirit I,m sure he will exceed the 9 - 12 months that they gave him today. So for the next few days or until I hear from the hospital I am going to get Woody nice and strong and we,re going to have some fun and enjoy life :)

[molly muffin]

Awww, so glad that Woody had a good time! He was due.

I don't know, it seems strange that they can't find a primary tumor, but say that there are cancer cells still there? I wasn't sure about that.
You can still end up having a long time with Woody, just depends on what is what. Lets see what they say and take it from there.

We're all right here with you! Love the Woody stories btw. They make me smile every time.

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

[Woodydog]

Morning I went to my own bed last night ah bliss lol. Woody slept most of last night but when I got up I couldn't find him:eek: I searched the living room, kitchen under my bed his usual place so shouted on him nothing I frantically was pulling cupboards open just in case and eventually found him locked in the bathroom a room he never goes in but by the look of it he went to poo and has some his managed to close the door over oops don't know his long he had been in there silly cookie.

Ian has called this morning and Sam the pathologist is running the tests today so maybe get answers tomorrow. They also are talking about putting him on some meds to stop him straining to poo as this isn't good he strains to poo for ages until I stop him as nothing is coming out Ian said its as if he feels like he needs to go all the time.

[goldengirl88]

Tracy:
These dogs are real characters aren't they? That is so funny Woody locking himself in the bathroom. At least her knew to pooh in the bathroom! I am hoping you will get some relief from all stress of this soon. It must have felt wonderful being in your own bed? Hope you and Woody enjoy a good day together. Blessings
Patti

[Woodydog]

Afternoon all, I,ve had Ian the oncologist on the phone today bit shocked as its Saturday. My brain hurts after the conversation of about an hour and I can,t take it all in. I,ll try and summaries for you.

1. He first asked about Woody,s pooing, its been getting better after I changed him to his old food again, but not enough so he will need to go onto meds for it, as Ian said its not good. He will contact my own vet on Monday to prescribe the meds Woody needs.

2. The pathologist has re stained the anal sacs and did some more in depth testing and Woody hasn,t got Anal Sac Carcinoma and never did :( So I put him through that for nothing I,m angry with myself. After explaining this to Ian he said that the fluid flow from the left medial iliac lymph node was heading towards the anal sacs so Woody would have needed the surgery in the future.

3. What they have diagnosed Woody with is a Nuroendocrine (sp) Cancer. They believe that the primary tumour is in the right Adrenal Gland which is 9.9 mm but can,t understand why it was the left medial iliac lymph node that was infected, they told me it should have been a lymph node in the right side. Ian has said that this is very rare and in his career has Woody is only his second patient like this. Ian said that Woody, s bloods were all normal and showed nothing which is a big surprise to him.

What he plans to do is in 3 steps

1. Urine sample to check creatine levels to rule out cushings once and for all, as all tests say he hasn,t got cushings but ruling out everything.
2. Research the disease in humans to see if there is any medication chemo etc that Woody and his messed up system could tolerate in tablet form to take at home safe stressing him out going into hospital all the time.
3. Re - scan Woody in a month to see what is going on, or sooner if required.

He will consult with my own vet on Monday regarding all this and speak with me again next week. He is also going to contact his old professor in oncology down in Liverpool England for some advice. Only Woody could be this big a conundrum to the specialist :)

Woody is doing great and getting stronger everyday, and is back to playing and is allowed 2 x 10 min walks per day and he is loving life just like I want him to do :D

[Squirt's Mom]

Well, Tracy, it does sound as if you may have headed off something tougher on Woody by having this surgery now, tho I can totally sympathize with the feelings you had on hearing about the anal glands at first. :eek::(:(

Is he a possible candidate for an adrenalectomy after he recovers and is that even an option for this type cancer? Is this something you would consider if he is a candidate? Goodness, that's a lot to take in! And yet another Wonder Dog on K9C who makes the vets earn every penny they get! :p

I'm glad he is enjoying life! :) That's the most important factor no matter what is going on and he has the perfect mom to make sure this is the norm for him. Those moments when we see that light shining in their eyes, that silly grin on their faces, the pep in their steps makes it all the rest so worth it.

Hugs,
Leslie and the gang

[molly muffin]

Wow, that is a lot to take in. I hope that this surgery Now will actually turn out to be beneficial, in that he won't have to have it in the future. Still it is a lot to take in.

The best thing and most important at this moment is that Woody is doing great. He loves life, he's recovering, he continues to make his mum laugh and enjoy life too.

Sometimes, its the little things that are most important.

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

[Woodydog]

Leslie - There not sure surgery is viable which is why he is going to do some research into this, he says its quite rare but I don,t know. If surgery was an option I would consider it but not until Woody is healed properly. He is better but not completely healed he has a tiny bit of his abdominal wound still needing to heal and I need to get this pooing sorted out as it does wipe him out at times.

I have asked Ian to send me a complete report on all of this, as I,m sure I,ve forgotten some things, as I get a bit bamboozled with all the technical terms and long words that he uses (thick or what lol). I will speak with my own vet next week who is good at putting it in laymans terms for me.

After last weeks hospital appointment I had pretty much resigned myself to the fact that there was nothing else they could do to help Woody so I was going for quality over quantity of life and boy was he going to have quality. Now I still feel the same way and have explained this to the oncologist that it is very important to me that Woody has a good quality of life albeit it may be shorter than most but this is a must for me, and woody. He has assured me that they will not force/point me in the direction for their own gain and they too have Woody,s quality of life at the forefront. Now with all this I feel like I,m back at square one I know Woody has cancer and won,t have a long life but I don,t want a life of hospitals, tests, poking and prodding I want him to be ...... a dog, running, playing, shouting at the rabbits annoying next doors cat and snuggling with me, but if I can extend that would I, I just don,t know anymore I,m as the thread title says confused and overwhelmed.

We went out for dinner tonight just me and Woody to the local pub and Woody had a meal of rice, peas, and turkey cooked by the chef and he loved it, and all the attention he was getting he has become somewhat of a doggy celebrity in the village and boy was he playing up to it, but he was beautifully behaved. So now its 1 am in the morning and I,m having the "its bedtime" conversation with him and hes giving it "oh no its playtime" he,s not happy that I,m on the computer and ignoring him I,m so sure if he was human he would have flipped me the finger and stormed out the door by now lol :D

I have added some pics of him in his recovery album to show how well he is looking

[goldengirl88]

Tracy:
I would say with all the different variables you were given, that there could be fluke somewhere and it could be the cancer was in the anal sacs, they are just having a hard time coming to this conclusion. I have read a lot on this anal sac cancer, and it would seem from all you posted to us that Woody did have it. He had all the symptoms that I read about. I am hoping this is all from the anal sacs and there will be no more problems. You never know it could be just that. I am praying for you and Woody. One thing you certainly know Woody is able to go thru surgery and heal quickly. I pray God blesses Woody with a clean bill of health. So cute about you taking Woody out for supper. The U.S. is so behind on this, you aren't allowed anything but service dogs in any establishments here. Wish they would change this. Blessings
Patti

[Woodydog]

Evening everyone just popping in with a small update on the boy. He has been getting stronger and stronger each day, so I have given him 3 x 10 min walks and not 2 like I suppose to, I have to he is bouncing off the walls with energy and boredom. :D

I took a urine sample into my own vets today for the creatine test, and had a good chat with my own vet who hasn,t received the updated version on him from the hospital yet. He has explained that in the circumstances, had Woody presented to him with these results, bloods, US etc he probably would have went with Anal Sac Carcinoma as well, so I don,t feel too bad. The oncologist hasn,t been in contact with him yet to prescribe his meds and my vet wants to wait until then before he prescribes, so will ring me when there ready. Woody came into the surgery with me and Craig said he is looking great and you really would, nt think that he had been through major surgery and he was weighed and he has lost more weight. Its almost over 2 kg in 5 weeks, which we hope is the colitis he has causing it and the surgery and not the cancer causing it. His water and food intake is going back up over the last few days as it had dropped when he had the surgery so will need to keep an eye on that. But all in all he is fine, driving me nuts with his cheek as usual. :eek:

[goldengirl88]

Tracy:
So very glad to hear an update on Woody. You and Woody are never far from my mind. I say a special prayer for him every nite in hopes he would be blessed with a miracle. Snowing here we have about 5-6 inches now. Very cold and blustery out. Tipper is loving this, the more snow the better for her. She was so energized going for a walk in it today she went 3 times. God Bless you and Woody.
Patti

[Woodydog]

Thanks Patti - Woody hates the snow can,t get him out the door when it snows lol, me I love it. Its cold here minus 2 tonight but no snow yet. Woody is wearing his fleece jumper indoors at night as the house gets cold, he stands and waits for you to put it on and then gives a big grin in approval I must get a picture to show you all.

[Harley PoMMom]

Glad to hear that Woody is feeling better and hope his appetite is back to normal soon.

Hugs, Lori

[molly muffin]

Oh Woody is so funny! Imagine not liking the snow. Molly hates the rain, but loves the snow. She covers herself in it practically. LOL And she's white, so you can imagine. I'll have to post a pic of her in the snow. It's funny.

Oh gee, I love the fleece story. Definitely need a picture of that! Woody is so full of personality, he is just adorable. A cheeky little scamp. Love it!!

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

[Trish]

Wow Woody is a rare boy as well, I would have been upset hearing that news from the vets as you were. Poor boy having gone through that surgery to hear it is the neuroendocrine instead. I have a friend and her daughter had that tumour, she has done so well and is in remission now. Did they explain why it was not picked up on the lymph node biopsy preop? Anyway, its done now so we have do like Woody is and move along and keep on having fun and it sounds like he is doing just, what with dining out at the pub on his turkey dinner!! That's great to hear, he is quite the centre of attention the gorgeous little man :)

No wonder he has lost a bit of weight with what he has been through and great to hear his appetite is back :)I hope they get back to you with a plan soon re his meds and stuff.

[spdd]

Geez.... just read about Woody not having anal sac cancer (I've been away for 2 weeks) and although a bit shocked, I'm not totally surprised. It just re-affirms my belief that sometimes vets just aren't what I thought they were. No offence to your vets, they seem to have a handle on Woody, but just the same it makes me angry. I'm 7 months in and still don't know what's wrong with my pup. None of the vets I've had can agree.
Woody has such a personality, and a total sweetheart. If any pup can baffle the vets, it will be him. I have faith that with him being the dog he is... he'll fight this for a very long, long time with the best quality of life any furbaby can have.
Good luck to you both, and many hugs to you and Woody from Keesh and myself.

