Cheyenne Update!

It is me - Cheyenne - and I want to thank you all for your warm pup thoughts and prayers. Mommy said that the results came back from my surgery and it seems I ate something yellow, reflective, and glass-like that ended up as shards stuck in my lower stomach. I am not sure what she is talking about cause I just like to eat everything I can put in my mouth - so, it must have been tasty!

The shards got stuck and caused an infection, which caused all ulcers and the area to become swollen and close off my tummy tract. From what mommy tells me, I am very lucky to be alive.

Now I am on oral medication (that mommy wraps in a little cheese), eating more normal food (with a little meat/rice mixed in) and will get my stitches out this Saturday. I can't wait to get my stitches out cause we are heading right to the dog park after the vet so that I can burn off all this puppy energy I have been storing up for just such a place! Hanging around home and being kept "calm" is not my idea of fun - I want to run and play - but mommy said no more eating things I find on the ground. Aww - party pooper!

Thanks again everyone and keep checking back for updates!

Lab smiles,
Cheyenne

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Pathology Results - the Dog ate it!

The vet called last night and we finally have the pathology results from Cheyenne's stomach problems. It was not a toxic substance, it is not cancer, and it is not truly bacterial. It seems that Cheyenne, in fact, did ingest something we didn't give her. The sample showed yellow reflective shards of something like glass. These shards embedded themselves into the wall of the pylorus and caused an infection. Hence, the area became ulcerated and swollen.

We have no idea what this material is and neither does the veterinarian. My husband and I have walked through the house looking for anything that resembles this type of material and even went out to the garage and backyard. Nothing we have came even close to this and since Cheyenne is never out of our sight, we are still scratching our heads. Could someone have thrown some glass over the fence and into our yard? That is the only possibility we can think of since Cheyenne no longer attends doggie daycare. There wasn't anything like this even at the Doggy Dip on Sunday - she didn't eat or drink anything while there except the pool water while swimming and there was nothing in the pool like that.

I am sure we will spend a good deal of time trying to figure this riddle out but in the meantime, Cheyenne should be fine given the medications she is on and the fact that she hasn't thrown up since the vet. Sure, we are still on a mixed bland/dog food diet but that is getting tapered off at the moment and she is inhaling her food once again. The vet did say that if this happens again after the medication is done, we are to bring her in immediately and they may have to surgically remove the rest of the area due to the shards of material still there. Otherwise, it should just pass through her system. Only time can tell at this point.

Again, we want to thank you all for your warm thoughts and prayers. Our Lab girls mean the world to us and I couldn't even imagine a day without our energy ball, Cheyenne.

Stitched Up Energy Ball Pup

Sleeping beauty is sleeping once again but not until she had inhaled her small amount of bland food breakfast this morning. Yes, our Cheyenne has turned once more into the Lab vacuum cleaner and has surely gotten her appetite back. Of course, we cannot give her more than half of her normal amount of food in one day; give in 4 small amounts throughout the day. We have to keep in mind that the sutures on the outside of her belly aren't the only ones that exist. Her stomach had been turned inside-out looking for the cause of her life-threatening vomit incident just a couple of days ago. Hence, causing her stomach to extend in even the slightest of ways can make her sick.

She does not have all of her Labrador Retriever puppy energy back but has slowly been more awake and getting bored very easily. She played with her sister, Dakota, a few times yesterday but we had to make sure to keep Dakota's paws away from the tender belly while they tried to play. Not an easy task since they usually play very rough together. Dakota isn't happy because we keep interrupting their play time with "Easy!" and placing our hands between the two to deflect any of paws heading straight for Cheyenne's stitched up belly.

Overall, our Cheyenne is slowly starting to get back to normal. It is a slow and steady process but we are content as long as she does not vomit again. We are happy to report that we have not had one incident since she came home and all pills/food have been passing nicely through her digestive system. Let's just pray that she continues on this road of health and that there is a smooth road ahead.

Pup on the slow mend

Cheyenne was exhausted when she got home last nigh but didn't have much energy and was kind of dazed. That didn't stop her tail from wagging though when she saw us. Tons of Labrador kisses came next and she headed right for the door to get the heck out of that vet's office!



The vet told us that he didn't think it was mushrooms, aspirin, or the small amount of weed control we put on the lawn. However, he said it was most likely something toxic or bacterial. Of course, we wont know anything until at least Friday, if the pathology comes back that soon. She is now on oral antibiotics and anti-ulcer medication. He couldn't put her on any pain medication as they will upset the stomach and that is the last thing we want to do given that he had actually cut open the stomach and literally turned it inside-out looking for the cause of her ailment. That was when he found the pyloric ulceration. Needless to say, she is on a bland diet for 5 days and limited exercise. He didn't feel the need for crate rest but to just make sure she doesn't become too active when out of the crate (she usually sleeps at my feet when I am working from home).

