Upstaged by the dog agin -- NO wonder I had such a powerful taste for chicken strips this noon! LOL. My DSL modem got fried while I was gone this afternoon (don't believe it when someone says lightning doesn't strike twice in the same place -- my street's gotten it about 4-5 times and it doesn't matter how many gigawats your surge is rated to -- ssssssssssssssssssssssssstttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttttt -- part of my circuit breaker got fried too apparently.
Well, today went pretty well. The "end of the story" is that he's making good progress, BUT his "reticulocites" (baby red blood cells) aren't high enough and they think he's still a bit low iron (and she's GLAD I'm supplementing it and we're going to supplement it MORE).
His "pack cell volume" (a/k/a hematacrit -- just so if you guys ever have to know these words you won't feel as stupid as I've had to all the way thru -- "pcv", "hematacrit" -- all synonyms) was 35 today.-- which is 'up' from 33 on Saturday, but 39 last Wednesday, but 25 the Saturday before that (can we spell yo-yo?).
The fact that he's that bit unstable AND he's not continuing to climb means he's staying on the same drugs (and adding more iron).
They tested also for the "concentration" of the cyclosporine in his blood (that's the big guns steroid) and that will be back Friday. Generally they're really pleased with his looks, color, and progress -- they just want the blood count to go up ('normal' is somewhere in the mid to upper 40's, so we're better than we were but not 'building' as fast as they want to restore the blood).
The rest of the story is kinda fun --
We were early for our appointment and the front desk called Eric as HE requested. He's in an entirely different 'section' now so he couldn't take Billy as his patient -- and apparently it's pretty unusual for he and Dr. Goldkamp both to request Billy like they have. I'm happy about it.
Grand re-union of Billy and Eric. Billy did everything but ask Eric for a 'high paw' -- and went Eric went thru the doors Billy WANTED to go with him. Whoa Cowboy!!
New student was "Joe" -- nice guy (we seem to be getting all guy students) and Joe's just come off "large animal" rotation. (I should let Billy tell this -- it's pretty funny, but of course that's silly -- for a dog to type, right?!)
I pulled out the baggie of treats from my purse and advised Joe to make use of them. I said "Particularly when you do the temperature thing". Nice fella -- but typical (as I'm finding) of the folks who have been involved with large animal stuff -- UP ON THE COUNTER HE PUTS BILLY!!!
I swear -- I saw Billy's lips move -- 'Mom -- this guys been doin cows an horses huh? I'm up on the nose-bleed counter and NO TREATS!!'
I'm almost dying here -- but I held onto Billy for dear life (Billy thinks counters are for a) surfing or b) jumping OFF of). Guy does a good exam -- asked me all the standard questions (which if you weren't expecting them to ask you "has the dog experienced any heart problems" it might freak you out a tad, but I know he has to ask all that).
Guy obviously LIKES dogs -- he's giving Billy good scratches and good 'noises' but he obviously can't figure out what a treat bag is for. I knew when the thermometer came out just by how RIGID Billy went.
After the temp, I said "Joe -- Billy honestly wants me to remind you GIVE HIM A TREAT NOW!!!!"
Poor Billy looked at me like "we gots ta train THIS one huh?? Oh boy!"
He went after Dr. Goldkamp and she was really pleased with how he looked, etc. -- and told me the blood tests they wanted to run. I showed Dr. Goldkamp the treat bag and she laughed and handed it to Joe telling him Billy was THE most food-motivated dog he would EVER EVER meet!! That he was absolutely LEGEND there … so I handed Joe the leash AND THE TREATS and off they went.
I waited in the reception area -- and when they came back Billy was fine but I noticed I didn't get back the treat bag OR an empty bag. Uh oh … betcha they got forgotten.
