As mentioned before, Matt left Wednesday for Scottsdale. The week was going great but slightly stressful since we just got a new nanny. Our nanny, Sarah, got accepted into nursing school and had to quit. We were devastated by this news as our kids loved Sarah and she made working so easy when I knew she gave them such great care. But we found a new nanny very quickly, and Kristin is a complete Godsend! She is so wonderful with the kids and they have taken to her very quickly. And....after this past week, she stuck around and already deserves a raise because she was more than I would ever expect from a nanny!
I will start with Friday morning and Sarah walks in the door to two kids very happy to see her. The unusual part was that our Bauer who will typically drive any visitor crazy with his need for attention stayed on the rug and didn't get up to greet her. Sadly, I didn't think much of it but as I was walking out the door I noticed his eyes were a little red... or maybe even a lot red. I actually walked out the door thinking, "Have his eyes always been like that and I have never noticed?" Friday evening my mom and dad came over to spend the evening with us and my dad said, "What is wrong with Bauer's eyes?" We decided maybe some Benadryl would help because it seemed to be a possible allergic reaction. I tossed the turkey-wrapped Benadryl to Bauer and he instantly cried when he opened his mouth to catch it. I knew he was hurting because this dog has an unbelievable pain tolerance! So I decided to take him to the vet the next morning. Saturday morning Bauer wouldn't eat and didn't even want to walk around. With the help of my dad we took him to the vet and after a long wait for the bloodwork, the results came back inconclusive. His lymphnodes/salivary gland area was extremely swollen and his eyes were red but otherwise nothing was conclusive. His platelets were normal and his white blood cell count was slightly high. The vet decided on a round of antibiotics and antiinflammatories to treat what he guessed was some sort of infection. Unfortunately, since Bauer would not even open his mouth, we had to give him an antibiotic shot which would last two weeks and eliminated the need for pills but it was quadruple the price and very expensive for such a big dog. So that was it. We went home and were excited to hear that Bauer should feel much better the next morning.
Wrong.
Sunday morning Bauer was worse. A lot worse. He would hardly get up. He wouldn't eat. He moaned. I could hardly wait until Monday morning when we could take him in again. Thankfully, Matt was home again, Hadley and Hudson were so good, and we spent lots of time laying on the floor with him and petting him.
I was glad to be off work on Monday and called the vet first thing to get an early appointment. I heaved our 90 pound dog into my car, dropped the kids off at my mom and dads, and made it to the vet first thing. The vet instantly new we had a problem. Bauer should not have gotten worse. I cried because I was scared of what he was about to tell us. We made the decision to immediately go to surgery. He would do a biopsy of his lymphnodes and salivary glands, drain some fluids, and give him IV fluids to help with his dehydration. And then it would take up to 48 hours to get the results. I could hardly walk out the door. The vet told me to prepare for the worst. That he was puzzled. Bauer, who was hardly getting up, jumped up on me right before they took him through the door and put his front paws on my hips like he always does. He licked me and I told him bye.
I got back in the car, called my parents to tell them I was on my way, and cried the whole way to their house. It is crazy how much a dog becomes a family member. He drives us absolutely nuts but the thought of losing him was devastating to me!
At 2:00 the surgery was done and at 5:00 Bauer was able to come home. He was groggy but looked much better after the fluids had been drained. The vet decided to put him on some antifungals given his history, and also some eyedrops. So we basically had no idea what we were fighting but decided to treat him with everything and hopefully knock it out.
Wednesday, our results came back from the biopsy. Inconclusive. Well, great. We knew that much. And learned nothing more. The good news...definitely not cancer. The other good news....over the past two days Bauer is slowly improving. He is eating and wanting to go outside and watch the golfers. He is getting some life back so something is working. And that is where we are. He continues to get better daily. He is playing and wagging his tail. And we are just continuing all meds in hopes that whatever it was (which we will never know) is completely cured.
Picture of Bauer right after surgery.
But that's not all to complete the horrendous weekend. As Bauer was coming out of his surgery, I was on my way to the grocery store and Matt was watching the kids. He calls me right when I walk in Target to tell me Hudson just puked everywhere. How had that happened. He had been perfect all day. And the he threw up more. And more. And more. ALL NIGHT. And the sleepless nights continued for the 3rd night. We were exhausted Tuesday morning but Hudson was finally through throwing up. Unfortunately, the virus was not through exiting his body and he soon had diarrhea, pink eyes, and two ear infections. And add to that a horrible diaper rash that made him scream louder than I have ever heard him scream every time we changed his diaper. Hudson is now making a good recovery and we are all happy to finally be getting some sleep again. Now it will just be a miracle if no one else gets it!
Poor guy feels SO bad but I love this picture of Hudson and Daddy laying the same way.
