Update on Maisy

Maisy, my 9 1/2 year old dog, has always been a sickly dog. She's also always been an energetic, affectionate, smart, loyal companion. Maisy is a member of our family. A few years ago, I noticed that Maisy was having what I thought was severe seasonal allergies. I took her to our vet, who gave her a cortisone injection, and sent us on our way. The next summer, Maisy's allergies flared up again, which led to another trip to our vet and another cortisone injection. By the 3rd summer, Maisy's allergies came on stronger than ever. I asked our vet if there was anything that could be done to help Maisy in the future, before her allergies became severe each summer, and he basically told me no, gave her another cortisone injection, and sent us home. It wasn't until I started asking around, to friends and family members who have dogs with allergies, that I realized that there was A LOT that could be done to help Maisy before she started having her allergy symptoms, and that cortisone shots could actually be harmful to dogs if given on a regular, on-going basis. I switched vets and found a new one that I really liked and seemed to take Maisy's health issues (and my concerns) seriously. He started her on medication, and Maisy slowly-but-surely got back to her old self again. It was great!


Unfortunately, after only 2 years of being on that medication, Maisy started showing signs that the medication was no longer working. I asked the vet to refer us to a vet allergist, and he said that there was no need to do that. I asked him to try another medication. But instead, he gave Maisy a cortisone injection.


Last summer, Maisy did great with her allergies. This summer, actually starting back at the end of April/beginning of May, I noticed that Maisy was scratching a lot. Then I started noticing big clumps of hair on our floors. I tried to treat it at home with things that have worked in the past, but after a few weeks and nothing seemed to be helping, I called our vet and was told that he couldn't see Maisy for 3 more weeks. I made the appointment, but after only 2 weeks of waiting I knew that Maisy couldn't wait any longer. I called another vet and got Maisy an appointment. Her appointment was this past Saturday, and poor Maisy did not look well at all. Her appointment was at 11:00, and the clinic was supposed to close at noon. We were there until 2:00. The vet was very nice, as was everyone on staff. The vet told me that he sees this in dogs far too often, where vets only treat the symptoms and not the cause of the problem in the animal. He told me that Maisy either has something that could be easily treated with inexpensive medication, or that she has something that would involve a long-term, very expensive treatment. And that even with treatment, there would be no guarantee that she would make it. This condition is almost always fatal.


Heartache...


I was supposed to get the test results back by yesterday. I actually winded up calling the vet today when I hadn't heard from them, and the vet tech told me that the vet had ordered Maisy's tests to be re-run because he was concerned about the results. He wants to make 100% sure they are accurate. As of right now, I am waiting to get those new test results back. But the first round of test results are not good. They indicate that Maisy more than likely has both conditions. In addition to having severe allergies, her thyroid is not functioning properly, and her internal organs are failing, more than likely caused by being given all those cortisone shots.



Anger...


Frustration...


I asked the vet tech what I could possibly anticipate in the way of treatment for Maisy, and he told me that I was jumping the gun. He assured me that I would get a call back by the end of this week. Once the vet is absolutely sure what's going on with Maisy, then we can discuss possible treatments. This is one of those times that I wish I had all the money in the world, and that we weren't in an economic recession. This is one of those times that I wish I didn't have 2 other animals. This is one of those times that I wish I didn't feel the need to shelter my extremely curious and perceptive daughter from the pain I am feeling every time I think about what is best for Maisy and for our family. This is one of those times that I wish Maisy had another owner who didn't need to think about whether or not to go forward with a very costly treatment (that may not even help), or whether the time had come to let Maisy's wonderful, full life come to an end.


Uncertainty...


For anyone who knows me, you already know before I type this out... I am not handling this well. And even though the final test results are not in yet, I am preparing myself for even more bad news. I know how silly it is to pray for my dog, but I really am praying that I will get the test results back and that it will be good news and that maybe there was some human error on the test results the first go-around. And so, for now, I wait.