so it all started friday night when i was supposed to go to a friends party and my friend kimmy was going to pick me up. kimmy was running late because she couldnt find her purse. when she came over i gave her a quick tour of the house and then we went out to the garage through the backyard to go see my art studio. well when we walked out there boba followed and prime came out but stopped at the gate and he turned around to go back in the house. after like 2 minutes in the art studio me and kimmy walked back into the house and thomas asked me what i did - i asked what he meant and he said that Prime just threw up and pooped at the same time and he yelled at him and because he did it inside the house. prime was standing in the kitchen and i thought he was scared because he knew he wasnt supposed to do that in the house and thats why he wasnt moving. then we noticed he wasnt moving but still pooping. which we thought was wierd of course but thought he was still just scared. thomas picked him up and put him on a blanket in the house and then he picked him up from the one couch and put him on the other couch to be closer to him. i bent down to say goodbye and noticed he wasnt really responding to me. i picked him up and his body was limp his eyes were open but he wasnt even holding his head up. i yelled at thomas and told him he was lethargic and we needed to take him to the vet hospital now. thomas picked him up and i ran to the car. i was trying to get boba to get in the car but was having trouble and kimmy - the angel- was still there and helped us get boba in the car and i took prime and thomas drove while kimmy left.
as we were driving i called our vet and they said the nearest emergency care was in campbell i called the vet to tell them that we were coming and what happened. - (on a side note - i have called twice and thomas has called once, for a location of a nearer emergency vet clinic but they always told us campbell. well when i was in the car i was told that i could go to los altos/mountain view. another God thing because the adobe animal clinic was right on el camino by san antonio road about 15 minutes away.)
as i was holding prime and thomas was driving and booger was in the back i was talking to prime trying to make him feel more comfortable telling him we loved him and he was a fighter and i was so proud of him and praying for him. he was still limp so it was hard trying to keep his head up and hold him as we were driving and finding the vet location. we missed the turn and prime wasnt really crying and it was hard to tell if he was still breathing but he was just really shallow. when we got to vet thomas drove up right to the door to let me out and i ran out and there was two double doors before getting into the hospital and when i ran up to the second door one of the receptionists saw me and stood up and suddenly like 3 people rushed to me and opened the second door and the receptionist pointed to the corner door and was paging the doctor overhead to go to the 'trauma' room. when she pointed i ran with prime into the back and a couple people ran behind me and one person ran in front to direct me. i placed prime on the sliver table and they all looked up at me and i said his name is prime and he 8 months and started the whole story. as soon as i placed him down on the table there was like 5 people around him.
there was so much going on - one vet nurse or tech was graping the clippers to start an iv on his leg another was drawing blood, another was doing the blood work for results, and one was writing down everything the doctor was saying and what they were doing for him. one girl even took papertowels and wiped the poop on my arm and i didnt even notice because there was so much going on i only remember her grabbing my arm real quick.
the dr was asking us all these questions like - did you see him eat anything, is there gum, is there poinsettias, is there rat poison, does the gardner use weed killer. all no's - she said it looks like a toxin reaction or severe allergic reaction because he was having a seizure and then went into shock. thomas ran in with boba and we stood there watching as they worked on our baby puppy. the doctor was really great because she told us what she was doing as it was happening. she said that his blood sugar was low - 48 (normal 60-90) and that he was really cold 99 - ( 101 or 102). so they gave him dextrose, fluids, and wrapped him in a blanket and hot iv bags around his body. one nurse had to hold pressure on his neck because they took blood from him there but he was still bleeding after 10 minutes so the vet checked his platelets and they were low and then checked his liver enzymes and they were elevated and his white blood cells were low. she said it was a mystery why he wasnt clotting and they had to put a pressure bandage around his neck.
after the started to stabilize him they said we can see him when they settled him into the ICU. after about an hour it was finally ok to go see him and he was in his little kennel and he was still wrapped in blankets and iv bags and had an iv running with a pump.
