THE CANCER IS BACK

Luna had a follow up ultrasound and spleen and liver biopsy with Dr. Clemans last week. The cancer is back. The lymphoma is in her spleen and now her liver too. The chemotherapy was not working.

We had a decision to make, and it took us almost a full week to make it.

Do we keep going?

We looked at our goofy, happy, playful, sassy dog and decided YES, we will keep going.

Are we crazy? YES.

Are we right? I DUNNO.

But we are comfortable with our decision.

Next - five IV injections of a fairly new cancer fighting medication called Tanovea. One injection every three weeks. If it does not work or Luna feels like crap, we will be done. Done done. This is it. But this could give us several more months with Luna. And for us, that is the best news we could hope for.

In the words of the great Dr. Sue, Cancer Vet, ”Already a statistics buster. Kick butt Luna!”

And so she shall.

THE LAST STONE

Kelly and I were finishing a cystotomy. This is a surgery in which the urinary bladder is opened to remove urinary stones. I must have removed 99 stones. The dog was only three years old, and she had impressively made more stones than I had ever seen at once.

After stone removal surgery, we always take an x-ray to assure all the stones have been removed. Almost a formality. I always fret a bit though between the surgery room and the x-ray table.

The x-ray appeared on the screen, and one lone stone remained in the trigone of the bladder. I was mortified. This happens in a reported 20% of stone removal surgeries in which x-rays are taken afterwards, but it had never happened to ME.

Back to surgery we went, Kelly reminding me, as she often does, to BREATHE. I sure love that friend. As basic as it sounds, I was NOT breathing, and needed to in order to complete surgery.

We reopened the surgery site, I removed the stone with a hemostat and returned to take another x-ray. The stone was out, and I was glad I had returned for the one last stone. 

Luke 15

or something

THE WORST EAR HEMATOMA CASE I'VE EVER HAD

I spent an entire month with my stomach in knots over a Joy look alike with the sweetest family.

Dog had an ear hematoma from a severe ear infection. Coolest case ever, right? I love(d) ear hematomas. They are very fixable, and when the underlying issue is treated, usually allergies or an ear infection, the problem is avoided in the other ear. 

We drained and wrapped the ear. We treated the double ear infection.

Six days later (as is often the case) the hematoma was back (or so we thought). It often takes a few tries at draining the ear, and about half the time, surgery, to solve the issue.

Near the tip of the ear flap was a small opening. This was unexpected. But I did not need to poke poor Dog's sore ear with a needle again, so that was a good thing (or so we thought).

*GROSSNESS WARNING* Jen had to leave twice while she was helping!

I pressed gently on the swollen ear flap. The largest amount of purulent material I have seen since treating cat abscesses poured out of the ear flap. This was no longer a straight forward hematoma, it was a severely infected ear flap! I had seen this once in a cat. We drained her tiny triangle cat ear and she healed well. This was a big floppy dog ear. My stomach started to seize. It did not stop for the remainder of Dog's month-long treatment.

We drained and flushed the ear. We started stronger antibiotics and continued anti-inflammatories. The next week the ear flap was as infected, this time with scratches - gouge marks really - from Dog kicking her ear when her protective cone was off. (It happens.)

Every week the infection improved and the ear looked worse. I warned the family the results may not be pretty. They figured. 

The second to last recheck, the tip of the ear was very firm and non-bendable. "Oh no," I thought.

Sure enough, the tip of the ear fell off - at home! "We figured," the family said. They were less mortified than I was.

On the last recheck, Dog's ear was shorter than God made it and had scratch scars, but the infection had completely cleared. Just as amazing, the double ear infection, after so many visits and treatments and oral antibiotics for the ear flap, had completely cleared as well.

I was wrong - she was as beautiful as ever.

"I am so sorry you have been through all this," I told the family (again) at their last visit.

"We are not! And thank you so much for all of your team's care. " they said (again). 

And then Mr. said, "We just tell people, 'you should have seen the badger!'"

SOME NUMBERS AND STATISTICS

First published on the Riley and James website

by Shawn Finch, DVM

Age children should be before they own a reptile: 6.

Age children should be before they have primary care of a pet: 12.

Age children should be before the family owns a pet prone to aggression: 18.

Age I was married: 24.

Age I had my second child: 30.

Favorites…

Favorite dog name: Joey Cupcake.

Favorite cat name: Mr. Narwhal.

Favorite rabbit name: Junie B. Jones.

Suggestion for their new bunny’s name: Judy Moody.

Dogs or cats: both.

Being a vet or being a Mom: being a Mom.

Crabby owners or crabby pets: crabby pets.

Treating or preventing: preventing.

Hamsters or pit bulls: pit bulls.

Dogs I have disliked: 0.

Cats I have disliked: 0.

Number of years I have been a vet: 8.75.

Number of years I have been a mom: 7, including gestation.

Number of crabby owners I have had to deal with lately: 1.

Number of crabby pets: 10 maybe? But if you have read “Will Benji be there?”you understand why it was not their fault!

Primary guideline for scheduling appointments: No crabby owners, crabby pets are just fine.

Coworkers who stand by that with me because it makes work very fun: 5 of 5.

Coworkers on my list of favorite people: 5.

Percent of pets who come in for prevention-related reasons: 90.

Percent of pets who come in for treatment of disease: 10.

Hamsters who have bitten me: 3.

Percent of hamsters who have considered biting to thank me for their great care: 98.

Pit bulls who have bitten me, or even tried: 0.

How these statistics, excluding the hamster bites, make me feel: happy.

Average lifespan of a dog: 12 years.

Oldest dog I have known: 17.  Breed: Poodle.

Average number of years that are added to a dog’s life when fed properly: 2.

Average lifespan of an indoor cat: 13 years.

