Sushi (GA 5/05-3/14)
Member Since 2011
Thank you all so much for your thoughts, prayers and healing vines/snowflakes. It means so much that you’ve taken some time to post and send support our way. :YMHUG:
Just wanted to give an update:
Last night’s visit with Sushi was hectic. It was a busy night at the vet. It took a while for the vet staff to let me back there, and then they couldn’t figure out whether he’d been given insulin or not, etc. This is one of the “best vets” in the city; it’s a very nice facility and animal hospital, but it’s so big communication really breaks down between the staff. I waited and pet Sushi until I thought my arm would fall off, but no one could get an answer about the insulin, so I headed home. The good news is he did pet me back this time—I love getting Sushi love!! : )
I stopped in on my way to work this morning, and was told I would have to wait 10-15 minutes (after already waiting 5+), but I needed to get to work and couldn’t stay. I took that pretty hard. I guess I’m okay if I can see him every 12 hours, but not any more! :sad:
I talked with the vet a few times today. She says she still sees haziness in his lungs. She did an x ray and a lot of the fluid has returned. This isn’t a good sign. They’re trying to take him off the IV with the Lasix, and move him to an oral version.
She tried weaning him off of oxygen today, but the stress of being handled/x rayed required that he continue with the oxygen.
I also got a bit more info on what’s been done so far:
- 3-4 taps to get the fluid out
- He had an ultrasound probe put on his heart
The vet mentioned getting a second opinion from a Pathologist, but I don’t know where that stands.
She got the results on the fluid in his chest from the lab while on the phone with me, and she said there aren’t any cancer cells in the fluid itself and no bacteria or fungus.
All this to say is it seems like it’s a heart-related issue/cardiac disease, or impaired lymphatic drainage, likely caused by a tumor somewhere.
This doesn’t leave a good outcome for Sushi. My only hope is to bring him to a Pathologist and proceed with looking into the cancer possibility. She said that chemo and radiation will cost between $5-6,000. I do not have that kind of money, and I feel like Sushi has been through so much. Plus he doesn’t handle the vet, etc well at all. I’m thinking I will not go in this direction, as hard of a decision that is for me to make.
I still don’t feel like I have a good handle on the situation overall. The vet really wants me to be able to take him home for a few days so that I can have closure, and so do I. I just don’t know what those days are going to look like or involve, or how many they might be. I still feel pretty clueless!
It’s so difficult to decide where to draw the line with how much money and stress on both me and Sushi to put into the situation, and when it’s just time to let go.
I’ll be sure to post another update later…
Just wanted to give an update:
Last night’s visit with Sushi was hectic. It was a busy night at the vet. It took a while for the vet staff to let me back there, and then they couldn’t figure out whether he’d been given insulin or not, etc. This is one of the “best vets” in the city; it’s a very nice facility and animal hospital, but it’s so big communication really breaks down between the staff. I waited and pet Sushi until I thought my arm would fall off, but no one could get an answer about the insulin, so I headed home. The good news is he did pet me back this time—I love getting Sushi love!! : )
I stopped in on my way to work this morning, and was told I would have to wait 10-15 minutes (after already waiting 5+), but I needed to get to work and couldn’t stay. I took that pretty hard. I guess I’m okay if I can see him every 12 hours, but not any more! :sad:
I talked with the vet a few times today. She says she still sees haziness in his lungs. She did an x ray and a lot of the fluid has returned. This isn’t a good sign. They’re trying to take him off the IV with the Lasix, and move him to an oral version.
She tried weaning him off of oxygen today, but the stress of being handled/x rayed required that he continue with the oxygen.
I also got a bit more info on what’s been done so far:
- 3-4 taps to get the fluid out
- He had an ultrasound probe put on his heart
The vet mentioned getting a second opinion from a Pathologist, but I don’t know where that stands.
She got the results on the fluid in his chest from the lab while on the phone with me, and she said there aren’t any cancer cells in the fluid itself and no bacteria or fungus.
All this to say is it seems like it’s a heart-related issue/cardiac disease, or impaired lymphatic drainage, likely caused by a tumor somewhere.
This doesn’t leave a good outcome for Sushi. My only hope is to bring him to a Pathologist and proceed with looking into the cancer possibility. She said that chemo and radiation will cost between $5-6,000. I do not have that kind of money, and I feel like Sushi has been through so much. Plus he doesn’t handle the vet, etc well at all. I’m thinking I will not go in this direction, as hard of a decision that is for me to make.
I still don’t feel like I have a good handle on the situation overall. The vet really wants me to be able to take him home for a few days so that I can have closure, and so do I. I just don’t know what those days are going to look like or involve, or how many they might be. I still feel pretty clueless!
It’s so difficult to decide where to draw the line with how much money and stress on both me and Sushi to put into the situation, and when it’s just time to let go.
I’ll be sure to post another update later…
