Doom Dogs

[Greg_phpbb3_import1]

We are back at the Vet. Preston was kind of neglected as we dealt with Cuchulain. His skin makes him itch, but we kind of had it handled. His teeth need cleaning. His hair is falling out. He can't bend his joints. Just your fine all around dog.
For the past week or so, I've noticed his belly being kind of distended. He's on a steroid which makes him go to the bathroom a lot. I figured his bladder was pushing out his belly. I made the appointment for Monday to go see where money lives. But on the Saturday, I was cruising the internet where all the information is stored. I found an article on Bloat. Funny, after reading the description about Bloat, I realized that Preston had the exact same symptoms. Bloat kills dogs in hours. I rescheduled the doctor appointment for immediately.
Cindi and I take him in. Dr. Castaneda (I keep thinking we are going to have talks about metaphysics) says we really need to do an X-ray to find out why he is so swollen. It's not Bloat because he's been in the condition too long. She says we can wait while they do the X-ray. How fun. Cindi and I have spent a lot of time in that waiting room. I bring books. She brings knitting.
The X-rays tell us it's not bloat. The winner this time is the Spleen. The Spleen is so large, it is pushing the intestines all to one side. But she can't tell from the X-rays why the spleen is so large. She needs to do an ultrasound to really see the tissue. There are two options on the table about the large spleen. It's a benign mass, in which case the spleen needs to be removed for Preston to be comfortable. People and animals can live normal happy lives without their Spleens. If it's malignant, the spleen has to be removed in order for the dog to live. The one problem is that the malignancy might have spread from the Spleen to all it's organ friends, much like it did with Cuchulain.
The only real way to determine if it's Benign or Malignant, is to take it out and look at it. So, take it out, I hear you ask. But Preston is old. Preston has a heart murmur. Anaesthetic doesn't really go well with old dogs with heart problems. We'll do the ultrasound to get a good look and make further determinations. Preston gets to stay with the Vets. Cindi and I go to eat.
We come back later. We barely have to wait at all. Preston in his usual difficult was was so full of gas, they couldn't get a good look at his Spleen. It's big, but they don't know what's wrong with it. We are not taking it out, because that will probably kill him. Of course, leaving it in, will kill him as well. They gave us Opiates for pain, (The dogs, not ours), a pill to relieve some of the gas and some stronger steroids for his skin. Did I mention steroids are bad for dogs with heart problems? Yeah, Preston is balanced precariously in the center of a web of medications to keep him just healthy enough. Stupid Dog.

So, there we are with another mystery dog illness. Preston seems a bit healthier than the last one was when we got the great health news. He even was nice enough to sleep through the night without waking up barking and rubbing his back on the carpet. Of course, that was worrisome, too. Why is the dog so quiet? What's wrong with him?
The poor boy is going down hill, but I think the decline is a little gentler than with the Brown dog. At least that's what I am hoping.