Heartbreak

I have some heartbreaking news. Hyden passed away about 12:30am today, December 5th. Our family is still in tears. We had grown to love this little guy so much. Even my boys Jack (Boston Terrier) and Braxton (Chihuahua) had grown to love him. We were hoping for many happy years with him.

Hyden had been doing really well and we were feeling hopeful. We never did get a chance to speak with the internist after his visit on Friday. She had left a voicemail with his bloodwork results and prescribed a thyroid supplement. We were supposed to speak with her today. He got his first dose of the supplement at 6:40pm yesterday evening.

Hyden turned 3 months old December 3rd. He was thirteen weeks and two days old. He weighed only 6 ounces.

Please do not support the breeding of undersized puppies. They are rarely healthy and often never see their first birthday, even when given the best of care.

Test Results

Dr. Locke, the internist with Central Texas Specialty Hospital that Hyden visited on Friday, called today. She said Hyden's bile acids were elevated but not as high as usually seen with liver shunt puppies. However, they cannot rule it out and we should probably retest. The results for his thyroid test were almost immeasurable at less than 0.5, which indicates he may have congenital hypothyroidism. She said this could cause his stunted growth, neurologic signs, and constipation. He will began a thyroid supplement tomorrow.

Central Texas Veterinary Hospital

Thanks to some awesome people who made donations, we raised $250 to go toward Hyden's visit to Central Texas Veterinary Hospital (http://www.ctvsh.com) today.

Dr. Locke agreed there's a good possibility Hyden has a liver shunt. They are running additional bloodwork to test for a liver shunt and also a thyroid disorder they sometimes see in puppies that causes similar symptoms. They also ultrasounded his head and do not believe hydrocephalus is the cause of his illness. We were also very relieved to hear that if a liver shunt is the cause of his illness, his tiny size would not prohibit a surgery to correct it and could help him lead a normal life.

We should have bloodwork results on Monday. We'll hopefully have a diagnosis and an idea on what the future holds for this little angel then too.

Dr. Morelli Is The Best!

Hyden visited Dr. Morelli on Tuesday (Nov. 27) and Thursday (Nov. 29) supportive care that's helping him thrive. He was stopped up again and a bit dehydrated. They fixed both problems!

She and her staff are very impressed with his will to survive. Not only has Dr. Morelli come in on her day off to provide him with medical care and made herself available to contact anytime Hyden is in need, but she's donated all her services so that we can focus on raising funds for his diagnostics and treatment at the Central Texas Veterinary Hospital. Her kindness and support has helped us get this far and we will always be thankful to her for that.

Thanksgiving Day

We have so much to be thankful for today. Since Hyden came home yesterday evening, he's had round the clock care, including syringe feedings every couple hours. When I got up for one of Hyden's feedings last night, I was surprised to find him sitting up. At a later feeding, I was even more surprised to find him walking around his playpen. I know he's not out of the woods by any means but am so thankful for his will to live.

Hope

Wednesday, November 21, we picked Hyden up from the emergency veterinary clinic. They said he possibly had a couple of seizures but they weren't sure if they were actual seizures since he swallowed when they gave him dextrose water through the syringe. They weren't able to get a catheter in him and keep it flowing. The veterinarian said he's just too small. However, during a previous visit to another clinic and when he was much smaller, they were able to get a jugular catheter in him. His breathing seems better, he's a bit more alert and to our surprise, he held his head up and ate on the way to Dr. Morelli's.

Dr. Morelli did more diagnostic testing today. She believes he does have hydrocephalus and is concerned with multiple defects with his skull. She also believes he may have a liver shunt and a heart defect. She is doing all that she can for him but doesn't feel he'll pull out of this. He was minimally responsive today and did not eat on his own for them. She said we could keep trying but offered euthanasia. After many tears, we decided to bring him home and give him a little more time to show some improvement.

Follow-Up & Emergency Vet

On Tuesday, November 20, we took Hyden for a follow-up. Dr. Morelli was off so he saw Dr. Kim. We really liked her too. She feels his prognosis is poor, as he's shown minimal to no improvement but was willing to do and tell us what to do to give him the best chance possible. She really felt he should be hospitalized, as did we, but due the tremendous amount of medical expenses over the past several months for Hyden and multiple other animals, we did not have the resources. Thankfully, we were able to work something out with emergency veterinary clinic in Round Rock, TX. Dr. Kim and the veterinarian at the emergency vet both believe Hyden now had pneumonia. He will stay at the emergency vet through the night in an oxygen cage and hopefully they'll be able to get a catheter in him for fluid therapy. The veins in his legs are too tiny and our regular veterinarian does not have the supplies for a jugular catheter. We haven't given up on Hyden. The veterinarian at the emergency vet, however, seemed reluctant to treat him.

Seizures

On Monday, November 19, Hyden wasn't feeling too well. He was stopped up and his belly was badly bloated. Suddenly, he began seizing. He had three seizures on the way to the our veterinary clinic. It was Dr. Morelli's day off but she met us at the clinic. He had two more seizures there. Dr. Morelli's has concerns of possible birth defects, including a liver shunt and/or hydrocephalus. After an enema, bloodwork, and radiographs, Hyden had some respiratory distress. Dr. Morelli's was able to stabilize him after some oxygen therapy. Hyden's radiographs showed no signs of pneumonia but he still has upper respiratory symptoms. Hyden can no longer sit, stand, or walk and Dr. Morelli's is concerned he suffered brain damage. Hyden is back home getting supportive care. Around 10:00pm, Hyden had another seizure. He is still doing well with syringe feeding.

Hyden is 11 weeks old!

Today, Hyden and one of his three siblings turned 11 weeks old. Two were technically born on September 4th. Hopefully, Hyden will get his first puppy boosters this week. We've had to keep putting it off until he gets over a respiratory infection. His siblings will be getting their second round of vaccinations this week. His Mom (Alli) and siblings will be available for adoption soon.

Despite the respiratory infection, Hyden is still in good spirits. He wants to chew fingers and play with the other dogs. He has been on antibiotics for three weeks and receiving nebulizing treatments several times a day for the past week or so. He's generally a good eater but we are extremely concerned that he has not grown or gained weight in that past three weeks, still weighing just under 7 ounces.

Hopefully, this feisty little guy will continue to beat all odds.