Friday, October 12, 2012

Sonogram #3

Today Luna goes to the vet for another sonogram to check on the lump on her bladder. She finished the last of her antibiotics yesterday. I am really hoping that the second course of antibiotics have done the trick and that today's sonogram is going to show that Luna's bladder is in tip top shape.

Monday, October 1, 2012

Thanks

Luna would like to personally thank everyone for their good thoughts, well wishes, prayers and positive vibes. She's sorry to have made everyone worry, but she wants you all to know that she is feeling much better and is back to being the boss at the OBP casa. Not that she ever wasn't in charge. She just had to take a few more potty breaks than normal

Thank you!

Friday, September 28, 2012

Good News

Luna had her second sonogram yesterday and we received very good news. The bump on her bladder that was suspicious has shrunk in size. It isn't completely gone, but it is smaller and less inflamed. Which is fantastic because tumors do not shrink from antibiotics.

We can't say 100% that it isn't cancer since we did not have a biopsy done. But, all signs point to it being cystitis in the bladder wall.

To be on the safe side and to make sure we get rid of all of the suspected infection, Luna will be on clavamox for a bit longer and will have another sonogram in two weeks to take another peak at her bladder to see if the lump has shrunk even more. Hopefully, on the next sonogram there will be no evidence of a bump on her bladder at all.

Thank you everyone for the well wishes and support. It must have worked because we are heading in the right direction.

Have a great weekend.

Wednesday, September 26, 2012

Annual Exams

Last Monday, in the midst of Luna's bladder woes, the boys' had their own appointments at the vet for their annual exams.

Both received good reports and received their latest rounds of shots.

Benny has had a very itchy face lately and a quick swab of his wrinkles and a peek under a microscope revealed that Benny has a nice little yeast infection in his wrinkles. So, we are being much more diligent about cleaning his wrinkles. We are using Malaceb wipes and also cleaning his wrinkles with a solution of water and white vinegar (50/50). So far, the frequent cleanings seem to be helping Benny. It sure isn't easy being that cute!

Henry had a blood panel run since he hadn't had blood work done since 2008. Go Hank! He has definitely been the healthiest of the bunch. We got his results and his BUN levels were slightly elevated. However, in 2008 his BUN levels were also high. The latest bloodwork had his BUN just a few points higher. The vet is not overly concerned, but we will have Henry's bloodwork done again in about 6 months just to check on things again and make sure there is not a bigger issue.

Other than that the boys are doing well. This visit was their official 10 year old checkups.

Monday, September 24, 2012

2nd Verse Same as the First

Over the weekend, we heard from the specialist. The specialist is of the same mind as our regular vet that a biopsy would be the next logical step. However, they are not in favor of the needle biopsy. Instead they would prefer to make a few small incisions similar to a spay and do a biopsy that way.

Before we proceed with the biopsy though, Luna is going to have another sonogram on Thursday to see if the spot on her bladder is still the same size.

In the meantime, we started Luna on a second dose of antibiotics. We are still hoping that this is some sort of crazy infection.

We will know more on Thursday.

For now Luna is doing well. She is acting like her normal alpha female self. And the best part is that we haven't seen any blood in her urine in the last few days.

Thursday, September 20, 2012

Luna Update

We received the much anticipated lab work results for Luna. The results confirm that it is neither the worst case scenario, nor is it the best case scenario.

Essentially, there were no cell types generally associated with cancer in Luna's urine. However, that does not rule out cancer. It just means that she does not have a tumor that is shedding cells (worst case scenario).

Also, there was no bacteria found in Luna's urine. So that rules out the possibility that a high concentration of Clavamox resistant bacteria was causing the problem (best case scenario).

So we really don't have a diagnosis yet. It could still be an infection or it could be a bladder tumor.

Luna has been on Clavamox for about 6 days now and it is only in the last few days that we have noticed less blood in her urine. If it was an infection the Clavamox should have cleared up the blood in her urine sooner, but the fact that it is clearing up now is a encouraging sign to me at least. Better late than never, in my opinion.

So, where do we go from here? The lab work results have been sent to a specialist and they are going to read the results and offer their opinion on how we should proceed. After the first round of antibiotics are complete, Luna will have another sonogram to check out her bladder to see how it looks. A needle biopsy of the inflamed area is the best bet to figure out exactly what we are dealing with, but that is not without risks.

For now we are waiting to hear what the specialist has to say and invading Luna's privacy at her every potty break by examining her urine. I'll be sure to keep you updated.

Wednesday, September 19, 2012

Distractions

To try and take our minds off things, we took the pugs to a local park in the evening for a little fun. Luckily the weather cooperated with us and it wasn't too hot.

We are getting a bit more anxious for the results because Luna is still peeing blood after being on the antibiotics for several days. Still hoping though.