[Woodydog]

Trish the adrenal gland was picked up on the first Us but due to presenting with pu/pd we assumed that it maybe cushings and my IMS and myself decided to ignore it and constrate on the Cancerous lymph node then once that was over go back to the adrenal gland. He is showing no symptoms of anything except his colitis which is stress related this is why everyone is shocked as bloods etc were normal

[Trish]

Hmm well I think it is odd, like they do, that if it was the adrenal tumour spread to a lymph node it should be closer to the gland, not on the other side of his body! Still cancer moves in mysterious ways at times, which confounds not just vets but human doctors as well. The spot on the adrenal could just be a separate problem, or causing the cushings like symptoms as they suspect so it will be good to get those tests done. Maybe the adrenal just has a nodule or something benign.

Good grief, Woody is taking after Flynny... we got his first cancer sorted out on his liver and then the following year found the second one on his adrenal too. Both were separate primaries. From what I have read neuroendocrine is pretty rare and I had not heard of it on adrenals so I will be interested to hear what they come up with as it sounds like they are still researching what is going on with our Woody. Still, he is doing good now and that is reason enough to be happy!!! Have a good day you two, night from me xx

[goldengirl88]

Tracy:
Woody would not like it here right now we have about 5-6 inches of snow on the ground. It was too cold for Tipper to walk with her heart, and breathing condition this morning and she is being rather naughty. She wants me to know she is annoyed at the no walk policy. I am going to take her in a while when the temperature moves up at noon. Wishing the best for you and dear Woody. I can just picture him in that outfit running around the house. Blessings
Patti

[Woodydog]

Oh go Tipper being naughty love it. No I,m afraid you wouldn't get Woody out in that where as me I,d be out like a flash. My last JRT loved the snow and we would play for ages at snowball fighting I would make a snowball and throw it and he would try and catch it. Woody has been good today and we picked up his meds from the vets so fingers crossed we can get this colitis sorted once and for all. I have noticed that he is back hiding behind the TV unit when I,m in the kitchen doing dishes making a noise, this is where he goes when he is stressed, so although he is good I need to take him back to basics and try and get his stress levels back down. He always hid here when he first arrived from the rescue and I had gotten him out of doing it. So tonight we did a bit of clicker training which he loves and we went back to doing his TTouch and he was relaxed and asleep in no time, so we will keep up with this and hopefully it will help his stress levels.

I have put up pictures of him in his fleece it is an equafleece and has the wickering effect so it makes him feel secure.

[molly muffin]

Love the pictures. Wow, is wound looks so good! Just 3 weeks, that is pretty amazing. I love the pics of him in his fleezy. How adorable is that.

Well, it was over all a bit of a traumatic experience and I think Woody and you both handled it very well. Hopefully he will pop back into his normal secure mode in not time. :)

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

[Roxee's Dad]

Great pictures of that handsome boy... While I was perusing the photo's I thought, only here would we appreciate a descriptive picture of a doggy's bum... LOL :p :D:D:D

You did a wonderful job of taking good care of Woody :)

[Woodydog]

Evening everyone, Woody is doing just fine and is almost back to the Woody he was before the surgery. My niece has been staying with me this weekend as I,ve not been too well and the doctor has put me on bed rest boo hiss. I guess the last few months of worrying about Woody not sleeping, not looking after myself has finally taken it's toll on my health. I've had my thyroid meds upted to should hopefully help so my lovely niece has been looking after Woody for me. She won't let me do anything and Woody is loving the attention she gives him, but wait till I tell you what the little blighter got up to at 3am this morning. He was sleeping with Rachel and I was fast asleep and was woke with her screaming help so I rush to her room turn on light and she is pulling at the duvet shouting Woodys stuck over and over it took me a few mins to realise that Woody had un popped the buttons at the bottom of the duvet and crawled in between the duvet and the duvet cover and couldn't find his way back out I got him out in 2 minutes and the panic was over. He came out with a look of "not doing that again" look on his face. My niece was a bit upset but we did laugh afterwards he is a silly dog. Hope everyone had a good weekend and all pups were safe from the storms

[molly muffin]

Woody!! Oh he is something eh. :)

Gosh, I do hope you are taking care of yourself too! You have to, it just won't do to get Woody all fixed back up and then to have you on the down. :( Hopefully you'll be feeling better in no time at all.

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

[goldengirl88]

Tracy:
I am so sorry to hear you fell ill. I know the amount of stress you have been under, and it can really bad things to you, I know first hand. Now that Woody is back to himself, he is going to have to dawn an apron and wait on you in bed!! I am sure he would do that after all his mom has been thru for him!. You niece continues to be a gem. What a wonderful girl you have there. I laughed so hard about Woody in the duvet. He is so comical, I bet he keeps a smile on your face every day. God Bless you all.
Patti

[Woodydog]

Evening I am feeling a little bit better, and am getting my strength back, I was that busy getting Woody better and making sure he had all his meds that I forgot my own meds and my body just crashed on Friday night :( My lovely niece has gone home this morning as she works during the week, she has been my saving grace through all this bless her she is only 18. I haven,t heard back from the oncologist yet he was suppose to ring me last week about a plan for Woody maybe he,s still researching. I should get his urine results this weeks so we will see if that throws anything up. I,ve been monitoring his water intake and its creeping back up, its sitting almost as much as it was before all this and as we all know what goes in must come out, so we,re back to pee pads at nights only due to still having the colitis he needs to poo during the night as well and won,t do it in the house so I,m having to get up with him, he is ravenous hungry again and throws his food dish at my feet and barks, its quite funny. So the original problems pre Terry are still there only during the last month have they got a little better, which I have put down to the surgery etc. Could this be the adrenal gland throwing this up I don,t know, could it still be cushings I don,t know, looks like I don,t know much lol other than Woody is happy and still making me laugh on a daily basis, so I will take that for the moment.

[goldengirl88]

Tracy:
I am so glad you feel better. I do that also, I take care of all of Tipper's things and neglect my own meds etc. My first thought when you said Woody has symptoms like pre Terry was the adrenal gland. There has to be something going on that he is exhibiting Cushings symptoms. Did you say he had an Ultra Sound on the adrenals?? If so is there any tumor there or can't they tell? I wish things did not have to be so complicated with these babies. Is Woody waiting on you hand and foot??? He sure is a cute little rascal. Blessings
Patti

[Woodydog]

Tracy:
I am so glad you feel better. I do that also, I take care of all of Tipper's things and neglect my own meds etc. My first thought when you said Woody has symptoms like pre Terry was the adrenal gland. There has to be something going on that he is exhibiting Cushings symptoms. Did you say he had an Ultra Sound on the adrenals?? If so is there any tumor there or can't they tell? I wish things did not have to be so complicated with these babies. Is Woody waiting on you hand and foot??? He sure is a cute little rascal. Blessings
Patti

Patti - they can,t tell but believe its a tumour in the adrenal is the primary tumour of his neuroendocrine cancer, and one is 9.9 and the other is 5.2 :confused: Woody is not doing his duty and looking after me only in the smile category but he is keeping me warm by not leaving my side :D

[goldengirl88]

Tracy:
I wish I had that darn magic wand, I could wear it out on this forum alone. I am praying and hoping against all odds that Woody can beat this thing. I keep thinking that is why the Cushings symptoms because of the Adrenal tumor. Woody is strong now and will be able to fight this. God willing he lives on for many years to come. He knows you love him, and you were helping him. These are loyal little dogs, and the are my Achilles heal. I have a soft spot for Jack Russells, and am keeping the faith that God will grant Woody mercy and heal him. Blessings
Patti

[Woodydog]

We had a very good day today. We woke up to a chilly frosty morning, with the sun shining my best kind of day, I love wrapping up and walking in this weather. So I packed a back pack for me and Woody and off we went. We went into the woodland areas but couldn,t go to far as its shooting season here and we need to be careful. I found a clearing and we sat and had some chicken soup and watched the world go by. Woody had a blast with all the new smells of the wildlife and had to be forced to rest several times as he just wanted to go go go. Where we sat was sort of above the village I live in and you could look down into it, the scenery was breathtaking with the frost on the trees. We came home and had realised we had been away for 3 hours :eek: Needless to say little Woody slept most of the afternoon asleep :)

[molly muffin]

A nice walk and a break, then a nap. Sounds like a perfectly great day to me!

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

[goldengirl88]

Wow Tracy could you take me next time, it all sounded beautiful. So happy you and Woody enjoyed a great day together, and I hope you two have many more. Blessings.
Patti

[spdd]

Glad to hear Woody is enjoying life. It's a day at a time and I've learned to be thankful for each day that I wake up and "mah boy" is still here.

Woody seems to be full of life, and I love to hear the stores.

[Budsters Mom]

A three hour walk through the woods!:eek: We have another super hero in our group! Go Woody!! xxxxx

[Woodydog]

Well Woody is one month post surgery today :D:D:D I can,t tell you how good that feels to say that and he is doing remarkably well :D

I feel like I,ve not been off the telephone today. First thing my own vet call to see how Woody was doing and to let me know he had received the lastest update from the Hospital. There is no results in for his urine yet. Not long after that Ian Grant Woody,s oncologist telephoned to see how he was as he knew he was a month post surgery we discussed his colitis and the fact that although he had been on meds now for 10 days for it, it was only slightly better, he said he would ring my vet and get a different prescription. He has assured me that he has not forgotten about Woody and was still researching his case and that Woody was the talk of the oncology department as he has a mismatch of results and symptoms all pointing to nothing really lol, that,s my boy! Then tonight Emma my other vet from my own surgery rang to see how he was. She said she had, had Ian on the phone with Woody,s update and as she is only part time at the surgery hadn,t caught up, she said to me when Ian started with the story and continued she just knew it wasn,t going to be straight forward. We had a laugh about it all and she said that she falls in love with Woody just a little bit more everytime she sees him, she loves they way he bounces into her surgery with attitude, gets what he needs done, gives her a kiss then struts back out the door, she said she feels like Woody will go on forever as he,s so feisty we know he won,t but with an attitude like Woodys why can,t he go on for a long time yet. We discussed his water and food intake and when I told Emma the story of how he throws his dish at my feet and barks for food, then tries to open the fridge by lying on his side and pulling at the door she couldn,t move for laughing. It was good to have some light relief about all this. They certainly broke the mould when they made my Woody. His reports all came through from the hospital today all 32 pages of them so I,ve been reading and trying to understand them all day not managed yet.:D I have to pick up new meds tomorrow for his colitis.

[molly muffin]

Woody is a real character. He tries to open the fridge!! That is hilarious. I agree, everyone seems to fall in love with Woody. How could they not! Nope, his case isn't easy at all, down right confusing at times, but there you have it, he didn't read the manual. hahaha

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

[goldengirl88]

Tracy:
I think we could all use some humor right about now. How about a video of Woody trying to get in the fridge. That would really make my week. I think Woody is going to continue to do well and that his situation is going to be taken care of and any remnants of Terry will be gone. Woody is a super dog also and has been thru a lot and he continues to defy the odds. I will bet on it that he is around to try and open that fridge for many years to come. He is such a character, it is the true personality of a Jack Russell as they are full of surprises every day. Blessings
Patti

[Trish]

HI Tracy
Popping in to catch up on you and Woody, wow a month already.. man time flies and it sounds like he is doing great!! A little alarmed at walking where people are hunting :eek::eek: hope you and Woody had some bright clothes on:D

What are the meds for colitis the vet gave you? I am always interested in hearing about that as we have similar problems periodically.

