03-31-06 - Maxie being a trooper at the vet.

Getting a tummy rub from Mom :)

Weds., January 10, 2007

Last week we took Max to our vet (Town & Country in Fairfax) due to lethargy, lack of appetite (those 2 symptoms alone indicate something's wrong, if you know Maxie! ;) & he couldn't keep any food down. His bloodwork indicated his kidneys were ok but liver values were off the charts. We took Max to the Regional Veterinary Referral Center in Springfield, VA for an ultrasound Tues. morning.

Maxie recovering in a nice big double-crate at the Regional Veterinary Referral Center.

It was determined by Dr. Kilrain, Internal Specialist, that Max's bile duct was blocked between his liver & intestines. It wasn't clear exactly what was causing the obstruction. My understanding is that the bile builds up in the gall bladder between meals & when food enters the intestines for digestion, the bile flows in & helps break it down. No wonder Max was having trouble keeping food down, he couldn't digest it. This is particularly awful, knowing how much Max loves to eat! But as of last check, he's lost only <1lb.

Maxie was covered by a blanket & on a heating pad under a comfy mat but he started to pant a while after we were there, so the vet tech said we could leave the blanket off.

Max had the surgery Weds. around noon. Several gall stones & some kind of anomoly/scar tissue on the intestinal lining were contributing to the blockage. Dr. Griffin removed the gall stones, biopsied the gall stones, pancreas & liver, cultured the bile, & inspected his intestines. When we visited Max Weds. night he was conscious but still pretty out of it. He may be able to come home Thurs. or Friday. When the test results come in I'll keep you posted.

Maxie has at least 20 staples in his tummy. The shiny square is a delayed-release morphine patch.

Thank You, Everyone for your good wishes for Max! ** UPDATE!!** -- Thurs., January 11, 2007 - 9am I just called the hospital & they said Max did well overnight but he needs to stay one more night. -- His vitals are good. -- He hasn't eaten but he's gone #1 & #2 while out on walks. -- He's peppy & alert when out on walks. -- His bilirubin level is improved, at a normal level of .6 (on Tues it was at 5.2). Bilirubin ó is a component of bile. -- We will likely get most of the results from these tests next week. I'll be visiting Max again later tonight so check this page if you want to find out the latest! ** UPDATE** -- Weds., January 17, 2007 - 10:30pm Max came home from the hospital last Friday. He was pretty out of it, very quiet. He went back to the hospital on Saturday because he couldn't keep any food or water down & wasn't getting his medicine. He got his medicines via several injections that day & is now doing much better. He's taking 2 doses of Clavamox 2x/day (anti-biotic), a medicine to ease his tummy & URSO, a medicine for his digestive system. Max's appetite & signs of his old self gradually started to reappear on Sunday. He's now eating & drinking well & keeping it all down. He's stronger & more energetic & barks at sounds again, but not with his usual vigor. He has to wear the big e' collar, which he dislikes. The time-realeased morphine patch was removed from Max's side 2 days ago & he's doing fine. The only test result in so far is for leptospirosis, a nasty bacteria. It's negative. Hopefully the other tests will be back soon & will reveal what's going on with Maxie's system. The staples in his tummy will come out Weds. 1/24. Stay tuned! o<::::::::::::::>o<::::::::::::::>o<::::::::::::::>o<::::::::::::::>o<::::::::::::::>o<::::::::::::::>o I don't have any pics of Maxie from after he came home from the hospital because he accidentally knocked the camera down & now it's not working. So here are a some older pics of Maxie! 11-08-06 - on Mike's new boat! 05-04-03 - Maxie & the baby emus we rescued at Rikki's Refuge: