Waitng, waiting, waiting, waiting for results...

[kjc]

Sorry this is late but from yesterday... I did not make it there to visit... I felt the roads were unsafe due to all the rain we were getting... we're on flood watch today...

As of 5:30 Tink still had not eaten anything... she's been sleeping alot and the tech basically said they were trying to keep her quiet and calm, so I'm glad I didn't make it to see her, I think it's better for her. I let her hear her Dad on the speakerphone once time at home and she went nuts thinking he was in the phone and barked almost all day long trying to get to him. Needless to say I won't ever do that again!

So rest little Tinky, I know you know I love you!

[kjc]

Just got off the phone with Tink's surgeon..... Tink did eat last night and this morning... yeah! And.... she can come home this afternoon! WooHoo!
(I knew she would eat... Tinky is not one to refuse food for too long!) I hope the surgeon has some answers when I get there around 3-4 PM. I am actually happy right now, and very excited knowing she can come home...

[AllDogBoots]

Originally Posted by kjc

Just got off the phone with Tink's surgeon..... Tink did eat last night and this morning... yeah! And.... she can come home this afternoon! WooHoo!
(I knew she would eat... Tinky is not one to refuse food for too long!) I hope the surgeon has some answers when I get there around 3-4 PM. I am actually happy right now, and very excited knowing she can come home...

That's wonderful to hear! And I bet she'll get better even faster once she comes home and feels all that love.

[yorkietalkjilly]

Oh, so glad! Good news about the eating!!!! She will be so glad to get home with momma and dad! God bless Tinkerbell.

[babbsiam44]

Exciting news! I know you can't wait. Still here and still praying.

[lillymae]

Kathy is on her way to pick up Miss TinkerBell now.

[manolos mom]

Kathy, when you go visit take a picture for all of us to see her. Sending Miss Tink and you lots of positive toughts....

[Sammy Mommy]

Sending good thoughts, hugs and prayers to you and Tink!!

[teacup0819]

Originally Posted by kjc

Just got off the phone with Tink's surgeon..... Tink did eat last night and this morning... yeah! And.... she can come home this afternoon! WooHoo!
(I knew she would eat... Tinky is not one to refuse food for too long!) I hope the surgeon has some answers when I get there around 3-4 PM. I am actually happy right now, and very excited knowing she can come home...

I'm so happy for all of you that Tink can finally come home. I hope you got some encouraging news fromthe surgeon when you picked her up.
Just know that you and Tink are in my prayers lately.

[kjc]

Originally Posted by babbsiam44

Exciting news! I know you can't wait. Still here and still praying.

Thanks for all your prayers...

Originally Posted by manolos mom

Kathy, when you go visit take a picture for all of us to see her. Sending Miss Tink and you lots of positive toughts....

I considered taking my camera.... but thought not as she can be quite a handful when she's excited... I did get a few once she settled in at home. As soon as I figure out how to get them on this netbook I'll post them! Thanks for the positive thoughts...

Originally Posted by Sammy Mommy

Sending good thoughts, hugs and prayers to you and Tink!!

Thankyou!

[kjc]

Originally Posted by teacup0819

I'm so happy for all of you that Tink can finally come home. I hope you got some encouraging news fromthe surgeon when you picked her up.
Just know that you and Tink are in my prayers lately.

We are happy to be home.... no news yet as no results are in... we will have to wait till Monday... Thanks for your prayers....

[yorkiesincommon]

Originally Posted by kjc

It's been a rough weekend. Started out on Friday: Tinkerbell had an appointment for an Ultrasound to verify a Liver Shunt, at her regular vet, using a mobile unit and tech (so I have my doubts). But we'll see.

So early we rise, and the caregiver for my daughter calls out with car trouble, while I was bathing Tink . So I have a dripping, hyperdog, and a person I have to get ready for the bus to go to daycare, 45 minutes drive time, and I can't leave till the bus comes. Kick in Sonic speed. All done, but we're now late. So I called the vet, to be sure we could still be seen... they said no problem. So off we go.

We missed all the traffic due to our delayed departure, so we made fairly good time without breaking any laws. We open the door to the vet's office and I peek in, only to see a cute Yorkie pup. Tink's in love and pulls to go see him. After some quick licks and continuous tail wags, we get signed in, jokingly asked 'Can I watch?", and find a seat. Short lived.... out for a potty break.

Back in, I decide to weigh her... Hmmmm... 13.5 pounds.... one pound up from last time.... good. Take a seat again. A man comes out from the exam rooms area with a very large dog and a pug. Tink and the Pug exchange sniffs and tail wags, then growls and a fight starts, but is stopped immediately by my unconscious clean and jerk reaction on the leash, and she's at my feet once more. The man was very nice, and couldn't stop apologizing! How refreshing was that! Of course I apologized too. Stuff just happens sometimes. Then the pug started this howling thing... so funny... everyone was laughing at him.

