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Mar. 9th, 2009 07:38 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
la_belle_laideThis is what's going on with Haku. Yesterday my Mom asked me if I wanted to go out shopping, with her and Dad and Gran. I thought about it because I needed a few things, then I decided against it so I could study instead.
I sat down to study after breakfast, and Sano and Haku were both in their beds. Haku got up as if he was going to go to his toy box to get a toy to play with. Nothing was out of the ordinary but something felt wrong to me. Then he turned around quickly like he was going to chew his butt or something; both dogs sometimes get those anal gland issues so I figured that's what it was even though, still, something felt off to me. Then, he started chasing his tail, like he always does. Then he caught his tail, which he usually does. And then he just fell over onto his side (onto Sano, actually,) and started having this huge grand mal seizure. By this time I was already up from the couch because I'd just had this odd feeling as soon as he got up off his bed. At some point he flipped onto his other side and he hit his head on the playstation as well as the entertainment center. I moved everything out of the way, sent Sano away, grabbed my car keys and called the emergency clinic. Then while the seizure was still going on, I called my Mom on her cell phone and told her what was happening, and to meet me at emergency.
It lasted about a minute, maybe more (though it felt like ten.)
At emergency, (after waiting many many hours,) his blood tests came back. Platelets were low, but nothing else out of the ordinary, bloodwork-wise. One of his pupils was reacting slower than the other. Again, no one is still sure why, but it might be because he hit his head. His x ray showed that his liver was abnormally small, and so the doctors schedules an ultrasound in order to see if he had liver failure, or a liver shunt, both of which could cause the seizure. Then they gave him vitamin K because his clotting was really slow and the platelets were marginally low.
The ultrasound was today. His liver is fine--it looks like he could be epileptic. That often begins right around the age he is, which is three. It usually presents with no other symptoms, and they're not counting the low platelets or slow clotting as symptoms, or at least as connected ones. (Which I find odd and this is what I hate about western medicine. Your body is connected to itself, all the systems interact, I mean, isn't that what homeostasis is about? Am I the only person who watches House?)
However the ultrasound did show a strange vessel "a tubular structure" as she called it, by his bladder. They suspected this might be an ectopic ureter. Even stranger than that was that they could not locate one of his kidneys. So, following this, they did contrast dye x rays and sent them to specialists.
The result is that, yes it is an ectopic ureter and yes, it seems that one kidney is simply not there. There are two possible reasons for this: the first is that he was born that way, being inbred. The second is that Dr. Dickwhistle--you know the guy who fired me, and who also misdiagnosed Trisky's cancer for about a month, sending her home on aspirin and telling me I was overreacting?--totally botched Haku's neutering and left scar tissue which ruined the ureter and atrophied his kidney. Haku's testes weren't descended and Dr. Dickwhistle was describing to me (just over three years ago as Haku is about three years and eight months old,) just how much he was "screwing around in there for hours" trying to find the testes. It was a really long surgery (when usually neutering is about twenty minutes to a half hour) and Haku was stitched all the way up his belly. When you work for a vet, there is a tendency for that vet to give your pet sub-par care because you're not paying for it. I battled with Dr. Dickwhistle over this lack of care for years; it was, in fact, one of our many falling-outs. (I'm changing his name, you know, to avoid any harassment. Even though I should be suing him a thousand times over for so many different things.)
So. What happens now is that tomorrow (before my chem mid term) I go for a consultation with this emergency surgeon and she tells me exactly what needs to be done. What I know so far is that they ahve to do the surgery because if there are bits of a kidney still in there, they can lead to infections later on in life, renal failure, all sorts of complications (and I imagine that cancer is among them; I mean with random unused cells floating around freely?) The one vet said that I could opt to "wait and see," or wait until the infections, renal failure and incontinence and other complications did begin to occur, but that it was probably better to get the surgery done now, before any complications and while he is still young enough to make a full recovery. Hopefully then she can do the actual surgery tomorrow, too.
Then, once that is done, I need to schedule with a neurologist to find out what is causing the epilepsy and how to control it.
That's what's going on and seriously, I just want my puppy back.
ETA: My wonderful friend Kim was at the clinic all day today and taking care of Haku. That made me feel worlds better because she is one of those people who does the extra good because that's how she's built. And also, yesterday one of the other techs there very kindly put a little gold Buddha statue on a stand next to Haku's cage. Why it was there in the first place I don't know, but the gesture was very sweet, and the will behind it made me feel better.
