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Originally Posted by Ellie May  No veterinary internist in Hawaii?
Do you have a veterinary school anywhere there?
If not, you probably can't do scintography.
I would be more hesitant to do ultrasound under these circumstances though because they are only 60-80% reliable and a lot of it depends on the expertise of the interpreter. If she isn't an internist, I wonder if she has enough experience to read one showing LS. I guess with no scintography available though, you will probably need to do ultrasound.
I don't know how much shipping would be to Hawaii, but I have been very happy with getting Ellie's Denosyl from entirelypets.com. It is one of the cheapest places to get it. |
Our vet told me Saturday that if we lived on the mainland, she'd be sending us to an internist, but there wasn't one in Hawaii. I assume no vet schools either, but will re-check that. They send all tests to the mainland. I share your concerns regarding ultrasound, and no matter what tests are forthcoming, I want to send everything to a specialist on the mainland.
I would gladly even fly Tiki to the mainland for diagnosis and treatment EXCEPT THAT due to Hawaii's strict quarantine laws, I wouldn't be able to bring her back into the state for 6-10 months. She'd need a rabies shot, if not 2, and 6 months of follow up on the mainland before being cleared back into Hawaii. With her condition, a rabies shot could kill her. As long as she lives here, she won't need one. Another complication of living in paradise.
I'm also wondering if we may go thru all these tests and still not know for sure what it is. Still in the back of my mind I wonder if she ate something toxic outside. No symptoms, except in August she started diarrhea once, and I happened to find out that day that Meika had coccidia, so the vet treated both even though she didn't test Tiki. Both were clear after 10 days of meds. I always watch her and pull leaves and plants and palm seeds out of her mouth. We don't use pesticides inside or out. Or I wonder about pancreatitis, cause my Schnauzer had that once about 10 years ago from eating a hunk of prime rib fat.
I mentioned Denosyl to the vet, and she said it would be ok to try even at this stage, so I'm picking up some there today. She said their version has milk thisle in it too. That will get us started, and I'll look for other sources for future if it is costly. As soon as I see what foods are available, I may have to order that online too.
My brain is so tired of thinking about it all.
Thanks again. I'll check back in when I return this evening.