At long last.....

I'm Free I tell ya Free

I had a vet visit tonight and it turned out pretty good. Everything about me looks ship shape, except for my spleen, which is still enlarged. However, my Dr. says that it hasn't grown any since the beginning of December and it has sharp edges, like it should. Also, there are no lumps present so I'm Free!!

For the next year I have to be dewormed every couple of months so we can get rid of the hookworms once and for all. The good news is, mom can just go in and pick up my meds, I don't have to go!!

In May, I have to go back for a 4X snap test to see if the Anaplasma is truly gone and that's the next time my vet will check my spleen.

Sooooo for the next 3 months there should be NO TRIPS TO THE VET.

I'm a happy beagley tonight, that's for sure.

Oh, and I lost almost a pound in the last 3 weeks so as of tonight I've lost 7.5 pounds at the rate of 1 to 1.5 lbs per month.
1.2 lbs to go before I'm in my weight range. 4.2 lbs will put me at the bottom of the range. Mom says she'll be happy if I lose 3 more lbs.
My current weight is 46.2 lbs and I'm lookin' pretty darned good if I do say so myself.

Once again, thank you all for the encouragement and for caring.

xoxo,
Shiloh & mom

Latest update

I went back to the vet on 1/21 for a recheck, here are the results:

Good news: Blood panels came back looking good.
I lost another pound!! 2 to 5 pounds more and I'll be at my goal weight!!

So-So news: My spleen size remains enlarged. My vet is going to keep checking it and if it stays the same size, re-xray in about 4 months.

Icky news: The hookworms are back, or more accurately, probably were never entirely gone. My vet and Daisy Mae's mom both say that they are tough to get rid of, so I'll need to be de-wormed every 3 months for a while.

All in all, we're pretty happy with the results, and I feel great!

Next appt: Feb 11th.

With endless gratitude

I wanted to take the opportunity to send out a huge Thank You to all my pals for the love and support we've been shown in the past couple of months.

I am a fortunate pup indeed, for I have the greatest pals in the world.

To Sassy & mom...for the comfort, the advice, for talking us into letting pups know what was going on (you were right, we needed the support more than we thought we would) and for the ideas of mindless time wasters....... in essence: for everything.

To Daisy Mae & mom and Austin & mom, for your offers of help, for all the advice and for actually answering mom's rambling e-mails. It was a great comfort to know we could turn to you if we had needed to.

To Trudy, Scooter & mom, for starting the Snoops threads, for your concern, compassion and friendship. You are, quite simply, wonderful pups.

To Gibby and mom, thank you for jumping in and picking up the slack we left in Doggie Do-Gooders, for your friendship and for your inspirational p-mails. They helped more than you'll ever know.

To Rudy for sending me a guardian mouse angel. I did nod eads him....
and for always making me smile.

To my pals who lit candles for me. They worked and I thank you.

To all my pals old and new, who took the time to send prayers and positive thoughts our way, for thinking of me and for for caring. Especially to those of you who are going through your own illnesses and hardships. It is our good fortune to know you.

To my Snoop brethren, thank you for sending me the Power of the Paw, the prayers, the caring, for jumping on the plane and staying by my side during my tests, and for crying tears of sadness, then of tears of joy right along with us. You are a very very special group full of compassion, kindness and love, and I am privleged to be a part of it.

To all the pups (and kitty) in B&A. Every single day, through the endless waiting, you have sent hugs and love my way. You have lit candles, prayed for my health and kept me in your thoughts. I can't even begin to tell you how much it all meant to us, how much it made the waiting tolerable and how it eased mom's mind. There is an amazing amount of love, kindness and compassion in our little group and I hope each and everyone of you realizes how special you are to us.

You have our hearts.

With love,
Shiloh and mom

This just in.........

I had the ultrasound today, here are the results:

Liver - Normal
Lymph Nodes - Normal
Stomach - No mass
Spleen - still enlarged
Bladder - very very tiny stones

The ultrasound vet feels that the spleen size is physiological in nature. Probably caused by the Anaplasma or the doxycycline. I go back in a month just to make sure it hasn't grown any more. If it has, they will perform a needle aspiration to determine the cause, if it hasn't, then WoooooHooooo.