Average lifespan of an outdoor cat: 3 years.

Oldest cat I have known: 21.

Breed: Siamese.

Indoor or outdoor: Outdoor.

Average lifespan of a betta fish: 1 year.

Age of our betta: 3.

Secret of Fish’s youthful beauty: oxygen.

Most common cause of death in pocket pets and exotics: improper diet or housing.

Amount of Internet information on pet care that is accurate: 50%, I would guess. But I still maintain that it is a great place to start.

#1 cause of death in cats and dogs: euthanasia due to behavior issues.

#2: euthanasia due to overpopulation.

Most common signalment of a dog with cancer: senior patient who has had excellent care and grown old enough to develop cancer.

Most common issue owners who have pets with cancer deal with: guilt.

Stages of grief owners go through at the loss of a pet: 5.

Percent of dogs and cats over 2 with dental disease: 80.

Frequency of dental cleaning recommended for average adult pet: once a year.

Average lifespan of guinea pigs: 5.

Age of Piggy: 3.

Most common vitamin deficiency in guinea pigs: C.

Animals that do not make vitamin C: Primates and guinea pigs.

Amount of vitamin C in Piggy’s daily supplement: 25 mg.

Number of guinea pig diets with adequate vitamin C: 0.

Number of guinea pig liquid supplements with adequate vitamin C: 0.

Diseases Piggy has had: 2.

Diseases related to vitamin C deficiency: 0.

Most common vitamin deficiency in birds: A. Most common vitamin deficiency in reptiles: D.

More favorites…

Favorite rodents for children: rats and guinea pigs.

Favorite rats from children’s literature: Nicodemus and Templeton.

Favorite mice from children’s literature: Mrs. Frisby, Herman the Great and Ralph.

Number of favorite dog breeds I have: 23.

Number of least favorite dog breeds I have: 2.

Number of breeds I have mixed feelings about: 4.

Favorite canine from children’s literature: Carl.

Other favorites: Ann and Dan.

Number of favorite cat breeds: 1.

Number of least favorite cat breeds: 0.

Favorite feline from children’s literature: Socks.

WILL BENJI BE THERE?

First Published on The Riley and James Website

by Shawn Finch, DVM

I held onto this newsletter for several weeks until today, when I had to euthanize a precious pet for a grieving owner. The only way this sad ending to such a horrible disease made any sense was to picture the bunny hopping, once again healthy and young, from her owner’s arms into the arms of God.

You recall from my first newsletter “I love to be boring.” I love helping owners maintain the health of their pets. Yet, inevitably we end up in the exam room or living room or outdoors, making end of life decisions…hopefully with an old pet, full of years. However, sometimes it is a pup with a rare disease, a kitten who has had an accident, a pocket pet who is here for only a matter of months. Most of you have been through the heartbreak. We live 80 years or so, they live 10 years or so… that’s a lot of sadness for animal lovers like us.

Almost without fail, a question comes up that I am not qualified to answer. I was not taught the answer in veterinary school. I was not taught the answer in church. But I need the answer as badly as you do, and I am absolutely sure of my conviction. So please work through this with me. Do not be offended or afraid to disagree. I will just walk you through my heart struggles and hope it helps you answer the question for yourself.

Everyone has asked at some point in their life, “Do pets go to heaven?” and I can tell you when a seven year old asks, almost in a panic, before you are about to euthanize his friend, a shoulder shrug will not suffice. When Russ and I held our first dog Benji, knowing what a rare, horrible, untreatable heart condition he was suddenly dying of, I had to be able to tell Benji that it was ok to let go–not for his own sake, but for mine.

Do pets go to heaven? I can tell you emphatically “YES!” Of course they do.  Do you want to argue the philosophical questions of whether or not they have a soul?  Whether heaven exists Whether this is all there is? I will be happy to, but debate is not my strong trait. You may have guessed, I lean a tiny bit toward the emotional.

However, I will try to move on to logic.

1) Animals are not separated from God by sin. There is no such thing as a “bad dog,” or a bad creature of any kind. Not really.  They do what they instinctively know or have been conditioned to do. They are not born with a sin nature, as we are.

2) Animals have inherent worth. Every animal is actively created by God. If we have to back up to “Does God exist?” or “Is the creation account of Genesis true?” we’d better talk in person! If we agree on these, and that God is good, I believe we can surmise that God still has his hand in active creation in the world. Therefore, even if Benji had not been our pet, but a Wild Mountain Poodle, he would still be important to God, and thus worth keeping beyond this world.

3) Heaven is perfect. Jesus has gone to prepare a place especially for us there.

4) The Bible says that animals are there.

5) Do you think heaven is not big enough??

If, when we get to heaven, we do not see OUR beloved pet, we WILL see our Savior, and be so overwhelmed, everything we wondered about will be outshined, or make perfect sense or both.

I hope with all my heart that this is a happy time for you, that you have your pet in your lap at the computer, or are maybe deciding on a pet to adopt when the time is right. When you do have to make the difficult decision to end a friend’s suffering, or have to go through the pain of having a pet pass away, I want you to have peace. Peace that he or she will be with you when you get to heaven. At least peace that ultimately, everything will be ok.

More often, it is not the seven year old who stops me before euthanasia to ask if their friend will be in heaven. It is the adult, who asks and then says with his or her eyes, “I don’t care what you believe or whether it’s true. I need you to say ‘Yes.'”

Now you know…I have not told you “yes” in your saddest time to make the grief process less painful, though I hope it has. I have not told you “yes” because I know you need desperately to hear that everything is going to be ok. I have told you “Yes, your friend will be there” because I believe with all my heart it is true. I BELIEVE our pets will be with us in heaven, and I KNOW God is good, and really, if we have that assurance, everything will be ok.