Recksayna des Hauts Marches, HCT
October 20, 2000 to March 30, 2007
OFA Hips, Elbows, Thyroid. Heart Cardiologist cleared
Corine Loubrey brought Recks to us from France when she was
just a pup - 8 weeks exactly , as if she was any older she would not have fit in
the carry on for the plane! With the plane changes from Paris to Seattle,
we did not want to fly her cargo.
She was a fun girl - very much attached to her family.
She was my first dog ever that was ball OBSESSED. It is a fun drive.
She would chase the ball forever. That drive lives on in her son,
Tarzan. It makes him very easy to work! Her
daughter Daiga just has the ENERGY and slightly warped
sense of humor. I like the ball drive though...
The end of January 2007, Recks developed a mild cough - it was
an odd one, not like the normal Kennel Cough type thing, and when it didn't go
away in a couple days, on January 29th, I took her into the vet. There
were no real symptoms I could put my finger on - she was eating, energy was OK,
maybe down a hair, and I thought she seemed a little bloated (not bloat - but if
you are female you know what I mean)...but she wasn't right. The vet
thought perhaps a doggy flu, and prescribed antibiotics. They didn't do
any good at all, and she actually seemed to get worse from them - her appetite
dropped. I thought perhaps they were upsetting her stomach and took her
off them. She didn't get better, and the abdominal swelling went from
perhaps a little bloated to no doubt it was there. So a week after the
first vet visit, we were back in again. This time he did a number of
tests, including X-rays, blood work and removed some of the fluid that was
accumulated in the chest cavity for cytology. Recksayna was diagnosed with
lymphoma, most likely Mediastinal, the next day, on February 6th. Our vet
referred us to an oncologist for treatment, as he had no suggestions.
We did start her on Prednisone and Lasix to treat the symptoms.
Naturally, I did much research prior to our appointment.
The prognosis for this type of lymphoma is not always good.
When I met with the oncologist, her only recommendation for treatment was Chemo
therapy. Her opinion was no matter what the other factors are, you just
start the chemo, as they might do fine on it and there is no other option but to
let the dog die. She stated if I didn't do chemo, Recks would deteriorate
quickly and it would be a matter of a week, maybe a few weeks and that would be
it.
I didn't quite buy into that. There are side effects
from Chemo, and while it is often a great option for lymphoma dogs, I didn't
feel it was the right choice in this case as Recks was already ill. So, we
stayed with the prednisone and lasix for the time being and made the choice to
consult a Homeopathic Veterinarian, and do more research on alternative
treatments.
Recks bounced back nicely after the first week, and got back
to pretty much her old self. She chased the ball, ate her meals with great
gusto, and took full advantage of being spoiled and indulged. We made
regular trips to Dr. Nordquist for acupuncture and to adjust the herbs she was
getting. She was a happy, active bratty girl until March 29th. That
day she was very quiet, didn't eat and didn't seem to feel well at all. I
called and got her some pain pills just in case she was in pain. I knew
that if she didn't rally back again, it was time.
Recks died peacefully in her sleep in the early morning hours
of March 30 2007.
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This is the BEST place to watch everything in the house! Especially since it looks right into the kitchen. |
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The Ball is so much fun!
*Almost* as much fun as chasing the water hose. |
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