The stones in my bladder are very small (they aren't even visible in an x-ray) so we'll just watch for any signs of discomfort, but they may never grow or bother me.

Needless to say, it's going to be a very Merry Christmas at our house.

I don't even know where to begin to thank everyone for all they've done for us. I'm going to work on a separate entry for thank you's, but for now, please know that it was very much appreciated and needed.


xoxo,
Shiloh & mom

Feelin' good !!

We finally have a date for my ultrasound - Dec. 21st. Mom isn't too happy about having to wait so long, but can't find anyplace that could do it sooner, since it's not considered a true emergency. I'm not very happy about having to fast for 12 hours before going in. : (

At least I'm feeling really really good!!

More tests : (

My x-rays showed some irregularities in my spleen, liver, stomach and the lymph nodes around my heart and there is still excess bilirubin (produced by the liver) in my urine.

Next step is an ultrasound and more blood work. We're still waiting for the ultrasound doctor to get back to our vet.

Please keep you paws crossed that this turns out to be much ado about nothing.

xoxo,
Shiloh

Così così

Iwent to the vets last night for my recheck after finishing the meds for Anaplasma. The Anaplasma appears to be gone and I go back in 6 months to be retested.

Unfortunately, some of my tests didn't come back as good as they could have, so I have to go back tomorrow for more poking and prodding.

Here are a few things that are looking good:
My heart rate is good and strong
My gum color is excellent
Most of my blood work is great
My lungs sound good
My lymph nodes are not enlarged

Here's the short version of what need further investigation:
My spleen is still enlarged, although it is no where near as big as it was a month ago. The blood work came back pretty good, although my liver values were elevated. The urinalysis showed both crystals and bilirubin are present.
The crystals could have been caused by mom, leaving the "sample" in the car for a couple hours in freezing temperatures.

Anyway, tomorrow, they will recheck my urine, do additional blood work and take x-rays of my innards. This will be the first time in 5 years that I have been left with people I don't know well. Mom is worried I'll be scared, but I think I'm up to it.

I'm feeling really good and don't appear to be in any pain. I'm running, jumping, playing and eating normally.

Also, the diet mom has me on is working, I lost 3 lbs in a month, which the vet says is a very healthy rate, and I'm looking pretty fine if I do say so myself.

All our love and a huge thank you to everyone for the p-mails and prezzies and especially for keeping me in your thoughts and prayers.

xoxo,
Shiloh

Pebbles

I'm hoping that everypup who reads this would be so kind as to send prayers, positive thoughts and Power of the Paw to my sweet friend Pebbles

Thank you all.

Giving Thanks

I was Thanksgiving tagged by the one and only George Underwood.

Because it’s Thanksgiving time, there is a change to the rules. Each player needs to tell seven special things they are thankful for. Tagged dogs must post the rules in their diary and their 7 things.
It's Thanksgiving Day now, so I'm not going to tag 7 other pups, but here is what I'm thankful for.

1. I am eternally thankful for the Valley River Humane Society in Murphy NC, who sent me to Connecticut.
2. I am thankful that my family and I found each other.
3. I am thankful for a home that is cool in the summer and warm in the winter.
4. I am thankful for soft and comfy furniture.
5. I am thankful for hikes in the forest, where I can sniff and dig as much as I want.
6. I am thankful for food - 'cept for peas.
7. I am thankful for my pals here on Dogster. I think Rudy Patudy said it best "My heawt jest mewts wen I be awound you pups". I couldn't agree more.

It's baaaaaaaaack

My appetite, that is..

If I wasn't on a diet : ( I would be eating like I was before I got sick. As it is, I'm eating that horribly bland food (grudgingly, but a pups gotta do what a pups gotta do), stealing the cat's food whenever I can get away with it and giving mom my very special pathetic look any chance I get.

The meds aren't making me sick anymore either!!

I go back to the vet in 3 weeks to have my spleen and liver values rechecked. I'm acting like my old self, so we are optimistic.

Wish me luck....