Last night was interesting. She was in a good deal of pain and not sure what happened to her. We slowly introduced her back to Dakota so that Dakota's energy wouldn't knock her off her feet. When we fed her the bland boiled meat and rice, she didn't want any of it - not even with some chicken broth. That was discouraging but we tried some beef broth in it this morning, heated it up (so the beef smell was everywhere) and she ate it nicely. We need to give her 4 small meals a day so that her tummy doesn't get distended. She doesn't seem to have any problem going potty but has yet to poop. I have to laugh because I know how excited I am going to be when I see her finally poop. Sad, isn't it? :)



So right now it is time for her to rest, eat slowly, and take it easy. She slept great in her crate last night and has decided to take over Dakota's crate at this moment because it has a much softer bed (should would have one too if she would stop destroying them!).

Thank you all again for your kind thoughts and abundant prayers. We will make sure to keep everyone updated on her progress and the results of the pathology!

PS. Both pictures attached to this blog entry were taken this morning. Cheyenne is sporting a beautiful shaven puppy belly and all! :)

Sick Pup Update

As some of you may know from yesterday's post, our Cheyenne was very sick yesterday. It turned out that her pylorus was swollen and ulcerated. I just called the vet this morning and Cheyenne is doing very well. She did not throw up at all last night and they are going to be offering her a little food shortly. If she is able to keep down the food, then they will be able to release her today. We will know whether the feeding was successful when I give them a call around 11-11:30am. We need major prayers that she is able to keep this food down so that she can come home later today. We miss her greatly!

Update 11:00am:
The vet reports that Cheyenne was able to eat some food and take oral medication without vomiting. The vet is anxious to get the results from pathology as has never seen a case like hers when no toxin has been ingested within 24 hours before the vomiting. Again, he stated that he did not think it was the aspirin and gave further information as to why. It seems the ulcers would not occur with just one dose of aspirin and it would have had to been given over a longer period of time and regularly. I asked about the Cosequin supplements we have been giving her every morning and he said that he never saw a case of Cosequin causing any ulcers or any pyloric swelling. Still no answers until the results come back.

So does Cheyenne come home today? We don't know yet. The vet wants to keep her as late as possible today and try to give her some more food and fluids. I am to call at 4:00pm and if she still has not vomited, we can pick her up between 5:00-5:30pm tonight! Needless to say, I am on pins and needles - watching the clock to see if my baby Lab comes home - but trying not to get too excited should she not be able. I guess you will know when I do!

Update 4:00pm:


Cheyenne is coming home!

Between the x-rays, tests, stay, exploratory surgery, medications, IVs, etc, the grand total for everything was $1099.30!! Ouch! Well, we knew that the surgery alone was going to be anywhere from $800-$1,000 so we were figuring around $1,500 for the grand total . . . We are not complaining! We will be picking her up in an hour and bringing her home for much needed love and spoiling. I will make sure to post an update on the vet visit tonight since that is when we will get all the details - except, of course, the pathology results!

Thank you all again for your care and prayers. They have helped us a great deal and I believe that each one of you that have prayed for her have had a hand in saving our Lab pup's life!

Cheyenne is sick

We awoke at 3am to a constant scratch on the bottom of the girls' crates. Usually Cheyenne will bark or cry when she needs to be let out but this was scratching, this was Dakota. My husband got up and within 5 minutes, he came into bedroom and said: "I need your help. Cheyenne is sick." Why did Dakota scratch when it was Cheyenne that was sick? Because she always tells us when something is wrong with her sister or her sister is into something.

Cheyenne, our almost 10-month old Labrador Retriever puppy was indeed sick and very scared. The bottom of her crate and blankets were soaked in vomit. Not only that, after my husband brought her outside, she vomited in the middle of the livingroom. So, at 3:00 am, we lugged out rolls of paper towel, a new garbage bag, and the steam cleaner. As I used the steam cleaner, my husband spent time with Cheyenne and Dakota; both were very scared because Cheyenne has a lead-lined stomach and can eat almost anything without getting sick; usually it is Dakota throwing up.

We finally got to bed around 3:30am and at 5:10am, Cheyenne started to cry. Unfortunately, it seemed she wasn't done. The towel that we put in her crate was caked with vomit - luckily it was just on the towel so I grabbed the towel and let them outside on the way to the laundry room.

It was now evident that it was time for me to make boiled chopped meat and rice to help Cheyenne's stomach calm down and get some food in her. I gave her 1/3 of a cup (she normally get 1-1/4 cups of food in the morning) of that mixture and she was looking for more. It was a great sign that didn't last for long. Afterwards, she threw up another 4 times. That makes 6 times in 4 hours. Most of the time it is nothing but a brown liquid so, needless to say, we are highly concerned. If it were something she had eaten last night or our time at the pool, she would have gotten sick much earlier. She is also lethargic and the usually butt wiggle she does when you say her name has been downgraded to a small wiggle of the tip of her tail.

