G-Lo Update.

I thought I would send an update on Gallo for all those who have sent kind wishes and expressed an interest:

We stopped by to see Gallo on Thursday after work, and we even took him outside and spent some time with him. He was still battling the same symptoms – calcifications (like stones) in the gall bladder and an inflamed liver – but the doctor sounded very optimistic about his recovery and said that it looked good to be able to send him home Friday afternoon, pending the results of some tests.

Early Friday morning as I arrived at work, the doctor called and told me that there had been some very concerning developments and that Gallo had taken a drastic turn for the worse. They discovered blood pooling in Gallo’s liver and that his blood count had continued to drop precipitously. They also found some fluid in his chest cavity, but an initial test could not determine whether it was blood or not. The doctor said that the liver inflammation – as the result of an abscess or disease – was the No. 1 priority right now, but that the secondary symptoms and issues had become extremely serious. There was a drug they could give him, but it also functions as an anti-coagulant, and in case they needed to go ahead with surgery, they didn’t feel comfortable giving him a medication that would decrease his ability to clot blood. I was told that if it was primarily the gall bladder that was the stimulant for these issues, they could go ahead and remove it; however, if it was the liver that was, in effect, shutting down, there was nothing they could do. The steroids they were using to combat the issue with blood counts had shown no effect to date. I was told that even though Gallo would not die in the next couple of hours, if his prognosis continued to be severe and they couldn’t determine the cause, he might pass away during the course of Friday.

In a state of shock, I left work to go spend some time with Gallo, and we found him to be depressed and sort of quiet, but happy to see us. He was still hooked up to IVs, but he did drink a lot of water and ate his food, which contains some liver supplements. He was slated for another chest cavity exam and some further testing at 11 a.m., so we said goodbye to him at about 10:40 to let him rest up for another battery of examinations. He appeared to be very tired and (understandably) sad as we left.

Upon returning to the vet clinic after Gallo’s initial tests at 11 a.m., the doctor informed us that the results had offered a few reasons for optimism: his blood count was higher and they had yet to see any blood in Gallo’s urine or bruising in his gums or around his body, which would be indications of DIT, a form of liver disease. However, the doctor did recommend exploratory emergency surgery for Gallo, and since there was a possibility of him passing away on the operating table due to his weakened state and other risks, he needed my consent to proceed. We agreed that they couldn’t continue to simply treat his symptoms without ascertaining a cause, so we did agree that surgery seemed to be the essential and only course of action. We were allowed to see G-Lo prior to his surgery, and it weighed heavy on our hearts that it could be the last time we saw him. All we could do was tell him that we loved him and ask him to be as strong as he has been thus far through a lifetime’s worth of tests, pokes and prods in a 36-hour period. Gallo was in good spirits and very happy to see us, and the doctor said that his positive attitude and energy was a very good sign heading into surgery.

After saying goodbye, all we could do was sit and wait for what seemed like forever, but what turned out to be about an hour. The doctor emerged to say that Gallo did make it through surgery and was recuperating. Upon opening up his abdomen, they did find that he had a ruptured spleen with what appeared to be some sort of hematoma or bruise. They removed the spleen and sent it immediately to pathology to determine whether the spleen contained 1) a severe bruise, 2) some sort of cyst, 3) a benign tumor or 4) a malignant tumor. With the spleen taken care of, they were encouraged to see that what they thought to be bleeding in the kidney and liver was excess blood/fluid that had simply seeped along his rib cage due to his being a deep-chested dog. However, they are still concerned about both the gall stones and the inflamed liver (they were able to determine that it was indeed an abscess), although both are treatable with antibiotics. The hope was that he would begin a gradual recovery after the surgery and that testing on the spleen would help them to ascertain some more about his condition, which they are still puzzled about. We wonder why three organs would simultaneously experience such drastic problems, with a concern that it is a systemic condition, although the doctor seems convinced that the issues are unrelated.

With Gallo still fighting the effects of the anesthesia, we decided to leave for a bit to try to have some lunch. Upon returning an hour or so later, we were allowed to briefly see Gallo. He was very much out of it, but he did recognize us and was wagging his tail, even though he couldn’t get up or move about. Also, it seemed to be a good sign that he had pooped in his cage already (maybe he saw the bill, tee hee). We left him around 2 p.m. or so, so that he might rest up and regain his strength for what comes next for him. We visited with him around 6 p.m., and he was wagging his tail and stood up for a while, but he was still battling the effects of the anesthesia and other medications, so eventually I noticed that he was propping himself up solely by pressing his face against the side of the cage. Gallo did have to stay overnight at the vet’s office for the third straight night, but we are embracing cautious optimism.

We plan on going to see Gallo again on mid-morning Saturday. The pathology tests aren’t slated to get back for five to seven days, and the results of other tests could be affected by the President’s Day holiday, so we are in a holding pattern right now. He is stable and his blood count appears to be trending upward, so everything that can be done is being done.

It has been a very confusing time, as the doctors seem very puzzled as to what is causing this change of events. Since Wednesday evening, we’ve heard possibilities ranging from rat poison to tick disease to a number of conditions affecting various internal organs. Our hope is that enduring the surgery and all else will help him to get on the road to a stable turnaround, and also hopeful and prayerful that there are no more unexpected or severe downturns again. I am fully aware that he is nowhere near being completely out of the woods, and that there are very serious issues to be confronted with his liver, gall bladder and the pathology report on his spleen, but I am taking solace in the fact that he is handling one fight at a time and hanging in there.

