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.
Thursday, August 14, 2014
A few weeks ago, I got a small tattoo in remembrance of Benjamin. At the very last minute, I changed my mind and went with "Benny" instead of "Benjamin" for the text inside the bone. "Benny" just felt right to me because that is what I always called him.
A tattoo for Luna is in the works. I am just finalizing the design and figuring out where I want to put it. I'm debating on putting it near the tattoo I have for Sol.
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.
Tuesday, August 12, 2014
Right before Henry had his eye removed, he was experiencing some tummy troubles. He was throwing up a little bit and his poopies were not exactly normal as they had been throughout his life. At the time we chalked it up to the stress of his eye situation. After that, it was the stress of losing Benjamin, then Luna and so on. And since he didn't seem in otherwise poor health and sadly we were having "bigger fish to fry" with the medical needs of his siblings, these issues seemed like they would probably work out on their own.
Well, now almost 5 months later and firm poops still eluding him, we knew this issue needed some attention. We brought Henry for a "day trip" to the vet. This means he was dropped off for a battery of tests. Our vet had recommended a sonogram first. This would be compared to the sonogram we had right before Henry had his eye out to see if there had been any changes.
Changes indeed. :( First, the vet noticed, in his words, "a gigantic cyst on his kidney the size of a lime" and also a bulge in his small intestine (like if a snake ate an egg). Holy moly. Talk about not really prepared for this! So, the plan was to see what the doc could pull from the cyst with a needle and to also do a needle biopsy on his "gut" (again the vet's word---even though we do not prefer that expression). That is what we had him do. Henry was sedated for that part, of course. We discussed what we "wanted" to come from the cyst. First choice would be clear fluid. Next best would be syrupy stuff. Worst case would be bloody matter. We got almost our first choice. It was yellow but clear-ish (like pee). Now that is off to the lab for testing to see what is going on.
The results from the needle biopsies did not provide clear results that could help us make a diagnosis. So, on Thursday, we had a "punch biopsy of the gut" or a biopsy where they cut him open and removed a portion of his small intestine. A small piece of the cyst was also removed from his kidney and sent off for testing.
We are hoping for the better case scenario, of course, which would be IBD or Irritable Bowel Disorder. This is a chronic condition but is manageable. We do not, of course, want it to lead to a lymphoma type result. That would be worse case scenario. Henry does not act like a dog who has cancer. He has not lost weight (even during a low appetite grieving time) and he has only really perked up in attitude since his post grieving time. So, we are hopeful. And really all our eggs are clearly laid in the Henry basket these days, so while we may often be optimistic and trying to stay positive, this time it does truly feel more desperate in this case as the terror surrounding the possibility of losing him is beyond belief at this point.
So, Henry had a "day a the spa" but he'd argue that. He did a great job and even got a Certificate of Bravery for his good behavior while being poked and prodded. He was awake for the pre-sonogram shave and the actual sonogram itself. He was lightly sedated for the needle biopsy and fluid pull, though. That night he wasn't even as exhausted as the OBP people though! Now THAT'S a strong dog right there! Not a cancer dog! 
Monday, August 11, 2014
Sunday brought another Super Moon and we made a point to get out with Henry and enjoy a walk illuminated by the rays of the moon. Unfortunately, there were lots of clouds so our view of the moon was a bit obstructed. We did manage to get a few good glimpses of the moon as it passed between the the clouds.
Today marks the one month anniversary of Luna's passing. Her presence in the house is sorely missed. We definitely miss her sass!
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