Almost lost

This happened last month and for some reason or others, I always postpone blogging it. Probably I like to record happy and joyous moment rather than something sombering. However, I think it is important and I do want to keep a record of it, so I am going to do a simple date type of entry.

20th April 2007 (Friday)
- morning: discovered shushu's vomit all over the floor (about 4 spots). Vomited once again - sighted by me before i went to work. Shushu didn't have any appetite to eat (did not touch his food at all). Clean up the mess, put shushu inside his cage for him to rest and place a kibble inside (to check whether his appetite returning later).
- call home during lunch time and ask about shushu's condition. Seems no more vomit and his appetite returning (he ate the piece of kibble).
- evening: reached home, feed shushu his kibble. He did not vomit anymore, looks active and played with him.
- night (about 11.30pm) let him out at the car porch for pee and poo before settling down for the night. Shushu come back after 5 minutes, brother noted shushu started dripping yellow liquid on the floor from the nose. Yellow become red, and it started flowing at an alarming rate. The blood just won't stop and the floor was covered in blood as well as the crate. Shushu become hyper. Panicked!!! Call his regular vet HP but no answer. In desperation, called my good friend and asked her whether she has any vet numbers. Got one and give her a call. The vet picked up the call(was almost in tears). Was advised to pack ice water on a cloth and wrap around his nose and to give the vet a call if the bleeding did not stop after 20 minutes. It didn't stop. Call back the vet and was told to get shushu to her clinic ASAP. She was kind enough to open it again for shushu. Shushu received 2 injection to stop the bleeding, some pills for the bleeding and a sleeping pill to calm him down. Vet said probably he accidentally injured his nose (banged on it) hence the bleeding. No suspicion on others as the bleeding is only on one side of the nose. However, found out shushu is a "bleeder", means he has Vit K deficiency hence has difficulty forming blood clot to stop his own bleeding. Vet advised for shushu to be put under observation for the night but shushu refused to comply. So fetch him back home. Stayed with him in the living room for the night but shushu couldn't sleep. Whining whole night because of the pain.

21st April 2007 (Saturday)
- Morning: shushu slept a little, begin to look a bit tired and lifeless. feed him some kibbles.
- Evening: shushu started vomiting again (3 times). Refused to eat. Can still drink water. Took him to see the vet again. got some pills for the vomiting and since he is still very active (played with the vet) we took him home.

22nd April 2007 (Sunday)
- Afternoon: Shushu continue vomiting, tempt him to eat with watery chicken porridge but he vomit after eating it. Now shushu even refused to drink water. Rushed him to the vet. Vet observed shushu condition is much more weakened, he has become very meek and passive. Suspect shushu is poisoned. Vet gave him an injection for general poison. Shushu is then placed under IV drips and has to stay in the clinic for the night. shushu is really weakened as he did not object anymore to the injection nor being put inside a crate. Vet weighted him and notice he drop about 3kg.

23rd April 2007 (Monday)
- Afternoon: visited shushu at lunch time, noticed he look very sad and depressed, totally unlike himself. Hardly recognise me even when I am next to him. Vet assistant gave him some water and he immediately puke after drinking it. Vet then suspect there is a foreign object in him hence the blockage (unable to keep the food and water in). She did an ultrasound on this belly but couldn't find anything significant enough. The vet then asked me whether I want to do a blood test on him and I agreed. The vet took 3 tube of bloods from him and send to the lab. She told me she will get the result by the evening.
- Evening: Blood test out and nothing out of ordinary except for blood cells count. low white blood, red blood as well as platelet count. Vet said a few possibility - he was under drug to suppress his blood production or he has bone marrow suppression (his marrow is not good enough to generate enough blood cell). Vet ruled out drug as he is not under any medication except the gluosamine supplement and vit C. Vet proposed a X-ray examination tomorrow morning at another clinic (not available in her facilities) for further checks.

24th April 2007 (Tuesday)
- Morning: Went early in the morning with brother to look at shushu and to take him for X-ray and got a good news from vet. She said she faxed the blood test yesterday night to a lecturer in UPM and consulted him on the case and there is a possibility of blood parasite. Hence, she did a blood second test on shushu on it and found out that shushu did have sparse blood parasite. Gave shushu 2 more injections on the blood parasite, yesterday night and this morning. Suspect that the blood parasite are transmitted by ticks, (ticks fever). Shushu did look more active today and we stayed with him until lunch time. Vet asistant gave him some liquid food and he started eating a little after some coaxing. No vomit so far. Vet said shushu condition look much more better and if nothing goes wrong he will be able to leave by tomorrow. Shushu's IV drips is then taken off.
- Evening: went to vet again to visit shushu. He looks way better, and started barking at other dogs too =_=. Vet assistant feed him boiled chicken and he ate it all. When I wanted to go back home, he keep barking at me nonstop so the vet took a pity on him and allowed him to go home that day instead of tomorrow. She told me no excitement for him for 2 weeks - ie. no training, etc. Took shushu home and camped at the living room with him at night.

25th April 2007 - 27th April 2007
Kept shushu at home. Feed him boiled chicken and some Innova Evo can food - all in small portion and constantly to avoid his stomach upset. No evening walks as scared he might get some virus from outside since his immune system is very low. Eventhough so, he manage to catch a bad cough on friday, expecially at night.

28th April 2007 (Saturday)
Took him to the vet again for check up. Vet said his lungs is clear, but has a lot of phelgm at the throat. She gave him some antibiotic and medicine for his cough. Other that day, vet pronounced him fit and healthy. I also bought him a flea collar to further protect him from anymore ticks attack. He is already under frontline but just to be safe.

It was very lucky that Shushu managed to survive the incident. Medical bills was sky high (blood test, drips, injections, ultrasound) but nothing can be compared with the fact that he is still alive today. It just happened one day without warning or sign. Even though it happened so fast, just within one week - but lots of care, patience and time (sleepless night) was spent to get shushu back to his feet again. Shushu has regain his appetite but his immune system is still low so we have to be vigilant. This incident taught me to appreciate more on life and never to take things for granted.

Last sunday, I finally took him to his training after his 2 weeks curfew, well not much training but more for socialisation. Shushu has conveniently "forgotten" all his training and has to start all over again - probably from much spoilling from me. There I got the news from another GR owner that one of the training GR, who was about 2.5 years old has succumbed to a virus attack recently. The GR was vomited blood and there was nothing the vet can do to save it. I felt the lady owner's grief and was thankful mine survived.

By: shushu's owner