Hepatic Encephalopathy???

Well the results are in...Bacca's bile acids are up again. Bad, bad news.

That being said, I just LOVE my new vet. I was on the phone with him for a good half hour tonight. There won't be a charge for that. He is going to call in a prescription for lactulose for Bacca.

I asked him point blank (he has two Shelties himself - one with a heart condition, btw) would he do the liver shunt surgery. He said no. He said he couldn't afford the $6,000 himself! He said that we should keep trying med treatments on Bacca until such time as he no longer has quality of life. That might be 1, 3 or 5 years. No way of knowing

He is also going to do some more research on probiotics and other vitamins that he think might help.

But this is the prognosis for my boy....one day at a time. This is so hard....knowing that my Bacca has an unknown life expectancy and the stress of knowing when enough is enough for him........:cry::cry::cry:
 
Barb - I am so glad you have found such a great vet. His care, compassion, and knowledge of Shelties is priceless at this time for you, as his commitment to continue to research treatment options for Bacca.
 
Yeah, but I'm really bummed out. Seeing your dog splay his legs out from underneath him time and time again....it seems his brain sometimes doesn't talk to his body. Yet turn on the lawn mower or hair dryer and he leaps and bounds like a puppy. Weird!
 
BarbV said:
Yet turn on the lawn mower or hair dryer and he leaps and bounds like a puppy. Weird!
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THAT'S your sign! He's not ready to go, or that's what it sounds like to me. He's going through some rough times (yah, that's an understatement). But he STILL HAS those things that set him off, he STILL HAS that drive to live. We'll never know how long he'll have that drive until it's gone. But YOUR job is not to wait for it to end, your job is to try to keep him motivated for as long as you can and as long as his body will let you. Don't think about the future and how long he may have, don't even think about the past happy times you wish were happening now, think about those happy times TODAY and encourage them to continue for as long as possible. You'll have plenty of time to think about the past later, right now Becca deserves and needs more than that. My prayers are with you as you and your boy go through this difficult time (again, understatement).

May God bless you, and keep you and yours safe.:hugs
 
Well. I took the boys out for a walk tonight or better described I took Bacca out for a drag tonight. At first I had them off leash, but Bacca just would not keep up. Then I put him on the coupler with Indy and he got a little bit of rev. But he he did not eat last night or breakfast today, though he did manage to eat about 2/3 of dinner tonight.

Spoke to the vet last night...He has called in a prescription for Lactulose for Bacca. Also he is looking into additional vitamin supplements that might help.

I brought home socks with rubber treads to help Bacca stand up on the hardwood floor, but silly dog keeps pulling them off. Already lost one, and found 3 spread all over the house and backyard. :(
 
BarbV said:
Well the results are in...Bacca's bile acids are up again. Bad, bad news.

But this is the prognosis for my boy....one day at a time. This is so hard....knowing that my Bacca has an unknown life expectancy and the stress of knowing when enough is enough for him........:cry::cry::cry:
Click to expand...

Barb, my friend, I am so very sorry that Bacca illness is so serious. You know, we all have an unknown life expectancy -- no one knows that better than you. And when the time comes, trust Bacca to know how to tell you. He will, I am so very sure. For now, enjoy every precious moment, because that's what Bacca will be doing. :hugs

Dear St. Francis,
Please ask God to watch over Bacca and Barb. Send them courage to walk their life path with grace and courage for as long as possible. And when the time comes that their paths must diverge, help them both to recognize clearly that it's time for the ultimate kindness: to relinquish without rancor, and to accept with joyful hope.
In His name we ask,
Amen
 
Barb - have you ever tried the foam click-together floor tiles to give him a bit of help getting up from where he lies the most?
 
Barb: The new vet sounds wonderful. So glad you found him. I will be praying that the lactulose helps Bacca.
I have runner carpets all over my kitchen as Rhiannon doesn't like, won't walk on shiny floors. They call it the "linoleum gene" in Belgians. I call it, probably "part temperament part eyesight" but that's a whole other story. Anyways they may look ugly but they help her to travel around and might help Bacca with the traction he needs. They aren't very expensive either. So that Rhiannon can get to the computer room and the dining room I have a mat to each area off the runner.
Most big building stores like Home Depot lets you buy them by the foot and have a small selection of patterns etc. I got mine at Len's Mill Stores but I don't know if you have anything like that in Ottawa. I think the 18' of runner was about $125. Wasn't part of the plan when I gutted and redid the kitchen but such is life.
 
1 year at a time Barb!

Your vet sounds just great and I am glad that you and Bacca have a good friend in him.

Tagg's 411 for non slip surface for Bacca are tried and true. I used same for Seamus.

Hugs,


Kate:smile2:
 
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