My husband and my Basenji both snore. Stereo! 🙂
Basenji without spunk - very sick, pls read
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I'll be keeping my fingers crossed that they find out something today and can help her get on the road to recovery ASAP. Update us when you can. I'll be thinking aobut you both.
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Hello,
Beta had the scope procedure today with the Oakhurst Specialist and the doctor that has been treating her. The Specialist called and reviewed her findings with me, and this is what she said in laymans terms:
The esophogus appeared normal until bottom which was inflamed.
The stomach lining should be smooth and shiney. She described Beta's as cobblestone like, pitted, rough and textured. I asked if it was only in one area and she said the entire stomach lining was covered in this texture. She said that a full blown ulcer looks like a volcano on their monitor and Beta's stomach was full of baby ucler like pits not fully developed if that is what she was seeing. She said that she hasn't seen a stomach look that bad in many years. I asked her to rate between 1-10 (10 the worst) how bad the stomach lining was, she said 7-8. She said the upper intestine was irritated and red but not out of the ordinary like the stomach. She took several biopsys for stat testing which will be back by Friday.
The specialist said that it could be a number of possibilities that couldnt be determined until the biopsys came back, but she suspects that it is the intestinal disease that we have already been treating her for (which would be disturbing becuase the meds havent improved her condition at all), or it could be an ulcer type disease. We have been giving her carafate for an ulcer since Friday and the reg doctor is surprised that visually there werent more improvements. The third possibility is a lymph type cancer that is hard to visually identify.
The specialist said that since i had mentioned a constant cough with mucus and that the night before Beta didnt move from 6pm until bed and was breathing short hard breaths, she would take the opportunity (since beta was already out) to flush the lungs with a liquid. The liquid is airrated out and samples were taken and put on a stat status as well. The reg doctor said that there was a lot of debris coming out of her lungs which didnt look great. This cough could be from Beta throwing up and inhaling some vomit or cancer or a few other things that I cant remember the details of.
The specialist and doctor agreed that Beta's condition is critical for the next 24hrs. She is on IV and will be given all meds through the IV to avoid stressing her stomach out more than neccessary. She is receiving shots of pepto and prevacid (the purple pill) and the carafate orally. They told me that i should have her under 23 hr care. My options were, Oakhurst who doesnt have a night staff, take her home with an IV, and the Largo ER.
The Largo ER or Specialist is where Beta had that first surgery that came up with nothing. I felt the care the provided was poor due to the nature of their business. Too busy to notice her pain, not enough attention, very loud. So my options really, were to bring her home with IV and cone and meds and put her to bed and potentially stress her out with the transport or having her at Oakhurst.
I decided it was best to have her there over night. She was extremely groggy from the last surgery so I expect she will be the same today. They are giving her pain meds as well and we hope that she will sleep soundly through the night. The Vets leave around 7pm and arrive 7am. Although I am emotionally stressed becuase she is not with me, I know she is in a place with faces that she recognizes and a stable and quiet environment. They are also looking for a medicine that is not common. Apparently the ER stocks it but would not release it to them because it was for their critical patients. I want to say it was the Prevacid or equivolent in IV form. The vet is scouting out other hospitals for the drug to see if they can find it.
She will receive protein and glucose in her IV as well to aid her nutrition and fluids to keep her hydrated.
It would be foolish for me to not consider the worst scenario, right? Cancer? If it is her entire stomach and lungs it may be unfair to Beta to keep her in a state where she can't eat or not feel pain. I hope that isnt what she has. The other two options are managable once controlled through medication hopefully. I really dont know what equates putting a dog to sleep, but if she cant eat, and is in constant pain, or is given a terminal diagnosis, I will have to deal with that in a manner that is respectful of Beta.
Money is always a concern right? Recently divorced and struggling on my own, I have sworn to myself not to allow finances make and determination on Beta's life. She is 4yrs old and if she can improve, I will do whatever I can do to get her healthy. This is what credit cards are for, emergencies. If anyone out there is going though similar problems, I hope the data we are sharing will help. My basenji's are my kids.
I will post the moment I hear anything about the results. Please keep your fingers crossed for Beta. The entire vet staff is rooting for her and they say she is a very strong girl for such a little Basenji.
