Concern Over Barnaby's Health

[Allison]

I'm posting partly because maybe someone will have experience with this issue and ideas. My other reason to post is simply that I'm feeling low and I know this group is good in offering encouragement.

Our dog Barnaby is twelve. Over the past year he has started to have less energy and appetite. He also started to slurp more and show signs of nausea. At first, we took it just old age. But a few other situations made us decide to get him checked.

He had an ultrasound last month. Cushings and pancreatisis were ruled out, but the ultrasound showed issues with his gall bladder. We gave him medication over the past month to treat the gall bladder.

Today he got a recheck. Nothing has changed with his gall bladder. In addition, he now has a bubble in his stomach.

The vet says it's something to watch. She also recommended we see an out-of-state specialist, which we will do when we return from visiting family in Canada.

I'm feeling low for two reasons. First, this is something that now seems more serious than just a lackluster gall bladder. The vet said the gall bladder might need to get removed.

Second, it brings back memories. When our cat Lucy got diagnosed with heart and kidney issues, she didn't stabilize the way vets expected her to. They said that we could consider a specialist. The vets were talking about stuff like maybe Cushings or cancer, neither of which have great treatment success rates in cats. Also, by that time, we'd spent hundreds on her and taken her multiple times to the vet. We decided to just get her locally treatment and lost her only a few months after her initial diagnosis. I've often wondered if the outcome would have been different if we had taken her to a specialist. I miss her every day.

Thank you for listening. I know this is a forum about Cushings, but this is where my dog family is.

[labblab]

Ah Allison, I'm so sorry about this new worry. I have no experience with this kind of issue, so I'm afraid I'm of no help in terms of info. :o

But you definitely have my well wishes at this stressful time. Decisions about invasive intervention are always hard, and especially with aging pets when you are trying to balance their comfort against likely outcomes. I hope that, no matter what, the path forward may become clearer for you all in the coming days. In the meantime, I am sending healing wishes to Barnaby, and a giant hug to you.

Marianne

[molly muffin]

Oh so sorry to hear that Barnaby is having problems.
I know when the gall bladder sludge gets to be to think it can cause a blockage. If the sludge doesn't respond to medication, the next alternative they often look at is removing the gall bladder, just like in people.

We do have a questionaire we use for talking to surgeons about surgical options if that becomes a consideration. Hopefully he will start to respond.

hmm, I could have sworn that Dr. Peterson (the cushing expert) had said it was very rare for cats to get cushings. I'd have to go back and try to find that, so it might have been something else.

It's okay to have a noncushing thread, that is what the everything else section is for, so very glad you posted about Barnaby :)

Not sure what part of Canada you are heading for Ontario is currently hot and muggy.

[kanga]

So sorry about the problem you facing right now:(
Don't have any advice for you cause I didn't experience this before with my dogs I want you to know that you and your dog are always in my thought I pray for it. I know its hard but don't lose hope god is good and he finds a way o help you with your problem. And also i know that there's a lot of member here with the same problem as your and their surpass it hope you find the good and best advice with the help of the others.

[kanga]

How's your pup now? Any good update?

[Allison]

Sharlene, hi.

The vet told us in early June that Barnaby's gall bladder didn't look great but it should could probably clear up any issues with medication. When he got retested in late June, she saw the bubble and we talked about keeping this monitored. She said too that if the sludge gets thick, it can cause a blockage and turn into a life-threatening situation.

When our vacation ends in June, we're supposed to have Barnaby rechecked again. If nothing has changed or if anything has worsened, we're supposed to see a specialist and might need surgery. Scary, but something we'll definitely opt for if needed.

Your memory is more than likely correct about what Dr. Peterson said. All the local vets we saw, and everything I've read, does suggest that Cushings is rare in cats. A reason we didn't rush our cat off to a specialist when she got sick is that, even though her blood levels suggested that maybe other things were going on, no one could point to anything specific other than CKD and heart murmur.

My family lives in Newfoundland. For most of our visit, the weather has alternated between wet and hot.


Oh so sorry to hear that Barnaby is having problems.

I know when the gall bladder sludge gets to be to think it can cause a blockage. If the sludge doesn't respond to medication, the next alternative they often look at is removing the gall bladder, just like in people.

hmm, I could have sworn that Dr. Peterson (the cushing expert) had said it was very rare for cats to get cushings. I'd have to go back and try to find that, so it might have been something else.

Not sure what part of Canada you are heading for Ontario is currently hot and muggy.

[Allison]

Everyone hi,

I'm catching up on posts after having been on the road to visit family....

Thanks for your responses! Barnaby is eleven, and does have some minor health issues, but otherwise he enjoys agility and walks and life in general. We consider the money will be well-invested if surgery helps him feel better than he has these past few months.

Just a couple more weeks now and it'll be test time. I'll post an update.

[Allison]

This week, Barnaby had another follow-up check. Good news is the bubble in his stomach is gone. So, the antibiotics seemed to have worked.

On the other hand, his gall bladder still doesn't show any improvement. This means that medication while the medication is keeping things from getting worse, it's not helping things get any better.

For now, surgery is on hold. Barnaby is taking a motility drug. We're supposed to call next week with an update and to see what else we can try. Surgery could still be in the future.


How's your pup now? Any good update?

[Allison]

Well.... Barnaby's health has gotten worse. He remains active enough, but his appetite has gotten lackluster again. We have to tempt him with chicken and rice and other human foods to get him to readily eat. So, we had him rechecked yesterday at the vet.

The ultrasound showed that his gall bladder has gotten worse. Tomorrow we'll get also blood work results back. If the blood isn't good, then we'll need to address whatever is going wrong. On the flip side, if blood work comes back okay, the vet thinks it's time to see a specialist. That will mean a trip out of state.