In the meantime, a few techs come out into the waiting room and call out the owners names for their appointments. Then my name is called. O Boy. Here we go through the doorway and down the long hallway. I don't remember this hallway being this long.... back to reality... the tech is leading us in the back () around to a surgical suite (Oh my... looking like I'm going to get to see this! O Boy, O Boy, O Boy... I think. Me and my mouth... do I really want to see this? Too late now, I'm in there.)

So, the tech turns and introduces herself, she is Andi, and blah, blah , blah, (my brain went numb) is going to do the ultrasound. Okay. So I hoist Tink onto the table into a V-shaped cradle, head towards the door. To my surprise, she's being good. Tries to get up, but really can't move, so she decides to lay there, looking at me, while Andi is turning on the unit and getting ready to start. She slips two ties around Tinks hind legs to help hold her in the cradle. Then she explains she's going to clip some fur on Tink's tummy (had been previously shaved but grew out about an inch since I did it last), I say no problem, whatever you need to do is fine with me.... and then coats her tummy with the lube so the probe can slide around. O Boy.

Tink was being so good, Andi was able to do the whole abdomen, (found stones in the kidneys), till she got to the liver, bc she had to get the probe kinda up and under Tink's ribcage. Tink wasn't bad, but she would tense up, which I guess screws up the imaging. So my vet comes in and asks if sedation was necessary? Andi says well, she was being good till you walked in here! Ha! But decided to knock her out just a tad, so my vet injected a bit of Valium into a hind leg.... just enough to make Tink a little woozie, and he put her on a monitor, and had another tech come in to help hold her. Actually, he wanted me to stand back and let the tech do the holding (insurance regulations, I think) but Andi insisted I stay where I was, that Tink was okay. So, onto the liver.

It didn't take long, with the sedation, and we were seeing the liver with 3 tube looking things coming off it. Andi was flipping a switch, which made pretty colors come up on the screen (what do I know). This was the doppler, the thing that shows the blood flow. Hmmmm. Andi explained the tube at the top was the Caudal Vena Cava, the second, or middle tube was the Portal vein, and the third tube at the bottom was a shunt! Oh no! She went on to explain that the blood flow was confusing.... so I'll have to wait for her report.....

Waiting, waiting, waiting.....

Poopie on this... calling the vet now!

It sounds like you are learning a lot about liver shunts. Thanks for sharing the information and videos, I have learned a lot by reading everything you told us. I am so sorry this is happening to little tink.... We will light a prayer candle for him and for your family and the financial element of this situation too. Again I am so sorry.

[kjc]

Originally Posted by yorkiesincommon

It sounds like you are learning a lot about liver shunts. Thanks for sharing the information and videos, I have learned a lot by reading everything you told us. I am so sorry this is happening to little tink.... We will light a prayer candle for him and for your family and the financial element of this situation too. Again I am so sorry.

Thank you... hope your babies are doing well...

Originally Posted by manolos mom

Kathy, when you go visit take a picture for all of us to see her. Sending Miss Tink and you lots of positive toughts....

Thanks.... Here's the proof.... her incision runs from just below her elbows to an inch or two above her girly parts... only the lower part is visible in this pic and I didn't want to disturb her... will post again when she's feeling better... in the second pic I cropped the first pic and tried to make it bigger bc I know it's hard to see... the incision becomes visible where her tummy meets the blanket under the bruised area and runs diagonally up to her stifle ( at about 8 and 2 if you were looking at a clock).

(The bandage on her front leg is where the IV was, I'll get a pic of that too as they shaved her leg so it's easy to see.)

The third pic is of her mini x-pen, as she can jump out of the 36 inch high model on my porch. This one is soft sided and has a bottom and a zippered top... this pic was taken last year as I was in search of a unit that would work for us when containment was necessary for any of my pets. It worked great when reintroducing her to her pack.. kept her safe from harm while everyone got used to the different smells she brought home.


TinkSx31211-1.JPGTinkSx231211-1.JPGTinky Hut & Cat Hammock.JPG

Sorry I didn't update sooner.... she's been quite a handful since coming home...

[yorkietalkjilly]

Ohhhhhhhhhhh, that incision looks terrible. Thank goodness for pain medicines and good mommies. I hope she has a good week to come, bless her little soul.

[Wabbit]

poor little girl!!! Thanks for keeping us posted!!! And for the pics! She doesn't look too happy in her new xpen..lol