Monday, April 14, 2008

My poor dog

I took Charlie to the vet this morning to have a urinalysis done. Reason being: He falls so deeply into sleep, he pees a little and doesn't wake up. Since I would like to some day take a nap with him in my bed, and the kids would love him to sleep with them at night, this needed to be addressed.

All went well when they brought him into the back for what was to be a pretty routine bladder draw. I heard him crying and asked if that was normal. I was told it doesn't hurt, but most dogs don't like being held down (Charlie especially doesn't like this so I wasn't surprised that he was going a little nuts). After about 15 minutes, I was told he would need to stay for observation because when they pulled the needle out, he went nuts and acted as though he was in a lot of pain. They wanted to check the urine for stones and observe him for awhile. I (who has never had a dog) worried a little, but didn't think much was wrong so I left for home.

About an hour later, I got a call from the vet. She explained to me that Charlie started to thrash about and scream when the needle was pulled out and then went into shock. He stopped breathing and started turning blue, so they gave him cpr, a tranquilizer and inserted an iv full of fluids. This brought him around but he was still out of it so they gave him Valium. This calmed him down enough so that they could give him an x-ray to see what the problem was.

Thankfully, they did this and found what was really the problem. Apparently, he has a back disorder. The disk between his 6th and 7th vertebrae is very thin and this can cause major issues and if left untreated, it can lead to a neurological disorder. Which would mean he could lose the use of his legs and need to wear a diaper. Apparently, this is very common in Bichons. Nice to know ahead of time.

Luckily, there is an awesome neurosurgeon in Kirkland who can help us. He could determine if Charlie just needs to be on medication to manage the disorder, or he may need an MRI, or worse case scenario, back surgery. Back surgery, people. On a dog. A little dog.

I also found 6 fleas on him last night when he got his bath. He never had them until we moved here. The old tenant had a few cats and 2 huge dogs. Fuck. Now I need flea medication, too.

In conclusion, here is the money totals for all of you:

Vet visit: $485 (which includes his 3 medications, flea medication, urinalysis, Valium, and dr. fee)
$50 for consultation at the neurosurgeon
$1000-1500 for a doggie MRI
$3000 for back surgery
------------------------------
$5035 worst case scenario

FFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCCKKKKKKKKKKKKK

Oh, and did I mention he is going to get fixed next month AND since he will be a year old, he also needs all his shots AGAIN. That could be as much as $500 for all of it.

Crap balls, that sucks, doesn't it.

OH, and when I went into the bathroom this morning, I noticed water on the floor and when I went to clean it up, I noticed it was coming from the cabinet under the sink. When I opened the door, a bunch of water poured out. Awesome. Luckily, I am renting and it's not my problem to fix it but still, I had to clean it up.

I want a rewind button. I would have passed on the vet, not cleaned up the water and instead just laid on the couch in pajamas and eaten Goldfish crackers all day. And watched Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Green Gables, the sequel. Rock on.

8 comments:

Mighty Dyckerson said...

Get your insurance company to foot the bill. They don't have to know "Charlie" is a dog.

Anonymous said...

Holy crap!!! I couldn't afford that and I love Cheyenne! I hope all is going to be ok...she pees in her sleep sometimes too and has a vet appointment in 2 weeks that I was going to try to address it at.

I hope its not something so costly. I'll keep you posted and Im glad that the vets were able to bring him back with the CPR!

Jill said...

Aww poor Charlie. Poor YOU! Ouch. Sounds like you guys need a bake sale or something: "Help Charlie! Only $50 for two cookies!"

You could always use the tactic I do: denial. Works like a charm. Anne of Green Gables, here you come!

Crystal said...

wow. when it rains, it pours.

i am so sorry!

Princess in Galoshes said...

There is such a thing as pet insurance- and I think it covers neutering and things like that. It might be worth looking into!

Poor pup. :-(

Brooke said...

Oh my God! That really sucks (for you and Charlie!).

Last year my mom's dalmatian went out to pee and she found him squatting in the yard and screaming as he tried to go with no luck. Being it was 2:00 in the morning she ended up racing him to the emergency vet where he was diagnosed with bladder stones. Treatment was over five grand.

Are there pet insurance companies? Because I know a lot of people who would jump on that.

Princess in Galoshes said...

Christie,
Send me an e-mail at: princessingaloshes@gmail.com

Blogger isn't letting me see your e-mail, for some reason!
Cat

Judy said...

Did some research on line and there is medication call PPA for doggies who piddle in their sleep. Has something to do with their bladder. Same as with humans and kids who wet the bed at night. No, kids do not take PPA but something like it.