Betsey
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Betsey, I will keep all fingers and all toes crossed for little Beta. My heart goes out to you both. My thoughts are with you. I am hoping for good news. Lots and lots of hugs for you both. Caren
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thank you. you dont know how much it means to me to have a group to share this with. i am scared and stressed and havent been sleeping very well. we have a strong group of basenji owners in Tampa as well and they are so supportive to little Beta.
Beta was a puppy mill rescue from Nebraska with about 16 other basenjis. They had tried to get her to breed and she wasnt a year old. It appeared that she didnt have pups because they hadnt named or tagged her like the others. There were 7 females in the group and Beta was one out of 2 that were puppies or young. The other females were missing teeth and ears. She lived in a kennel at the puppymill that must have been too small because when I adopted her she couldnt stand up straight. She was bald in places and was urine stained. She was as thinner than she is now and her feet were twice the size from standing on the wire crate. My guess is that they pee through the cages and someone should have hosed the area out. She was a bag of bones and so scared of wind, sounds, airplanes, grass,everything. I have had her with Caesar who is 6months older for about 3 years now. It has taken me two years to finally potty train her to go in the grass. She would pace the floors and never sit showing that nervousness. Beta is an extremely submissive female which is funny if you have a girl. You know that snarfy is their MO. When she needs to be she is the alpha with Caesar, but she has a gently nature and big doe brown eyes. She loves to run and gets crazy if she sees a squirell.
That's my Beta.
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You are truly one AMAZING Mommy! I have been anxiously awaiting news on Beta and keeping you all in my thoughts and prayers. I am praying that it is not the worst, Betsey. I know this has got to be so difficult for you. Please know that we are here for you to support you during these trying times with your baby. Keep us updated when you can.
Big hugs,
Sharon & Nala -
Oh Betsey….you are an extremely strong & brave person. Please know that we are all praying with every ounce of our souls for little Beta. Although I've never met either of you, I feel extremely close to your pain. We are all sharing this experience with you. You are not alone & I know that whatever the results are you will do the absolute right thing that is best for Beta. You have shown your kind & loving heart from the very beginning with Beta and I'm sure that you will continue to make all the right decisions.
I'm hoping you have some kind of pet insurance to help you out financially. If not than I guess the credit cards will have to do. The reality is that caring for our loved ones (dog, parent, spouse, child, etc.) is a financial consideration. Unfortunately, this is the cruel part of making any decisions. I had to face the same decisions when father became very ill. In the end you can only do what you can & follow your heart.
Lots & lots of hugs & prayers for you & Beta!
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Betsey and Beta - sending you more hugs and healing thoughts. You both remain in my thoughts and prayers and I'm hoping for a good outcome.
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thank you guys. the doctors think it is best that Beta stay another night and get those IV meds. they haven't fed her yet and are looking for a special IV med that they cant find.
well, actually, they found it at a local ER, but they wouldnt release it to them because of a potential emergency. can you believe that.
The IV med is called Aminosyn….
If anyone knows of a vet or vet ER that would have the med, please PM me.
Thanks!!
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Aminosyn is total parenteral nutrition which provides all the protein, vitamin and mineral, and caloric requirements that are necessary to sustain nutrition when absorption in the GI tract is impaired. It's not something hospitals just keep on hand because it has to be mixed daily in accordance with daily lab values. If your vet can find a regular pharmacy which mixes IV fluids for home health maybe they would make it up for a dog by prescription. If not, are there any veterinary schools near Tampa that could help? Auburn University school of veterinary medicine here in Alabama is one of the best vet schools in the country and I know they love to help with difficult cases. Might be worth a try also. Love and prayers to you and Beta. Lenora
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thanks for the suggestion. it's worth a try. my parents and brother are auburn alumni, maybe that will help.
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Betsey and Beta! I have not read the posts for several days and am just getting up to speed. In doing so, tears have rolled down my face. I pray for the best with Beta. You are providing the best care for her and hopefully the results will be the same. You are going through an extremely stressful time, but it appears that you have done "it" before and are a survivor. I think Beta with her past is a survivor too! I am glad that you have local support! Sending positivity to you through the airwaves! Sandra and Joey
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Hey Betsey. More prayers and thoughts with you and Beta. What a strong dog she must be to go through such an ordeal. I so hope you are able to determine what is wrong and find a course of action to correct the problem. We will continue to pray for you and beta…. God Bless!