Hope you have managed to get your head around that report, if you want any help with deciphering anything give us a yell. Good to hear all your vets are communicating, I like that :) I hope they come up with their final plan before too long, I know most times if further treatment is proposed after surgery then they want everything well and truly healed before starting.

Thanks for popping into Flynn's thread with your mint aero's, it was really lovely of you xxxx

[spdd]

So... you finished reading all the reports? ;) I love to hear the stories of Woody, they certainly bring a smile. Love the fridge one. I agree with Patti and there should be a video of him and the competition with the fridge door.

I'm so glad to hear though he's doing well, and that you are getting some relief from worry.

[goldengirl88]

Tracy:
I can't wait to get my Woody fix for the weekend, do what is the little comedian up to? Just can't get enough Woody stories. Blessings
Patti

[Woodydog]

Afternoon everyone the next Woody instalment continues. Another frosty day here but really cold with it, so we had a really nice longish walk and this afternoon decided to clear up the leaves in the garden. So I had raked them all into a pile in the middle of the garden and went to get the recyle bin for garden waste and yip you know whats coming Woody was in the middle of the leaves, jumping in and under them and bouncing all around them, digging and throwing them everywhere, each time he dived into the leaves he came back up covered in them and with a huge grin on his face. So as an owner who had spent almost 2 hours getting leaves together what do you do. Do you A. shake your head, remove the dog and tidy the leaves back up or B. do you think it looks like fun and join the said dog in jumping in and out the leave pile and throwing them and covering yourself and him in the leaves.? Yip I picked B and had the best laugh in ages, it was like being a big kid again, I think it is quite possible that Woody has went back to puppyhood and I,ve went back to childhood, I,m 43 years of age lol. Oh the leaves still scattered all over the garden, so will need to do it another day :D

[goldengirl88]

Tracy:
yahooooo , I got my Woody fix. So smart he is, and how he is loving life now. We can all learn things from our dogs, even if it is to have fun and jump in a pile of leaves. I think that is great and would have done the same. We are starting to get snow here and the wind is about 50mph. Tipper has walked twice and is snoozing at my feet. She is tuckered out from beating up poor Lucky this morning. Does Woody like cats? Keep up the fun you two it is good for you both! Blessings
Patti

[Woodydog]

Patti - sadly Woody doesn,t like cats, or other dogs, or any sort of creature, be it bird, deer or anything. He has to shout at them all and try and catch them. I think he may have been a working dog in his past life before coming to me as he does try and get down the rabbit holes. Sadly due to this he has to be kept on lead most of the time and can only be off lead in the garden or in the field if nothing else about. I,ve tried for almost 4 years to get him to like other animals, but you know how stubborn terriers can be.:)

[goldengirl88]

Tracy:
I wondered because I have told everyone on here that Tipper has no use for other animals, only likes herself, so that is a Jack Russell for ya. Tipper has to be on a lead too. In my other house it had a fenced in yard and she would run like the wind, she loved it. She will still take a run through this house every once and a while, as she likes being free of the leash. Blessings
Patti

[molly muffin]

Oh that sounds like such a fun way to spend the day! Playing in the leaves. Molly loves to jump in the leaves too and has a great time, comes out looking like a short maple tree. LOL

Woody is obviously feeling pretty good and happy with himself these days and it sounds like you are feeling better too! Good job!

hugs,
Sharlene and molly muffin

[Woodydog]

Evening - Sharlene we are both feeling pretty good, I just take my lead from Woody and do what he feels up to be it a long walk in the woods or playing in the leaves then I,m gonna be right beside him :D I can,t cure him god I wish I could but I,m going to make every day he is here count by doing things he loves.:D

I,ve read through his reports until my brain hurts and have came up with a few questions, if anyone has any clue then let me know.

His haematology investigation :- revealed a very mild leukocytois but with evidence of a left shift - no idea what any of that means
Biochemistry:- revealed increases in triglycerides and cholesterol and a mild increase in ALT 103/U/1. Ionised Calcium unremarkable previous 2 calcium were high
T4/cTSH had shown a high cTSH no numbers available now I think this has something to do with thyroid but not sure.
Liver was enlarged with rounded margins and a mixed generally patchy bright echogenicity (possible fatty change) they weren,t worried about this should I be worried.
Prostate was small with a discrete capsule and bright hyperechoic areas of suggestive of previous prostatitis. again there not worried
Thoracic radiographs: Diffuse moderate interstitial lung pattern, associated with a mild bronchial lung patter (related with expiratory status, patient corporal condition or chronic broncho-pulmonary inflammation +/- hyperadrenocorticism related mineralisations). No evidence of pulmonary metastasis or thoracic lymphadenopathy. I,m assuming that the cancer at this time has not spread to the chest but not sure what the rest means.Blood pressure 163/83 consistent with borderline hypertention - they put this down to white coat syndrome.Urinalysis USG 1.016, ph 6.5 UPC 0.06 - I can,t find the normal range for this.
Liver FNA: Sheets of hepatocytes which in some areas show mild swelling. Other areas show fine cytoplasmi granular pigment. Several mast cells are present overlying these areas. The mast cells are most likely travelling through the liver rather than indicative of mast cell disease - I take this as liver is patchy and enlarged a little but no cancer in it (I dunno)Microbiology Report:- Prostrate wash a MDR Enterococcus was found and isolated (then it lists 25 AB,s its resistant to)

The final report goes a bit like this - Woody,s diagnosis remains rather uncertain as the medial ilial lymph node histology is suggestive of a metastatic neuroendocrine tumour, adrenal adenocarcinoma being high on the differential list. The anal sacs on both sides do not indicate a primary anal sac neoplasm despite cytology prior to surgery being suggestive of a metastatic anal sac adenocarcinoma in the node. Interesting Woody has a history of PU/PD although endocrine testing has failed to confirm a functional adrenal carcinoma. There are therefore a number of un answered questions and consultation with the pathologist has been initiated. It is hard to understand why an adrenal mass on the right (this has been measured at 9.9 mm) would mtastasise caudally to the medial iliac LN on the contralateral side rather than to a cranial abdominal node. One thing is certain, there are metastatic tumour cells in the bloods vessels adjacent to the enlarged medial ilac LN.

So this is pretty much the outline of the report and basically comes up with in my option Woody has an neuroendocrine cancer, that they are not sure where its coming from possibly adrenal gland, so far it hasn,t invaded any other organ but there are little terry,s running round his body trying to grab an organ to latch onto. The only treatment is chemo but as he,s not a good candidate for that then we,re not left with much, which is why Woody continues to be a mistery to them.

[Woodydog]

Trish Woody is taking salazopyrin tablets for his colitis fingers crossed these work as the metronizodole only helped a little. He is only on a short course as one of the side effects are dry eye.

[goldengirl88]

Tracy:
That is a lot of information to digest. From what I gathered it seems they are thinking an adrenal cancer??? I am glad you are doing things with Woody every day. It is sad to say but that is all that all of us on here have is every day, one day at a time. I truly hope that all Woody's troubles just go away and that he has a healing from God. You know in ways this stuff with Tipper is harder than when my father was dying. At least he could talk and tell you what was going on. I am praying for you and dear Woody every nite. Blessings
Patti

[Trish]

Hi Tracy - have done my best to put a few comments in below, hope it helps :)
______________________________________


Evening - Sharlene we are both feeling pretty good, I just take my lead from Woody and do what he feels up to be it a long walk in the woods or playing in the leaves then I,m gonna be right beside him :D I can,t cure him god I wish I could but I,m going to make every day he is here count by doing things he loves.:D

I,ve read through his reports until my brain hurts and have came up with a few questions, if anyone has any clue then let me know.

His haematology investigation :- revealed a very mild leukocytois but with evidence of a left shift - no idea what any of that means
Increased white cells, usually inflammation. Left shift just means that there is a higher amount of baby white cells as opposed to older more mature ones. This is due to inflammation prompting the bone marrow to make more white cells so you end up with more immature ones in circulation and is very common when there is inflammation in action - his GU enterococcus for example
Biochemistry:- revealed increases in triglycerides and cholesterol and a mild increase in ALT 103/U/1. ALT liver test, good that only mildy up Ionised Calcium unremarkable previous 2 calcium were high
Ionised Calcium is the best test to do, so that is good it was normal. I was just talking about that test with my IMS and he said that is the one to do.
T4/cTSH had shown a high cTSH no numbers available now I think this has something to do with thyroid but not sure. It is thyroid but I am no expert on thyroid sorry so will have to leave that one to the others!
Liver was enlarged with rounded margins and a mixed generally patchy bright echogenicity (possible fatty change) they weren,t worried about this should I be worried. No, I don't think so
Prostate was small with a discrete capsule and bright hyperechoic areas of suggestive of previous prostatitis. again there not worried it usually gets bigger with inflammation, it looks like he has had it previously which could account for the multi drug resistant bug he has
Thoracic radiographs: Diffuse moderate interstitial lung pattern, associated with a mild bronchial lung patter (related with expiratory status, patient corporal condition or chronic broncho-pulmonary inflammation +/- hyperadrenocorticism related mineralisations). No evidence of pulmonary metastasis or thoracic lymphadenopathy. I,m assuming that the cancer at this time has not spread to the chest but not sure what the rest means.
Has Woody had chest infections or asthma or anything like that previously?? GREAT no sign of cancer in there, no lymph nodes swollen (lymphadenopathy) :)
Blood pressure 163/83 consistent with borderline hypertention - they put this down to white coat syndrome.
Yep, my vet would not be too concerned about that level either.
Urinalysis USG 1.016, ph 6.5 UPC 0.06 - I can,t find the normal range for this.
That urine is a little dilute judging by Specific gravity... was he drinking or have IV up when it was done, it can fluctuate through the day so this could be OK. pH fine. UPC (urinary protein creatinine ratio which is an indicator of renal problems) pretty good too, normal is <0.05 so Woody not far off there!! I would love Flynny to have that kind of result there!!

Liver FNA: Sheets of hepatocytes which in some areas show mild swelling. Other areas show fine cytoplasmi granular pigment. Several mast cells are present overlying these areas. The mast cells are most likely travelling through the liver rather than indicative of mast cell disease - I take this as liver is patchy and enlarged a little but no cancer in it (I dunno) I agree with you there
Microbiology Report:- Prostrate wash a MDR (multi drug resistant) Enterococcus was found and isolated (then it lists 25 AB,s its resistant to) That's weird, we are seeing more and more of this in humans too. Enterococcus is a bug more commonly seen in the bowel but it does pop up in the urine. It is usually fairly resistant to drugs and we use either amoxil or nitrofurantoin.