when i saw him he started to throw up again and the doctor held him as he threw up then added reglan to his iv bag as well as potassium. the doctor said we can always call in for questions but the noc doc was coming on but she would be back at 10 and we can come visit again anytime tomorrow. so we got home around 1230 and the doctor called us again and stated that the trauma that prime had experienced has caused blood flow to slightly stop to his intestines and he started 'sloughing' or loosing the top layer of his intestines leaking out of his bottom. she said it was tissue and bloody and i told her with his clotting problems i was afraid of a gi bleed and she said she was too but was more concerned about an infection and started him on antibiotics. we fell asleep and woke up at 830 to go visit prime again. it really didnt feel like sleep at all more like a blink of an eye.in the morning we saw prime and he opened his eyes when i said his name and we gave him his ninja penguin. thomas put it with him to cuddle. the doctor said that now instead of being anemic that primes rbc's shot up and that when they start to come down he will feel better again. she said liver was the same and that they sent out a test for bile salts and would recieve the results the next morning. she said its still a mystery as to what happened but for now its a lot of supportive care. she also said his heart rate was up and he was moaning in the night so they increased his fluids and added pain medication. we said goodbye to prime and got some breakfast.
after breakfast we both dealt with our grief they way we can - thomas by sleeping with boba by his side and me keeping myself busy shopping and going to a 4b christmas party and clair'es welcome home party. before the parties i went to visit prime again with my mom dad and sister tam.
They each got to see him and this time he lifted his head and tried to sit up but eventually slid down because he was so weak. he was cuddled with his penguin and i said goodnight.the doctor came in to to talk to me and my mom and she said we were lucky to get him in within 30 minutes of the incident and he was stable but still serious. thomas visited him like 4 hours later at 10pm to say goodnight and he was able to actually hold prime in a towel. the vet stated that he was doing better and might be able to go home the next day after more blood tests and results
. thomas put our christmas picture up in his kennel and said that one of the nurses gave him a warm bath earlier that day and swaddled him like a baby and held him for like 30 mins and thought that he really liked that. prime loves to snuggle so im sure he did.
as thomas left he placed him back in the cagte and he said as he was leaving that he started to cry - like normal - and one of the nurses went to see him - which is great because before he didnt even have the strength to do that.at 0945 the vet called me and said that primes bile salts test came back normal and that his rbc and platelets were normal. his protein was low but thats bc of his gi stuff going on and he has only been eating a few bites of warm baby food like every six hours and only if you put it in his mouth. she said his liver enzymes were still slightly elevated but near normal. so she said he will need medication to help aid his liver in healing, an antibiotic for infection and a med for his GI. the vet said that she still doesnt really know what it was but maybe it was a sting or a bite and that caused a severe allergic reaction or still a toxin. thomas and i searched high and low for things that could be poisonous for him but we couldnt find anything so it makes more sense if it was a poisonous spider or maybe a snake in the back. so thomas and i are going to have our gardener mow as close to the ground as possible in the background. because even though the weeds and such are not very long there still could be an invitation for things we dont want. the vet was really nice and after talking to us she said go back to sleep for a couple hours and to pick him up. so we picked him up today and he actually walked out on his own! 50x better than i saw him yesterday at 5pm. so now with his tail still wrapped, a few bouts of diarrhea, a small neck wound ( from a blood stick that wouldnt clot) and three shaved legs from iv's he's home. and we are a family again. for anyone interested how boba is during this whole ordeal - she was a great sissy. when we were in the trauma room she heard him moan once and she immediatley walked over to the table trying to see him. then she has serisously not been out of our site for 1 minute. we kept her in the car when we went somewhere, we kept the door to outside closed and walked out with her when she needed to go the bathroom. she's also been more snuggly. also when prime got sick boba was carrying around a pink duck in her mouth right before it happened. since he's been gone she has carried that duck with her onto the couch ,
giving it to me when i come in the door, and also carrying it and sleeping with it on the bed.
since he's been home she has smelled him and licked his head. she also has been really gentle and hasnt really tried to play with him because i think she knows he's still healing. definetly puts things in a different perspective - feeling helpless, having hope, and being nervous about taking care of him at home. but we're together and healing and love each other so much and thats all that matters with all thanks to God, and your love and prayers. Merry Christmas.
