Appetite Satiated At Last

Joey looks up from reading his emails and comments, Monday evening, August 30, 2010

The update is late, but the news is good!  Your 'Long and Short of it All' host 'Joey' has eaten food and water for over 24 hours now without any vomiting!  He doesn't eat much - it will take a few days to get him used to food again, but he's eating enough to slightly form his stools, and keeping it down without the aid of any anti-nauseants. 

Dad had a ruff morning, hence the late update - it seems that Joey has developed some "sludge of the gallbladder and mucocele" which is potentially quite bad, and after reading about it on several veterinary sites, Dad went off the deep end a bit and couldn't handle another issue with the boy, and couldn't muster up an update.  But after taking the day off work at the last minute to talk to the internal medicine veterinarian about it, all is slightly better, as the vet doesn't think it is a huge issue, it has not led to mucocele as previously reported, and Joey should be able to come home tomorrow.  Let's repeat that:  JOEY SHOULD BE ABLE TO COME HOME TOMORROW!   Lesson learned (again):  stop reading about stuff on the internet and making assumptions about things you know nothing about. 

His pancreatitis is resolving itself, and his amylase/lipase values are both now within normal range.  The ultrasound shows a better picture of the pancreas.  The sludge of the gall bladder is evidently not surprising based on the shape that his pancreas was in.

And this will brighten anyone's day:  when we arrived at the hospital today, the vet tech was telling us that she went to Joey's pen and there was blood all over.  A scary thought, yes, but it turns out that he was wagging his tail so much against the netting on the side of the pen, that it has started to bleed!  He now has a little white bandage taped on the end of his tail, poor little man.  The vet tech said he chased it in circles for a while, but he didn't seem to mind it so much when we visited him today. 

Meanwhile, Maggie has been staying at a friend's house this week - what with Dad working all day and then visiting Joey in the evenings for several hours, that's a long time to be home alone by herself.  Tonight she's at her first (and probably last) agility practice and will do some "fun runs."  She's a gal on the go. 

Hungry Boy

Joey, Sunday, August 29, 2010

Today is the big day for your 'Long and Short of it All' host 'Joey.'  After resting his pancreas following the second bout of serious surgery-induced pancreatitis last Tuesday, he will be offered water and food today.  He's got to be able to keep the water and food down.  He finished his three-day course of TPN early this morning.  Next up is labs, and another ultrasound to look at that troubled pancreas.  Then he will most likely be offered some water, and then a small amount of food. 
And boy is this dog HUNGRY - which is a good sign.  He hasn't really eaten in two whole weeks, save for small amounts of baby food and a little canned food last Sunday and Monday.  When we visit him at the hospital he watches every single vet tech and veterinarian with great interest to see if they have any food in their hands.  He intently studies their every movement and facial expressions, head darting from side to side as they move across the room - DRATS!  - that crinkling sound is just another IV bag opening.  Oh, here they come with a whole bowl of food!  Eyebrows twitching, he wills them to step in his direction.  DRATS!  It's for the Labrador in the next bed recovering from surgery after swallowing a corn cob. 

You can do it Joey. 

Love Letters

This is just a sampling of the many Love Letters for Joey.  Thank you.

Love letters straight from your heart

Keep us so near while apart.

I'm not alone in the night

When I can have all the love you write.

I memorize every line,

I kiss the name that you sign.

And, darling, then I read again right from the start

Love letters straight from your heart.

Hello Joey and Maggie,

we went to the sea side the other day, when Lea decided it might be sweet sending some sunny fotos of Croatian cost line for Joey to have some sun...

we keep our paws crossed for Joey. We're keeping him in mind and share Maggie's nervousness end worries!

Lea hopes the sun will bring some smiles on Joey (cause she says he's cute:)

Good luck Joey, hang in there Maggie...

kisses to both...

I know where you're at right now.  My Poncho went in for spinal surgery almost 2 years ago and it was one of the most stressful times of my life! You are all in my thoughts tonight. Wish I were there to lend a hand to, in some small way, make life a little easier. It's a very good thing reading the blog, something I look forward to at the end of each day when I get home from work. Poncho's always in my lap at the 'puter, so he's kinda in on it as well.

Hope Joey gets better quickly!  Turbo and Reilly are thinkin' about him! We Love all the hard work he and Maggie put into the blog....

Joey knows that he is loved more than anything in the world. I can't tell you how my heart aches for you, because I know exactly just how painful it is. It's a pain that will never go away, but when it's painful like this, you know what a special bond you share with your babies. Joey couldn't have asked for a more loving daddy. We are going to keep thinking positive thoughts of Joey, and wishing a miracle to happen soon... Please keep us posted on his progress. Be strong for Joey and Maggie.

