The High Costs of Health

You know that you visit the vet's office way too much when the staff call you and your pets by name, without the assistance of a cheat sheet. I stopped in today to pick up more of Indy's meds. He takes them (along with numerous other pills) twice daily to help with liver function problems.

It's been six months now and this metoclopramide has worked wonders to keep away Indy's vomiting and diahrrea caused by a compromised liver. Lucky for me, they're inexpensive.

Indy is a medical high maintenace dog. Over the years, in addition to seeing his regular vet, he's also visited numerous specialists in veterinary medicine. It all adds up to a lot of appointments and mucho money. But he's not alone.

Seems like I have plenty of doctor appointments, too. Let's see, there's the dentist, primary care doctor, dermatologist, chiropracter, physical therapist, gynocologist, and gastroenterologist. Tests galore result as everyone studies my bodily functions through bloodwork, mammogram, and, (joy of joys) the wonderful colonoscopy that I need to book again this year. Ain't it grand to be so popular?

My meds schedule is similar to Indy's. I take pills to give me gloriously normal blood pressure, pills to keep cholesterol in check, and a dandy little pill for acid reflux. Then there's the self-prescribed items: multivitamins, fish oil, calcium, and B-12. A lot of time and money goes into keeping this old body healthy.

When did my dog and I become so much alike? It appears time will take its toll on us all, whether human or critter.

But meanwhile, I discovered there's yet another appointment to make. Apparently Bogey is due for his annual vaccinations.

"Say whaaaaat???"

Test Results Say...

Here we go again! The vet called on Saturday to advise that Indy's tests do not indicate Cushing's Disease, though she added that it's possible he could be so early in the disease that it doesn't show up yet.  She suggested three possible options:

1. We can be referred for an ultrasound to see if anything appears to be amiss.

2. We can be referred to an internal medicine veterinary specialist for evaluation.

3. We can monitor things and see how he does.

H'mm. I can't imagine a disease showing symptoms before it shows up in lab work. Symptoms typically come after a disease has advanced. Therefore, I don't think it's Cushing's.

Suppose after even more tests we don't have any answer? It doesn't make sense to keep looking for something that may not exist. Indy is his normal self in every way, except he drinks and potties more than most dogs. Perhaps it's simply normal aging. Besides, the urgency to drink seems to have slowed a bit...it could have come from the hot days of summer.

In any event, I've decided to monitor things for now. Like most of Indy's peculiarities, we might not be able to pin this one down, either, and vets don't always have the answers. Instead of running to another vet and paying yet another bill, we'll wait this one out.

On to other topics. We attended a barbecue that turned into a sort of weekend affair. The band played on and on as people ate, drank, and made merry. Many spent the night on Saturday. In fact, so many tents were pitched on the grounds, it looked like a Tent City!

Indy attended the festivities, and was quite helpful as the thermometer dipped.

The temperature made for a perfect one dog night!

Indy Update...Sort Of

"Whatta ya mean I don't get breakfast?"

Indy spent today at the vet's office being tested for Cushing's Disease. The test requires fasting, so he was quite offended when Bogey got yummies this morning and he did not. However, he happily leapt into the car for his trip and was only a little disappointed when he discovered our destination. A rousing sniff-fest ensued, with Indy investigating every fascinating smell he could find. I signed permission forms, then headed to work.
The vet took a baseline blood test then injected him with a hormone (I think ACTH). This stimulates the adrenals to release cortisol. Several hours later, another blood test is done. If it turns out that he has Cushing's, a large amount of cortisol will be detected in the second test, which is considered to be about 70-75% accurate in diagnosing Cushing's. His blood work is being sent to an outside lab, so we won't know results for a few days.

We left the vet's office with another whopping bill to add to Saturday's tab. I'm sure they'll put the money to good use. Maybe an addition to the clinic. Some pricey new equipment. A fancy vacation?

I'd feel better about the bills, if we only had some answers.

Practically Good as New

As you may recall, on Monday Indy had a scheduled follow up for a minor procedure that turned into a major ordeal primarily due to the medication he was given afterward. I couldn't decide whether to take him back for the appointment or not.

