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No, it is not going to show up. Is Romeo ok??

Tonight's update
 

Ok so I will try to post this again. Here goes........

I brought Romeo home today. He hasn't really improved any. His breaths are the same. It seems at the hospital he was ranging 36-54 breaths per minute. He has mild to moderately harsh lung sounds. I will continue to give him Chloramphenicol and he has two new prescriptions for Mycophenolate and Clopidogrel.

The vets at the hospital suspect his respiratory issues are most likely secondary to his Vasculitis, either pleural effusion as a result of low albumin or PTE secondary to the disease or steroid treatment. I spoke with the vet dermatologist and I don't think putting him back on steroids is an option for him. Apparently, steroids can also cause embolisms. And since Romeo's Vasculitis is complicated and they suspect an embolism may have been what cause his breathing problems, I don't feel comfortable putting him on any steroids. After we had to stop the SulfaSalazine, the dermatologist put him on Dexamethasone, which is a stronger steroid than Prednisone. So I think it's safe to say he does not respond well to steroids.

For the moment, putting him back on Pentoxifylline isn't an option either. This med helps his red blood cells wiggle through the damaged vessels and since he will now be on Clopidogrel, a blood thinner, it might not be good.

His protein is low, but again it might just be another side effect of the Vasculitis. The vet gave me some Hills Prescription Diet a/d Critical Care canned food to help with this and his appetite. I am still trying to find some quality food to give him. I saw a thread about companies that send out samples and so far I contacted two of them and they will be sending me some. Hopefully he will like them.

As I was reading through his discharge report I found something that has me uneasy. I will quote it:

"There is overall diffuse bronchointerstitial pattern within the lung fields which may be in part related to superimposition from the pleural effusion. There are some ill-defined nodular opacities seen in the lungs which are difficult to define. Diffuse bronchointerstitial pattern within the lung fields with possible pulmonary nodules. Repeat imaging after removal of the pleural effusion may be helpful in this assessment if clinically feasible. Differential such as granulomatous or metastatic lung disease may be a consideration if pulmonary nodules are confirmed."

I don't like the way this sounds and I have to find a way of getting him another X-ray after we get over this current hump.

Done! Thank you ladyjane. :)

I also forgot to mention that tomorrow I will be trying to build him some sort of enclosure to keep him in and feed the oxygen through. I have the oxygen tonight but the setup isn't ideal. I will update on that tomorrow. I had to bring him home because I just can't afford to keep him at the hospital.

More prayers going to Romeo.

Thank you so much. :)

I would also like to thank everyone for their prayers and well wishes. I do greatly appreciate it. I hope this thread will be of help to someone that might be going through the same. Hopefully it can save them the time it takes to diagnose Vasculitis.

Sending prayers

My heart hurts from reading this.....I really don't think Romeo should be at home. :
I wish I had an answer for you....
Do you have any family or friends who might help? Can you apply for Care Credit?
The only other option would be to surrender him to someone such as a rescue who could provide the medical care for him, but do you know what his prognosis is?? Did they say??

He is not any worse. I already reached my limit on my CareCredit and didn't get approved for an increase. I've also already maxed out my credit card.

My BF works in Respiratoy Therapy and is the one helping me with Romeo's setup at home. I discussed it with the vet before bringing him home and they had no problem with it as long as I monitor him. He is on the same liter flow, with a humidifier.

I can't really count on family for help. I set up a gofundme account for him back in July and was only able to raise $90. The thing with that, is spreading the word and people did share his story but there are so many people on that site that I guess his just got lost.

Okies....well that is great your boyfriend can help with the oxygen! :)

I sent you a PM :)

Thank you. :):animal-pa

Sometimes being at home can be good if you can provide 24 hour care. My cat was given a 1% chance of living so I took her home to be comfortable. I cared for her every 2 hours with fluids, medication, calorie booster, picking her up to hold her so she could go to the bathroom and putting drops in her eyes to keep them from drying out because she didn't even blink. It took 3 months of care but she did recover. When I took her back to the vet, he said sometimes love can do more than medicine.

I'm not saying ANYONE should not go with recommended care! My doctors told me there was really no hope, so my efforts were a last resort.

