Eureka!

It's a little after 3pm and we've just returned from Lucy's CT scan. Another wonderful clinic run by a great team: Veterinary Radiology in Mountlake Terrace. Excellent. Of course one of the finest things they did today was deliver good, if incomplete, news. Dr. Kramer said there is no detectable signs of cancer and he doubts Lucy has any aspergillosis. He doesn't know what she has and recommended we proceed with a rhinoscopy with biopsy of whatever Lucy has going on inside her nose. So it was very good news or at least better than we feared. There might still be something of concern, but at this point, I can sleep easy.

Here's an old picture of Lucy from 2002. I have to post it because she was so healthy then and hopefully, will be again!

Today's the day

This afternoon we take Lucy in for her CT scan. I'm anxious, of course, and Lucy is miffed she's getting neither her breakfast nor her morning biscuit. Unfortunately, the appointment isn't until noon, so she'll be a very hungry puppy by dinner.

Our fingers are crossed that they find nothing and that that indicates rhinitis, nothing worse.

Roller Coaster

Thursday I thought we might have to put Lucy to sleep. She was so ill. Awful reverse sneezing to the point she couldn't maintain her balance; gagging on drinking or eating; hugely lethargic. I was constantly in tears. I wanted to wait, however, for my husband to return from out of town so that he could say goodbye. Coming in late Thursday night didn't give him the opportunity, so we chose to wait until Friday afternoon when he returned from work. But we couldn't do it then; we just didn't have the heart. We knew Kate wouldn't be at the clinic on Saturday, so we decided to wait until Monday.

I sent Kate a long email asking about the efficacy of some alternative treatments: acupuncture, homeopathy, herbs and if she'd be willing to try them or preferred I sought out another vet with whom she could work. Because Lucy's nose drips are green (indicating infection), did she think it was worth putting her back on antibiotics? I called several alternative vets, but those who were highly recommended had a full client list and I had not heard of the others.

Saturday afternoon Lucy rallied. Big time rally. No nose goobers, no reverse sneezing, no gagging, good energy. I was hesitant but willing to think that perhaps she'd been suffering from a huge sinus infection and was now on the road to mend. Sunday afternoon dissuaded me of that thinking as the sneezing and runny nose came back with a vengeance. But no gagging—for that I'm grateful.

I heard back from Kate this morning. Besides being a vet, she is a certified animal acupuncturist, so I knew she'd be willing to consider alternative treatments. She said she'd be more than happy to explore different care modalities though she preferred to first know what we're dealing with. Though my husband would like to start Lucy immediately on antibiotics, I'd rather wait until after the CT scan when we can make more informed decisions.

Lucy's health remains on the positive side. We're concerned how voracious her appetite is, but at least she's eating. We just returned from a three mile walk done at a fast clip. At one point she had a leaf hanging from her nose goo, but she didn't seem bothered, so I chose not to mop her up.

I'm hoping to post a picture of her, if not every post, then close to that. Here she is sleeping last night while we were listening to music. With that perked ear, it looks like she was listening too!

Puddles

The last two mornings I've gotten up and found a huge, wet puddle left on the carpet from where Lucy's nose had drained over night. When she gets up, she's started coughing and hacking. Her energy is good on walks, her appetite is fine, but her symptoms continue to escalate.

I spent some time looking up nasal cancer and ended up sobbing. Both nasal cancer and aspergillosis have symptoms that match Lucy's. Now, after work, not even 5pm, I just had a beer. A beer? Anything but reading more about diseases.

My vet, the marvelous Kate Schottman, sent me many printouts, highlighted and notated, on aspergillosis. I tried looking, but couldn't quite stomach it yet.

As I type, Lucy's laying next to me, snoring and whistling. My girl.

Ups & Downs

I went to see Kate yesterday and feel much better though nothing was resolved or changed. Kate said she'd read up on aspergillosis to see if she could find out anything else for me. Not that I haven't been doing that myself, but I don't understand all the medical jargon and am relieved she'll be able to do some translating.

What I got from the consultation is aspergillosis is not that common although the fungus is everywhere. Kate felt that Lucy's symptom of one nostril being runny swayed her towards a tumor or some blockage other than aspergillosis or chronic rhinitis. She felt those would affect both nostrils. I don't know that that makes me feel better—a tumor versus a fungus?—but the progression of the fungus just sounds so sci-fi.

