Sweet Uno

Uno somehow seems to know that the family is going through a difficult period and has been an exceptionally obedient boy. He did not throw a fit when he saw us going out with Abby (to the vet, but of course he wouldn't know) and leaving him behind, put up with Abby's teases and harassment whenever she feels like it, wait patiently till I'm done with Abby's feeding, jabs etc before he comes over for a pat/belly rub... I must admit that we have sort of neglected him these past days and when he saw me with his leash this morning, he was almost bursting with joy! We are so blessed to have him :)

Abby is Hurting

The pain is keeping Abby awake again as I felt her tossing and turning in her bed. After a dose of painkiller, she is finally sleeping soundly...

Abby: Post Endoscopy Day 2

Abby seems more alert today, she even started to harass Uno :) Still administering the full dose of painkillers (via food tube and intravenous)to help her manage the pain but cut down anti-vomit suppository to 1 dose per day. Also upped her water intake to 15 mls orally and 10 mls via feeding tube every 2-hourly.

When grooming her this evening, I discovered a little sore beneath her bandage that is wet, slimy, maroonish-red (dried up blood?) and gives off a slight odour. Brought her to ARC for a review as I feared that the feeding tube leaked or there is an infection. True enough, Dr Travis found a slight skin infection. He explained that this is quite common and prescribed a dose of anti-biotics to clear up the infection. The dressing was also changed to be less bulky and thick. Hopefully, this dressing will be more 'breatheable' and promotes healing.

I think Abby has developed a phobia for ARC. She started shivering the minute we entered ARC and clung onto me when Dr Travis wanted to carry her. She continued to shiver all the way home and fidgeted throughout the jab and feeding sessions. She is still feeling very much unsettled in her bed as I am writing...

Abby: Bad Scare III

This morning, we were back at ARC. Not for review, but because Abby puked out her FEEDING TUBE!! Puking is already bad for her condition, imagine my horror when I saw the tube hanging from her mouth Immediately called ARC to arrange for vet on call as it was only 7+am so there were no vets on duty; hubby rushed home to send us to ARC; I had to fight with Abby to stop her from chewing on the tube while trying to calm her.... all this on top of just 2 hours of sleep last night. My dark circles and eye bags can compete with any panda in the world.

We came back with more medicines and jabs to ease her pain, discomfort and nausea. She feeds 4x a day and needs jabs/medications every 12 hourly. Each feeding and jab session can take up to 30 minutes to complete as doing it too fast will cause discomfort to her. Although the schedule is tiring and confusing, my comfort is when I see her sleep soundly. She even managed a bark (the last time I heard her bark was last Friday)today when she heard hubby at the door this evening :)

The 2 vets who treated her had given a very guarded prognosis. The ulcerations are fairly deep and there is a chance of tearing. Healing will be a very long and slow process. It is also likely that the oesophagus will constrict after healing due to size of the ulcerations. This means she needs to go on possibly liquid diet for the rest of her life so that she does not choke on her food. We don't want to harbour too high hopes for her recovery. Our focus now is to make her as comfortable as possible e.g. pain management, and yes, help her regain some weight - she has lost slightly more than 0.5 kg since last Friday!

Abby's Endoscopy

Abby was brought into the operating theatre at 12.45pm. It was almost 3.15pm when she came out. The obstruction in her oesophagus was a large piece of chicken bone. It has been stuck there probably since last Friday, and is already starting to smell. Dr Lee managed to fish out a large piece measuring 4cm by 3cm at the widest, and push the smaller pieces into the stomach. Unfortunately, there is severe inflamation and ulceration at the oesophagus. Dr Lee shared that such wounds take a very long time to heal. There is also the fear that the ulcerations may tear open. One of her previous cases that involved a much smaller piece of bone took more than 3 weeks to heal. In Abby's case, the bone is larger and sharper, the ulcers are deeper... The recovery journey is going to be a long and tough one and Abby has to fight on her own. Oral feeding is out for the next few weeks or even months. A feeding tube is inserted for liquid feeding till she recovers, if she recovers. And all I can only is to try and make her as comfortable as possible in the meanwhile...

Just before she went for the endoscopy:


When she returned to the ward after her ordeal:


The feeding tube at her neck:


Snoozing in mommie's arms:


Finally back at home:

Doggies' Instinct

As we prepare to leave the house for ARC this morning, Uno seems to sense that something major is about to happen. I told him about Abby's scope and asked that he be a good boy. And he raised his left paw to pat on my hand, as if trying to comfort and reassure me.

Abby had been very jumpy since morning, as if she knows about the impending scope. Throughout the journey and even when we reached ARC, she was restless. In the doggy ward, she jumped at every sound and sat with her eyes focused on me. The minute I get up from my chair, she will also stand up. And today, I finally heard her whine and it totally broke my heart. My tears flowed and I couldn't care if anyone is watching us.

To or Not To?

Abby has lost some 300g since last Friday. It is pretty alarming to feel her bones and I began to hesitate about proceeding with the endoscope. On the other hand, if indeed the blockage is affecting her ability to eat/swallow, then my procrastination may cause her more harm. Looks like it is going to be another long night...