another episode last night

Last night was tough. I haven't slept yet and can't sleep. Last night around 11pm SB had another episode. It started again with him looking a bit uncomfortable and not wanting to sleep on his blankets or pillows. We checked his gums - pale. His temp also had fallen to around 36 (normal healthy dog temp taken from the bum is between 38 and 39). We started him on his meds/supplements.
We spend the whole night waiting, monitoring and escalating the meds. Finally at about 7am his temp turned and was back around 37. And now its at 38.3 which is the highest its been since he's been sick. His gums also have their color back. He's very tired and I'm sure its the meds and not being able to sleep properly. I'm still anxious though and waiting to have him ask me where his treat is. Thats when I'll know things are ok.
I am so happy he made it through the night. It breaks my heart to see him this way and its so hard when they can't tell you how much pain they are in. At one point I told SB how much we love him and that we knew how much he loved us. And, if this was the right time then it was ok but that if he felt he wanted to fight then we are all here fighting for him. Based on his response I think there are still a few things for him to do in this lifetime.
Will update more later today when he wakes up.
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anxiety

Back from dinner. SB and ZZ are ok! We had to go out as we don't have much groceries. Will need to get some tomorrow. I get a lot of anxiety when I'm out. Worrying so much about Starbuck.
Its good that I can work from home when I can but next week is going to be busy and worried that I might have to be away for full days. D is even busier than I am and we both try really hard to have at least one person be at home or not to be away for too long. I want to spend as much time as I can with the BBs. I just don't feel good when I leave home.
SB is tired today. He's been burying himself under his blankets. This isn't something new as he loves to be under covers but I often wonder how he can even breathe!
He is such a cutie pie. As I type this, I look over at him and he's looking back at me. We love you Starbuck!
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good blood

We got an update from our Vet last night that SB's blood looks good. She came by the next day after his episode to check in on him, take some blood and gave us more supplements (we're giving him a lower does of carb veg every 4 days now).

The results of test show his blood is better than last time and there is good red cell regeneration. He still shows as a little anemic but she says its probably due to his episode the other night. This is great news.

I am feeling ok but more worried now. D is still trying to cheer me up and keep me in good spirits. On Thursday my mom and dad came for a visit and I think mainly to check in on me. They kept me company as I waited for D to come home. I get kinda nervous when he's not around. Its so nice to have the support of my family during this time. They totally understand that SB and ZZ really are our babies. I really can't stand when people roll their eyes or look at us funny when we talk about them and I think, do you not have any empathy or ability to put yourself in others shoes. D and I aren't going to have kids and SB and ZZ are our life.

I don't feel like doing anything else but to spend time with SB and ZZ. Last night we watched a few episodes of 90210 together (I can't watch anything serious lately as I end up getting really anxious). SB slept on my lap and ZZ was beside me as I gave her a massage. She enjoyed that v. much. :) D also took ZZ for a looong walk to help relieve stress in both of them. D had to sneak ZZ out though and did a good job as SB didn't notice.

It was a perfect night.
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zuzu our little angel

On Tues night around 11pm as we were getting ready to go to bed we noticed SB was looking a bit more tired than usual. But it was hard for us to really tell if it was because it was bed time or if something was wrong. I took his temp and it was lower by a few points (36.7 vs 37 under the armpit). His gums were also pink and he looked fine otherwise and ate his midnight snack. So we decided to not panic.
At about 3:30AM I woke up to ZuZu panting really hard beside me. She never goes up on the bed but she was there trying to wake me up. I got up and checked on SB and his vitals weren't very good. His temp was still low and his gums were looking really pale. I was really scared.

We started to give him the supplements our Vet gave us, phos ac (every 30 min). At about 5:30 he got up and went over to his bed. Eyes looked shinier, gums pink. He also started snoring so I thought that was a good sign. Yay! And, I was just amazed that our little angel ZuZu helped to save SB. Amazing!

Just before we started getting ready to go to work, we checked on him again. I also was finally brave enough to check his temp via his bum (more accurate this way vs armpit). It wasn't so bad and he surprisingly (or unsurprisingly) didn't mind. Temp was good and gums good color. However, there was a nagging feeling inside me that I still needed to monitor him. I called our Vet and left a message to see if she could come check in on him that day instead of the next day when we had our appointment scheduled.

Throughout the morning, he slept but seemed a bit lethargic and depressed. His gums and temp were still normal so I wasn't sure what was going on. Its so hard to tell or decide when to do something! At around 1pm I noticed his gums were looking really pale. I offered him a treat and it took him a while to eat it...not a good sign. So I started him on the supplements again.

I called our vet but she wasn't answering (I later learned she was in surgery all morning). I called the Emerg Clinic we went to last week and I was getting ready to take him down there to help but after a few conversations they told me the only 2 options I had when I got there was surgery or euthanasia. I WAS ANGRY. I didn't like those options AT ALL (also later found out that they could have helped out with his fluids..what is up with that??! they didn't even offer that as an option...so angry at them. Next time I will demand they do that for us.)

So I started SB on the second set of supplements, Carb Veg...after about an hour, he got up and went to his bed (a good sign!). Me and ZuZu were sooo happy. I also offered him a salmon ball and he ate it right away. His temp was back to normal although his gums were a pale pink.

After a few hours of sleep, he woke up and ate dinner and was OK!!
Throughout that whole time D was at work and trying to get back as soon as he could. He was really stressed and we were all in a panic.



I'm so thankful SB made it through this episode and that our little angel ZuZu was there to alert us. They never cease to amaze me.

Thank you ZuZu!


p.s. I wanted to thank DJ & LJ for being there when I called for advice! Sometimes its hard to think clearly when you're in panic mode. DJ & LJ's dog Buster was SB and ZZ's best friend. He was diagnosed with lymphoma cancer in 2004 and lost his battle in Sept 2005. We know Buster is out there looking over SB too.

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babysitting

Today our good friends are getting married and D & I are the MC’s. We’re nervous about leaving SB but he is in great condition and my Sis kindly offered to babysit. I’ve written down instructions on checking his temperature and gums and how to hold him when taking him out for pee/poo. We know he’s in really good hands so that will reduce some of our anxiety about leaving him.

This reminds me of when we first got SB, he was around 8 or 9 weeks old. D and I had plans to go out so my Sis babysat for us. She took amazing photos of him for us. Here's one of him...as you can see he was grumpy that we left him behind.


Update:
Everything went well. Whew! Thanks Sis for babysitting!
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sunshine & salmon



SB is doing really well. We spent some time outside again to give him some fresh air He loves our backyard and being out there in the sun.


ZuZu was happy to be out there with us.


She found some time to relax but mostly was as frisky as ever and obsessed with her ball. This is a pic of her waiting for me to throw her ball. "Hurry up mommy!"



Another good thing is that this hasn't effected his appetite! Look at him go...we switched their food to organic salmon and cod meatballs. He LOVES these! The fish will help fight any potential cancer in him.
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