Oops wrote this on Sat but looks like I forgot to post it for some reason.
We went to the vet Friday, but we're still not entirely sure what is happening next. The vet thinks Bandit has multiple issues, big shocker. She thinks that Bandit's right leg is worse than the left, and the weakness is probably related to her arthritis, neurological issues, and possibly a ruptured disc. The arthritis has been an problem for a long time, but it's looking like it's finally starting to wear her down. The neurological issues -- Bandit can't quite tell where her leg is in relation to the ground. This is something I remember our specialist telling us also. Back then, it seemed to be a slowed reaction more than anything else. Now, if you pick up her leg and drop it back down, she holds it up just a bit off the ground. And the ruptured disc would explain the new sudden downturn. But it has nothing to do with Gregg getting too rough or any specific injury, just mostly likely wear and tear that finally caused one of the discs along her back to rupture. The vet was actually great and drew a picture to help me understand it all, but not really sure I can reproduce it here.
So what does it all mean? Your guess is as good as mine. Initially, the plan was to start her on some non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication (NSAIDS). If they worked (and didn't cause too many side effects) they might at least keep Bandit pain free for the time being. But then they ran some blood tests and Bandit's liver and kidney enzymes are elevated. So now the vet is worried about the meds hurting Bandit more than they might help. She wants to consult with our specialist before putting Bandit on them, as some of the elevated enzymes are probably related to her Cushing's Disease. Until that conversation happens, we're at a bit of a standstill. In the meantime, we have some painkillers that we just started giving. Maybe they'll help a bit, maybe they won't.
If the NSAIDS aren't an option, or don't end up working, there aren't too many things left to try. Apparently there are several different kinds, but they're not easy on the system, and Bandit just might not be able to handle it anymore. The painkillers might help for a bit, or sometimes putting Bandit back on the steroids might do it too, the vet said. Or we could try getting her wheels, but honestly, that's beyond my stretching point.
The appointment lasted over 3 hours (which is awesome considering it was on a day I was supposed to be working from home) and cost approximately $650. And then I ended up having to go back also, which ate up another hour. The second trip was to go back with a pee sample since they had been unable to collect any pee from Bandit while we had been there. After the doc wasn't able to collect some directly from Bandit's bladder, the tech even had me hold Bandit up outside while she followed me around with a ladle. So then when we got home, I got the fun task of holding Bandit up and trying to collect her pee into a platic tray.
I guess nothing else to do but wait and see for a few more days.
Update: not much else to report. Bandit is the same. Due to schedule issues, the vets never did get a chance to talk to each other. In the meantime, Bandit has been on some general painkillers that aren't helping. More blood tests came back and the regular vet is even more reluctant to put Bandit on the NSAIDS, although she's said now that it's up to us if we want to try them. If Bandit's inability to walk is due to arthritis, the NSAIDs will help (though not without side effects). If it's mostly neurological, they will not help but still cause the side effects. It's anybody's guess at this point how Bandit will react to the drugs.
Also, that pee I collected apparently had a fair bit of blood in it, so there might be some other issue going on that we will need to explore if Bandit manages to hold on for much longer.
We've now officially hit the 2 week mark -- 2 weeks since Bandit has been able to walk on her own and nothing has really changed.
We went to the vet Friday, but we're still not entirely sure what is happening next. The vet thinks Bandit has multiple issues, big shocker. She thinks that Bandit's right leg is worse than the left, and the weakness is probably related to her arthritis, neurological issues, and possibly a ruptured disc. The arthritis has been an problem for a long time, but it's looking like it's finally starting to wear her down. The neurological issues -- Bandit can't quite tell where her leg is in relation to the ground. This is something I remember our specialist telling us also. Back then, it seemed to be a slowed reaction more than anything else. Now, if you pick up her leg and drop it back down, she holds it up just a bit off the ground. And the ruptured disc would explain the new sudden downturn. But it has nothing to do with Gregg getting too rough or any specific injury, just mostly likely wear and tear that finally caused one of the discs along her back to rupture. The vet was actually great and drew a picture to help me understand it all, but not really sure I can reproduce it here.
So what does it all mean? Your guess is as good as mine. Initially, the plan was to start her on some non-steroidal anti-inflammatory medication (NSAIDS). If they worked (and didn't cause too many side effects) they might at least keep Bandit pain free for the time being. But then they ran some blood tests and Bandit's liver and kidney enzymes are elevated. So now the vet is worried about the meds hurting Bandit more than they might help. She wants to consult with our specialist before putting Bandit on them, as some of the elevated enzymes are probably related to her Cushing's Disease. Until that conversation happens, we're at a bit of a standstill. In the meantime, we have some painkillers that we just started giving. Maybe they'll help a bit, maybe they won't.
If the NSAIDS aren't an option, or don't end up working, there aren't too many things left to try. Apparently there are several different kinds, but they're not easy on the system, and Bandit just might not be able to handle it anymore. The painkillers might help for a bit, or sometimes putting Bandit back on the steroids might do it too, the vet said. Or we could try getting her wheels, but honestly, that's beyond my stretching point.
The appointment lasted over 3 hours (which is awesome considering it was on a day I was supposed to be working from home) and cost approximately $650. And then I ended up having to go back also, which ate up another hour. The second trip was to go back with a pee sample since they had been unable to collect any pee from Bandit while we had been there. After the doc wasn't able to collect some directly from Bandit's bladder, the tech even had me hold Bandit up outside while she followed me around with a ladle. So then when we got home, I got the fun task of holding Bandit up and trying to collect her pee into a platic tray.
I guess nothing else to do but wait and see for a few more days.
Update: not much else to report. Bandit is the same. Due to schedule issues, the vets never did get a chance to talk to each other. In the meantime, Bandit has been on some general painkillers that aren't helping. More blood tests came back and the regular vet is even more reluctant to put Bandit on the NSAIDS, although she's said now that it's up to us if we want to try them. If Bandit's inability to walk is due to arthritis, the NSAIDs will help (though not without side effects). If it's mostly neurological, they will not help but still cause the side effects. It's anybody's guess at this point how Bandit will react to the drugs.
Also, that pee I collected apparently had a fair bit of blood in it, so there might be some other issue going on that we will need to explore if Bandit manages to hold on for much longer.
We've now officially hit the 2 week mark -- 2 weeks since Bandit has been able to walk on her own and nothing has really changed.
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