Wednesday, August 20, 2014
Yesterday was Henry's first full day at home and I think he did remarkably well!
He spent most of the day sleeping, but that was to be expected. And we were happy that he was able to find comfortable positions to sleep in. In addition to sleeping, he also ate a few small meals and kept hydrated with some small sips of water throughout the day. He was most lively for a few hours in the evening, when he hung out with us in the living room while we ate dinner and he walked through the house for a bit while we were doing some chores. Then it was back to bed for some much needed rest.
All in all, I think Henry had an awesome first day of recovery. Here's to a great second day of recovery.
Tuesday, August 19, 2014
Henry is home and is doing remarkably well. When we picked him up from the vet we certainly did not expect him to have as good of a night as he did. In fact, he almost didn't get to come home with us yesterday.
When we went to pick Henry up, he was quite frantic and pretty worked up. The vet said around 3pm he started to howl and whine in his crate. The howling got so bad that they let him out of his crate (thinking that that would calm him down). Not only did that not calm him down, it almost made things worse. He started pacing around the room. Fresh from surgery, he was getting himself very worked up.
When we got there, our vet expressed his concerns, but could see that our mere presence started to calm him down. So we decided it would be best that he goes home with us. Of course, we had a list of things we needed to monitor and strict advice to take him to the emergency vet if we had the slightest of doubts about how he was doing.
Henry was calmer, but still a tad worked up on the drive home from the vet. But, after about an hour of being home, he was a completely different dog. He was no longer panting, his breathing was no longer labored and he was much more relaxed.
We took turns sitting with him, trying to keep him comfortable, but you could tell that Henry wanted to get back to his normal routine as quickly as possible. When we sat down to scarf down a quick bite to eat, Henry wanted to lay in the spot that he always lays in when we eat dinner. He was ready for things to get back to normal.
He slept well through the night. There were a few times he was awake and sitting up, but his pain seemed to be under control. As I write this now, he is snoring away, getting some much needed rest.
Thank you for the well wishes yesterday! They were much needed and worked!
Monday, August 18, 2014
Today is Henry's big surgery day. Needless to say, our anxiety is pretty high, but we are trying to stay positive and up beat so that Henry doesn't pick up on too much of our nervous energy.
To maximize his recovery time at the vet, Henry is the first surgery of the day. Which is great for a lot of reasons, but also means that we should hear from the vet mid morning.
I will do my best to post an update after we get Henry home and settled.
We have received an outpouring of support for Benjamin, Henry & Luna. I can not express how grateful I am for all the emails, cards and gifts. With everything going on, I am a bit behind in responding and thanking everyone. Please know that I blown away by the kindness of everyone in the OBP family I will be getting in touch soon.
UPDATE: Henry's surgery is over. He is in the recovery room now. The vet said it was not an easy surgery and there were a few things that made it a little tricky but Doc navigated them and now we are on to the next phase. The next 24 hours are critical. Doc said Henry is moaning and howling. While we know Henry can be a bit vocal, hearing that he's so uncomfortable that he's letting the world around him know about it and not just for his at home peeps is heartbreaking. We will be sure to up his meds tonight so we can get him as comfortable as possible. Thank you all for you continued good vibrations. Herny and his OBP peeps are feeling them. (And they are working!)
Friday, August 15, 2014
We heard from our vet yesterday after he consulted with the oncologist. After reviewing Henry's biopsy, it was decided that the best course of action would be to remove the kidney with the tumor. After the kidney is removed it can be sent for a complete biopsy and we can determine what course of chemotherapy is needed.
The oncologist confirmed that this is a very aggressive type of cancer, but based on what we know so far, thinks we caught things early (although there is no way to be 100% sure). Because of the aggressive nature of this cancer, removing the kidney is a top priority and our vet scheduled Henry for surgery on Monday. Before the surgery, Henry will have a chest x-ray to make sure his lungs are clear. The most common place for metastasis for renal cancer is in the lungs. If Henry's lungs are clear, he will have surgery that day to remove his kidney.
I appreciate the well wishes for Henry. His spirits are high and we are going to make sure he has a wonderful weekend. I will keep you updated as best I can on Monday.
Wednesday, August 13, 2014
We finally received the biopsy results late yesterday evening. Unfortunately, the news is not good. Henry has renal cancer.
We are absolutely devastated. But beyond our incredible sadness, we do not have a good plan for how we are going to move forward just yet. Our vet is going to present Henry's case to an oncologist. From there we will have a better idea on how to proceed.
In the little that we know, we were told this type of cancer rarely occurs in dogs (especially pugs). Henry is also showing no signs of sickness (which apparently is sometimes the case with renal cancer).
As I write this, Henry is laying on the bed, licking his feet, oblivious to the horrible news we just received that affects him so personally. He is happy and content in this moment. The worries and fears for what the future is going to bring keep creeping into my brain, robbing me of this happy time. Right now that is my challenge. Enjoy these moments with Henry and not let worry take them from me.
We are hoping to have more information about how to proceed with treatment by Thursday. I don't know what treatment options are available to us or what that process is going to look like, but I can tell you that we will do whatever needs to be done for Henry as long as it supports him living a quality life.
Thursday, August 7, 2014
To help Henry get ready to go to work with me, we have been practicing going up and down stairs. Whenever we come across a set of stairs we make Henry climb them. He's always hesitant at first, but then he eventually comes around and works his way up them.
And once he is up them, there is always the task of getting back down them. Which to me is the scarier part, but not for Henry. He goes down the steps much faster than he goes up the steps for some reason.
And whenever we get to a set of stairs, I like to remind Henry that he lived in a 3 story house for the first 2 years of his life. Henry and Benjamin used to race up and down the stairs like wild men. They would chase, push and pummel and do all kinds of unsafe things on the stairs. But, after almost 10 years of Florida living and rarely encountering stairs, Henry seems to have forgotten all about his stair adventures as a young pug.
Wednesday, August 6, 2014
Since Benjamin and Luna have bequeathed their dog beds to Henry, Henry has been having a little bit of fun with his riches. On this sleepy morning, Henry thought he would see what its like between the beds rather just laying on top of the pile. Not too bad, I guess.
« Older Posts
| More Recent Posts »
Want more? Wander through our archives.
