We are just 10 miles from Cedar City Utah returning home from CSU and our continuing journey for Shadow’s sake. We wanted to drive straight through and miss the impending storms in southern California, but ran into a snow storm in Beaver, UT (birth place of Butch Cassidy). The fresh snow was just gorgeous. Paul however was concerned about the snow as it meant a difficult drive for us…but the worst seems to be over here on the road, but we are not looking forward to driving into the never ending thunderstorms hitting LA.
It has been one week today since we took Shadow in to see Dr. Tzipory to find out what was causing Shadow’s nose bleed. Before her MRI he went over all of the possible causes…ending with what he called the worst possible scenario; a fungal infection. “They are worse than cancer,” he exclaimed. Two hours later he called us to view the images. No matter how positive I had kept my thoughts and how hard I had imagined this meeting being just a minor complication, I knew when I walked into the room that it was not good news. I could feel it from Dr. Tzipory’s body language and lack of greeting. My body started a kind of collapse from deep inside me and I had to sit before he even spoke. Looking inside a brain is quite phenomenal thing in any situation, but to see infection to such an extent in her small little head was just unbearable. Paul just crossed his arms, held it together and took care of business. He leads us with such power, precision and fortitude; he constantly impresses me with his courage and commitment.
Still under anesthesia, they took her back into surgery at around noon. He said they would be able to tell what kind of infection it was when they got in there. Our concern was that the culture we had done back in LA was to take 3 weeks to find out if it is fungal or not. The research I did indicated that fungal infections were deadly if not discovered in 8 days, and it had already been over 10 days since her first symptoms. How maddning!
We whiled away the hours by grocery shopping, washing the truck, and then tried to take a nap…still no word. We stayed at the Kiva Best Western again in our little pet friendly room and Paul set up his little traveling kitchenette; he is so proud of his regression to his old Boy Scout days. About to go stir crazy, at 6PM the call came. Dr. Tzipory’s voice was an indication of the news to come; it was fungal and in her brain. He removed the bone cement and the muscle and tendons he had created for her as a protective cover over her brain. It was covered with spores and the infection had taken over the area where the cyst was removed just 5 weeks earlier. He cleaned the area and said he doused it with hydrogen peroxide believe it or not.
There are very few cases where the prognosis was good with this kind of infection. Most owners pull the plug at this point because the drugs they use are for humans and quite expensive and could cause kidney damage as a side effect. They have some data of one dog that had the infection in his lungs and lymph system; it is still alive and well. This fungus is usually present in the sinus of all dogs and humans as well and lies dormant until the immune system is compromised. Considering her cancer was all sinus related…well, there you go.
At this point, Shadow had not woken from surgery and we had to wait and see her condition when the anesthesia wore off. In the meantime, we had Dr. LaRue, Shadow’s Radiation Oncologist, on the phone discussing euthanasia. This was excruciating for all of us. When we got off of the phone, Paul wiped his eyes, stopped crying and said he just didn’t want to give up on her. Our alternative to giving her the medication is to take her home, watch her deteriorate and wait for her to tell us she cannot take it anymore. Knowing Shadow, she would never give up, she hasn’t so far.
When Dr. Tzipory called back and said she was up, breathing on her own, and headed for the door again ready to go home; so we gave him the go ahead and Paul went into, “how to pay for it” mode. They gave her the first treatment that same evening. She responded well, no adverse reactions and she is to have 3 treatments a week, for 3 weeks. We stayed for the first week of treatment. Her last treatment was Monday and they checked her kidneys and they are just fine. It is his belief that the infection is systemic so we have to get it into her blood stream so the medication is delivered through an IV with fluids at the same time to protect her kidneys.
On Christmas day, we took Shadow, Allie and Takoda to the mountains and let them run in the snow. Shadow was so excited, had a big smile on her face and her tail went up for the first time since she got to drink out of the creek before we got to CSU. It was sad to see her struggle a bit as she is so weak from the surgery. She took it easy though, and let us know she was done by crawling into Paul’s arms as if to say, “thank you, I needed that.”
I have to applaud Takoda and Allie for their devotion to Shadow. They have lived on Shadow’s very sedate schedule with little or no complaint. Takoda took to the snow and played hard like the arctic he is and Allie indulged him a little by playing with him some. Her beta self is happiest just holding down the fort and staying close, guarding and protecting the pack.
Everyone here is astounded by Shadow’s strong constitution and love of life. Yet again, she is another case study, now for this new anti-fungal for animals. Her purpose in life seems to include this contribution to the medical community. I have to tell you that it infuriates me that she has had to endure all of this medical treatment and yet I am filled with gratitude at the same time. We can only assist her in this journey, which is our honor and pleasure.
Our next assignment is to find someone to help us create a custom helmet for her so she can enjoy the puppies and the outdoors. She thrives on her connection to the earth. Our new property when we procure it will be the best medicine in the world, but without something to protect her brain; she will not be able to participate. Any resources you may be able to recommend would be greatly appreciated.
As always, with all our being, we appreciate your continued and never ending support.