The final report goes a bit like this - Woody,s diagnosis remains rather uncertain as the medial ilial lymph node histology is suggestive of a metastatic neuroendocrine tumour why is it "suggestive" I guess it would be good to know if it IS or if it isn't neuroendocrine, adrenal adenocarcinoma being high on the differential list so this means that if neuroendocrine is ruled out, then the adrenal tumour becomes more likely to be causing problems. But I wonder how they come to the adenocarcinoma conclusion as they have not biopsied it, it might be just a nodule and not causing the tumour cells in the node, so I guess it could be a bit of a red herring like Flynny's adrenal nodule has turned into??? The anal sacs on both sides do not indicate a primary anal sac neoplasm despite cytology prior to surgery being suggestive of a metastatic anal sac adenocarcinoma in the node Jeepers they really do not have a good handle on this node either preop or postop with it all being suggestive and I am sorry he had to go through that big surgery for that to turn out negative. Interesting Woody has a history of PU/PD although endocrine testing has failed to confirm a functional adrenal carcinoma Is he still drinking and peeing a lot. There are therefore a number of un answered questions and consultation with the pathologist has been initiated yes that is definitely needed! . It is hard to understand why an adrenal mass on the right (this has been measured at 9.9 mm) would mtastasise caudally to the medial iliac LN on the contralateral side rather than to a cranial abdominal node Good point, not usual as if it was in adrenal it would go to node closest that gland. One thing is certain, there are metastatic tumour cells in the bloods vessels adjacent to the enlarged medial ilac LN. So all they have so far is tumour in the lymph node that "could" be neuroendocrine and an enlarged adrenal that "could" be adenocarcinoma. I hope there further research shows up some definitive answers for Woody, be nice to know where the primary is as it may very well not be the adrenal. From what I know of neuroendocrine and I apologise as it is not much is that adrenal is much less likely for it to originate from. :confused::confused::confused: Woody is certainly turning into a mystery, but the best news is that he is doing so well!! Hope this helps

So this is pretty much the outline of the report and basically comes up with in my option Woody has an neuroendocrine cancer, that they are not sure where its coming from possibly adrenal gland, so far it hasn,t invaded any other organ but there are little terry,s running round his body trying to grab an organ to latch onto. The only treatment is chemo but as he,s not a good candidate for that then we,re not left with much, which is why Woody continues to be a mistery to them.

[goldengirl88]

Tracy:
Thinking of you and Woody. I said many special prayers as I was up most of the nite. But thank God Tipper is blessed with a good report. Blessings
Patti

[Woodydog]

Patti I read Tippers results and I,m so so g lad.

Trish - Thank you so much for the reply,s and taking the time to answer them specially when you are looking after Flynny at the moment. That's why I love this board, people taking time to read and answer despite having their own drama,s.

I couldn,t quote your answers but just a few things you brought up, he,s never had any chest infections, kennel cough, or asthma like symtoms you really don,t hear anything from him, but now you know I will be listening out for them lol. His urine sample which was dilute was taken first thing in the morning by me at home as the hospital wanted it to be as stressless as possible gives a better reading they said. He is still peeing a river and drinking for Scotland which to be fair is his original symptoms.

I have read his pathology report the first one says Two sections of the medial iliac lymph node are examined which are similar in appearance. With and expanding the capsule and effacing all normal lymph node architecture is a large, poorly demarcated neoplasm. Several arteries within the overlying capsule are partially or completely occluded by emboli of neoplastic cells similar to those in the main tumour mass. It talks about the size, shape of the node and cells within it. So defo cancer in the node. His comment says: There is no evidence of a neoplastic process or a lesion which would correspond to a grossly evident mass in the sections of anal sac and glands examined. Further sections and turned sections will be ordered. It was at this point that Ian oncologist asked for them to be re examined and re cut and re stained.
The next pathology report says: - The histological appearance of the mass in the medial iliac node, with prominent packeting of neoplastic cells is consistent with a neuroendocrine carcinoma. The finely vacuolated cytoplasm variably present in neoplastic cells is most consistent with the cells of the of the adrenal cortex and so an adrenocortical carcinoma should be firstly ruled out as a primary. Immunochistochemical staining is consistent of a neuroendocrine carcinoma. These are rare tumours in dogs and are reported to arise in the adrenals, intestine, liver (hepatic Carcinoid), skin (merkel cell carcinoma) oesophagus, nasal cavity, bile duct, gallbladder, liver and the nasopharynx. Apart from Merkel cell carcinomas which are usually benign in dogs, a characteristic immunohistochemical staining pattern has not been recognised for the different manifestations of these neoplasms. Further IHC may therefore not be useful in determining the organ of orgin.

So this is where we are up to, as there is no specific test to determine where his tumour is we are all at a stand still waiting to see where it will appear next. I have emailed the hospital with a few questions but haven,t heard back from them. Woody is really well at the moment which is great, but I need to know what I should be looking out for symtoms wise. Oh dear I appear to have written an essay again.

[Trish]

Well I guess adrenocortical tumour can be neuroendocrine, that must be pretty rare... trust our K9C dogs to be in the miniscule percentages... I wish they would start getting some of the run of the mill diseases that can be easily managed!

So they are taking the watch and wait approach? We had to do that with Flynn last year before the adrenal cancer was visible. Hard knowing something is wrong but they cannot just pinpoint it.

It looks like they are trying very hard to get the answers for Woody, so currently the adrenal tumour is not functional, do they have any idea what is causing the PU/PD?

[Woodydog]

Yes he.s a mystery lol. They still say possible cushings for the pU/pd but there not sure everything with Woody is all just possible this or possible that nothing concrete which is rather frustrating.

In other news I had Channel 4 TV station on phone asking if they can use the the filming they took of Woody and his microphone at the hospital off course they can. I will post a link as soon as I get it,

[goldengirl88]

Tracy:
I am sorry that you continue to be plagued with more questions than answers on Woody. I am so thrilled that we will get to see the clip of Woody stealing the microphone cover, that should be a blast. I am hoping all this stuff with Woody is wrong and that her goes on for many years. Blessings
Patti

[goldengirl88]

Tracy:
thank you for all the well wishes. I am much better today. got my meds straightened out and everything is pretty good this morning except my hands are still swollen. We have more snow this morning, I am waiting for them to plow the roads so we can walk. We are to get a lot more tonite. I am not going out anywhere so I do not care. I hope you and Woody are still doing well. I really want to see that clip of Woody stealing the microphone cover, you have me all excited to see it. God Bless you both
Patti

[Woodydog]

Thanks patti good to hear your on the mend. I took a video of Woody versus the fridge last night but I don't know how to post it up, it is rather funny I will go and see if I can manage it

[Trish]

I read a bit about neuroendocrine and the tumour Flynn had in his adrenal the pheochromocytoma is actually a form of neuroendocrine! On the websites there are many different types of these tumours. Has Woody had BP checked at any stage? I would guess so when he had his surgery.

When I was talking to my vet yesterday we were going through the difficulties pathologists have identifying some tumours, for example I wanted to know why they cannot say whether Flynn's tumour is an adenoma or a carcinoma. Similar to how they cannot tell where the tumour cells have come from in Woody's lymph node. He explained it to me as the tumours grow the cells become more disorganised and revert to types of cells they often see in the early life of the animal when they are developing (embryonic) which can all look quite similar and they can lose the appearance of an "adrenal" cell or a "bowel" cell or wherever it came from. So that must be the trouble they are having making a definitive diagnosis for our Woody. Just thought I would post that while we try and make sense of it all.

I hope you work the video out to, love to see the little fridge burglar!!

[Woodydog]

Thanks Trish yeah I did read that a pheo is a type of neurosndocrine tumour. I've read so much on this that I end up getting all muddled lol. Woody Bp is checked regularly and is always unremarkable. He has no symptoms of any endocrine tumour except the Pu/pd all other results are good except his ALT are slightly elevated, so you can see why it's frustrating to know he has a tumour somewhere and my fear is that by the time it shows itself or the decide a plan it will be too late:mad: I try and focus on the here and now and he.s good at the moment except this darn colitis may need to look at his diet next see if it can be altered to help the colitis.

In other news my mother has to go into hospital on Monday for an op as she has cancer of the eyelid so there taking it away. Also my wonderful niece has told me she is 3 months pregnant and as she is only 18 my sister isn't taking it well, so will go over at wknd and try and help her smooth it out,

[goldengirl88]

Tracy:
I have often wondered if Tipper's tumor on her adrenal was a pheo, I still am scared it could be. Her alt and alk phos is not sky high like the other Cush pups either. She has no cell found in her blood for now, and the IMS said there is nothing spread to the other areas so I don't quite know what to think either. None of this unfortunately is black and white, it all seems to fall into the grey category. I am so sorry your mom has to have eyelid surgery. Will she have to have some type of permanent covering over her eye? I guess that was shocking news about your niece for her mother, no mother wants that for her daughter, but as they say all things have a reason for happening. It may turn out to be a blessing in disguise. You niece is a wonderful and compassionate young lady, so I am sure from what you have told us she will be a great mother. You will be the wonderful Auntie that smoothes things over for her! Hope all goes well. Blessings
Patti

[Woodydog]

I hope this works :D

http://s876.photobucket.com/user/woodydog10/media/IMG_0360_zpse59e5bb3.mp4.html

[Squirt's Mom]

Oh that is FUNNY! You say, "no more" and Woody says, "yes MORE!" You say, "enough", Woody says, "No! MORE!" LOL He talks to you like Squirt used to talk to me. I love it! :D

[goldengirl88]

Tracy:
I really needed a good laugh today, I am missing my Dad and it is a depressing day here, or should I say it was. That Woody is a star in his own rite. I loved watching the video and kept playing it. He is just too cute, and I totally understand how he has you wrapped around his paw. I really needed the humor today and you came thru for me. I hope you were able to smooth things over with your sister. Some time if you ever go hiking with Woody up to the spot where you can look down on your village would you try and get some footage to show. I am just imagining how beautiful it is where you are, and would love to see it. Are you near any major cities? Do you have a place for groceries etc. in your village or do you have to travel? It just sounds wonderful where you are. Tell Woody he needs to get an agent and go to Hollywood! Blessings
Patti

[Woodydog]

Patti I'm glad Woody made you laugh,he is such a cheeky wee thing and full of life and character. I have village shop which sells the basics but have to travel for everything else vets, doctors, dentist etc. if the weather holds out this weekend will go back up the woods and I will make sure to take footage for you. There is one walk that is fab and shows the whole village in its glory but I've not been able to walk it since losing my bridge baby 4 years ago as it was his favourite walk, but have been thinking maybe it's time for Woody to explore this walk and enjoy it like Bruno did so when I manage it I will take pics and show you where I live. My sister is calming down I think it was just shock, but I will speak with her some more tomorrow.

