Pawsitive thought for Zeke, please; UPDATE Post 15

[Seravieve]

For the past month or so Zeke has been having a coughing and breathing problem. We've taken him to the vet twice and both times they said it looked like Tracheal bronchitis (aka Kennel Cough). He has taken antibiotics and two courses of cough suppressants.

(Side note on the Kennel Cough suggestion... We don't vaccinate for it because our dogs RARELY interact with other dogs and we do not board them, ever. So we thought it was an odd diagnosis.. especially since the other two 4leggers haven't caught it.)

This past weekend he got worse. He started panting and drooling. He also began to turn away from his food. He's a VERY food driven dog, so you know something's up when he lets the other two eat his food.

We took him to the vet this morning and had an Xray done. They were going to take more but didn't want to chance it. Once they placed him on the table for the first Xray, on his side, he began having a very hard time breathing. They took the first one and it shows LOTS of fluid in his chest. =/ So much so that they didnt want to roll him over, because he wouldn't be able to breath. Also in the Xray, she could see that the windpipe was pushed up horizontally, instead of the usual diagonal position. All of this is why he stands around instead of laying down.

The next step was a chest tap to drain some fluid and see what is causing it. Our vet thinks its one of the following, cancer, tumors in heart, or heart disease/chf. There was so much fluid in the chest, that she couldnt see the heart in his Xray, so she can't say if its enlarged or not. She called back after the tap and said there looks to be blood in the fluid and we should here back from them in 24-48 hours for the test results. She took out about 3/4 c of fluid and said he was more comfortable now and able to lay down.

I know I don't post much on here, I mainly just reply to others' threads, but I'd appreciate some good vibes for Zz dog. He's my gf's dog.. and it's really hard on her to hear all of this. We're all keeping our paws and toes and fingers crossed in our house for him.. =) Thanks!

[lizbud]

Poor Zeke. I'm glad the Vet found out the real problem at last. I'm
suprised that they couldn't detect the problem sooner by listening to the
chest. I hope he feels better soon.

[Taz_Zoee]

Oh, poor Zeke. I will keep him (and both of you) in my thoughts.

[Seravieve]

We were surprised too.. I figured that when he didn't get better after the first round of meds, they'd suggest something else. I've known our vet for 16 years or so.. She's my mom's neighbor. Always thought she was good at what she did. And honest. The first time he went in, J took him to see the other vet in the office, who we don't like b/c Anita was on vacation.

He's home now.. and he ate some wet food. But he's still panting a little. He is definitely more comfortable and able to lay down. Now we just have to wait for the results.

Thank you. =)

[chocolatepuppy]

Pawsitive thoughts and prayers headed out to Zeke.

[Alysser]

I hope poor Zeke is feeling better tonight! ((hugs)) and pawsitive thoughts going out to Zz doggy, he's such a handsome boy

[Seravieve]

Well he had a hard time last night.. J was up with him a lot of the night. So since she got next to no sleep, she's staying home with him and also taking him back up to the vet for another chest tap. Hopefully they can drain more than they did the first time. Only took him a couple hours to start panting again. (Which I assume means his chest filled back up...)

*** Update: They were able to take out .5L of fluid this morning. They did an Xray afterward and said they can see some kind of nodules in his lungs.. so it's looking like lung cancer. No final answer yet though, as the test results aren't back yet.

[lizbud]

It's sad when your pups are hurting & uncomfortable. I hope Zeke
feels better soon. Positive vibes for good tests results.

[4 Dog Mother]

Oh, poor Zeke! I hope it isn't lung cancer. How old is Zeke? He is a very handsome boy. Please keep us updated.

[Cinder & Smoke]

Hi God ~

We gotz a Sick Pup down here onna ole Dure Ball >> Zeke <<
need sum Help cleanin out his breathing bags.

And maybe send a kupple {{{God'sHugs}}} down fur his 2-Leggers.

THANKS God!

/s/ the Prayer Pups

[Seravieve]

Well he was pretty comfortable yesterday after have 1/2L taken out. He's been able to sleep on his side and still breathe easily.

Vet called today and said that the test results show NO cancerous cells. -YAY!- So the next step is an ultrasound. We'll be taking him in for one at a specialist tomorrow at 11.

J was doing some research yesterday online and found a type of fungal infection in the lungs.. and he has some of the symptoms, so that could be it, although how he got it would be rather odd.

Zeke is 7-8 years old.. we got him from Animal Control so it's just an estimate.

Never underestimate the power of PT! =) Thank you all for your support.

[Taz_Zoee]

I am so glad to hear it's not cancer. I've been checking back here all day long hoping to hear that news.

I hope whatever he has is fixable, and quick.

[Seravieve]

I hope whatever he has is fixable, and quick.

Me too! I'm not too sure what would cause growths in his lungs.. and the fluid build-up.. but I hope its something we can manage.

[chocolatepuppy]

Just checking in to see how Zeke's doing. Good to hear it's not cancer. Hopefully it won't be too serious.

[Seravieve]

Unfortunately, I don't have any good news to share. He had the ultrasound today and they found a large mass on his left lung and several other masses on the right side. She couldn't hear any lung activity on the left side with her stethoscope, which explains the large mass there. They'll be testing a sample of the mass, but its definitely cancer. They'll just test to see what kind, but it could just come back as blood like the first test did. (She explained that the first test came back without cancerous cells because the only type of cancer that will show up in the blood is bone marrow cancer.. )

Surgery and chemo aren't options since it has spread to both sides... So we'll just be making him comfortable for the rest of the time he has left with us. We'll continue to get him chest taps when needed, although not too often since they run the risk of introducing bacteria.

Thank you again for all of you support and positive thoughts.