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well beta has been in critical care for 2 days now at the vet. she ate 3 pellets of soft food 2x today without throwing up. she didnt want to eat when they offered it late in the day.
prelimainary reports show that her stomach lining is irritated, funny right?
the vet says her lungs still dont sound great. she was given her last dose of meds at 6pm and is shuddering in my arms at home.
she is weighing 17.51lbs mostly from the hydrating fluids.
i am glad she is home but have strict orders to bring her back for observation tomorrow.
hopefully all of the results will be back tomorrow. keep your fingers crossed.
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Fingers crossed for your Beta!
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ditto here…we're still sending thoughts and prayers your way!
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keep your fingers crossed.
It's hard to read this let alone experience it….thoughts and prayers and fingers crossed.
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Well, Beta pooped last night, had diarhea in her kennel sometime during the night and had only water diarhea this morning with blood in it. I realized this morning that she couldnt even hold the tiny amount of food she had yesterday and knew that she wasnt getting better with all of the medicine.
I took her in this morning and was just streaming with tears as I checked her in. It is just too much to feel her shudder like a leaf and nothing helps. So they took her and were to give her IV meds throughout the day hoping for news from the tests.
I received a call late in the day from the Gastrointestinal Specialist that did the scope. She said that Beta has been diagnosed with Hypertrophic Gastritis which is a rare disease in people and even more rare in dogs.
Giant hypertrophic gastritis of Basenji dogs.Krunngen HJ.
Giant hypertrophic gastritis is a newly recognized disease of adult Baseji dogs similar to Menetrier's disease of man. It is characterized by weight loss, diarrhea, dry coat, pale membranes, anorexia, raised convoluted rugae in the body of the stomach, palpable fluid- and gas-filled intestines, colonic inflammation, and radiographically demonstrable dilated intestinal loops. Laboratory findings include leukocytosis, neutrophilia, low hemoglobin, hypoalbuminemia, hypobetaglobulinemia, hypergammaglobulinemia, decreased serum fatty acids, hypocholesterolemia, indicanuria, low fecal pH, and increased fecal fat and nitrogen. Four dogs studied had gastritis with hypertrophy and diffuse lymphocytosis and plasmacytosis of the small intestine.This disease in humans is called Menetrier Disease.
Ménétrier's Disease
Ménétrier's disease causes giant folds of tissue to grow in the wall of the stomach. The tissue may be inflamed and may contain ulcers. The disease also causes glands in the stomach to waste away and causes the body to lose fluid containing a protein called albumin. Ménétrier's disease increases a person's risk of stomach cancer. People who have this rare, chronic disease are usually men between ages 30 and 60. The cause of the disease is unknown.Ménétrier's disease is also called giant hypertrophic gastritis, protein losing gasteropathy, or hypertrophic gastropathy.
Symptoms
Symptoms include pain or discomfort and tenderness in the top middle part of the abdomen, loss of appetite, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, vomiting blood, swelling in the abdomen, and ulcer-like pain after eating.Diagnosis
Ménétrier's disease is diagnosed through x rays, endoscopy, and biopsy of stomach tissue. Endoscopy involves looking at the inside of the stomach using a long, lighted tube that is inserted through the mouth. Biopsy involves removing a tiny piece of stomach tissue to examine under the microscope for signs of disease.Treatment
Treatment may include medications to relieve ulcer symptoms and treat inflammation, and a high-protein diet. Part or all of the stomach may need to be removed if the disease is severe.The specialist said that in humans they cut out the area of the stomach that is effected. In Beta's case it is her entire stomach.
There is no cure for this disease. This is a precurser to stomach cancer in humans but they haven't found it in dogs. Apparently there are a few cases in basenjis, one boxer and a couple of dogs in Holland.
The stomach lining thickens. Remember how they thought it was the intestine folding over on itself and couldnt find anything in the surgery? Well, there is text online somewhere with reference to that in intestines which sounds similar to this and I wouldnt be surprised if they are not related.
So basically the stomach cannot hold proteins. Then the blood vessels cant hold the proteins and the fluid passes to a layer outside of the vessel causing the swelling. Last night when I brought Beta home I noticed her muzzel looked swollen again, but figured it was the IV meds.
We are sending a sample of her blood to a well known (they say) vet dr at Texas A&M who is doing research on gastrinoma which is a rare disease as well. They are testing with a new gastrin level test.