[molly muffin]

Oh Woody is so cute!!!! Cheeky little guy indeed. He has soooo much to say. :)
Love the video! Thanks for posting it Tracy!
hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

[Trish]

Ohhh what a crack up... he is so totally back chatting you :D:D:D

That's great you worked out how to post them :D I have a few on here but god knows how far back they are... be good if there was a place we could put them like the photo albums. Maybe the website will upgrade to do that in the future, meanwhile we can look at this cute one!! Have a good Friday Tracy and Woody :D

[doxiesrock912]

What a little stinker! :-)
Like Daisy, he pushes until he thinks that you'll give in and then when you don't there is heck to pay.

Are you sure that Woody isn't part dachshund? LOL They can be stubborn and so cunning.

[spdd]

Too funny !! Persistent isn't he. I notice how fast the tail is wagging then when he realizes nothings going to happen, it becomes slower.
He's such a cutie. Keesh used to be able to talk back like that, but not so much now. BTW- Love, love your stove.

[Woodydog]

Thanks everyone he is a little stubborn cutie pie but then I'm biased. It does try and get the last word or bark when we have discussions lol. Now you can all see why he makes me laugh daily.

Trish I watched your video and Flynn is so much like Woody digging away at the sand. :D

[goldengirl88]

Tracy:
Woody does so many things just like Tipper. The speed with which the tail wags, the talking back, that you're gonna pay for this look. It must be a jack Russell thing. Does Woody do the springy jump on his rear legs? Tipper used to be able to jump about 5ft high from a standing position. She still does it but not as high, and I try to curtail it as I am afraid of her hurting her rear legs. Sometime try some balloons to see if he tears into them to kill them. I can't do it with Tipper any more as she becomes too crazy and I am afraid of her hurting herself. I can't wait to see the village Blessings
Patti

[Woodydog]

Oh my god Woody has just collapsed on way to vets wish us luck im scared

[Squirt's Mom]

Oh Tracy! Prayers and positive thoughts flying your way! Please let us know when you can.

Hugs,
Leslie and the gang

[goldengirl88]

Tracy:
Oh my God I am praying for you both. This cannot be for real, I am so upset and worried about you both. Please let us know how he is. Blessings
Patti

[Woodydog]

I'm back but little Woody dog is being kept in for a few hours. By the time I got to the vets 30 mins away Woody had come round and looked a bit better. My vet examined him, his temp was fine and his colour was good my vet thinks that Woody had a smpgo (sp) it when the blood pumping from the heart doesn't get pumped quick enough the the dog faints it's common in Boxers apparently so he reckons it's been Woodys heart murmour has caused the problem one thing after another. It didn't want to poke and prod Woody or take bloods he just wanted him to relax and get back to normal but does want to keep an eye on him for the next few hours so I will pick Woody up at 8pm tonight. I can't stop shaking as one minute he was having a drink of water and the next he had collapsed out cold with head in water dish I had to grab him flip him onto his side and take his head from the water dish he was out for ages. I'm scared that I'm running out of time with him (cry)

[Squirt's Mom]

Oh, Tracy....I am so relieved! I was terrified something had broken loose, ruptured, something left in him again....my mind was going bonkers! I pray this is just a delayed reaction to the trauma he has endured lately, that he is home very soon, and that he will never, ever do this again.

I can only imagine how scared you were to see that! Your description brought back the day I found Squirt after her seizure. Horrified and heart-stopping fear, sick with worry. We are here with you, honey, praying and sending positive vibes to our sweet boy.

Hugs,
Leslie and the gang

[goldengirl88]

Tracy:
Thank God Woody is ok. I am so sorry for you, I have been crying with Tipper and cannot stop. I just prayed to God to save Woody the whole time. I know that can happen because when Tipper was diagnosed with a heart murmur, I read about it. I am still thinking Woody has Cushings as the heart murmur goes along with that too. Dear God I have been sitting here scared to death of what was going on. Thank God for a miracle and he is safe. Please don't cry Tracy you make me feel so bad, I wish I could help you somehow. This has been a long hard road for both of you. I am glad they kept him for observation. He does not deserve this he is as cute as the dickens. I can only imagine how you felt seeing this happen. I was just sending a post to Leslie when I saw the post from you, and I hurried up and sent her a message, but she had already seen your post too. I am hoping this was a just a one time thing, and will never happen again. I have always been afraid of Tipper doing this too. Did explain how bad the heart murmur was to you? They told me Tipper's was very slight and probably just started not long ago. Are they going to call you when he can come home, or will they keep him over nite? This poor baby has really been through the mill. You are his saving Grace so don't get yourself down about this, we are all here with you through it all. I will be thinking of you both all day. Blessings
Patti

[Roxee's Dad]

Woody is a fighter and he is not going to give up so easily. I am very happy he is okay now and keeping you both in my thoughts and prayers that he will continue to be okay.

(((HUGS)))

[spdd]

OMG... what a scare you've had. These pups just keep us on our toes for sure.

I'm so glad you were there to rescue him and tonight when he gets home he'll be his normal self. For sure he's a fighter and so is his mama.

[molly muffin]

oh my god. Tracy, you must be worried sick. :( Poor little mite. Did they say if they think this is a once off or if they think it will happen again? His BP has always been really good right?
Woody will definitely be around as long as he possibly can just to back talk at you and the refrigerator. :)

Hang in there Tracy. You did so good, getting his head out of the water bowl and then into the vets.

big hugs,
Sharlene and Molly muffin

[Trish]

OMG what a shock for you and Woody. Like Sharlene I hope they did check his BP, that adrenal mass could cause BP spike if it was a pheo. What is that smpgo thing? You did good managing that, even though you must have been scared witless... GOOD FOR YOU!! I hope you have him home soon, your probably at vets picking him up now. We are here with you Tracy **BIG HUGS**

[Mel-Tia]

Hoping you two are doing ok?

Sending lots of positive mojo

Mel
Xxxx

[Woodydog]

Evening everyone. Woody is home :D I picked up him a few hours ago but we both fell asleep on the sofa when we got in. He was still a little wobbly when I picked him up walking like a wee drunk man, but the vet wasn,t overly worried and said he would keep him in over night if I wanted, but I wanted Woody home where I knew he wouldn,t be too stressed. He got up about 30 mins ago had something to eat and went to the toilet, he was walking much better, and now he is curled up next to me in my bed.

The vet reckoned this could be just a one off a bit like a fainting fit, but once I explained that if it was his BP (my vet can,t check BP I can,t remember why something like facilities), then it maybe coming from the suspected adrenal tumour he agreed that Woody,s BP may have went too low causing him to collapse. I,ve told my vet that he needs to be able to monitor woodys BP or I may have to change vets :( He said Woody had been fine when he was with him and his Obs were good. My vet will be contacting the hospital on Monday regarding this as will I.

Trish - can you point me in the direction of material on the pheo please.

I just can,t believe how quickly this happened, one minute asleep on the sofa to getting a drink to collapsing my Woody sure does know how to scare the living daylights out of me. Thank you all for your good wishes we needed them. I just need to stop shaking now and get that image of him lying there out my head. ;)

[Trish]

Oh good
I am glad we got an update from you Tracy, I was getting worried! But glad to hear he is home and resting with you.

With pheo, when they have an episode it is usually because BP goes too high, not too low. When it goes high, stroke, heart attacks etc are the concern.

Here is a good website about pheo's

http://www.vsso.org/Adrenal_Pheochromocytoma.html

xx

[Woodydog]

Thanks Trish I,m sure the vet said he thought his BP went too low, but I may have picked him up wrong as I was too busy being kissed by the lovely woody.:D

The thing the vet mentioned earlier was Syncope, it is when the brain is starved of oxygen and the dog basically faints. I have looked it up and it says it is a symptom of an illness then lists a few illnesses like epilepsy and one of them is cushings. Now this keeps cropping up for Woody yet all tests are negative for cushings. I need to get to the bottom of this, as it scared the hell out of me and I need to be prepared if it happens again. I will go look at the site you posted as don,t think I,ll get much sleep tonight although Woody is happily snoring at the moment :p

[Trish]

He maybe just fainted then with low BP... did this vet actually check it?

[Trish]

Jeepers, just read about the police helicopter crashing into a pub full of people in Glasgow. Sounds just awful, hope no fatalities.

[Concernedmom]

I've never posted before but wanted to send well wishes to you. I know how scary passing out can be as mine just had seizures on Sunday. I'm very glad Woody is okay. When my Cavalier was diagnosed with heart problems our first sign to bring him to the cardiologist was a fainting episode which we found out was called syncope like you said. He had a couple of them and that's when he was diagnosed with the mitral valve problem. I'm not saying that's what your Woody has only that the heart caused my dogs fainting. He ended up having a really bad heart murmur. I watched your video of Woody what a beautiful dog. I'll pray he doesn't have anymore.

[lulusmom]

I have copied and pasted below a url to a page on pheochromocytomas on the Pet MD site. You will not that there is a long list of symptoms and not all dogs will have all of them nor are they consistent....they are episodic. Kim can definitely attest to this as her dog Annie had a pheo. Dogs with pheos usually have "high" blood pressure, as do dogs with cushing's, so it would be a good idea to find a speciality facility that has the proper equipment to take Woody's blood pressure. It's easy to take a human's blood pressure but that's not the case with our canine friends. Even with good equipment, it can be a challenge, especially for a dog who is very stressed out at the vet's office.

http://www.petmd.com/dog/conditions/cancer/c_dg_pheochromocytoma

I hope you can get to the bottom of Woody's problem.

Glynda

[FemaleK9]

Loved the video, heart stopped when I read Woody had collapsed, so relieved he came out of it alright! You must be about ready to collapse yourself! I hope you and Woody get some good rest and that both of you have a good day next.

[doxiesrock912]

Tracy, that is so scary! If your vet can't monitor Woody's BP, I would certainly change. Now that Woody is calm and resting, you should get some too.

