A Few Updates

Over the last month or so, Indy has had three bouts of vomiting and diahhrea. The first two incidents resolved quickly. The third created one very sick little pup last week, so it was back to the vet's office. Bloodwork indicated liver problems (jaundice) and dehydration. An X-ray was ordered.

This information allowed the vet to diagnose him with liver cirrhosis. You can see on his X-Ray that his liver is shrunken and shows evidence of scar tissue. The vet speculates the damage is a result of his years of inflammatory bowel disease flare-ups. He's now on antibiotics and something to calm his tummy. The doc also gave him fluids to help him feel better.

Unfortunately, there's no way to fix a liver. We're continuing him on the meds and adding a special homemade diet for dogs with liver problems. I did some internet research and found that vitamin E and the supplement, Denosyl (SAM-E), are helpful for dogs with liver issues, so now in addition to the special diet, he's getting them, too. The research also told me something that I didn't realize before. Liver disease is one of the major culprits in the death of senior dogs.

Since his diagnosis, Indy has had good days and bad days, which I suppose is not too different from any of us. The vet can't give us any type of time frame on how long he will be able to maintain what liver function remains. It could be months...we simply don't know. He has done pretty well most of the weekend, is eating, and is "almost" his old self.

Our main goal, of course, is to keep him comfortable, and when that's no longer possible, we'll say good-bye. It's a simple wait and see situation.

In addition to all of that, yesterday we moved my aunt, who has dementia, into an assisted living facility. Not a fun-filled day either, but it's where she needs to be...though SHE certainly doesn't think so. She made certain that we were aware of her feelings about the entire situation and gave us her opinion about our part in it, in no uncertain terms.

With all that being said, I am still hoping to finish NaNo this month. It makes a good diversion, though I'm not nearly as far along as I might have hoped. I have 8,000 words as of today, and 6,000 of them were knocked out on November 1 (I took the day off work), just before Indy's diagnosis. Soooo, as you can see, I've slowed down considerably.

I'll try and post an update in a week or so on how my Indy-boy is doing, and whether I can get back into the NaNo groove.

Miss all of you, and hope you're doing well!