Anyway, there are two treatments in dogs. One is something called a sandostatin drug which is in the injectable form. And the other is monoclonal antibody. Apparently the two treatments prolong life a bit but the disease is terminal.
Beta's lungs came back with an increase of eosinophil cells. These can be caused by a parasite condition, a fungus (blastomicosis) or a sever allergy. We are giving and have given her from the beginning the prednison and flagyl to aid this. The doctors are not sure if this is a result of the stomach disease or not. They suggest that with this type of lung cell to use fenbendazole which is a super strong parasite anti worming med.
So, the specialist did another blood test today to review her protein level. Remember she has had about 3 of these tests with low protein levels, but nothing major. They say her protein is at 3.2 and the vet's regular level is 5.2 for the norm. She then gave me a formula about her protein. There are two types of protein, the albumin and globulin. She did some math equation that states Beta's globulin level should be 2.5-4.5 I think, and that her albumin minus the globulin is less than 1 and is life threatening.
What that means is, she can't hold her protein through food (because she can't hold her food), now her blood vessels arent going to hold the protein which is the swelling part.
All I know is that she hasnt eaten in 4 days, shakes, is in pain, and has diahrea with flecks of blood in it and she is depressed.
I brought Caesar home today. I picked Beta up from the vet with oral meds to give over the weekend. She is now on tramadol pain med as well. I had a discussion with the specialist that since she had already sent Beta's case to a few gastro doctors and she has this rare disease that has been found in other b's that I felt It is unfortunate that they can only prolong her life. It is unfortunate that no meds for intestinal problems, parasites, or ulcers have made one bit of improvement in her day to day life. I feel that it is time to put her to sleep or help her to the rainbow bridge as the b community says. I have scheduled her time to be Monday morning at 8:30 am which will allow the doctor to get samples of her stomach afterwards. I hope that the samples they take will be of interest to someone out there that will give the b community more info on this disease. I have challenged her and hope that it will help someone as I hope this journal of Beta's illness might help another B owner down the road.
I have thought about if it is correct to put her to sleep as opposed to her dying naturally and have decided that she will eat till her heart is content and throw up and have diarhea as much as she wants until Monday. She is suffering and I can aid that. I can't imagine keeping her in critical care on daily IVs becuase she can't hold food down. That is not the quality of life for my little Beta.
She came home today on some pain meds for sure. She has been fighting this for 4 weeks now and tonight she grabs her stuffed squirell and does her crazy dance on the couch for the first time! That is how I will remember her.
Blowing on her face and watching her run around the room in delight. Watching her wag her tail at me because she is so happy ( I didnt know b's could do that, Caesar doesnt) and remembering her beautiful timid , gentle and sweet nature. She is looking at me with her sweet brown bambi eyes right now and that is the face I will always remember.
This Sunday I will take her with Caesar to the West Park dog park in Tampa. She will meet with her group of basenji pals (10-15 local b's) to play and enjoy the park for as long as she wants. That group is her family as much as I am. They accepted her into the pack and loved her as a scared and hurt rescue, as a happy strong playful basenji, and now as a sick little girl. I will miss that bounce in her trot and the rare roo's she made. My little Beta.
If anyone is in the Tampa area, you are welcome to join us. I will arrive around 9am and stay as long as they want.
http://www.forthevoiceless.org/west_tampa_dogpark.html
Thank your for listening to her story.
Betsey
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Oh Betsey - I am so sorry to hear to hear of the prognosis. I can't imagine how difficult the journey was to reach your desicion. Beta is a very lucky girl to have been so well loved and cared for and hopefully her story will help other b's out there who may be afflicted with this disease. Many hugs, lots of love, and all the prayers I can muster are headed your way. I wish I were closer to you to be at Beta's gathering, but know I, and many others in this community, will be there in spirit. (((((Betsey and Beta)))))
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Dear Betsey,
I am in tears. I'm so sorry you and Beta have had to go through this. I am awestruck at your strength. There is much for us to learn from Beta's story–not just about Beta's illness, but about how to deal with situations such as this. I wish I could be there for Beta's last day in the park--you and Beta will be in my thoughts. Caren
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Betsey,
I am so sorry, I wish there was something that we could do. Please be strong and know that you gave Beta a great life.
You, Beta and Caesar are in my thoughts and prayers.
Jenn
