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Our October 2009 Featured Pet- Tuffy English: Hi, I am Tuffy English, a 13-yr old Yorkie with a tale to tell. I was not feeling good for a few weeks, so Mom gave me chicken & rice to encourage me to eat; she thought I was just getting old and needed some extra good food. My stomach was not feeling good, I started having diarrhea and then Mom noticed some blood in my stool, so she took me to Dr. Henry at Lake Area Animal Hospital. I normally see Dr. Henry at my house because he comes and does house calls for me and my other friends. On physical exam I looked pretty good and the only thing Dr. Henry could find was a belly ache, so he ordered some blood tests and x-rays of my tummy. My blood tests looked good, but Dr. Henry thought he saw something in my stomach and wasn’t sure if it was a tumor or what. Mom ok’d having Dr. Gelatt come do an ultrasound to see if she could tell what was in my tummy. Drs. Henry and Gelatt thought it was not a tumor, but still couldn't tell what it was, so Mom agreed to have Dr. Henry operate on me and explore my stomach. Well, Dr. Henry opened my belly and found a piece of rubber felt in my stomach which was blocking my intestines. You see, I was a naughty boy and ate something I shouldn’t have: a rubber felt pad from under the bar stool. Mom has no idea how or when I ate it and me being an older dog I just shouldn't have done it. Now I am feeling great, just like a new dog, and so happy my loving mom gave me a chance and didn’t just say it was old age or a tumor and that’s that. Dr. Henry said it was very unusual for a senior pet to eat something like puppies do but I still hope everyone reading this will realize that we seniors and well-behaved pets can sometimes be naughty too. So PLEASE don’t take anything for granted and do take your sick pet to Lake Area Animal Hospital because you just never know!
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Our November 2009 Featured Pet: In Memory of Sunny McBride
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Sunny McBride lost her brave fight with bladder cancer on November 3 and was eased across the rainbow bridge with humane euthanization at her home. Though she has left this mortal world behind, Sunny still has an important message to convey; one of love, courage and the will to survive. After an ultrasound test in November 2008, Sunny, a then 10-yr old yellow lab, was diagnosed with an advanced stage of bladder cancer. Though the average survival rate for canine bladder cancer is 3-6 months, it was even less for Sunny because her cancer was so advanced at diagnosis. There was no treatment available to cure Sunny’s cancer; it was too large for surgery, and radiation and chemotherapy would not be effective. Still, Sunny’s loving family gave her a fighting chance: The NSAID or non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug Piroxicam has been shown to help slow the growth of bladder cancer and provide palliative pain relief and Sunny was also on Sucralfate to prevent stomach upset and ulcers. Though she developed a few bladder infections this past year, Sunny’s vet team performed cultures & urinalysis to identify the bacteria and were therefore able to prescribe the appropriate antibiotics so she continued to do well. At the end of October, Sunny stopped eating and did not respond to the medications prescribed for upset stomach and nausea. Though she had by far exceeded the survival rate for a dog with bladder cancer, let alone advanced bladder cancer, Sunny’s good fight had come to an end. Sunny was a good pup and she has this important message to share with you pet parents: Talk to your doctor at Lake Area Animal Hospital if you notice any changes in your pet’s health or behavior. It is very important, especially for your senior pets, to have regular health check-ups and routine blood work. Even if it seems "too late", remember me, Sunny, and give your pet the chance to be loved by you and give you all the love they can for as long as they can. |
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