[Squirt's Mom]

Glad, glad, glad he is home where he belongs! Syncope means "fainting" in case you didn't already know that. ;) I spent almost 2 years fainting at the drop of a hat; had numerous tests and the final conclusion was that my skeletal system outgrew my cardiovascular system - I had grown nearly 9" between the 7th and 8th grades. I would stand up and faint; bend over and faint; exercise and faint; get excited and faint - I passed out while on the back of a runaway horse and my brother held me in the saddle while a friend got the horse under control - each of them on their own horses. We were told it looked like a skit in a western show! :p I also passed out while my mom was fussing at me one day - scared her to pieces...but didn't stop her from fussing at me when she deemed I deserved it. :D And I did quite often! :p

I hope you find a way to have his BP checked. Let us know how things are going.
Hugs,
Leslie and the gang

[goldengirl88]

Tracy:
I am hoping this morning finds you and Woody well rested and ready to tackle today. I tossed and turned all nite thinking of you both, and knowing that this could be my Tipper also. I contacted a very respected Vet when Tipper fist got Cushings. She told me the single most important factor is checking their blood pressure. I take her every Wednesday and have it done. It is about 20 miles, but worth the peace of mind to me. I know you are not sure about the Cushings with Woody, but you may have to think of finding a place where you can have this checked frequently. I keep a record of Tipper's and when she had the eye problem, we were able to look at the flow chart and see that she had a high blood pressure right before the exam that showed this. Hers was from being scared of the storms we were having. I hope this never happens again, and I pray you are not dealing with a pheo. Blessings
Patti

[Woodydog]

Afternoon everyone. Woody slept well right next to me the whole night which is unusual as he usually goes to his own bed half way during the night. Every time he moved or stretched I was straight up light on checking on him, about the zillionth time I checked on him he looked at me as if to say I'm fine already go to sleep mad woman.lol when he got up this morning he was still a little wobbly but it soon disappeared, he is sleeping a lot today but has eaten and had a potter around the garden. I will look next wk for a vet that can check his BP and I'm also thinking if getting an ECG done on him see if his heart is any worse, he,s not had one since being diagnosed with the murmour 3 years ago and then it was a grade 4 and he has been on meds since, it wouldn't hurt to check this would it. I'm exhausted today so may have a little nap whilst Woody is asleep

[Woodydog]

Jeepers, just read about the police helicopter crashing into a pub full of people in Glasgow. Sounds just awful, hope no fatalities.

There is 6 deaths and 32 people injured some serious. My thoughts are with the families of all involved. It's been on the news all day I'm only 40 mins from Glasgow

[goldengirl88]

Tracy:
I saw this about the pub on CNN yesterday, such a shame for the families of these people. I did not know Woody was on heart meds. Tipper has to have another ECG January 15 and a check to make sure the tumor is not growing. I don't think I can handle bad news on two major things in one day so I am trying to stay positive and pray on it. Please know I am thinking of you and Woody and praying for you both. I know how hard it is to go thru this, but you did wonderful yesterday. Blessings
Patti

[molly muffin]

Terrible, terrible about the catastrophe at the Pub. Those poor people and their families. Out for a good time on a Friday evening and then this. :(

Even if there is just a place locally that has the equipment to check the BP and give you the results. Then you could fill in our own vet, or maybe they can find a place for you and make arrangments for you to take Woody to them to get the BP checked. It just seems that there should be some way to work it all out. I know you don't Want to change vets as they are good with Woody, so maybe something can be worked out. :) Your vet does know now how important this is to get done, so maybe if you ask him to find a place he would do so and know where might have the equipment. (another place for Woody to win over, he'll soon have his own fan club, if he doesn't already) :)

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

[spdd]

Glad to hear at least Woody had a good evening. Try to get some rest.

[Trish]

Hi Tracy

Hope Woody's day has gone well, and yours too and your catching up on sleep.

What meds are Woody on? Wondering if any of them could have caused it?

Pheo's can have different symptoms in dogs and they can be episodic. With Flynn his symptoms weren't like that though. His BP remained consistently high >200 and he did not appear to have the sudden rushes of catecholamines that are common. He most likely did, but the symptoms were just not that obvious. The trouble with diagnosing a pheo is that the tests they commonly use in humans like 24hr urine collection for catecholamines are difficult to do in dogs, obviously catching ALL their urine over that time period is difficult unless they are catheterised. I actually discussed this with the IMS when I was in Auckland and he said apart from the trouble getting the urine the tests have no accurate reference range in dogs as research has not been done in that area and it is a big leap to just apply the human reference range to them. The one thing that really pointed to pheo in Flynn before his surgery and histolological confirmation was the ultrasound. It showed the tumour arose in the medulla of the adrenal gland ie the inside layer in contrast to the cortical layer which is more common in tumours that give the cushings type symptoms. Although those symptoms like PU/PD can happen with pheo too, but again Flynn did not have those apart from hunger.

Re BP. I agree it is difficult to get true readings in our doggie friends. I have posted this before but my vets do not put much faith in a one off reading as they can fluctuate so much in a short period of time. Flynn has his checked monthly, he has to stay a few hours and they do 7 recordings one after the other, discard the highest and lowest and average the rest to get an accurate number as possible. They do this three times over the day to get a good picture of how his BP is at different times. Often the later ones are lower as he gets over his white coat syndrome :)


Hope this helps xxx

[Woodydog]

Thanks Trish I,ve looked over Woody,s notes again from the hospital and it mentions adrenal cortex so that would point towards the cushing symptoms if I,m reading it correctly. I also looked back to the IMS first report and Emma says on it that Woody presented with a stable heart murmour on the left side grade V/VI and the x ray confirmed the heart was enlarged, so I,m leaning towards his heart causing this "episode" as the IMS has stated a higher grade murmour than I thought, but this was only confirmed with her listening to it s o no concrete testing done. I think I will get him an ECG just to put my mind at rest and try and find a vet with BP machine like Sharlene suggested, as I don,t want to change vets completely as Woody is used to Craig and the staff there. Woody takes 10mg fortekor daily for the murmour and he has been on salazopyrin half a tablet twice daily for his colitis. My vet called me after his surgery today to check on Woody and see how he was during the night. He has talked me through what to watch for in the future and what to do if Woody has another "episode" but said what I did was correct, he has to be kept calm and not to get over excited so no toys for a few days as he goes nuts with his toys, I discussed his meds and we both decided to take him off the colitis meds for a few days.

Woody is looking and feeling more like himself and we both pretty much napped most of the day away, and tonight after his dinner I got the Woody back chat of give me more, so yeah at the moment all good long may it continue :)

[molly muffin]

Hi Tracy, ask Craig if he has a recommendation of someone local, another vet clinic, that would have a BP machine that he could send Woody to. :) Hopefully he'll be familiar with who might have one and can call them and make an appointment for Woody. That keeps Craig feeling good about his patient/doctor relationship with you and Woody and gets the BP results sent to his office to put into Woody's permanent file. (you'll have a copy too of course)

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

[goldengirl88]

Hi Tracy:
I am glad to hear Woody is well and things are ok for you two. I am also glad to hear you got some much needed rest. What did the vet tell you to do if Woody does this again? I am curious in case Tipper ever would do this. It is still on our news about the pub. Those poor people and their families, right before the holidays too. Hope things keep going smoothly for you both, and Tipper and I pray every nite for you. Blessings
Patti

[Woodydog]

Patti - Craig my vet has told me to watch out for him getting wobbly and slowing on walks (as I paranoid it will happen when we are out) and if it does happen anytime then I,ve to make sure I remove everything he can hurt himself on like the water dish and lay him on his side (if he,s not already) I,ve to watch for kicking of the back legs which can indicate a seizure and I,ve to try and count his heart beats if I can also watch his breathing see if its quick or laboured and also keep my hands, face etc away from his face as when some dogs come round they can snap as they are disorientated. Another thing to check for is the colour of the gums, I did this instantly and noticed Woody,s gums were going blue hence my panic, if the blueness continues for any length of time its an emergency. I couldn,t tell you how long Woody,s gums were blue as I had him up and in the car on route to vets but when I arrived at vets his gums were pink. He has done well this weekend but I haven,t walked him just pottered in the garden but that's more to do with me being paranoid that it will happen when were out, so that,s something I need to work on my own nerves lol.

I need to leave him for a few hours tomorrow and I,m freaking out a bit about it, but I need to take my mum for her operation I may get my old dog walker to pop by and check on him just put my mind at rest. He hasn,t had any colitis meds in 2 days and its back with a vengeance today, so will need to speak to the vet in morning about this, well I say morning it is 3 am at the moment and I can,t sleep too much running round my head :confused:

[goldengirl88]

Tracy:
Thank you so much for the information. It really helps to take the information form someone else's experience and log it in your head. You never know what will go on with your own cush dog so you may need to use it one day. Thank you for the information, it cleared up a few things I was wondering about. I really pray you never have to experience this again. I worry so when Tipper starts with those tremors at nite. I am always scared it is going to lead to a bad situation. I pray to God if I ever have an emergency with her that it is in the day time. There are no emergency places to go here at nite and that has always worried me since the onset of this disease. I am going to call Dechra about Tipper's dosing today, she is too hungry. Blessings
Patti

[molly muffin]

Hope everything went fine today while you had to step out!

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

[goldengirl88]

Tracy:
I hope all is ok with Woody today and that your mom had a successful surgery. Thinking of all of you and praying for you.
Blessings
Patti

[Trish]

HI Tracy

Hope you two are doing good and Woody was fine when you were out. Flynn is on Fortekor (Benzapril) too, only 5mg though. How's his tummy doing, did you restart the Salazopyrin?

How's your Mum doing? Hope the surgery went well for her. You certainly have your hands full at the moment with worry about everyone, so make sure you are getting rest, eating and generally taking care of yourself.. don't want you sick again!! xx

[Woodydog]

Hi everyone Woody is doing good, sleeps a lot which worries me a bit. Had to start him back on his colitis meds as there was blood in his poo yesterday. He was fine when I left him but got my old dog walker popped in and sat with him for a while as she won't take money I will get her flowers for helping me out.

Mum didn't have her surgery yesterday as her BP was too high so they are keeping her in until it goes down before they operate as she has CPDO so they have to watch, so fingers crossed she can have it soon, I swear her and Woody are so alike with there BP and the cancer lol.

I contacted the vet yesterday regarding an ECG and BP check but I was told there was an emergency in so I never got to speak with him so I will try today again. I also lost my job yesterday they as they say "let me go" cause I took a lot of time off to look after Woody it was only part time but it paid the rent this has been a horrible year and I can't wait till it's over :mad:

[Squirt's Mom]

omg, Tracy! How cold-hearted of them! Jerks. :mad::mad: I hope you find another job soon and a better one at that with folks who understand what it means to love someone so much.

I hope your mom and Woody have a good day...and you, too. sweetie.
Hugs,
Leslie and the gang

[molly muffin]

Crimey Tracy, that is horrible to let you go. They should understand this has been a real ordeal this year with Woody and it's jut like any member of the family. You have to take off when they are sick and need to be taken care of. How sad that they don't understand something so simple as that. Not nice at all.

Hope your mom's BP comes down and they get that under control so she can have the surgery.

I'm glad that Woody seems to be doing okay. I know it is worrisome when they sleep so much when they are use to being up and about running around.

Hang in there. Hopefully things will start to look up and you can find another job soon, with more compassionate people.

