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Tator's bad blood
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An animal fund forRomy

Tator's bad blood

Started by: Caylie Voudren

39 shares

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On October 2, 2016 my 12 year old Shih Tzu, Romy was diagnosed with Immune-Mediated Hemolytic Anemia and admitted to Texas A&M where she is currently fighting for her life.

A little about this disease. Basically her immune system is attacking her red blood cells. A healthy PCV (packed cell volume) in dogs is 40-59. Romy's PCV upon arriving at A&M was 12, which is blood transfusion range. The prognosis is not great for this disease. Immunosuppressants are used to try and stop the immune system from destroying RBCs. About 1/3 of dogs will make it out of the hospital, and after slowly weaning them off of the immunosuppressants they will go into remission and live healthy, happy lives. Another 1/3 will experience relapse after being weaned off the immunosuppressants, and will require these drugs for the entirety of their lives. The remaining 1/3 never make it out of the hospital.

This is going to be a long, hard, expensive battle. It is an estimated $5k just for the preliminary treatment. If she's lucky enough to get out of the hospital, it's many months of costly drugs and monthly tests to try to put her into remission. Even if she does reach remission, relapse will always be a possibility, this is something I will worry about for the remainder of her life....but she will never know. If I can get her to feeling good again she will never know she's sick, will never know my fears, and that's all I want for her.

Anyone that knows me knows I am a proud person, I have trouble asking for help, especially financial help...but this isn't about me, it's about Romy. I am a graduate student. Before all of this I struggled just to pay bills and feed myself...but I can't put a price on my best friend's life. I am doing everything I can to give Romy the care she deserves, the care I promised she would get the day I brought her home as a wee little pup. I am currently looking for a job, I am selling belongings, sacrificing things I love to pay her medical bills, I would live in a cardboard box for this dog...but I still need help, and I've accepted that. Any little bit helps. Please, I don't want anyone to put themselves in financial hardship to help me. I am incredibly grateful for any donation, whatever the amount.

I just want people to understand that yes, Romy is an older dog...but I believe if she gets through this she has many more happy years ahead of her. She doesn't look like a 12 year old dog, she doesn't act like it. She's not painful or arthritic or tired like other dogs her age. She's as bouncy and active as she always has been. I am prepared to let Romy go if she's ready, but she's not. She's fighting, her body is fighting. She's been such a good patient, her doctors love her. Things were shaky at the start but she's showing amazing improvement now.

Please...she's not just my best friend, she's an extension of my soul. I can barely remember a time without her in my life. I need her, I'm not ready to lose her and she's not ready to go. Help me bring my baby back home, help me return her to health and happiness.

Donations can also be sent via Paypal to voudrencaylie@yahoo.com

Please include a mailing address with your donation so that I can send you a thank you card. If you are not comfortable providing your mailing address, an email is fine. I will send you a virtual thank you card.

Thanks so much for any contribution you can make! Romy and I are eternally grateful!

Latest Update

Romy is doing well this morning. They took her down to 40% O2 last night and she was stable through the night so they took her down to 30% this morning. If they can get her stable at 20% for a few hours they'll let her come home. PCV was down to 23.6 but again variation is to be expected. Doc is still confident that there is RBC regeneration. I don't want to rush her out of the hospital by any means but please keep your fingers crossed that Romy makes the progress she needs to in order to come home today. Her 12th birthday is tomorrow and I'd love for her to be able to spend it curled up beside mommy where she belongs.

Posted by Caylie

October 7 at 7:31am

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Got a good long visit, maybe 10 min which since she's in an O2 chamber I can usually only be with her a few min at a time. Radiographs showed significant improvement in the lungs, they look more like they did 2 days ago before she was diagnosed with heart failure. She's still in heart failure but the symptoms of the failure are being relieved by the diuretics. Unfortunately she's still having increased abdominal effort (labored breathing) and they're not sure why. But there has been improvement. So they're trying some other things. If they're able to get her respiration under control, she can come home tomorrow! I will just need to monitor her. So ya, I don't expect to sleep all weekend lol. Doc is VERY pleased with her progress with the IMHA, says she's responding to treatment beautifully. She also said she is optimistic about Romy's long-term survival because I am such a good mommy who will adequately monitor her and keep up with her meds :)

Posted by Caylie

October 6 at 3:49pm

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The good news is her PCV is up to 28 which is the highest it's been. The last PCV value was 22 down from 25 so that jump back up is very encouraging. CBC confirmed that there is significant regeneration of those RBCs so her bone marrow is hard at work to get her healthy again. She did have more respiratory distress overnight. They gave her some more diuretics at around 5am to try and pull the fluid off her lungs and there has been significant improvement. She's still very oxygen dependent though. Her chamber is at 40-50% oxygen and Katie (the 4th year, finally got her name lol) was unable to get completely through her exam this morning before she had to close the chamber back up because Romy was showing some distress. As long as she's in her chamber though she's very comfortable. They say she's in great spirits with a continuously healthy appetite. So good news is she's kicking IMHA's ass lol. Bad news is her heart and lungs are kicking hers.