I will continue to keep Romeo in my prayers.

My heart just aches for all you going through with sweet Romeo. I am sending out mega prayers for you both.

Wow! I am so glad your cat recovered. I can't even imagine how the poor thing felt, and how hard for you. I'm so happy you were able to care for her. Thank you for thinking of Romeo.

Thank you so much. :animal-pa

Update:
 

Romeo did okay overnight. I slept on the floor next to his little setup just to keep an eye on him throughout the night. His breathing rate lowers every so often, but for the most part he is still in the same 40 range.

Today he seemed to have an appetite. He ate his food and want more, which I gave him. He had his cookies as a treat, and has been drinking water. For him to want more food after his feeding has NEVER happened, so it surprised me.

I started his Clopidogrel today and have been on top of giving him his other meds and putting his creams and ointments on his ears and paws. He also has some scabby areas on the back of his "elbows" on his hind legs, so I put some Mupirocin on that. He tends to get bacterial infections on the ulcers and the Mupirocin is supposed to help with that.

Earlier today he wasn't getting up much, but I think it was just the meds. A little while ago he was alert and wanting to play with his ball. You have no idea how much he loves playing ball. It's so sad I can't let him run around. It's his favorite thing to play with.

At this point, I guess it's just a matter of hoping the pleural effusion clears up so that we can continue focusing on his Vasculitis.

I glad he seems to be having more energy...keeping him in my thoughts and prayers😊

Thank you! It seems to come and go, but as long as he shows interest in moving around and playing, it makes me feel better about his mood. :)

Praying for Romeo...he is so precious! :)

Thanks for the update on Romeo. Our prayers continue.

Thank you ladies! You have been a great help! :)

Today was pretty much the same. I am trying to get him to walk around a little, thinking this might help. I have no idea how long it will take for the fluid to go away, but I sure do hope it is very soon.

Checking in on Romeo.....Hope he is improving!

I hope Romeo is doing well. Keeping him in my prayers.

Update:
 

Romeo hasn't been doing well this past week. He has not wanted to eat and is vomiting. I had to take him to emergency on Monday where they thought it might be a GI upset or ulcer. I brought him home with meds and he did fine on Tuesday but yesterday started throwing up again. I took him back to emergency where they hospitalized him.

I got a call from the internist and she said they could do an ultrasound to see if anything is going on, but she said there still might be a possibility that everything would look normal. She said it might show any changes with his liver or if it's pancreatitis, etc. They know financially I can't do much, so she is giving me the option of leaving him in the hospital one more night to see if he improves any or do the ultrasound and that may or may not show much.

At this point I don't know what to do. His vasculitis seems to complicate things.

I am glad they are working with you.

Why not ask her what she would do if he were her pup. Maybe she can help you figure out which way to go with this.

Have they done blood work? If so, are there any changes that would indicate a possible issue with his pancreas or liver?

He had bloodwork done on Monday. There aren't any significant changes to show he is having any issues with his organs. His red blood cells and protein are low, but they are not sure if it might be due to his vasculitis as well.

Poor Romeo. Keeping him and you in my thoughts and prayers...

dog
 

Prayer is so powerful. I am praying for Romeo. What about giving him hills zd dog food. My spud just got over pancreatic is and now all he eats is zd. May the healing power of the Lord Jesus Christ come over Romeo and make him healthy now.

Final Update:
 

I went to see Romeo at the hospital yesterday and when they brought him to me I didn't know what to think. He looked so disorientated and lifeless. He would pick his head up every once in a while, but he didn't seem to be aware. He kept cocking his head back. All I could do was kiss him and talk to him. I tried rubbing his head, neck and back to comfort him and let him know I was with him. My poor baby. I don't know what happened to him. His conditioned was literally night and day from when I left him the night before. I couldn't bare to see him like that. I knew something was terribly wrong with him and was not going to continue letting him suffer.

My baby is now in an better place where he is whole and healthy. I miss him terribly. My heart is broken and I can't stop crying. I hate that he had to go through all this. I can only have faith that I will be forever reunited with him when the time comes.

Thank you for your thought and prayers.