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[luvmyjacks]

I have been feeling hopeful the last couple of days as Will ate chicken from my fingers and once even ate his old kibble but yesterday he definitely slipped back.  His cough is worse and his eyes lack their usual lustre.  Last night his breath was defintely more laboured and sounded raspy.  He has been licking one paw a lot but so far I don't see any lesions.  I sense in the way he is eating he might have something sore in his mouth.  Internet research of the meds he is on has shown me it is possible he is getting sores that make it uncomfortable to eat so I think I am taking him back to the hospital this morning.  The expense is huge but they seem to know more about blasto than my regular vet.  I figure if I put it on a credit card I have the rest of my life to pay it off.  So far we are at $9000 between Roxy and Will but including x rays and blood tests for the other two, an amount I never thought I would pay, having lived in a world of strays and free pets my whole life but it seems I will do anything include going into debt to save Will.
Jen mentioned that Dirtbike had a weird smell on her breath as did both Will and Roxy and she might have a point that it was from the ketones when neither dog was eating.  Never thought of that so thank you Jen.
Have tried to force feed Will this morning with the AD food in warm water through a big syringe.  He was choking after 1 tsp of food but I'll try again a couple of times before I give him his morning Itra, as I think that is horrible on an empty stomach.  Will keep everyone informed and waiting to hear the news on Comet.

[Wilson3]

good luck today at the vet
stay positvie and and beleive truely beleive in will give him YOUR strength, it work withwilson,
medatate on it ,become one with him feel,wilson lost part of his tongue and i would sit/lay on th efloor with him for hours to keep him eating i only used high protein foods no fats
keep us postted
you wil be in my prayers
wilson3

[mhitesman]

Oh this is dreadful news.  We are so wanting to hear good progress for you and your family!  I have been told by so many that this disease has so many ups and down -- and the downs are really really bad.  It is, therefore, impossible to know what to make of all this, isn't it?  Except that it's nothing good.  I learned from Retriever Training forum where folks are tracking Comet's progress, as well, that one retriever (lab) lost both his eyes but survived.  The poor dog was not eating, limping, in so much pain, and they had made an appointment to put him down because they just had no hope.  As they put him to bed that night, the owner told him that he was so scared to lose him but did not want him to hurt any more, so he asked the dog to just give him a sign what to do.  The next day his wife called him at work and told him the dog was playing with the ball (blind) and running in the back yard!  He was not on any treatment at that point and had been on the brink of death for what seemed like forever but was probably days.  So, they started Itra immediately, removed the two blind eyes, and they have their dog back -- after a long recuperation.  Actually, he's still on Itra (since last March).  So, don't give up!!!  You have to be sick with worry and exhausted.  I only had the round the clock vigil for a week or so, and our whole family is still exhausted!!!

[evayola]

How did the exam go? I am always thinking about everyone here. I check the posts a few times a day because I love hearing the success stories! I hope that Will is okay and is just having an off day. Marge had one the other day and it scared us so much! She must have just been having one of those days! You have no idea how much respect I have for you that you will admit that you have piled up all this debt and oh well! Me and Dan are the same way. So many people tell us that we are crazy for the debt that we have acquire with all of our animals problems but they aren't just animals to me. They are just like babies. They need us just as much as we need them. I will be thinking of you guys!

[luvmyjacks]

Ohhhhhh this illness is so horrible!!  Will was so bad then he went outside for a major bathroom break and on my way to a small job he ate a whole can of AD food from my fingers.  That seemed to get him feeling better and I gave up on the hospital for the time being as the head Doctor was in meetings every time I called.  I left her a long voicemail so will talk to her today but meanwhile Will seems to have stabilized.  He must have felt all the love and support coming from all of you.  He sits at my feet or on my lap when I'm on the computer so I read him all your messages and tell him he has to fight like Dirtbike and Marge and Wilson and Comet so he can go out and kick some butt with those wild squirrels gone bad.  Mostly he just peers at me but sometimes I get a lick before he goes back to sleep.  His stomach seems to give him trouble and he isn't at all regular but once he manages to go he seems better.  I'm sure there are just loads of toxins and hopefully dead fungus he needs to get rid of when he's feeling really bad.  He had a better night last night and he ate a little kibble that was down for the other dogs.  Thanks again to all of you, not many people understand how obsessive you have to be in watching every move they make so you don't miss early signs of problems. 
There is a big article in our paper, the Globe and Mail and I am trying to cut and paste it.  It cites the case of a boy with a cottage near where we take the dogs and goes on to escribe his ordeal and the difficulty in diagnosing this disease...... no kidding! 

[mhitesman]

Me and Comet are rooting for you and Will!  The BIG problem I have today is keeping this dog from tearing his stitches out in play with his black lab brother!  What an awesome and wonderful problem to have!!!!  We have become optimistic that we are going to beat this thing!    We are 1.5 weeks into treatment.  Removal of the eye started the turning point by reducing his pain so very very much.  He slept with me all night.  I took his ecollar off so I could rub easier.  He has not been messing with his stitches. Just rough-house play.

His appetite is voracious.  He even ate plain dog food after his dinner last night.  Now I am worried that this is a sign that is a side effect of a med .... just worry, worry worry.  Maybe its just me :-)

Comet's Itra is capsule form, and we give him the beads, not the capsule.  He gets 150 mg every 24 hours (a cap and a half).  He started out getting it every 12 hours for the first three days.  He always seems better after he eats.

We are pulling for you.  You are having a tougher time than we are with treatment and recuperation.  Our first week, though, was touch and go, and we were terrified.  Comet is believed to have been infected only in his right eye, not any internal organs.  That might be why we are racing through some of this recovery, energy wise -- once the bad eye was gone.

Keep writing.  We are all reading the site constantly, praying for good news!

[Jen]

Keeping our fingers crossed for everyone!
jen