[londontami]

this story spans over 4 years and ends in unbelievable heartbreak. my beautiful pablo was with me for 11 years, almost to the day. for the last 4 years of his life, he would intermittently experience very painful spasms - i call them spasms because we really dont know what they were.

it started one night while we were all sleeping, he was under the bed and all of a sudden, he just shot up onto the bed and was crying out in what appeared to be, extreme pain. it was almost as if he had been hit by a car because his cries were unbelievable and there was almost nothing i could do to relieve it.

i held him in my arms while he yelped and cried and he almost acted like he didnt know me, probably blinded by the pain. As quickly as it appeared, it subsided, but left a bit of a residual effect in that he just was not himself.

i stayed home with him the next day and while he was not crying out, he just was not his usual self in that he was far more clingy than normal clingy and i just didnt feel comfortable leaving him alone.

by 48 hours after the initial episode, it was as if nothing had ever happened.

about a year or so later, the same thing happened again only it was during the day, i was now working from home and i took him to the vet. they had no idea what it was and prescribed an anti inflammatory/pain reliever and it did seem to help. this incident (as well as future episodes) was followed by diarhea.

so over the next 4 years, these episodes would occur maybe once or twice a year, maybe even skipped a year. he was fine and dandy and we just let it go because there wasnt enough going on for the doctors to even go on.

then one sunday evening in october, it happened again - the same routine of me holding him until he calmed down and just being ther with him to help him through. the next day i kept the house quiet and he seemed to be back to normal on tuesday, eating and having treats and going for a walk. But this time, it repeated on wednesday (this had never happened before) and i took him to the vet. they gave him a very strong pain relief injection and i took him home. To make a painful and long story short, he never recovered.

Without going into a lot of detail we discovered through bloodwork that his liver was damaged and/or he had a tumor - his billirubin levels were so high and his bloodwork was so bad that we realized he was only suffering now and decided not to put him through anything else. the last days of his life were not peaceful by any means.

after discussions with the vet, i do feel that these 'episodes' were the first signs of liver disease and or a tumor - had my vet suggested bloodwork when he was diagnosed as diabetic, we probably would have found it sooner, but now it was just too late.

pablo was just the most special dog, he just had so much personality and the stories i could tell! i am hoping that if this helps just one person who may have seen this type of behavior in their dog, it may urge them to get bloodwork done on their dog.

obviously there is no definitive way of knowing if these episodes were indeed the sign of his liver disfunction, but my gut tells me it was. i just wish my vet had been a little bit smarter about this, considering he had been diagnosed as diabetic just 6 months earlier, at 10 years old he should have suggested a full blood panel.

[threenorns]

oh, i'm so sorry!

having had cholestitis myself, i know exactly how your dog felt and it is absolutely awful.

[CorkyMax]

That is so sad! Thank you for posting this here---I hope it helps any dog that has this problem--but hope no dog has the problem.

londontami---This is not directed in any way at you! Just want to get a message out.
I hope this makes people think----A vet is not perfect and some are not that good either--I am very outspoken with my vet---I do not just leave things in his hands. I have asked for blood work and other things be done when I had concerns. I also told him that my dogs were never ever to be given Rimadyl or Prednisone without my permission. A dog of mine that had surgery was given Rimadyl while being operated on and I didn't know about it till I saw the itemized bill. After that I told him I wanted it in my dog's records not to give the stuff. And there is no way in he*l my dogs will ever be given the killer--Proin! And I will repeat what I and others have too--Research your meds before taking them--for you or the dog! Remember you know the dog and know when things are even not quite right. You as the dog's owner and you care for it --love it--You have to look out for it --You are the one who has the responsibility and the main one concerned for your dog's health. The vet only sees what he (thinks) he sees plus just like most human doctors--sometimes they are in a hurry to get to the next patient. Blood work is a good idea most any time your dog is ill---Yes it cost money but to know esp. what shape the kidneys and liver are in is very important!!!

Another thing---It is expensive to do the right thing sometimes but please don't take chances with your beloved dog/pet and not get things like blood work done when in the back (front) of your mind you think it should be done. Just because a vet doesn't mention it doesn't mean it isn't a good idea! Then too if you don't think your vet is a good one--Find another one! Also when your vet doesn't know what is wrong---Maybe a 2nd opinion is needed.

[lange]

Without a doubt we have to be our own advocates in health, whether people or pet. Doctors are only human and aren't experts in everything health related.

I very much appreciate you posting about Pablo's story too. This is how it starts,(self advocates) by listening & teaching each other what we know or have experienced. I'm sure someone will stumble on this post being in a similar situation, whether tomorrow or 5 years from now, and learn from you & Pablo's story.

May your Pablo rest in peace. You were a good parent, and did everything you could think of at those moments for your baby.