She also assured me if it was the fungus, Lucy's face wouldn't cave in. A silly fear, I know, but I was afraid if it eats away at the bone, that if she bumped her nose, there might be consequences we couldn't visually handle. She said it's more like periodontal disease, slow and invisible. I don't think that's any more pleasant, but I couldn't stand to see Lucy's face altered.

She also supported our decision to do nothing if it's cancer and to not do the ream and flush if aspergillosis. She can come to the house to put Lucy to sleep or prioritize us in a vet visit. That was helpful also.

So I came home yesterday feeling a bit better and thinking perhaps we'll put her through the CT and rhinoscopy just to see what is causing this. I remain conflicted on this because we've chosen not to treat either cancer or aspergillosis, but if it was a small irritant in her nose they could remove, then wouldn't it be worth it?

A depressing prognosis

We took her in Saturday to an internal medicine vet. He was wonderful: very informative and took the time to answer all the questions we posed. He said her lungs sounded fine, so no problem with recurring pneumonia. That was great news. Unfortunately, the meeting went emotionally downhill from there.

She could have cancer, aspergillosis, or chronic rhinitis but of course we won't know which of those without further tests. He recommended first getting a CT scan to see her head and throat structurally. It may show tumors or damage caused by aspergillosis. If the scan looks clean (or doesn't), they'd do a rhinoscopy to see inside the nasal cavities (they may see spores from aspergillosis). If it is cancer, he said radiation is better (and more expensive) than chemo. We've already decided we won't put her through that.

Aspergillosis—what an awful disease! From what I've read, it sounds more prevalent in younger dogs, which I find curious. Why would younger dogs (they specifically did not say puppies) be more affected? At any rate, it's a fungus that eats away at the nasal cavities and can move into the brain. If they see this on the rhinoscopy, they'd scrap out her nasal cavities trying to get as many of the spores as possible and the flush with an antifungal wash. He said he recommends three procedures, although they once did six on a dog and still found it unsuccessful. Plus Lucy could go through all of this and have it come back. His assistant said it is quite a painful procedure and the dog goes home with a pain patch...only to return to the hospital to have it done over again. The treatments run around $2500 a piece.

The tiny bit of information I've seen on rhinitis directs me back to aspergillosis. We're finding this overwhelming.

Lucy is 11 and if we're lucky she'll be with us another 2-3 years. I don't regret putting her through the back surgery despite the long recovery. But I don't think I can put her through the trauma of treatments for what she may be suffering from now. I don't feel it's fair to her, but I will talk to Lucy's regular vet and a neighbor (who is a vet tech) for their input. Perhaps a naturopathic vet may be an alternative. I just don't know.

Tomorrow is Lucy's Nose Day

In my reading, it seems there are certain fungal diseases that can cause the same type of problems (reverse sneezing, nasal discharge, coughing)—particularly for dogs who bury their nose in the ground. That's Luce. Those seem to be curable with medication.

I don't want a tumor...

Medical Maneuvering

I spoke with my vet today and she was kind enough to advise me without seeing Lucy. Lucy's nose issues remain status quo. She's still reverse sneezing (not as much as when she had pneumonia) and she is now "gakking"...making a noise that sounds like she's trying to cough up a fur ball. This happens when she's excited (about to go on a walk or car ride) or drinking water too quickly and makes me nervous about a possible tumor or polyp in her most prized possession—her schnoz.

I could let it ride, but then if it is a growth or something we can solve now, I'd hate to put it off. Kate (the vet) felt using Revolution 3 times in a month may indicate whether Lucy is suffering from nasal mites. However since Lucy is already taking it once a month, Kate thought this wasn't worth it. She recommended we go in for a consultation regarding a rhinoscopy. She recommended a vet (Sherry Wilson at Acces), but when I called regarding prices they were nearly double the cost at Seattle Veterinary Specialists. I think we'll go the less expensive route. Interestingly enough, when I spoke with someone at SVS, they said the cost could vary from $1100 dollars including consultation, surgery, possible over night stay and lab work. It would be less if all those things aren't necessary. Acces said it was $125 for the consultation, $1200-$1400 for the rhinoscopy—labs and overnights were on top of that. That's a fair chunk of change to throw around when there's a less expensive alternative!

