Paxil's health..

Well, Paxil finally got to come home from the vet today. She's been there since Thursday on an IV, getting fluids and antibiotics. The original diagnosis was Pancreatitis. Which certainly explains the uncontrollable vomiting on Wednesday night. She was severely dehydtrated and needed to stay for the fluids. She wasn't allowed to eat anything or drink any water until this morning. Fortunately she kept it down and was allowed to come home. She has to take more pills and eat a special diet. The diet is for at least a week and likely a long term thing. Paxil is much happier today. She's giving kisses and has much more energy.

And now the bad news....

Paxil has cancer. She has a lump on her back leg that the vet aspirated yesterday. It's a mast cell tumor. Unfortunately, at this point, we don't know what that means for Paxil. She isn't strong enough to have it removed right now. So, we wait. In two weeks her blood work will be redone. On Wednesday she had elevated kidney and liver levels, in addtion to pancreatitis. If those levels are back down, it will be safe to put her under and remove the tumor. It will then be sent out to Saskatoon for further testing. If it's a grade 1 tumor, the removal should essentially cure her and Paxil has a good chance of living a normal life span. (she's eight and a half now) If it's a grade two tumor, the odds are less and the outcome is less predictable. If it's a grade three, she has a few months left with us. Given some of Paxil's other symptoms, weight loss, pancreatitis, the cancer may have already spread, but we are trying to stay hopeful.

In any case, Paxil is retired and will live out whatever time she has left as a House Princess.

This is Paxil just last weekend, when I just thought she was a little skinny! She was wooing at me, trying to get me to open the gate faster so she could go run around the big yard.
I want that happy little dog back. This sucks!!!!!!!!!!!!