Thursday KayCee my almost 9 year old golden retriever was running up and down the fence barking at the dogs behind us, howling at sirens o TV, eating her meals, flipping my arm for petting. Friday monring she refused breakfast, threw up a pile of yellow bile, her gums were a tad pale and she had a temp of 105. I got her right to my vet. He drew blood to do a full panel (she was due that anyway) and was feeling on her and found a very large mass in her lower abdomen. He thought it could be erspleen. Late he asa a rashf dogswitcancer ofth splee.
The blood work showed her liver, kidneys, etc, etc were great. He did the ultrasound and could not determine exactly what the tumor was growing on. It was huge and near her bladder. He normally gets in at 7:30 in the morning and leaves at 6:00, but he decided to do surgery on KayCee when he stopped seeing clients at 6:00.
The surgery took a little over 1 1/2 hours. His receptionst usually leave at 7:00, but6 they and a couple of the off duty techs stayed with me. When the surgery was over Rickey came out and he was exhausted. He said that was athe most grueling surgery had had done in a long, long time. The tumor (which I got to see) was probably larger than her heart. Apparently it started on the asppendix and totally encased the appendix and grew aund the area where the large and small intestines connect. There is also a lot of very, very necessary vessels there. He had to remove the tumor and some ofeach intestine without messing up the vessels. He said he had done a lot of bowel cancer surgeries, but had NEVER seen one where KayCee's was, and her's was in the worst spot possible. It took twice as long as the usual bowel tumor surgery.
I stayed with her until about 8:10 when she was almost awake. She knew I was there and looked at me, but was very groggy. hey gave her a 24 hour pain med and she went right to sleep. I was almost a bsket case. I could tell Rickey had his doubts about her making it thru the night. He has always been totally honest with me, wich I want him to be. I have always needed to know where my dogs stood.. He said it was very invgasive surgery. He had flushed her and cleaned her vry good, but there is still always the danger of contamination. Also, re connecting her intestines,was line connecting two different size pipes without the use of sealer and they had to leak proof.
On Starudays he is only open 9-12. At 8:15 this morning the one tech that is going to be a vet called and told me KayCee had made it thru the night and was alert and even sitting up.Rickey was due in at 9:00, but Amber was going to let me in if I got there before him. I had to eat and feed Honey and then I went on over. Rickey was already there--early. He was actually surprised and very happy to find her alive this monring. Also, her gums were back to bright pink, her temp was gone, se was drinkig (but noteating) and she had gone utsdie to pee and "peed a river" (is on round the clok IV.) He told me to come home and cook some chicken and rice and we would see if she would eat it. She HAD to eat within a certain time or her bowels would shut down, and if she didn't eat, she would have to be force fed. I not only did that, I took back some oven baked wafer thin low fat turkey and some applesauce--she loes applesauce.
She didn't eat much, but I did get her to eat some. I was to come back at 5:00 and try to get her to eat more. When I got there, she had already been given er pain med just before I got there. I took her outsdie to pee--and he tail was just a wagging. She peed and then waned to go over to the trees, but I took her back inside She is really weak. She went right to her cage and got in. I tried to feed her, but she wouldn't eat anything, just fell asleep. Amber said she had force fed her a can of food at 12:30 and apparently the pain pill took effect very fast, and even that little adventure outside, which was good for her, had tired her out. I was there an hour and she was sleeping so soundly and peacefully--slow breaths, not the rapid breathing of a dog in pain--she didn't even know I had left. I am to go back at 9:00 in the morning to take her out and to try to feed her.
This si such a dangerous surgery and very difficult. She is still very, very far in the woods--she may not make it thru tonight. But she is a fighter and she will fight this. Evenif she recovers, there is always the chance the cancer could come back with a vengence. Well, we are pretty sure it is cancer and not a benign tumor, but had it sent off anyway. Just a couple of monthsago she had a lower abdomen ulrasound and there was nothing. Thisthing came on in an onrush. She sleeps net to mje on her back at night and Iam always rubbing her tummy and I never flet anythin that felt liek it could be anything out of the norm. And that damn tumor was as big as both of my fists put together.
I would appreciate any good vibes, thoughts and paryers you would offer for my precious girl. this picture wa ony takne a but a moth ago after her bath.
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