Lucy reminds me of Clem, the dog we had growing up. Although veterinary medicine was pretty simplistic back then, Clem spent a lot of time there. He was always suffering from something. I guess dogs are no different than people. Some are just put together using better parts.

Hannah and Molly

Since I showed Lucy with her buddy, Suki, I thought I'd show some of Lucy's other dog friends. Hopefully I'll remember to take a picture of all of them. Although Lucy is well-known for her anger management issues, that doesn't mean she doesn't have friends. Probably her best and oldest friend is Hannah.

Hannah, like Lucy is a mutt. We think Catahoula cross. Hannah is a great communicator. (Hannah should run for President!) When Lucy was a puppy and very bouncy, Hannah just gave her a little lip curl to let her know to settle down. If Lucy didn't get the hint, Hannah might have given a growl and a nip, but nothing beyond that. Lucy has always trusted her. Hannah is 13 going on 14, and although she can no longer mountain bike and her walks are shorter and slower, she is still very enthusiastic and eager. She looks a lot smaller in this picture than she actually is. Hannah probably weighs in the mid to high 40s; Lucy is somewhere in the 52 to 55 pound range.


If Lucy meets a dog as a puppy, they become fast friends. Here's her "cousin" Molly. Molly is a purebred Australian Shepard and just shy of a year old. Molly now weighs probably as much as Hannah and is full of energy. She's being held by her owner so we could capture a picture. Molly is going to be a very sweet dog. When I've walked the two of them together, people ask if Lucy is the mother.

Lucy behaves around puppies like Hannah did with her. Luce is very tolerant of puppy energy—up to a point! First she'll give a slightly high-pitched, back of the throat noise. If the puppy persists, there's a little lip action, perhaps a growl and at the very end of tolerance, a nip. She has never attacked a puppy.

Suki

One of Lucy's buddies (I mentioned her here) isn't doing well. She looks good, but her owner said life is really limited. (This old picture from 2004 of the two buddies makes them look possessed. I think they were; I must have been holding a treat for them.) Suki can only walk about a 3-house distance and then it's tough to return. Sometimes she gets "stuck" in corners and can't figure out how to get out. She has had arthritis for years and it has gotten worse and is certainly affecting her abilities, but more likely we think it's her brain tumor. She taking phenobarbital for her seizures and the amount has been upped. Her owner asked me how we knew when to put Suzy (our first dog) to sleep. What a tough situation to be in!

With Suzy, we knew. Her back end became paralyzed and at that time we weren't aware (or they may not have existed then) of carts. Plus at 18, she was deaf and nearly blind; she slept most of the day. When she lost her ability to walk, at that age, what are the choices? The vet said he could give her steroids, but they'd only work for a couple of days. That wasn't a life. I will forever second guess my decision, but deep down, I know it was kindest thing to do for my beloved dog.

So that was what I told my friend. "You will know." We dog owners are all blessed with a period of time where we can prep ourselves for the inevitable, but of course, we're never prepared enough. The loss is devastating because there is no love like the love from a dog. My heart breaks for them as the deal with their pup's decline...

Precious...as in Expensive

We realized that Lucy, for all her winning traits, is one expensive hound dog. What with her bum front right leg—arthritis? bone injury?—and now her nose, she is a vet's best friend. I sent an email to our vet this morning. I saw no need to come in at this point, though she may be able to run more tests if she deems it reasonable. But the drug regime, (chlorpeniramine 4mg/3 X day) — although lessening the reverse sneezing and coughing, has not eliminated it. Never having had sinus allergies, I am unaware if drugs do eliminate all symptoms. Perhaps I'm just being a worry-wart.

I spoke to a receptionist for internal medicine vets this morning and she explained what a rhinoscopy involved. Putting Lucy out, running a camera up her snout, looking for growths and taking a biopsy. She said sometimes dogs suffer a bloody nose afterwards which would require an overnight and perhaps medication. If it was a tumor, then we decide how to deal with it depending on if it is malignant or benign. Ei! Ei! Ei! Our poor puppy...