Yours in doxie love, Chopper, BP, and Colt

Dearest Joey, our Mum here in England has just read out your latest bulletin... She and Dad are so so happy and we are both over the moon. Mum was really frightened when she saw the photos of you with Maggie, she said in your eyes you looked too too poorly and it reminded her of our brother Stanley on the day they brought him home (Stanley was lost to myelomalacia following back surgery). Mum says today you look like a different dog entirely, your eyes look good and bright and the old Joey spirit is shining through. Mum says that in your latest photo, you look like a dog that has turned the corner, and we are all so very pleased and proud of you little man. Good thoughts coming across the pond from England every day, Mum checks your blog several times a day for updates because of the time difference, and we don't mind telling you, you have brightened our Saturday evening so much. We love you little man xxxx And we say well done to your Dad, Maggie and your close friends who have kept the faith each and every day :0)

Much love,

Louie and Milo

Nikita sends big kiss to my little friend Joey. We love this site, we love dachshunds, here in Brazil we are called "linguicinhas" (I think it is the same as sausage) 

Woofs and Kisses ....

The Whirr of the Tail

Joey coming in back in the hospital after potty break, Saturday, August 28, 2010:  This is Joey's way of saying "Thanks!" for all the prayers and well-wishes that have been sent to him.

Guarded Optimism

Joey, Friday evening, August 27, 2010

Your 'Long and Short of it All' host 'Joey' continues to recover from his bilateral adrenalectomy and spleenectomy surgery.  Surgery took place Tuesday, August 17, 2010, and this is day 12 in his recovery.  He survived a pulmonary embolism post-surgery and is currently dealing with severe surgery-induced pancreatitis.  His pancreatitis spiked a second time a few days ago, and he was started on Total Parenteral Nutrition (TPN) to feed him and to allow his pancreas to rest.  He is on his second day of TPN therapy, which will run a total of three days at this point. 

And we've got good news to share!  Joey's internal medicine vet gave us a call yesterday, and with excitement in his voice, stated that he was very optimistic about Joey's recovery!  They ran another amylase/lipase, which points toward his pancreatitis, and one of the values is back to normal!  That's the first time one of those values has been normal since his surgery!   So, this is exciting news, but the real test will be whether or not he can handle some water which will be offered to him on Monday.  If he can handle the water, he will then be offered small amounts of food.  And if he can handle the food, he will soon come home!

So, obviously we're a bit guarded with this good news - the past few weeks have been a rollercoaster of emotions to say the least.  But we're remaining positive and aren't inviting the thoughts that everything isn't going to work out great when he is finally offered some water and food.  His pancreas will be fine and well rested.  It's simply got to be so.  This boy has had such bad luck thrown his way, that the entire universe has done a full 360 - and nothing but good things will be coming his way from now on.

And thanks so much for the continued well wishes, crossed paws, and prayers.  We know very well that it's all this positive energy coupled with a crack hospital staff that pushed down those values yesterday.  We're eternally grateful. 

We still read to Joey every night all of his comments and emails that he gets.  We're quite sure that the hospital staff have decided that we're certifiably insane for doing so, but so be it.  

More good news:  Joey now rests at the hospital in a playpen because he kept jumping down off his little cot.

Time is the Wisest Counsellor of All

We're having a bit of a writer's block today, we're not sure where to start or where to finish.  Joey was very sick when Maggie went and visited him in the hospital, which was the primary reason for her visit.  We can't bring ourselves to go into the sordid details, but suffice to say it was almost all over for him.  The docs did an ultrasound of his pancreas to get a better picture of what is going on, and the result is that his pancreas is "really messed up" as a post-surgical complication.  There is a possibility that his pancreas may also have a blood clot which has lodged there.  Hopefully by not allowing food and water, his pancreas can rest and heal itself.
Joey has not really eaten anything since Monday a week ago (the day before his surgery), so he is obviously very weak, and restricting food at this point (not that he would keep it down), is not an option, so he has been started on TPN, Total Parenteral Nutrition, or intravenous feed.  In order for this to happen, Joey had to have a central IV line placed in his jugular, and the line goes very near his heart.  It could become infected, or it could make him throw another clot, but it was his only option to administer the TPN.  They tried to access a large vein in his hind leg instead of running the risk of the jugular access, and then the tube would run far into his body, but the short little legs of a Dachshund would not allow the tube to be placed.
And so it's another wait-and-see adventure for Joey.  He is doing better than he was when Maggie visited him, so all the prayers and well-wishes are working, and so appreciated.  Now we wait and give him time for his pancreas to heal.  The doc said we will know more in two or three days, and gives him a 60-70% chance of pulling through this complication.  We're banking on those odds coupled with all the good will in his general direction that he will heal. 

Dad's Little Angels

Cell phone photo:  Maggie and Joey, August 25, 2010

We took Maggie to visit with Joey at the veterinary specialty center last night.  It was a nice visit and they sat together for a good hour or so.  Joey rested his tired little head on his sister.  Joey is not doing well.  The surgery-induced pancreatitis is getting the best of him.  We haven't given up hope yet, but will know more after we discuss his options with his internal medicine vet this morning.  Thank you for keeping him in your thoughts and prayers.