One thing Ihave learned since being a part of this group is that they are the most caring, loving people I have ever known. It seems that when someone loves and cares for an animal, they have a greater abundance of love for everyone, including people. I am glad to have found all of you and keep you in my prayers always. ---- Ben Williams <[email protected]> wrote: > I'd like to start off this message by thanking all of you for your kind > words regarding Dexter over the past few days - - my wife and I have shared > and appreciated every one of the emails - it's meant a lot to us. > Unfortunately, this morning has proven to be heartbreaking to us both - we > received a call first thing this morning from East Dallas Animal Clinic's > Dr. Ken Cantrell that Dexter's condition had worsened over the course of the > night. After picking Dex up from the Emergency clinic yesterday morning, we > immediately took him to Dr. Wright at Lakewood Vet Center. Dr. Wright has > been on vacation since last week and we were told that he would be back > yesterday morning - but he hadn't yet returned. I took Dexter to see him on > three occasions last week for his lymphocyte T-Cell Immunomodulator > injections, but was only able to see him that Monday. When we took Dex in > on Friday when the swelling of his feet and face had begun, we were given no > advice by his staff who were unable to do anything other than give Dex his > shot and usher us out the door. They are all very caring people and I don't > blame them for anything, but I feel that any vet who runs a practice where > he is the only doctor on staff, should do a bit more to keep his patients > informed about his availability - that way precious minutes or hours or days > aren't wasted waiting for him to return. Fortunately, several weeks ago, > when trying to convince Dr. Wright to order the LTCI treatment (which took > him over a week to do) I was referred to the East Dallas Animal Clinic by > the LTCI folks - they had used the medication before. East Dallas Animal > Clinic is a wonderful place. We've worked with Dr. Ellsworth and Dr. > Cantrell there - - they are both compassionate and make a point of taking > calls from concerned pet owners. They have both been wonderful to work with > and have been open to taking every conceivable avenue with Dex's treatment. > I only wish we had been seeing them from the start. We rushed Dex to them > yesterday morning as soon as it became clear that Dr. Wright wouldn't be > returning. Again, I don't blame Dr. Wright, but when we took Dexter in for > his checkup three weeks ago and Dr. Wright informed us that anemia had set > in, his advice was to "take him home and make him comfortable." A week > passed as I researched and tried to communicate with him about alternate > treatments and off-label meds. When you factor in that week and the week he > took to order the LTCI meds, that's two out of the last three weeks where > Dex had little treatment. Again, why the difficulty in getting anything > done for Dex? East Dallas, however, fit Dex in on the first day we spoke > with him and started him on Acemannan injections. They had two remaining > doses remaining of that drug; a drug that was very beneficial to Dex last > year when he was first diagnosed. they sacrificed those 2 doses for Dex > without question - had I gone to them earlier, perhaps it would have had > more effect on him. Regardless, Dex seemed to make improvements while on > Immunoregulin, LCTI and the acemannan. FeLV and FIV are horrible diseases, > though, and I felt like there was something always sneaking up on Dex while > we treated him. We seemed to reverse the anemia, but his Lymph nodes were > swelling. Some days they would go down, other days, they would blow up. > When the mystery feet and face swelling started last week, he even responded > well with benadryl. That thing sneaking up on Dexter? Full blown cancer - > it wasn't just in his lymph nodes, it was in his liver and spleen - it had > probably made his heart swell. His breathing was becoming more and more > labored and we struggled with the decision of when Dexter was in too much > pain to continue. Yesterday, Dr. Cantrell started chemotherapy on Dex, as > well as steroids. He seemed to tolerate the meds well, but over the course > of the night, he became more jaundiced and vomited, while his body > temperature dropped to 94 degrees. His little body had given out as this > terrible disease had taken almost everything from him. I say almost > everything, because when we arrived at East Dallas Animal Clinic this > morning, even though he was being hand fed oxygen while under a warming pad, > little Dexter still had a playful wag of the tail when we placed our hands > on him and told him how much we love him. Dexter died at 8 this morning. > We are heartbroken that our sweet boy is gone and that he was only with us > for a year and a half. He was such a wonderful, sweet and special kitty - > we will miss him terribly. He was a huge part of our family - not some > "pet" or animal. We have four other wonderful kitties at home who are not > FelV or FIV positive. They have been wonderful as our attention has been so > focused on Dex for the last month and we owe them some serious one on one > time right now. While all of the kitties get along well, Dex was the one > cat in the house that all the other cats adored. He was never involved in > spats with any of them and they all took turns cleaning him and looking > after him. Dex was special to everyone. In the end, I wish there was more > I could have done for Dex - I look back at the timing of everything and how > the last three weeks have gone for him. Could the outcome have been > different? I'll never know, of course, but I'm not done fighting this fight > with FeLV and FIV. These diseases took our boy from us and I will not stop > until they are both a thing of the past. Its the very least I can do in > honor of Dexter - a wonderful boy who fought with dignity and calm, and > above all else, the special brand of sweetness that only he had. > > Thanks, everyone. > _______________________________________________ > Felvtalk mailing list > [email protected] > http://felineleukemia.org/mailman/listinfo/felvtalk_felineleukemia.org
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