4.02.2010
So... You've all been seeing me tweet about the dog saga. I wanted to bring you up to speed on what the heck has been going on. Tweets are confusing when you only have so many characters to explain what's going on!
Cooler, the Great Dane/Black Lab mix, is 12-13 years old. He's got arthritis in his back hips and an issue with panic attacks (I also suffer from these, it's not fun.) when people leave him alone at home. Last week, after getting his sedative, he collapsed in the backyard. He wouldn't get back up. His breathing was shallow and you could hear/feel the congestion in his chest. Will and his mother thought that this was his last call. I rushed up to Cape Cod to be with my now fiancee and be a helping hand in a sad time.
Little did we know that he would pull out of his funk following a very thorough visit to the vet the next day! He's got an issue called Megaesophagus. The issue caused him to aspirate on his food, which introduced moisture into his lungs causing pneumonia. The very cool vet sent us home with Cipro (that'll kill Anthrax, ya know), instructions for loosening up the goop in his chest, and told us to keep careful watch over him. Thankfully, my very awesome employer lets me work from home... even if home happens to be 400 miles away for a few days. I kept watch over a very GROSS dog (you know they eat uh... things... they've already eaten), and watched him improve 100%!
Today, I get a very flustered IM from Will saying the dog couldn't breathe, and this was most likely the end. Cooler couldn't stand, and the vet had to get this massive dog on a gurney and into the office. His blood/oxygen level was super low, tongue was blue, and it really didn't look good. They put him on O2 and an IV drip of a sedative. After a few hours, they reduced the O2 and watched him without the help of the stuff. He's groggy, but alive. He had a panic attack, which in conjunction with the Megaesophagus, caused his Larynx to swell up and yeah, not able to breathe.
Right now, the game is: Watch him over the weekend. Carefully try different doses of his sedative. If things aren't better on Monday, decisions will be made. I've been through this decision too many times, and it's not easy. Cooler is the last link Will and his mom have to his step father (who passed away from pancreatic cancer), which makes this decision especially hard for them. I can only stand by and offer support to them in this really awful sad time.
So, there's the update. I hope things make a little more sense now, and why this is such a rollercoaster ride for everyone involved. We (Will, his mom, and myself) want to thank you all so much for your kind words of support. I want to thank you for being patient with me when I get these frantic calls and IM's. There's a reason I call you all the best customers in the world, and you constantly prove this to me. Thanks guys, you really are the best!