pets – Julie's Bits

Thelma Lou joined the family in June and is feeling comfy and happy in her new place

A Final Update on Bert

A few weeks ago, I took Bert to the vet because I was concerned about how thin he had become. He was still eating his pureed food, but he wasn’t maintaining his weight.

The vet examined him and told me his kidneys were failing. “There’s nothing short of a kidney transplant that will keep him alive. It’s just a matter of time…”

I suspected as much but the news still made me incredibly sad. At the time Bert was still able to get around okay, he still enjoyed sitting outside on the porch, nestling in one of the dog beds, and he still intimidated the girls. By all accounts he was still fine…at least HE thought so.

I brought him home and did my best to keep him comfortable and eating. Things went along as usual until last week. On Tuesday he needed some help getting around and I figured he was living his last few days.

Things turned very bad overnight and on Wednesday morning he died. I was with him at the time he passed and up until his final last stretch he was aware and alert. I am so thankful he died at home, surrounded by the things that brought him joy. And I am so glad I was there gently patting him as my remarkable boy – the boy who wandered into my yard 15 years ago, the boy who survived cancer of his mouth 5 years ago, the boy who came to dominate and hold his own amongst my two 80 pound dogs – passed over.

I don’t know what happens after death, but I sure hope to see Bert along with all my other beloved animal companions again some day.

Bert is doing great!

It was touch and go there for a couple of months, but those days are behind us now.

He’s been cancer free for a year and a half, has gained back most of the weight he lost, and he’s a very happy boy. He has adjusted well to not having a lower jaw line (his tongue doesn’t hang out of his mouth as the vet expected) and he enjoys his pureed food – he even has his own blender (the magic bullet had to be replaced since it was not up to the task of twice daily smoothies with a real blender) that is dedicated to the task.

A Final Update on Bert

Gracie & CBD Oil

A few days ago, I started Gracie, who is now 13 years old, on CBD hemp oil in hopes of improving her mobility. Last night, she lept off the porch & ran after a critter she smelled in the woods, like a younger version of herself.

I don’t really want her disappearing into the woods at night like that, but I think the CBD oil is working.

Bert’s followup visit

We paid a visit to the vet’s office this morning for a follow-up to Bert’s jaw surgery. I had hoped to have the stitches removed, but decided to leave them in for a while longer to allow the front of his jaw to heal more.

Bert has lost 3 pounds over the last 10 days since surgery. He is still struggling to eat & drink on his own, so I’ve been syringe feeding him.

I got a good look at his mouth and tongue and it is clear that his tongue is in great shape. The vet believes Bert should be able to lick & lap food & water into his mouth, but Bert is accustomed to having the support of his front lower jaw that is no longer there to help him. It looks like I’ll have to continue using the syringe to water and feed him for the foreseeable future.

Click here for next update on Bert –>

One year with Raven

Today marks a year since I brought Raven home. She’s a great dog, so smart and so happy all of the time. Gracie has been a great calming presence to her & likes her company. Raven tries to herd Ernie (the cat) not so successfully. Ernie likes the attention most of the time. Bert, my sick kitty, is finally coming around, although that may be more because he’s sick and not so much because he’s accepted her presence. Raven loves them all and is delighted to be part of the pack.

My sweet Bert

My sweet kitty Bert has had some health issues lately and we’ve gotten to know our veterinarian pretty well since he’s made many trips for care in the last few months.

The vet performed some exploratory surgery on his bottom lip and chin 10 days ago and sent some tissue samples off to UGA for examination. We got the word on Thursday that the tissue was malignant carcinoma.

When the vet operated on him, he removed all of the suspicious tissue that he could see, so we are hopeful that he got it all and that Bert will live several more years. Bert is not as handsome now as he is in this picture above, but he is still just as sweet as ever. <3

Here’s a picture of what his lip and chin looked like before surgery.

UPDATE: 2/22/2018

Got really terrible confirmation today when I took Bert in for a final check up from his cancer surgery…..I noticed on Sunday night that his mouth didn’t look right and woke up Monday morning crying with the realization that the cancer was back. The vet confirmed it in today’s visit.

So now I must explore some options…..If anyone who reads this has had a pet with cancer, I would love to hear about your experience.

I will be taking Bert in for an oncology consult with a cancer expert, hopefully, next week and will go from there…..

Needless to say I am sick about this latest development. Right now, Bert is happy, eating well, and feeling pretty good, so it’s really hard to think about what is going to happen to him in the future. I just can’t bear to think about watching this beautiful, happy boy succumb to cancer.

UPDATE: 2/27/2018

I scheduled an appointment with a cancer specialist for Bert for this coming Thursday, but over the weekend, the tumor on his lip grew quite a lot.

Last week, when I discussed options for Bert with the veterinarian, I was given 3 options: a more invasive surgery, chemotherapy, and to do nothing. I had hoped to explore the veracity of chemo and then make a decision, but, given how fast the tumor is growing, I am concerned that the window for a surgical solution is closing rapidly, so I called the vet yesterday morning and told him that I thought we should pursue the surgical option as soon as possible.

So this morning I dropped Bert off at the vet’s office and sometime today he will be operated on again. This time the vet will remove part of his lower jaw (partial mandibulectomy) in the hopes of removing the cancer.

UPDATE: 2/27/2018 Post Surgery

The vet called me after surgery to let me know that Bert was okay. He texted me a few pictures.

UPDATE: 2/28/2018

Bert got through surgery okay, but stayed overnight at the vet’s office. He is home now and appears to be hungry, but is having some difficulty eating. He has to learn a new technique for eating….

UPDATE: 3/01/201

Bert is struggling to eat, but he seems to be doing okay. His tongue hangs out of his mouth and he doesn’t have much of a lower jaw so when he tries to eat his tongue gets in the way. I have been syringing water & watered down food into him. It’s a very messy business and stressful for both of us.

So far, I think I’ve managed to get his meds in him and keep him hydrated, but haven’t gotten much food in him.

Tonight we wrapped him in a towel & Mark held him tightly. I was able to put some soft food on my finger & get it in his mouth. That was a little encouraging & tomorrow we will try to get more food into him.

Click here for next update –>