Before going to the vet, I wondered if we were unnecessarily messing with Barnaby's health. When our first cat got to having weekends where she wouldn't eat, we had a feeding tube put in her. I think this sped up whatever was wrong inside her. Instead of losing her in a year as the vet predicted, we lost her in a few weeks. Now that we've seen the ultrasound, it does seem like we need to act. But I'm still anxious. We're in unknown territory again and so much could go wrong.

[Harley PoMMom]

So sorry that Barnaby is not feeling well. :( How far out of state do you have to travel for a specialist?

Lori

[Allison]

I just looked up the distance. Seems to be about three hours. Could be worse!

[labblab]

Surely wishing that Barnaby was doing better! I'm sorry you might have to make the long trip to the specialist, but hoping he/she can really get to the bottom of things and point you guys in a better direction. Please keep us updated!

Marianne

[Tina]

Hi Allison,
I'm sorry to read that Barnaby is not feeling well. Where in Nebraska are you, and what kind of specialist is your vet recommending? We have a board certified internal medicine specialist in Omaha now for the past several years, and I believe there is a board certified surgeon at the office part time as well. That may be a lot closer for you than three hours.

Tina

[Allison]

Blood test results show that Barnaby has abnormal liver results. Our vet thinks that this may be due to the gallbladder issues. We will be making an appointment to see a specialist.

Tina, I sent you a message. If you know a vet in Omaha who understands gall bladder issues and perhaps perform surgery, please advise. Thank you.

[Tina]

Just sent you a pm, I was away from my computer and didn't see your post till now. :o

Tina

[Allison]

Thanks everyone for your supportive thoughts! I've been researching gallbladder disease and treatment options.

Just like so many diseases, it seems like early prognosis is vital. But it also seems like it could be a complicated process to get to the decision to have surgery. And then there's always risks. Plus, the costs are very high. Sigh. I guess here we go again....

PS Tina, thanks for your welcome thoughts!

[Tina]

The specialty clinic and hospital that I referred to in my pm and prior post is the Midwest Veterinary Referral & Emergency Center:

http://www.vcaspecialtyvets.com/midwest

You mentioned that you saw a specialist in Omaha for your other pets. I am guessing you went there, as this is all we have in Nebraska as far as internal medicine and surgery specialists. I don't know if they have experience with gall bladder surgery, but you sure could call and inquire.

Like I said in my pm, I have not actually taken my boy there, but my vet has consulted with them several times. I have also called to talk to the staff there and they have been very nice. Hope this information helps.

Tina

[Joan2517]

Poor Barnaby....I hope you get some answers, Allison. It's so frustrating not knowing for sure, and so stressful for the poor fur babies to have to go through so many tests. And then they worry about us, worrying about them...

[Allison]

Appointment on Thursday. He will get an ultrasound and examination by a specialist.

[Allison]

We're back from our appointment. Barnaby is okay!

The specialist said a lot of older dogs have some sludge. While it's something we should continue to monitor, it's nothing to be overly concerned about yet. If blood work values change, then we should revisit our concerns. She also said that sludge becomes most problematic when combined with other ailments.

We asked about Barnaby's finicky appetite. It could be age. Another thought is intolerance of a certain kind of food or ingredient. We'll talk more with our vet about diet.

Thanks for the encouragement and support! I wish all pet news were as positive.

[molly muffin]

That is excellent news Allison! Great to hear that Barnaby is basically A-okay.

[Harley PoMMom]

Sounds like the vet visit went well! And I hope that you will find out whatever is causing Barnaby's appetite to decrease, please do keep us updated.

Hugs, Lori

[Allison]

We still have two concerns about Barnaby's health:

* Over the past year, he's become more finicky about food. My husband has to put tin chicken and rice into his food to tempt him.

* He has a collapsing trachea, which often causes him to cough.

We're going to talk to our local vet about food. The specialist said he might have a food/ingredient allergy.

The collapsing trachea we treated with medication but it didn't help. However, it's been an issue now for over a year, and so he seems to have learned to live with it.

If anyone has any experience with either of these, and has ideas, please do share. Thanks!


Sounds like the vet visit went well! And I hope that you will find out whatever is causing Barnaby's appetite to decrease, please do keep us updated.

Hugs, Lori

[Joan2517]

We still have two concerns about Barnaby's health:

* Over the past year, he's become more finicky about food. My husband has to put tin chicken and rice into his food to tempt him.

* He has a collapsing trachea, which often causes him to cough.

We're going to talk to our local vet about food. The specialist said he might have a food/ingredient allergy.

The collapsing trachea we treated with medication but it didn't help. However, it's been an issue now for over a year, and so he seems to have learned to live with it.

If anyone has any experience with either of these, and has ideas, please do share. Thanks!

Lena had this for years, mostly when she was young, but we all learned to live with it. It sounds terrible, but I would pick her up and try to soothe her by gently rubbing her neck until she calmed down. The more they panic, the worse it gets, so we all stopped reacting and just waited it out. She lived to be almost 15 and hardly did it in her later years.

[Squirt's Mom]

One of the vets in Little Rock gave a foster pup shots of Adequan to help with collapsing trachea and it helped. He told us he saw this work only in the small dogs and that it worked most of the time. Might be worth asking Barnaby's vet about. ;)

[Allison]

Thanks for the suggestions about how to help Barnaby with his collapsing trachea. We have learned to pick him up a certain way and to work on keeping him calm when he starts to cough. When we next see the vet, I'll ask about Adequan.

There are no answers yet on what's causing Barnaby to have less of an appetite, but my husband has started to keep a spreadsheet listing the ingredients in the foods Barnaby eats and the reactions Barnaby has to his meals.

[molly muffin]

Just be careful that he doesn't only want things with the higher fat contents as that can cause it's own problems, even though just like with people it tastes better. :)