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

[goldengirl88]

Tracy:
I am sorry to hear that your employer has no heart and compassion for someone going thru all you have been thru. It does make things much tighter money wise so I am praying you will find a way to manage. I know what you mean about the sleep. Tipper sleep a lot these days too, and it worries me as she never did before all this. Sorry to hear they cannot do you mom's surgery. I guess all things happen for a reason, but I see no reason for our babies being sick and having this disease. Please take care you are under a lot of stress lately, and you are needed by everyone. God Bless You All
Patti

[doxiesrock912]

I'm so sorry Tracey! That is terrible :-(
Hoping that mom gets stable soon and Woody too.

[Woodydog]

Hi can someone move my sweet gingers post to her own thread I think it has been posted here by mistake lol

[Squirt's Mom]

Post moved to Ginger's thread, sweetie.

[My sweet Ginger]

:o I'm sorry about this Tracy and thank you.
I was reading you post this morning and was quite upset about them letting you go.:( I'm really sorry.
I don't usually post on other threads yet but been following woody lately and been praying for his well being and your strength from the bottom of my heart. Take care. Song.

[My sweet Ginger]

Thank you so much, Leslie.:)

[Mel-Tia]

Hey Tracy

That sucks, what gits to do that to you before Xmas when you have all this going on with your mum too, I hope you can find something quickly.

I watched the video of your wee man versus the fridge and it did make me smile, I hope his belly settles down for you soon. He is such a sassy little man, he must make you giggle with his cheek :D

Really hope things pick up for you soon, bug hug

Mel
Xxxxx

[frijole]

OMG I feel just awful for you. Please know we are here and you can vent all you want. Hugs, Kim

[Woodydog]

Evening everyone thanks for all the good wishes. It is a bit crappy what they did to me but I,m trying not to dwell on it too much at the moment. I can still pay the rent for a few months with my savings so at least have a roof over my head and a woodydog by my side and that's all I need for the moment.

I,ve been and visited mum in the hospital today, told her I was on holiday from work this week, as she doesn,t need anymore stress with her BP, hate lying to her but she needs to stay calm so will tell her when she comes home. Her BP is still high but has come down some. We are staying at my mums tonight as its closer to the hospital and saves me fuel and Woody has been a nightmare. Mum has a toy box for Woody and a toy box for Murphy which is my brothers dog so when I visit we put Murphy,s toy box out of the way so Woody doesn,t play with it, but today I completely forgot and was upstairs sorting out the spare bedroom and came down and Woody had shredded 4 of Murphy,s toys :eek: I had to call my brother and explain and he couldn,t stop laughing, whilst on the phone to my brother apologising for my unruly dog Woody had went into the kitchen opened the cupboard door and was munching his way through a box of gravy bone treats mum keeps for when the dogs visit, I had no option but to just laugh at him and off course take them away from him. No doubt they will come out the other end tonight :rolleyes:

[molly muffin]

Oh my gosh, you are having a time of it lately. Woody is hilarious. He must have though Christmas had come early. 4 toys to shred and a box of treats to devour! Good times mum, good times!

Maybe you can find something where you can work from home! or do something different that you've wanted to try.

Hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

[doxiesrock912]

Woody is clearly feeling better! What a stinker! Raiding the box of treats is something that Daisy would do given the chance.

[Trish]

Hi Tracy

I just had to start this post again as I had too many bad words to say about your previous employer... makes my blood boil. Needless to say you were too good for them and they will soon be realising their mistake in letting you go, but by then we will all stick up our middle fingers in their direction. Prats!! Ha, got that off my chest! :mad:

Flynny is always tired and I notice him a bit more panty too when his tummy is crook, so I bet that is why Woody is sleeping more. Sounds like his gut is taking a while to come right, hope the little piglet does not suffer too much from nabbing that box of treats :eek: The four toys were his though!! Stealing your doggie cousins toys is quite acceptable in my book :D:D Your lovely Mum having toy boxes for both of them, what a sweetie she is. So sorry to hear her surgery was postponed. But totally understandable getting that BP sorted before her anaesthetic. I agree a little white lie about the job situation is not going to hurt for a week, keeping her stress levels down with her BP is good thinking. Your not lying, just delaying some news, no harm in that :) Lovely of you to be close by to give her that support, I bet she loves having her daughter watching over her. Another stressful time for you though Tracy, I think another chocolate spa bath is called for, it was at Addy's last I heard! xxxxx

[Woodydog]

Yah a chocolate spa bath sounds fab. Woody had a good night the treas he thieved appear to have not gone through him for the moment. I phoned the hospital and mums BP is down quite a bit so she will have surgery in the morning phew.

I put a call into the vets this morning and am waiting on him calling me back. I have also called the hospital and are waiting on them calling me back but not holding my breath as they,ve never answered any of my emails. I have a question for you lovely people, Woodys colitis is still ongoing but I'm not sure that it is colitis. His poo is firm, of good texture (sorry if your eating) I only get jelly like ones maybe twice a week usually during the night, he squats really low to the ground which he didn't do before the operation, and he takes ages to actually go and when he does it's small but lots of it then he tries again to go and you can see his abdominal muscle and leg muscles are all tensed up and he looks like he is holding his breath. Any ideas as this has been going on since September and does wipe him out sometimes. He does take meds for it and when I took him off them he did get blood in his poo would it take this long to sort out :confused:

[goldengirl88]

Tracy:
I am glad we are back to the old stuff with Woody getting into mischief . That is too funny. I am glad you are able to stay at your moms and save some time and money on gas. I hope she gets her blood pressure down enough to have her operation soon. It is heart warming to Woody is back to being Woody, I just love the stories of his little antics. Blessings
Patti

[Woodydog]

Well I,ve had the vet on the phone, woody,s cortisol/creatine level has shown up high, it read "cortisol level is higher than it should be in a normal dog, pointing towards cushings, now I did ask Craig the numbers but couldn,t hear him as little naughty woody was back chatting me at the time. Craig said I take it woody is feeling fine, I told him at that moment woody was barking for food lol. Craig wants to consult with the vets at the hospital, regarding the results and will get back to me tomorrow or Friday once he has spoken with Ian. I will also try and contact Ian in the morning.

In other news woody,s naughtiness has continued we,re still at mums and my brother brought up some toys for Murphy,s toy box and a toy for Woody, but as Woody doesn,t like other dogs we had to keep them separate so Woody upstairs, Murphy downstairs but my little bundle of naughtiness scratched and pushed the bedroom door open and came downstairs and burst into the living room and headed for murphy :eek: I only just managed to grab him before their was carnage. Murphy was totally unfazed and was all oh why doesn,t he want to play and Woody was all get out MY nana,s house, that's my boy feels like he needs to protect me at all times :eek:

[Harley PoMMom]

I have a question for you lovely people, Woodys colitis is still ongoing but I'm not sure that it is colitis. His poo is firm, of good texture (sorry if your eating) I only get jelly like ones maybe twice a week usually during the night, he squats really low to the ground which he didn't do before the operation, and he takes ages to actually go and when he does it's small but lots of it then he tries again to go and you can see his abdominal muscle and leg muscles are all tensed up and he looks like he is holding his breath. Any ideas as this has been going on since September and does wipe him out sometimes. He does take meds for it and when I took him off them he did get blood in his poo would it take this long to sort out :confused:

I wonder if Woody is having some constipation issues going on?


Well I,ve had the vet on the phone, woody,s cortisol/creatine level has shown up high, it read "cortisol level is higher than it should be in a normal dog, pointing towards cushings, now I did ask Craig the numbers but couldn,t hear him as little naughty woody was back chatting me at the time.

Any kind of health problem and even stress can cause the UC:CR to be elevated, and since Woody is having some sort of GI issue this could of caused the high number on the UC:CR.

Hugs, Lori

[Trish]

Hi Tracy

My vet always asks if Flynn is straining, can be a sign of the colitis. Also wondering if his surgery has not helped in that department, considering it was so close to the bowel. Maybe those things combined are contributing??

Re cortisol, I agree with Lori any other illnesses can put it up, but we also know he has an adrenal tumour so that could be doing it too, be interesting to hear what the IMS says. That would also explain his appetite maybe??

How has your Mum done today, hope it all went well xxxx

[goldengirl88]

Tracy:
My first thought was constipation too. I have to say your dear Woody has provided some much needed comic relief for me. He is a real character. Luckily you got your brothers dog picked up before Woody got to him. A Jack Russell will fight a great dane even, and the reason I know this is Tipper nailed a great dane in the face. It belonged to a friend and we were in the car and it stuck it's head in and Tipper nailed him. The dane just looked really stunned that a tiny dog bit him. Woody's little antic keep amazing me every day. I know why you are so smitten with him, he is adorable. Hope all is going well for your mom, and hope you get Woodys pooh problem figured out, that cannot be fun for him. Blessings
Patti

[spdd]

So glad to hear of Woody thieving treats. He's too funny. Hope your Mom is feeling better and things go well for her.

[Woodydog]

Evening everyone, we had a huge storm last night that knocked all the power out and brought down trees across the road, blocking my way out, luckily I have a gas heater for Woody, the power came back on about an hour ago. And its snowed all day today yippee, not much, I took woody to the garden and was playing at snowballs with him and I was like a kid and he drew my a dirty look and went back indoors doesn,t like the snow my boy.

My mum had her operation today, and according to my sister all went well, she is in some pain but that's to be expected. I couldn't get to the hospital as the roads out the village is still blocked even now. Provided they get the roads open tomorrow I will go see her, my sister thinks she will be discharged tomorrow so I may go stay with her for the weekend as she won,t be able to see.

I contacted the IMS at the hospital and you guessed it they never rang me back, I,m getting a bit pee,d off with them as I,ve emailed numerous times and left numerous messages you would think with the amount of money they charged least they could do would ring me back. I will try again tomorrow.

[goldengirl88]

Tracy:
I saw something on our news about your storm and some railway cars crashing. Please stay in and stay safe. I know what you mean about not being called back. It gets to you after a while, and when I get angry with something about Tipper- look out I go nuts then. So this vet learned his lesson about not calling me back, as I will drive to his office and embarrass the living day lights out of him. just no excuse for that, poor business practice, especially when the client has an ill dog. Glad your mom is doing well after her surgery. Good thing you have alternative heat with Woody just getting over his operation and all. Woody is going to pay you back for the snow balls so get ready! Blessings
Patti

[Trish]

Hi Tracy

I saw your question, I cannot remember either!! Must be back in your thread somewhere. N antibiotics off the top of my head are Nitrofurantoin and Norfloxacin. If the bug was enterococcus the nitrofurantoin is the one we use most in humans, along with Amoxicillin. Hope that helps!

Hope your Mum is discharged today, be nice if you can stay with her a couple of days too :)

The UK storm was on our news, with all the power outages and expecting a big storm surge. Hope it settles down as it sounds dangerous to drive in.

