In January, my 13 year-old yorkie, Bose, fell gravely ill. It began with an upset stomach (described in my previous post) and quickly progressed to collapse and severe bradycardia (slow heart rate). His symptoms didn't seem to rule in or rule out a cause. In fact, they had veterinarians across the country stumped. After Bose's diagnosis with cancer, we continued searching for the cause of his symptoms. Still unanswered were the nausea, lethargy and bradycardia. A couple of nights following Bose's ultrasound, he collapsed near death. I rushed him to my clinic and administered treatment for systemic shock. I began researching some lesser known causes for his symptoms. Although he didn't fit the normal characteristics of a dog suffering from Addison's disease, I thought I should test him anyway. Addison's disease is when a dog's adrenal gland fails to produce enough cortisol. To my frustration, his test came back negative. I continued to consult with fellow veterinarians, and we decided to run a more comprehensive test for Addison's. This test looks closer at the levels which indicate Addison's disease, and in this test, Bose's levels were inconclusive. Because Addison's explained all of his symptoms, I began treating Bose for Addison's, and he responded remarkably well. He gets a shot once a month and meds every other day. Slowly, he has come back to us.
When he felt a little better, we began chemotherapy for his bladder cancer. Because of the steriods he takes for his Addison's, he cannot take the non-steroidal anti-inflammatory for his bladder cancer. We hoped that his cancer would fall into the small percentage of TCC tumors that actually respond to chemotherapy. Sadly, the chemotherapy did not shrink the tumor. Bose is still asymptomatic of his cancer. So, for the time being, we are just watching the tumor. And I am cherishing every day I have left with my special guy. That is the story of how I have spent the past few months nursing Bose back to health.
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