It was the big vet visit yesterday for some of the gang …Brody, Sally and Thea all had their annual checkups … Brody and Sally got their three year rabies .. Thea got vaccinated .. all got HW tested and blood values checked … we often catch little anomalies in the blood – for example Brody’s kidneys were a little funky twice – a short course of antibiotics turned that around … (thank heavens)
Now it’s Sally’s turn to worry us … her ALT number is way WAY up – more than double the highest normal .. she usually sits around 45-49 and yesterday it was 209. How very scary. It’s a liver value … only one of two is high (her alp is OK apparently). So my lovely conservative vet says she’s not clinical (lethargic, vomiting) so we’ll wait 4 months and recheck. The first google search I do says high water intake can be an indicator too – and Sally has been drinking lakes full of water lately. Oh No. So I’m leaning towards an earlier check of the blood value. I was just saying to a friend today that really I’m running Sally too early at regionals but if something were to happen to me I would be so sad never to get to run the joyful one at a big event. Maybe a little too prescient eh?
I’m under doctor’s orders to take it easy – so yesterday I worked a half day then ended up working at Big T’s aunt’s getting 18 inches of standing water out of her basement. Today I worked a half day then drove up to do a LITTLE outdoor agility. It was lovely. Sun was shining, dogs were happy.. and once I turned my brain body connection on they ran well too. Brody needed to poop in his first run but he managed to keep it pretty together. Sally was really sniffy at first and quite disconnected but her second run (and moments of her first) were brilliant! I think I’d better go back to a full day at work tomorrow so I actually do take it easy!
Hope Sally is all right. Tucker's liver and pancreas values were through the roof. He's now being followed by Dr Bravo at Alta Vista, the same vet I saw for Ceilidh. She thinks he's pre-symptomatic for Cushings. We've had no vomiting either but I think he's drinking more now too.
I'm so glad that Ceilidh qualified and ran in one Nationals. Her 7th place ribbon for one of the Gambles hangs in a very special place.
awww Helen – that's so nice … I tackled my vet at length today about Sally and this blood – we'll retest in 6-8 weeks (comprimising some) and if the values are continuing to rise we'll check for cushings and do a liver ultrasound … she's not 5 yet so I'm hoping she ate a funky weed and the values settle right back to normal … Brody's regionals ribbons from 2008 are something I will always cherish … Sally in the 22 inch regular division is unlikely to EVER win a ribbon there but I'm pretty sure it will still be fun 🙂 thinking of you .. and your pooches ..
Oh geez, they (dogs, cats, etc.) are always giving us something to worry about, aren't they… Hope this is just a little blip and her levels will be back to normal on the recheck. Glad your vet understood where you were coming from and agreed to compromise!
Thanks Lisa – can't comment on your blog tonight – if you are too sad that Walter is on a longer break than hoped for you are welcome to run either one of my bad dogs at regionals 🙂
Heck you run one and Helen runs the other and I'll be ring crew elsewhere 🙂
Haha! Thanks for the offer 🙂 It would be a tough choice between the two though, so I'll let you have them both 🙂