The first thing Joe says to me is "You know, Mrs. Kennedy -- this has been QUITE an experience … I'm walking down the hall with this dog on leash and EVERY SINGLE PERSON I MEET stops me and says 'OH … is that ***BILLY***???? What's his PCV?? How IS he?" And I had to tell all of them that I didn't HAVE the PCV yet … but everyone KNEW him and everyone wanted to KNOW it because it was like they all had it memorized what it was the last time he was here!!!" (still shaking his head!)
Now we're waiting for the PCV to be done (it's a process - they have to spin the blood down. There's a dobe (uncropped ears) next to me raising caine all over the place -- "Whizzer" (wonder where THAT name came from? *grin*) is also back for a recheck -- and it was interesting to see Billy and Whizzer -- Whiz is an in-your-face-kinda-pup ALL FUN FUN FUN LET'S PLAY -- not a dominant bone there at all. Billy was all kinds of happy to be around Whiz but seemed really puzzled -- and Billy kinda stepped back (he's really not quite up to playing and Billy doesn't just haul off and "play" anyway -- he likes to play but he's very aware that the reception area of the Small Animal Hospital is NOT the place to play. So Billy kinda just respectfully stepped back and sat down, but cocked his head like he wasn't quite believing this.
Then another of the clinicians came in -- and she was waiting to talk to the lady across from me and she said "OH … BILLY!!!!! How nice to see YOU!!! How are you doing?" and she looked to me for a full report. Then she looks over and says "Oh and WHIZZER!! How could I have missed YOU!!! Wow he looks great!!!"
As it happens then she tells everyone Whizzer and Billy were crate pals (side by side crates in ICU) 2 weeks ago when both were pretty darned sick. AHA!!! They *did* know each other!! That was a reunion that went on, but Billy just wasn't quite prepared for Whizzer to feel THAT good and like wow … right out here in the open and *everything*! Apparently Whizzer had to have a huge section of his intestines removed (sounds like it was pretty darned serious and touch-and-go for quite a while -- Whizzer was a sick boy!)
But it was pretty funny -- I've got this dog who knows EVERYONE and I'm not a part of it. I'm cracking up -- everyone down there knows my dog and LOVES him … and my dog even is popular with the other patients. It's like he's got this whole separate "life" I'm getting to see in the window to glimpse it!
But there must have been at least 3 students and several of the vets who came thru and spoke to Billy like they were old friends. Mr. Popular … most definitely!!
The GOOD thing he's learned -- apparently when no one takes you out when YOU want to go (and ask) but they take you out when it's time on their shift for you to GO out .. you learn not only to go, but you go darned FAST or you might not get another chance!! My dog has learned to hit the first piece of grass and pee ... then I'll reach down and pat him on the butt and feel a ridge and say "Ok, Buckaroo -- you'd better try to poop" and he'll turn around and DO IT!!! Then and there. No sniffin, no walking forever -- he'll just do it!! I'm astounded -- who knows how long THIS gift from Heaven will last but trust me I'm enjoying it!!
However cos of the pred he can't hold it well -- and this dog has now got it mentally memorized how far til the next rest area!! Without fail, suddenly he'll sit up (or stick his nose between the seats if he's in the back to 'ask' to come up) and LOOK OUT THE WINDOW and I'll say "do you have to go??" and I get a small sigh and that's it man. I stop, and half the time before Mom's got herself out of the car, if there's grass within leash range he's already doing the deed. Holy cow -- this IS nice!!!
He's not yanking my chain and not going -- he's actually had to go that often (I think riding in the car must stimlulate it). But man -- I've never known a dog to get 'down to business' that fast EVER!!!
On the way home I have to take this little leg of an expressway around Apopka and then it's city traffic to get home from there. But the first time I took him up there I could tell he was DESPERATE to go while we were almost to the end of this little expressway and NO rest area in the vicinity. We got off and I"m looking frantically for 'grass' and I see this old abandoned fernery (a lot of old orange juice factories became ferneries and then some of those have died up there), so I wheeled into there and yep -- phew, THANKS Mom.
so now every time on our way back, we get to "just about there" and yep -- GOTTA GO. And today was no exception. Gonna have to call that Lake Billy!