Tuesday 8 February 2011

It's been a bumpy ride...


...but we hope things are now looking up. Having congratulated ourselves on surviving a close shave, we enjoyed the senior FF bouncing around, all weekend, and generally being a joy. And then, on Monday, he seemed to get very listless, and we decided not to wait until his appointment on Tuesday to have his red-blood-cell count checked, and instead took him back to the clinic immediately. The test showed his count was down again, and we ended up leaving him there overnight once more...and came home to a very glum evening, with all sorts of things not being said. 


By this morning, he'd had x-rays (nothing untoward showed up) and tests for parasites (again, all ok), and they said he'd have to wait until early evening to have an ultrasound....so we went and fetched him home for the day, as there was no point in him sitting needlessly in a cage all day, feeling miserable, if we could have him at home and lavish TLC on him instead. 
In fact, when we went to spring him from gaol, he seemed grumpy and opinionated about being there, rather than miserable - which seemed a positive sign rather than otherwise. So, he spent the day sprawled on the Office floor, having the occasional quiet conversation with one or other of us, and then we went back again for his next set of tests early this evening. Having lost our last three four-footeds to various kinds of cancer, I think we were both quietly resigned to it being bad news. 


And it wasn't!!


He got a clean bill of health. Nothing showed up anything that confirmed our worst fears....and so, he's back on the anti-rat-poison treatment, had a shot of cortizone, and came straight home again.  He and the junior FF spent much of the evening wrestling together (junior FF hasn't known what to do with himself without his mate, when he's been in the clinic, as they haven't been apart for a day since Junior FF was ten weeks old), and now they are happily crashed out nearby....and all is well with the world.


There are many more pills to be taken and blood tests to be endured before we're entirely out of the woods...but the prognosis is now encouraging.


I think I need a drink!



6 comments:

suej said...

All the very best over the next few days. We know how tough it can be. One minute they seem to be better and then a slip back. With ours it was a fever. Hope things now go more smoothly. Would you consider homoeopathy? Nux vomica is very good for clearing poison and supporting the liver.

Pomiane said...

I think the Technical Dept would have apoplexy if I even suggested homeopathy...and probably one patient at a time is all I can handle. Thanks for the suggestion, though. Senior FF has spent the morning being (relatively) energetic in the orchard, so I think he'll now have a quiet afternoon indoors, to make sure he's in good shape for this afternoon's blood test.

Kim said...

in such cases I'm suspicious of household cleaners, as dogs are so much closer to the ground. Things like Mr Clean and Swiffer should be outlawed. Long live vinegar and baking soda....

Anonymous said...

That is very good news indeed and I hope that recovery is immediate.
In France, most of the Vets use Homoeopathy with good results, too.

Pomiane said...

TD is a vehemently anti-homeopathy (it's not even worth having the conversation). This evening's blood test wasn't so good, which is strange, because the patient himself is behaving as though nothing is wrong, and is at his most energetic. We carry on assuming it was rat poison, and treat accordingly...but there's a sniff about the 'experts' that they really don't know what's causing it. We're still greatly relieved that we haven't discovered that it's something untreatable. Senior FF himself had a lovely day, lying in the sun in the orchard as I pruned apple trees. Long may it continue...

suej said...

Long may it continue indeed...
thinking of you. Sue