Dear RU friends,
Sometimes life and hope can change extremely quickly. And tonight, my life changed about an hour ago. I would dearly love to post some happy positive and joyous news about collecting out Henry tonight, but in between the vet calling me this afternoon, and our consultation tonight, my world has just been crushed.
The vet consulted with the exotic specialist because of......complications.
They attempted to get some bloods from Henry and they tried his paw and his neck. According to the vet, Henry has significant adema. This is preventing them from obtaining any bloods from him. Those of you who have experience of this will know where this is all leading. For me, I'm afraid the last hour was just a blur and shock.
The vet gave a possibility - only a remote one that the adema is possibly due to the fluids that Henry has been having intensively the last 3 days whilst in hospital.
The vet also had to concede that the adema is also more likely a cause of liver issues/failure. They obtained one drop of blood from Henry - enough to put on a slide but not really sufficient to send off for a more thorough analysis. So we decided against sending off the one blood drop smear because that's really not going to help us or Henry at this stage.
The vet and the nurse were both quite frank about where they thought things were leading and we had to have a hard discussion on what the prognosis is.
Henry, apparently, chewed through the catheter in the hospital and was trying to bite the night staff. That's Henry - he has a bit of a fiesty streak in him.
The vet has given Henry a dialaretic injection in an effort to try to disperse the adema and I have to take Henry back tomorrow morning for a second one as they must be given 12 hours apart for them to work. Meanwhile we must administer fibreplex and syringe feed through the night every 4 hours. I don't mind that. In fact, it's the least I can do and I owe Henry that.
If the injections do not work, and the vet said we will know tomorrow, then the prognosis was blunt and is. I am afraid, one that I am really not mentally ready for but unfortunately one that is the reality. I can't type what that is - I am just too busy pouring tears all over the keyboard.
Henry continues to have diahorrea and his output on that is loose and wet. Which further implies as far as our vet is concerned, that this is an organ issue. The lack of appetite and not holding weight all point to something that they cannot find on x-ray so there's no visible obstruction. The vet said this could be a liver infection - which could be treated but that's only determined by blood analysis. It could be poisoning of some sort or it could just be 'one of those things' - just something biological that caused or is causing possible liver failure. We do not know.
We brought Henry home tonight - we felt he deserved that as he is part of our family. We love Henry with all of our hearts. Lillian deserves to see him and Henry deserves to feel that bond with Lillian again, regardless of what the outcome is.
I was never a good reader of people, but I could tell by the vets expression and that of the nurse, that they had that feeling - they will have seen many cases similar whereas I have not.
Henry is eating some basil leaves right now. He is sitting upright a few feet away. He is listening but you can tell he is distant. Lillian is a small distance away but at least she is close by.
I know we haven't reached that 'decision' yet - but I am afraid that in my heart I also know that I must reach that decision tomorrow at some point or possibly over the weekend.
I wish that I had something better, something more hopeful for you all, as you have all put so much energy and wishes and vibes into Henry. I know I am looking on the worse case scenario, and perhaps the injections to disperse the adema will work? I will dearly hold that thought - for Henry's sake, but I'm afraid in my heart I know what the reality is. And for that, I am completely broken.
I will update you as and when I can tomorrow. I am truly sorry my RU friends. I wish I had positive news instead of this. I was not expecting this.
Craig xx
