Wednesday night I came home from a committee meeting to find our precious Bonnie dog panting heavily, shallowly and whimpering in pain. She had been perfectly fine earlier in the day, so I was alarmed that her demeanor had changed so rapidly. I took her out and she seemed to be in pain, walking on her very tippy toes...she was also radiating heat, which made me think she might have a fever so we immediately set off to the emergency vet clinic. When we checked in she had a temp of 104 degrees, her lung sounds were "harsh" and her abdomen was clearly tender. Fearing the worst, we asked the vet to keep her overnight and monitor her until our APA! vet could examine her the next morning. The diagnosis was a possible onset of pneumonia, for which we were prescribed a heavy course of antibiotics and pain meds, in addition to continuing her current anti-fungal regimen.
Fortunately, she was feeling a little better Thursday and we were allowed to take her home and keep her calm and quiet. The good news is that we caught her additional symptoms early, and they could be a good sign that the anti-fungal medicines are working hard to destroy the pythiosis, causing an elevated body temperature and additional side effects from the cumulative build-up. We've taken the last few days very slowly and carefully, and thankfully, Bonnie seems to have regained her strength and is starting to feel perkier again. Also, she doesn't seem to have lost any weight from her ordeal, and in fact seems to still be gaining. The bad news is that the emergency care, additional meds and continuing anti-fungal treatments are starting to add up and APA! needs additional donations to help offset her continued care. So please spread the word to your friends and family who are animal-lovers and let's rally to raise enough money to continue giving this amazing fighter another chance!
Click here to make a donation to Bonnie's vet bills. Thank you for your support!!
