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Diary

Rocky has passed on =(

2 days before Rocky's appointment at Texas A&M, he was behaving erratically again and walking into walls. Texas A&M admitted him into emergency care and said it was the ammonia affecting his brain again, because his liver wasn't filtering his blood. The next day (today) they did another ultrasound on him and discovered his liver is half the size it should be, and that his liver disease is too far along and that it is only a matter of time before he passes away. Because he received a plasma transfusion and was on fluids, he was very lively and acted normal. But the doctor said if he was taken off those things, he could drop very quickly. I didn't want him to suffer so I decided to have him euthanized. I was able to play with him in the grass for awhile and fed him a bunch of his favorite treats. Then I held him while they euthanized him. I will always miss you Rocky!!!! Thank you for those of you who sent him well wishes.

Rocky is probably going to have surgery

Rocky is sleeping right now so I'm typing this for him. It all started a few months ago when he started vomiting and refusing to eat his food. His urine was very yellow and he urinated a lot. For the next couple of months, he was treated for hepatitis and pancreatitis and was hospitalized many times so he could get fluids into his body through a catheter. He's lost almost 1/3 of his body weight.

There was one night I found him so weak that he couldn't even stand. I rushed him to the emergency vet and they said because of his condition, they weren't sure if he would make it through the night. They gave him a plasma transfusion and thankfully saved his life.

Two weeks ago, he would act strangely and would walk only along the walls, pressing his head along them. He wouldn't come when called, and would constantly pace. That's when his vet suggested that he has a shunt, meaning that he has developed a connection inside his body that diverts blood flow around his liver. The problem with this is that ammonia and other things aren't filtered out of the blood, and this was causing his erratic behavior. She prescribed some Enulose syrup for him and I give it to him 3 times a day. While not completely normal, he has stopped the pacing alongside the walls and now is the happiest and active he's been in a long time.

Rocky will be going to Texas A&M University College of Veterinary Medicine for treatment in January and will probably need surgery to fix this condition. If you could keep him in your thoughts, Rocky and I would really appreciate it!

I have put up some new pictures of him in his new sweaters. Still haven't decided which sweater is his, and which one is Smokey's =)

Finally, I wasn't aware of this link until a few days ago, but every pet owner should bookmark The Merck Veterinary Manual. It is a free online manual that has anything you could ever want to know about illnesses and conditions, and even vets refer to it.

http://www.merckvetmanual.com/mvm/index.jsp