Cheyenne is not well - not well at all. We have no idea what is making her so sick but we know it is time to seek a vet's help. I have already left a message on their machine this morning and am waiting for a call back for the earliest appointment possible. At the least, they can give her a shot to stop her from vomiting and keep even water down so she can stay hydrated. Please keep her in your prayers.

Update 10:20am:
Just got home. Cheyenne had thrown up 12 times by the time we left for the vet, then once in the car on the way (eww!), once in the waiting area, two times in the room, and 2 times back in the x-ray/diagnostics lab. That makes a whopping 18 times since 2:30am (I thought it was 3:30am but my husband says we got up at 2:30am). The vet came out immediately to the waiting area (right after Cheyenne threw up again) and said to us "Just letting you know that I am most likely going to keep her cause 13... err... 14 times is too much and she is already dehydrated."

He sent us home about 15 minutes after without our baby Cheyenne. She was so tired on the drive there and her muzzle was all skin and bones from dehydration. She was so scared and looked so sick. He looked at her gums (and I took a sneak look) and they were so pale! He said they were hooking her up to an IV right away, getting blood tests, and getting abdominal x-rays. Oh! She also winced when he touched her belly - she never shows signs of pain! (e.g. OCD diagnosis for those that remember)

My husband dropped me off at home (took a vacation day) and headed back to work. I am now waiting for the vet's call... he did say that it was not bloat but most likely something she ingested up a couple of days ago. He thinks it could also be a partial or full bowel obstruction but most likely not toxicity from the very small amount of weed killer on our lawn. Of course, he needs the results of the tests to tell him what it is... and I was so relieve when he said he would not let her come home in her condition because even the dehydration could kill her - I warms my heart to know that he takes dehydration very seriously (some vet's dont). I did not argue cause I didnt want her home in her condition - there was no way I could even keep up with cleaning all the vomit this morning! (sigh)

Please keep her in your prayers. I will post an update as soon as I have one. Right now I am going to clean up some more from her "episodes" this morning and spend some time with Dakota since she is still in a bit of shock from everything and missing her sister greatly.

Update 11:00am:
Just got a call from the vet. He laid out the following results:

• Blood fine - no infection, disease, or virus
• Blockage found - small intestine, not stones, may be rawhide but not sure

Since they found a blockage in the intestine, they need to go in and see what it is and get it out. They are performing a laparotomy at noon and find out what it is and try to get it out. He said it will be simple surgery but that there is a chance that part of the intestine could have died and he would need to repair it then. He doesnt think there is any damage cause we came in so early but wanted me to know up front. Of course, the surgery isnt cheap but I told him "We have credit cards so do what you need to do!". He is calling it emergency surgery because the longer we wait, the greater the chances for permanent damage.

If it is just the simple surgery, we could have her home as early as tomorrow. He will give me a call after the surgery to let me know how things went, what he found, the prognosis, and when we can have Cheyenne back home with us. Please, please, please keep those prayers coming... especially now that she is having surgery.

I will post new updates as I get them. Thanks everyone!

Update 2:00pm:
Surgery is over with and Cheyenne is resting comfortably. There was no obstruction, but the area between the stomach and small intestine (pylorus) was "swollen & ulcerated" and contained lesions. What does this mean? The vet said it seems physiological and caused by something she ingested. I asked again about the weed control and he said that with the amount of inflammation, it was unlikely. I have no idea what she could have gotten into as she is never out of our sight. However, she was sniffing in a couple of areas of the dog park on Saturday and could have eaten something that someone had dropped, something the park officials sprayed (doubtful), or some toxic plant/dead animal.

They sent a piece of tissue over to pathology but it will take 3-5 days to get the results. In the meantime, she is on ulcer medications, antibiotics, and IVs. If they can stop her vomiting and get her to eat/drink, they may allow her to come home tomorrow. Of course, we need to get her vomiting under control so that we can give her oral medications at home before they will release her. Oh how I wish they had visiting hours! I so miss my sassy girl!

Please keep her in your prayers. Sure, we dont have an answer yet but we are at least making progress and she is receiving the care she needs - quite honestly, had we not brought her in as quickly as we did, she could have died. (sigh) I dont even want to think about it!

The next call to the vet is at 4pm and I will be putting out another update by 6pm. Oh! And please add Dakota to your prayers as well - she is really having a hard time with Cheyenne not being home and is utterly depressed. Thanks everyone!