Ring that hospital and say you will stay on the line until you speak to them or they give you a definite time to call back. So frustrating when there are communication issues, or can you get your own vet onto them? Hope you hear from them soon. xxx

[Woodydog]

Well Mum is home, she is sore with a big patch over her eye as its been stitched closed for the moment. I took her home and Woody was looking really strangely at her and wouldn,t go near her until she spoke to him and then he was straight up on her knee sniffing the eye patch. I have popped home to pick up a few bits as we will be staying with mum for a few days and woody refused to come with me, when I left he was currently curled up next to mum on the sofa. Isn,t it great that they just seem to know when someone is not well and needs a little cuddle :D

I have called the hospital again this morning to be told that Ian is on holiday this week argh couldn,t they have told me that yesterday when I rang, I have told the receptionist that she needs to get someone to call me back today, she is going to get Emma the original IMS to call me. I spoke to my own vet, told him that I couldn,t get hold of the hospital and he will try to get hold of them, maybe he will have better luck than me.

The weather has settled down somewhat, and the trees have been removed from the road, but some of my FB friends haven,t been so lucky as they had massive floods and had to be evacuated not good :mad:

[goldengirl88]

Tracy:
Glad to hear your mom is doing well after surgery. That is so cute of Woody staying with your mom. Dogs can sense when something is not right. I am waiting to hear about how Woody paid you back for the snowballs. Take care and you and Woody and your mom stay safe. I hope they got the message that you want called back today about Woody. Blessings
Patti

[Trish]

YAY your Mum is home!! Woody must have thought she was a pirate with that eye patch on, so cute when he heard her voice that he snuggled right on in.

Argghhhh so frustrating with the pet hospital. I must say they sound a bit like my old one, I had difficulty contacting the specialists and even getting an appointment with this regular IMS. But I was attached to them, they had operated on Flynn for his adrenalectomy so I was very disappointed when I felt we were getting mucked around. I don't think they do it deliberately but they just have so many pets going through. But it got to the point when I thought, stuff them... if they are not available when Flynn needs them we will go spend my hard earned money elsewhere. My local vet knew about this other practice and recommended them, initially I was very nervous but now am so pleased we changed and to tell you the truth I couldn't be happier with them. Maybe if this carries on your vet may have some suggestions?

[Woodydog]

Evening everyone the hospital did ring me back about 6 pm tonight, but not had a chance till now to post with one thing or another. It wasn,t Emma the IMS that called but some woman didn,t catch her name from the Oncology Department, who didn,t have a clue on Woody,s case although his notes are available on there system. I explained that I needed to know his results for the urine cortisol and she told me they didn,t have them. After a full explanation of why the test was performed, and where it was performed she admitted that the Lab has only sent the results to my own vet and not attached them to Woodys case notes. She has apologised and will chase the results up. She asked how Woody was and I kinda lost it a bit with her and all my frustration of being ignored, not knowing what was happening with Woody all came out, I explained about him collapsing and she was oh we need to see him as soon as, eh no you don,t until someone who knows woody,s case calls me back. She has told me that she will chase woodys results up and get Ian Grant to call me on Monday morning, I told her if she didn,t then I would be taking Woody,s case to another hospital. I did apologise to her for my outburst but told her I can,t live with the could be this/that anymore, I need concrete answers. So we will see what happens on Monday. I know of another pet hospital in Edinburgh it is a long drive from me but the part-time vet at my own surgery is a teacher there so I will speak with her next week, and if Glasgow don,t help then I will ask her to refer me to Edinburgh.

My mum is doing well considering and earlier I was cleaning the wound and mum was making the oh, ah noise as it was nipping a bit and Woody started to bark, I had no idea why he was barking so continued and he jumped up on the sofa next to mum and growled and bared his teeth to me :eek::eek: I soon realised that he thought I was hurting his nana so had to stop and do it in another room out of Woodys way. I swear the little guy would have biten me had I not stopped, I thought he was my dog, lol. He is at present curled up at the bottom of mums bed fast asleep with her but I don,t mind as he is looking out for her :rolleyes:

[goldengirl88]

Tracy:
Glad you told that hospital you want something concrete. It is maddening to sit and wonder what is going on and get no answers from them. That is just like a jack Russell to guard someone they care about. you better not even make hand gestures in my house with Tipper near, she will tag you for sure. She doesn't like anyone raising their voice, or moving near anything in her house with their hands. I am glad your mom is getting on the mend and you are able to help her. I would go to another hospital too if I got not results from this one by Monday. Blessings
Patti

[Squirt's Mom]

awwww, what a sweet boy Woody is! Protecting his nana! He'll help your mom feel better.

I hope the hospital gets it together so you have the answers you deserve. It's so frustrating when we are left hanging and worrying, knowing someone has some answers. Keep after them til you get what you need.

Give that Woody boy a belly rub for being a good nurse with his Nana! :)

[Trish]

He is a good little nurse, providing comfort and protection for his Nana!!

Pleased they at least called you Tracy and I bet Ian will be on the phone on Monday, you would have thought she would have at least read his chart before calling you though, how frustrating is that!

[Roxee's Dad]

Ha hahahaha ..... Woody is Mom's little guardian angel :) Great story :)

Sometimes concrete answers are hard to come by, Hope to hear some good news soon.

[Woodydog]

Evening all - Nurse Woody has continued his duties today, he has kept mum company whilst I went for the food shopping, but had to take my gran with me, she is 86 yrs young and is all there and more. She has a brilliant sense of humour and had me in stitches most of the day. I took her back to see my mum and she kept calling Woody, Bruno which is my bridge baby after I corrected her twice i decided to let her call him whatever, she ended up calling him doggie lol.

I have decided to change Woody,s diet to something that might help his colitis, but will speak with the vet first. This colitis is really getting to me not only does it mean I have to get up twice a night to take him out for a poo but I cant go on watching him strain like this. He has also been itchy the past couple of nights, I had a good look over him and he has no "visitors" it appears it is his elbows he is scratching, I had a look and it looks like the white lumps he has (I suspect calcium deposits) are causing the itch. I have written down a list of symptoms that Woody has, and a list of what we know, he has like his MDR and will be putting them to the vet on Monday. I know I am clutching at straws on a diagnosis as he is a little mystery but I need to know what to do next, was his collapse due to the cancer or was it because of his heart or both, should I look at his heart or look towards the cancer I don't know. I hope the vet can shed some light on Monday

[Trish]

What's he eating now Tracy? I know you have experience with this, but when Flynn flares I swap to a new protein. I just keep him on one protein at a time and grain free. Quite often if his bowel is bad he has been sneaking or getting people food, so that's a no no for him. I wonder if a bit of extra fibre would help too, I use 1/4 teaspoon Metamucil dissolved in approx. 50 mls water together with his probiotic. I use the Metamucil just at night but give the probiotic again just 1/4 tsp twice a day. Flynn has been on venison for quite a few months but recently swapped him to lamb and it seems to be doing the trick at the moment *crossed fingers* :D

I hope the vet comes through on Monday too, have you got your list of questions written out?

Your Gran sounds a hoot, love hearing stories of the oldies doing well! xxxx

[Woodydog]

Trish he is fed chicken based at the moment, get a tablespoon of porridge in morning and night for fibre (advice of surgeon) although I have stopped this on Friday, he takes a priobiotic drink every morning and has done since he arrived almost 4 yrs ago. I have no doubt thT mum and my niece have bn sneaking him food so they've all been told to stop. I think I'm going to change him to duck as my bridge baby did good on that with his IBD. I will look out Bruno's hospital notes and see what else I can do. I think this is why I'm so frustrated with this as I lost Bruno to chronic IBD and never thought I would have to go back down that road :(

I look at some of the links you posted on another thread, makes for interesting reading as it stated it's an endocrine tumour and Woody has the pu/pd symptoms, collapse and possible blood pressure, I'm sure he doesn't have a pheo but worth a mention to the hospital don't you think. I haven't made up questions yet but will do it today it's where do you start with them lol

[goldengirl88]

Tracy:
I hope Woody's IBD get under control as that has to be miserable for both of you. Not sure but would lamb help? I know we can buy venison, rabbit etc. here in the U.S. Now don't get any ideas about going out hunting rabbits!!! Sounds like your mom is a strong woman too and that is wonderful that you still have your Gran and she is such a character. I guess you will have to find the culprit giving Woody food! They probably just think they are being good to him and don't realize the consequences. We are in the single digits here with the streets looking like glass from all the ice. We will definitely be staying in today. How is the weather over there? Blessings
Patti

[spdd]

Tracy, I certainly know your frustration. I really really hope you get some concrete answers tomorrow. It is sooooooo frustrating.

Poor Woody and his IBD. I know personally what that's like :o and it's no fun at all.

Sure am glad to hear nurse Woody is doing his duty. Dogs have an instinct for older people. My dog used to do semi-circles around my mother sitting in a chair when anyone strange was in the house and yet my mother didn't even like dogs. Keesh stayed away from getting close to her, but no one else was going to get close to her either.

Best of luck tomorrow.

[molly muffin]

I think it is lovely how Woody is so protective of your mum. What a good boy. :)

Your grandmother sounds a dear. Sounds like a really great family Tracy.

I know others have mentioned changing up proteins when the colitus flares up, so that might be a good move.

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

[Woodydog]

We,re back home, I want to be here first thing incase the hospital calls my house phone.

Sharlene I do have a great family and we are all very close, if not for them I don,t know what I would have done in years gone by ;)

I have written out my questions for Ian, and just hope he can shed some light on some of them at least. What,s the bet he doesn,t call, but if he knows whats good for him he will or I will set the K9 angels on him :p

Woody has had a busy weekend, with all his nursing duties and people coming and going in the house, I tried to keep him as stress free as possible, but honestly he was loving all the attention, and really playing up to the "look I,m sick, make a fuss of me " Some of my family can,t believe how well he is looking and yes he does look well and happy and that's all I can wish for him. We came home and he went straight to his bed and is out cold, I did go check on him as he was sleeping so peacefully I had to poke him to make sure he was alright, the dirty look he gave me was priceless. I will let you all know if Ian calls me or not.:)

[doxiesrock912]

Hahahaaa! They don't like to be disturbed do they? I can visualize that "what the heck" look. :)

[goldengirl88]

Tracy:
Wishing you luck on your vet visit today and hoping you get some good solid answers to formulate a plan for Woody. He is certainly full of so much personality. Jack Russells are like that they are like little clowns, and when they get you laughing they just love it and keep on doing whatever it is that made you laugh. If I wake Tipper from a deep sleep sometimes she shows her teeth with her lip sticking up. She looks like she is going to tear your hand off, but she is just letting you know she is annoyed. I will anxiously be awaiting the results from your discussion with the vet. Blessings
Patti

[Woodydog]

Well still no call from hospital and it's almost 2 pm. Woody is very quiet today and hasn't moved off my knee in hours, so unlike him :confused: I called the hospital this morning as we have no power here so I have no landline so have made sure they have my mobile number which they do. The power company has said they hope to have it on by 8 pm tonight better had as my whole house, cooker etc runs on electricity :)