April 2008 Archives
Last Sunday, April 13, was incredibly hot - 95 degrees Fahrenheit. I didn't want to take the dog out in the sun but he wanted to go out around noon. What a mistake. He got so overheated and tired after a block that we had to stop in the shade. I ended up carrying him home. Then he started wheezing and breathing really fast. The next morning he looked and sounded terrible. I rushed him to the vet in the morning. Dr. Hegazy, a large, hairy Eastern European, told me that Valentin's heart murmur, which registered a 3 out of 6 last November, had deteriorated to a 5 out of 6. His pulse was about 120. The diagnosis was congestive heart failure. The heart's valves don't close completely and the lungs fill up with fluids, making it difficult to breathe. The doctor took 2 x-rays and sent me home with 2 kinds of pills. Later on Valentin got worse and could hardly walk. I thought that he would die that night. I put him on the bed and kept spoonfeeding him water. I didn't sleep at all. The next morning his heart was pounding super fast and he was panting very loudly, gasping for air like a fish out of water. I rushed him back to the veterinarian's clinic.
The doctor saw how bad Valentin looked and immediately started administering oxygen. They drew blood. Instead of waiting for the results of the blood test, the doctor gave Valentin some heart medication: enalapril and furosemide. They are the same medications given to humans but in different doses. I wondered if the medicine would do any good or if the doctor was trying to make it look like they were doing something. That night I gave the dog his medicine, and cried my eyes out while monitoring and petting him. The next morning I woke up and was planning on carrying Valentin downstairs to let him urinate but he started to stand up and walk about. I was amazed. He walked down the hall and outside on his own. He was slow and a bit shaky but better than the day before. He walked 1/2 a block. I gave him his medicine then waited for the clinic to open.
The doctor was happy to see that Valentin was much better and I was happy that Dr. Hegazy had given the appropriate treatment. Each day he gets better and better. Now he's pretty much like he was before. I just watch him closely and carry him if he gets tired. He doesn't like to be babied too much though. He lets me know when he's rested up and can start walking again. Today the pup wanted to walk to the marina but we couldn't get there due to the barriers put up for the Toyota Grand Prix. We did walk quite a few blocks at any rate.
Dr. Hegazy called me to say that Valentin's red blood cell count is very low and his platelets are extremely low so I have to watch out for bleeding. However, it's possible to make his bone marrow create more red blood cells if I take him in for some injections. So next week I'll be taking him in for that.
A few of my coworkers were very concerned and understanding when I kept missing time from work every day. I would go in for a few hours and then leave. Someone asked me if I would have to take a second job in order to pay for the vet bills. Amazingly, the bills only totaled $450. That's not cheap but it's a lot cheaper than what I had expected. Just about 2 weeks earlier, a coworker's friend paid $9,000 for treatment for her cat. Ouch.
I asked the nurse if I could still take Valentin to Peru, given the long flight (17 hours) and the high altitude (about 16,000 ft). She thought it would be okay but said she'd talk it over with the vet. Apparently, there are many animals that can live quite well with this condition as long as they are probably medicated. I guess it's the same as for human beings. I know plenty of people with heart problems who do quite well. I'm glad. I'm not ready to let go of my best friend. I know he won't live forever but a while longer would be great, as long as he's comfortable.
I was quite surprised this morning to receive an e-mail from the organization in Peru that had interviewed me just last Friday. They offered me the job. That's a nice way to start the day. However, I had to ask them to send me a lot more information about the job before I can accept or decline the offer.
I did do some checking on the city, which is extremely beautiful. It is an archaeologist's dream. The link to the city's official website is: http://www.ollantaytambo.org/en/
More to follow.