Update 7:00pm:
This is the last daily update for today. Around 4pm, I called the vet and only spoke with the receptionist. She said that Cheyenne was doing very well and that they are planning on her going home tomorrow. She had not thrown up since before the surgery and they will have someone check her throughout the night. I will be calling around 9am tomorrow to get another update and see how her night went and whether or not she can come home. The house is so empty without her but Dakota is starting to come around and actually enjoy some quality 1-on-1 time with me and my husband. Again, I want to thank everyone for their prayers and ask that they continue to keep Cheyenne in them. She is not out of the woods as we dont have an exact diagnosis and the next few days will be difficult for her. It is horrible when the cause isnt identified... I just pray it is something we can treat and that she will be able to live a "normal" and healthy life!

Until tomorrow my friends...

Wake the Dogs!

As I was wandering the Internet, I happened upon a blog that said to go to Yahoo!, turn up your speakers, and click on the exclamation point in the Yahoo! Logo.

Oh my! Both of our dogs jumped a mile into the sky and ran around the house barking up a storm. As I clutched my sides and wiped the tears streaming down my face from laughing so hard at them, I gave each a warm hug (while trying to hide back more laughter) and told them I am sorry. Well, I don't know how sorry I was because it was hysterical! Needless to say, the Lab Brats were not as amused! Before you think I am a mean woman, go and try it yourself!

Toxic Foods for Your Lab

After writing an article about Poisonous Plants, someone had requested that I write one about Toxic Foods for dogs. It was a great idea and after researching the topic for a while, the article is now published!

There were some foods that I didn't even know were toxic until I began my research so I suggest everyone read it. Of course, if I am missing any foods, please let me know so I can update it right away! Again, the article is geared towards Labs but the same list holds true for all dogs!

Toxic Foods for Your Lab: http://www.8pawsup.com/articles/dogtoxicfoods.html

Lab Smiles,
Shannon
owned by Dakota & Cheyenne

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Runaway Lab!

Last week was like heaven for us. The family was on vacation all week and our distant family drove up to spend the entire time with us - along with their two small dogs. Needless to say, we had a great time and were often coming and going.

It was early afternoon and I went into the kitchen to give Dakota and Cheyenne their normal mid-afternoon cookie for being so good. Dakota came immediately but there was no Cheyenne. What? Cheyenne is the biggest food hog I have ever seen and she was not the first to heed my "Cookie!" call. Panic set in when I looked on the counter and realized that my husband had taken off both girls' collars because they were playing in the water earlier. A search was set out and all 4 of us ran around the house; opening all doors and cabinets; thinking she was stuck somewhere. She was no where in the house! That was when my heart stopped! My 9-month old Lab baby was not in the house and didn't have her collar on! Sure, she was microchipped but how many people check for them!?! This was crazy - she never goes out of eyesight from Dakota!

We all ran outside the house and checked the backyard. This is where the real panic set in because someone left the gate open! Sure, the girls are trained to stay in the yard when the gate is open but that is when we are paying attention to them. We immediately set out in opposite directions yelling "Cheyenne, want a cookie?". Yes, we weren't playing games and resorted right to pleading with her to come back for food. I decided to even check the neighbors backyard since she will run over there from time to time to see if their golden retriever is outside to play with. No golden retriever and no Cheyenne! My heart was hurting as I thought about us being 1 block from a major street. I yelled out one final plea before heading back to the house: "Cheyenne, want some cheese?". Now I was grasping at straws since cheese is a major treat and given very seldom. Still no response and as I turned to leave the neighbor's yard, I saw Cheyenne running straight for me with her tail wagging and a huge Lab smile on her face. My heart leapt and I gave her the command "Backyard", at which she turned and bolted for our own backyard.

Needless to say, that was the longest 15 minutes of our lives! As it turns out, the two men in our family went out to do something in the garage and didn't notice that Cheyenne was right behind them heading out the back door. As soon as they turned their attention to fixing something in the garage, Cheyenne saw it as her opportunity to check out our other neighbors flower bed. Normally the girls are not allowed to go near those flowers but since no one was paying attention and mommy was in the house, Cheyenne saw it as her opportunity to go exploring. She was only on the other side of our 6 Ft cedar fence the whole time and my husband will never hear the end of it!

Cheyenne is huge!

It seems like only yesterday that we welcomed home our second Lab pup, Cheyenne. Today I took a picture of her and found that, although she is only 9 months old, she is almost the same size as her 1.5-year old sister, Dakota.



That is her, being used by her sister has a pillow. Now 65 lbs and only 1 inch short of her older sister, we wonder exactly how big she will get. Sure, she eats everything in sight but does that mean that we will have a 100 lbs Labrador Retriever on our hands when she is fully grown! That would bring us to close to 175 lbs worth of Chocolate Labs in our house! Oh my!

Lab Tails August Issue

Hot off the presses, the 8 Paws Up Monthly Newsletter, Lab Tails, for August 2006 is now available. We have updates on our site, Lab of the Month, sales, rescue information, and new products. For your viewing pleasure, you may find it here!