I'm bringing the updates of Patchy Joe to this site rather than the weather site. I was about to turn the lights out and leave for work yesterday morning a little after 6am when I looked down @ him and noticed his abdomen was very distended. It also was becoming tight to touch. Did I notice this earlier when I fed him and gave him the medicines ... of course not!
The first thing I thought about was "bloat" which is an emergency requiring immediate surgery. I knew he would have to go to the ER to rule out or in. They close @ 8:am and reopen @ noon. So off we went and they were able to do a series of abdominal x-rays and an abdominal tap before closing and sending me to my vet for further treatment. His abdomen is full of a very light, pink-tinged (blood) fluid. The ER vet said it is leaking like a sieve in there. He has also developed edema in his upper hind legs. There are about 3 things that can cause this, but the most likely is the right-sided heart failure has caused ascites. My vet has increased his Lasix from 50mg to 100mg daily. Instead of weighing 24-25 pounds, he is a little over 28 d/t this extra fluid. He also wants me to take him to Louisville for an ultrasound. The last time I was there with my dog "Tucker" the bill was over $4,000. A few years earlier with my dog "Dakota" I drove him to Purdue Vet school in northern Indiana and that was $4,000 and this does not count the couple thousand @ home for care before and after for each of them. Both of them died within 2-6 months. They can do an ultrasound in the town I live in, but he wants a specialist who does this many times per day to read. It's my call, but I always dislike making these decisions on the dogs and cats I love! Patchy Joe's resting respirations are now 39 and with light activity 48-60. His lungs are clear when you listen with a stethoscope. These are definite improvements. And he is home with me.