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  1. #1
    Senior Dog janedoe's Avatar
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    You're speaking my language.

    Spent 10 hours in two different emergency clinics today with Nikki. She collapsed twice in 12 hours for about 15 minutes each and was pretty unresponsive each time. I thought it was a GI issue and gave her the approved meds but on the second time I knew it wasn't a minor thing.

    Our regular emergency clinic didn't have any specialists on staff because they were at a conference. The e-vet was unusually helpful though, verging on hyper about conducting what tests they could then urging me to go to the second clinic because they had specialists on hand. She was Team Nikki from the get-go. I talked about Nikki's cancer and other issues and she didn't bat an eye. I was so comfortable with her. Then it came out - she has a 13 year old yellow lab. She brings her pup to work every day so she can keep an eye on her.

    Went to the second vet clinic and started talking to the vet there. Right out of the gate she told me that she has a 15 year old yellow lab.

    It was so easy to talk to these people. They got it. The awareness of behavior and deviances from that behavior. The steady decline. The hypervigilance. When I told the second vet that I sat up for three hours in the middle of the night to make sure that Nikki was still breathing, she said, "I look at my dog and keep asking, is this it?" It was just nice to interact with professionals who got it on a personal level and took the issues I brought up as Nikki's spokesperson seriously. I felt like Nikki was very well taken care of.

    Bad news is that Nikki has pretty serious pneumonia. They think it's aspirative which means that she horked up something and it went back down the wrong way which caused a bacterial infection. It's treated with antibiotics.

    Good news is that her abdominal ultrasound showed that she's still cancer free in that area, her heart is not enlarged, all of her blood values are in normal range (still - this fascinates me to no end given her age), she's appropriately oxygenated, she is not anemic and she has no obvious neurological issues other than age-related balance challenges.

  2. #2
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    It does sound like she's in really good hands...a definite plus. All kinds of good thoughts headed your way for her to overcome this latest problem. Continue your fight, Nikki...Mom's got your back!

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    janedoe (06-06-2019)

  4. #3
    Senior Dog Snowshoe's Avatar
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    Good thoughts for Nikki. I didn't know pneumonia could come about that way.
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  6. #4
    Senior Dog Jollymolly's Avatar
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    Sending Mojo to Nikki. It sure does help knowing she is in good hands.

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  8. #5
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    Thoughts and prayers for Miss Nikki.

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    janedoe (06-06-2019)

  10. #6
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    Quote Originally Posted by Snowshoe View Post
    Good thoughts for Nikki. I didn't know pneumonia could come about that way.
    I had a friend who's flat-coat aspirated a blade of grass while retrieving and ended up with pneumonia. Pretty much anything getting in the lungs other than air can do it.

    To the OP - glad you had a good vet experience and that she is otherwise doing well. Hope the antibiotics do the trick!
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  12. #7
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    Sending good thoughts and prayers for Nikki.

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  14. #8
    Senior Dog janedoe's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Snowshoe View Post
    Good thoughts for Nikki. I didn't know pneumonia could come about that way.
    Neither did I. Nikki is giving us quite the education just about every time we turn around.

  15. #9
    Senior Dog janedoe's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Annette47 View Post
    I had a friend who's flat-coat aspirated a blade of grass while retrieving and ended up with pneumonia. Pretty much anything getting in the lungs other than air can do it.

    To the OP - glad you had a good vet experience and that she is otherwise doing well. Hope the antibiotics do the trick!
    Wow! That is fascinating! I really had no idea. The first vet kept saying that it would only happen if Nikki was throwing up a lot. Which she wasn't. So that was very confusing.

    Nikki is doing great today. She's actually moving better than she has for a while. Makes me wonder what else the Clavamox is addressing!

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  17. #10
    Senior Dog labsnewfy's Avatar
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    So glad that Nikki is doing better! continued good thoughts coming your way.
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