I sat down to study after breakfast, and Sano and Haku were both in their beds. Haku got up as if he was going to go to his toy box to get a toy to play with. Nothing was out of the ordinary but something felt wrong to me. Then he turned around quickly like he was going to chew his butt or something; both dogs sometimes get those anal gland issues so I figured that's what it was even though, still, something felt off to me. Then, he started chasing his tail, like he always does. Then he caught his tail, which he usually does. And then he just fell over onto his side (onto Sano, actually,) and started having this huge grand mal seizure. By this time I was already up from the couch because I'd just had this odd feeling as soon as he got up off his bed. At some point he flipped onto his other side and he hit his head on the playstation as well as the entertainment center. I moved everything out of the way, sent Sano away, grabbed my car keys and called the emergency clinic. Then while the seizure was still going on, I called my Mom on her cell phone and told her what was happening, and to meet me at emergency.
It lasted about a minute, maybe more (though it felt like ten.)
At emergency, (after waiting many many hours,) his blood tests came back. Platelets were low, but nothing else out of the ordinary, bloodwork-wise. One of his pupils was reacting slower than the other. Again, no one is still sure why, but it might be because he hit his head. His x ray showed that his liver was abnormally small, and so the doctors schedules an ultrasound in order to see if he had liver failure, or a liver shunt, both of which could cause the seizure. Then they gave him vitamin K because his clotting was really slow and the platelets were marginally low.
The ultrasound was today. His liver is fine--it looks like he could be epileptic. That often begins right around the age he is, which is three. It usually presents with no other symptoms, and they're not counting the low platelets or slow clotting as symptoms, or at least as connected ones. (Which I find odd and this is what I hate about western medicine. Your body is connected to itself, all the systems interact, I mean, isn't that what homeostasis is about? Am I the only person who watches House?)
However the ultrasound did show a strange vessel "a tubular structure" as she called it, by his bladder. They suspected this might be an ectopic ureter. Even stranger than that was that they could not locate one of his kidneys. So, following this, they did contrast dye x rays and sent them to specialists.
The result is that, yes it is an ectopic ureter and yes, it seems that one kidney is simply not there. There are two possible reasons for this: the first is that he was born that way, being inbred. The second is that Dr. Dickwhistle--you know the guy who fired me, and who also misdiagnosed Trisky's cancer for about a month, sending her home on aspirin and telling me I was overreacting?--totally botched Haku's neutering and left scar tissue which ruined the ureter and atrophied his kidney. Haku's testes weren't descended and Dr. Dickwhistle was describing to me (just over three years ago as Haku is about three years and eight months old,) just how much he was "screwing around in there for hours" trying to find the testes. It was a really long surgery (when usually neutering is about twenty minutes to a half hour) and Haku was stitched all the way up his belly. When you work for a vet, there is a tendency for that vet to give your pet sub-par care because you're not paying for it. I battled with Dr. Dickwhistle over this lack of care for years; it was, in fact, one of our many falling-outs. (I'm changing his name, you know, to avoid any harassment. Even though I should be suing him a thousand times over for so many different things.)
So. What happens now is that tomorrow (before my chem mid term) I go for a consultation with this emergency surgeon and she tells me exactly what needs to be done. What I know so far is that they ahve to do the surgery because if there are bits of a kidney still in there, they can lead to infections later on in life, renal failure, all sorts of complications (and I imagine that cancer is among them; I mean with random unused cells floating around freely?) The one vet said that I could opt to "wait and see," or wait until the infections, renal failure and incontinence and other complications did begin to occur, but that it was probably better to get the surgery done now, before any complications and while he is still young enough to make a full recovery. Hopefully then she can do the actual surgery tomorrow, too.
Then, once that is done, I need to schedule with a neurologist to find out what is causing the epilepsy and how to control it.
That's what's going on and seriously, I just want my puppy back.
ETA: My wonderful friend Kim was at the clinic all day today and taking care of Haku. That made me feel worlds better because she is one of those people who does the extra good because that's how she's built. And also, yesterday one of the other techs there very kindly put a little gold Buddha statue on a stand next to Haku's cage. Why it was there in the first place I don't know, but the gesture was very sweet, and the will behind it made me feel better.
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no subject
Date: 2009-03-10 12:05 am (UTC)Dr. Dickwhistle needs to DIAF. I'm eagerly awaiting karma. Soon, pet, soon. ~sinister face~
no subject
Date: 2009-03-10 01:02 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-03-10 01:06 am (UTC)Karma better hurry up! Also, I want to know all about it when karma finally takes that first juicy bite. :)
And good luck on your prep!
no subject
Date: 2009-03-10 01:06 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2009-03-10 01:08 am (UTC)In the butthole.
Even if it needs a little goading into action. ;D
no subject
Date: 2009-03-10 01:25 am (UTC)But I really do think that karma will punch him in the groin. Repeatedly. At high speeds.
At least I hope so.
no subject
Date: 2009-03-10 01:47 am (UTC)As for Dr. Dickwhistle, i overheard someone in the parking lot of my building say something apropos the other day: he might as well just volunteer at the firestation, he slides down so much pole.
no subject
Date: 2009-03-10 01:53 am (UTC)Also thanks for the good wishes; every pink fluffy thought counts.