It’s been a roller-coaster of emotions for the past coupla days, but our little big man continues to fight and try to overcome with an undaunted spirit and more strength than we can imagine. Thanks to all who have send their kind wishes and happy thoughts … if you made it through this “Gone with the Wind”-like post (writing helps me cope and work things out), I know that you truly care.

UPDATE (2:15 p.m.): We swung by to see G-Dog this morning and found him to be in even better spirits. He was capable of being disconnected from his various IVs to go outside, so we sat out in the sun with him for about 20 minutes. He's sporting a pink wrap on one leg, a yellow wrap on another leg and a black chest wrap, so he's making quite the fashion statement. The chest wrap is in place to help control the abdominal swelling and contain some of the leakage of blood and fluid that is coming out of his incision. His blood count continues to rise, so even though Gallo can't come home today as we had initially hoped, it appears he'll be going onto oral medications tomorrow and then possibly being released to come home on Monday. We'll be seeing him again this afternoon and then tomorrow afternoon during the limited Sunday visiting hours.

UPDATE (5 p.m.): We were able to make one last trip over to the vet's office to see Gallo one more time late this afternoon. The vet tech informed us that Gallo had decided to try to gnaw away his chest wrap, so they were getting ready to put a fresh one on him. So he was oozing a little bit out of his incision, but we were still able to take him for a brief walk outside before they rewrapped him and put a clear cone/lampshade around his collar. We tried to take the fact that he was finding ways to cause mischief and get in trouble as a good sign that he is slowly and steadily returning to his old self. Also, the doctors and techs are transitioning him onto oral medications now instead of administering everything intravenously. We'll hear another update from the on-call doctor tomorrow morning, with (*knock on wood*) the plan still being to bring G-Lo home at some point on Monday.

UPDATE (Sunday, 10:35 a.m.): I received a call from the weekend vet this morning around 10:15 for an update on Gallo. He said that G-Lo appeared to have even more pep in his step this morning when they took him on a walk. He appears to be doing well, and while the seepage from his incision continues, it seems to be less than yesterday. The seepage is coming from excess fluid in the chest/abdomen, and the vet told us yesterday that he could have removed more of the fluid during Gallo's surgery, but that there was also a benefit in leaving it in for clotting purposes at the time. That doctor appears to be second-guessing himself somewhat, but as long as the seepage continues to decline, it shouldn't be a major concern. However, if it continues for too much longer, it is something they will investigate further.

They replaced Gallo's chest wrap this morning and his incision looked better, plus he had not tried to bite at or attempt to remove the wrap overnight, thanks at least in part to the collar/lampshade that he was wearing. Also, both IVs have been removed, and Gallo is adapting well to the oral medications. Tomorrow morning, the doctors would like to check Gallo's CVC and red blood cell counts to ensure that they are still trending upward, with the expectation that if they are still rising, he may be able to come home. We can swing by to see Gallo for a bit later this afternoon, so we'll be doing that.

UPDATE (Sunday, 5 p.m.): Earlier this afternoon, we were able to spend nearly an hour and a half with Gallo, taking him outside and then sitting with him in one of the empty examination rooms. He was doing even better this afternoon, with one of the techs mentioning that the lack of conjunctivitis in his eyes and the rapid return to pink when you pressed on his gums were good indications that his blood count was continuing to rise. We expressed some concerns about some additional bruises that we discovered on his abdomen near his incision, but were told that it was part of the normal process of blood and fluid settling in the excess skin created by the surgery. Gallo is continuing to eat and drink well, with the absence of any blood in his urine or stool. His energy level appeared to be even better this afternoon as well, all good signs for his possible release at some point tomorrow. It was difficult saying goodbye once again, as he was more than ready to join us on the journey home today ... but we all remain highly hopeful and prayerful for his return to us on Monday.

UPDATE (Monday, 8:35 a.m.): I just received a call from Gallo's doctor, who told me that he is doing "fabulous" and "fantastic" this morning (no, he didn't turn gay). He is eating well and his red blood cell count continues to rise. His white blood cell count is a little higher than normal, but they are attributing that to being still in a recovery mode from his surgery on Friday. The good news is that he can be released to come home this afternoon between 4:30 and 5, so we are excited and cautiously optimistic. It will be great to have him back.

UPDATE (Tuesday, 9:30 a.m.): I'm happy to report that Gallo returned home yesterday afternoon. When we went to pick him up at the vet's office, he didn't have his chest wrap on, so that was a good sign that his incision was no longer oozing. He has to take about six different medications and is on a new dog food that has special liver supplements, plus he has to wear a clear "Elizabethan" collar/lampshade while he's alone. He had trouble getting in and out of the car on the way home (part of that was his owner's poor planning), and at one point he was feeling a little too good and jumped a couple of feet off our deck, which resulted in a yelp. Gallo has to stay in the bedroom so he doesn't get himself too worked up by the mailman coming or a squirrel running across the front yard or anything else, and it takes him a little longer to sit or lay down right now because he still has some discomfort. But the liver biopsy came back relatively normal, and he'll return to the vet on Friday morning to re-check his blood count. We also expect the return of the pathology test on his spleen at some point this week, and remain hopeful that the results are as normal and positive as possible. We'll jump off that bridge when we get to it, though; for now, it's just good to have little big man back home and feeling better.

Thanks again to all of you ...