All my angst over the decision was wasted. Due to snowy, slippery roads, we canceled the appointment anyway. Haven't rescheduled it either. His eyelid looks fine to me. He's been to the regular vet twice since the surgery and has finally recovered from the never-to-be-taken-again meds. I have a new philosophy about the whole thing.

If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

My New Old Dog

Hooray! Someone's feeling so much better that he's playing with the tennis ball again. It's good to see Indy back to normal. But how long will he stay that way?

On Monday we return to the vet who performed eye surgery on him for a follow up visit. I'm tempted to cancel in superstitious fear of upsetting the applecart (or should I say the schnauzer) once more.

I'll think about things over the weekend and decide last minute Monday morning what to do.

Should we go...or not?

Pupdate

Nothing like taking a healthy happy dog to a vet appointment for a "minor" procedure that turns into days of illness, worry, and, yes, even more vet bills.

Indy did not perk up after his surgery. No appetite. Lethargic to the point of being almost dazed. Could this be the result of the anesthesia or the post-op pain med he was given, Rimadyl? I looked up the medication and read so many horror stories about it that I threw the stuff straight into the trash can after 3 doses. Then the diahhrea started.

With auto-immune disorders in his history, sometimes Indy can be thrown into a spell of hemmoragic gastroenteritis. Fearing that's where we were heading, I took him to his regular vet who placed him on antibiotic, a stomach acid reducer, and a pill to help restore natural flora to his intestinal tract. Then the vomiting started and sure enough, so did the bloody diahhrea.

We were on Day 3 of food refusal, and gastrointestinal upset, so next day we returned to the vet. I couldn't get any of the medications down him because no treat on earth tempted him to allow anything except water into his mouth. The vet did blood work which was within normal range, so she gave him sub-cutaneous fluid, an anti-nausea shot, and several days of anti-nausea pills.

It's been a slow process, but Indy has finally regained his appetite. So far, no more vomiting or diahhrea. I'm keeping finger crossed that we're finally on the mend.

No one can be certain whether anesthesia, stress, or medications caused this reaction, but with an auto-immune-type dog like Indy, the vet agrees we won't do Rimadyl again. I realize it's a medication that has helped a lot of arthritic dogs, but my advice is...read about it before using and be very, very careful!

Show Me the Money

Today I took Indy for his annual exam and immunizations. The vet checked a bump that's been growing on his upper eyelid. Apparently the growth is too big for her to safely remove, so she's sending us to see a doggie opthalmologist. Yes, another trip to a veterinary specialist. Indy and I are old hands at weird disorders and this is just another one to add to the list. Two lab tests, three shots, and six months of heartworm preventive later, I tried not to faint when I paid the bill. Then with much lighter checking account and brochure for the specialist clutched in my hand, we left the clinic.

I opened the brochure when we got home and read a long list of qualifications for the veterinary opthalmologist. He's got more degrees, experience, and distinguised service credits than most general practitioners I know. Pretty impressive stuff for a vet. (By the way, when's the last time your doctor gave you a brochure on a specialist? Usually they hand you a card and tell you to call the number...but I digress.) I folded up the brochure and rubbed my eyes.

Unfortunately, I may have to set an opthalmologist appointment for myself, too.

Suddenly I see nothing but dollar signs.

Get Out the Checkbook

Brady in his chubbier days.

Our son's dog, Brady, is back at our house to stay for a few days while he's out of town on business. Yep, we are still the doggie hotel.

He's had the dog for a couple of months now, and is spending a small fortune on vet bills due to various health issues. First of all, the 4 year old Cairn Terrier was extremely overweight. So Brady's food has been cut back and he's being walked regularly. The pounds are slowly coming off.

His allergies are not so easy to solve. Brady went to the doggie dermatologist and after testing, it was determined that he is allergic to 17 different things (grass, mold, dust, etc., etc.). So, $450 later, the vet recommends allergy shots 3x per week to desensitize him. My son has to administer the shots. This treatment will run about $600 per year.

If the allergy shots don't work, not to worry. The vet has a new wonder drug that he'll try next. It only costs $100 per month to keep Brady from chewing his toes off.

Yikes! Brady seems to be on his way to becoming a pretty pricey pooch. Perhaps that's the reason why his previous owners decided to give him up.

I think he's a darn lucky dog to be where he is now.