Posted by Caylie

October 6 at 12:04pm

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Last night Romy began having labored breathing again so they put her back in the o2 chamber. This could be a result of the anemia or her pulmonary hypertension which they've put her on a medication for. Her PVC was down to 22 from 25 yesterday but variation is to be expected with this disease. They're not at the point of considering another transfusion yet. They sent out a CBC earlier, still waiting on that. They say she's otherwise in great spirits. Very bubbly and talkative this morning and a healthy appetite as always.

Posted by Caylie

October 5 at 10:06am

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Just got back from saying goodnight to Romy. PCV value up to 25! She is completely off oxygen and stable. Got to go for a walk today and was super playful. She was SO strong! When they opened the door she tried to jump into my arms again. They asked if I'd like to hold her. Uh, YES! I haven't held my baby in 2 days is that even a question?! They say if she keeps improving she's on track to go home as soon as Thursday! I know we aren't out of the woods. I know this is a dangerous and unpredictable disease, that she could tank at any minute. I know we have months of recovery ahead but damn it...two days ago I thought I was losing my best friend and I felt the sting of that pain down to my core. Her prognosis was not good and I was probably crazy for choosing to go through with this treatment that's probably going to put me in the poor house. But I KNOW my baby!! She is a fighter and nobody gets to decide when it's her time except for her!

Posted by Caylie

October 4 at 5:37pm

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Just went to see Romy When I first walked in her heart rate jumped and the little alarm started going off lol. She jumped right up to see me and stood for most of the visit wagging her tail and licking my face. Oh my goodness I've never been so delighted by the sight of a pink tongue lol. She doesn't have any procedures scheduled today, just meds and PCV checks. They haven't discussed the possibility of another transfusion yet. As long as her body is making RBCs and that PVC value is climbing, they're happy. The final reports came back from the various specialists. No evidence of cancer or any other cause for concern or indication of why she developed this disease. Overall the doctors are very happy with her progress and response to treatment.

Posted by Caylie

October 4 at 1:28pm

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October 4th 11:16am Romy is still doing very well, resting comfortably. She doesn't seem to be having trouble breathing anymore so they are slowly decreasing the oxygen in her oxygen chamber hoping to wean her back down to room concentration. Doctors are busy with appointments right now but they will come get me in a few hours for a visit.

Posted by Caylie

October 4 at 9:17am

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October 4th, 8am Fantastic news this morning First of all I slept like a baby. I knew Tator was in good hands. Woke up this morning with a call from the 4th year on Romy's case. I really need to get her name lol she's awesome, she wanted to give me a quick update before she started rounds and became unavailable. Romy did very well overnight. Her PVC value is up to 23.3!! It was 18.6 after her transfusion so that increase is due to her OWN body making red blood cells and not destroying them! Which means the immunosuppressants are working! For those not familiar with this disease, a PVC value of 40-59 is considered normal in dogs and it can take several months to reach that value. The fact that she has doubled her value in a couple of days is amazing. They say she is very chipper this morning and still has a strong appetite. Rounds end at 10:00 but I have a class from 9:35-10:50 so I will probably see her after. Will update again then.

Posted by Caylie

October 4 at 9:16am

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October 3rd, 5pm Romy finished her transfusion without issue. I got to visit with her some. She seemed exhausted but the doctors were all in agreement that she seems a lot brighter and more alert since the transfusion. Her PVC is up to 18.6 from the 17 it was last time they checked it. So the rest of the night will just be monitoring. They feel optimistic about her current condition and that she's not in any immediate danger. Maybe I'll get some sleep tonight.

Posted by Caylie

October 4 at 9:15am

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October 3rd 2:15 pm The 4th year student on Romy's case came to talk to me. She has finished all her testing. The cardiologist has confirmed her heart is not an issue right now. The ultrasound did not reveal any issues other than those associated with anemia. They said she was super cooperative with all her tests and became talkative towards the end of her ultrasound lol. She loves to talk. The other tests are still being reviewed by specialists but so far she's been getting a transfusion for 15 minutes without issue. They've started her on a number of drugs and she is not having a negative reaction to any. They said she has a VERY healthy appetite and is getting all sorts of goodies from ID to baby food to boiled chicken. They say she is strong and alert and stealing everyone's heart back there. Right now she is doing very well and a game plan is being developed to move forward with her treatment.

Posted by Caylie

October 4 at 9:14am

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October 3rd 10am Her PCV is up to 16 from 12 last night from the little bit of transfusion she got before she had to stop. This morning she had echoes several tests done. She has a TEAM of cardiologists and radiologists and pulmonologists all working on her case. That's what's great about A&M, there's more than 1 specialist in each branch. She's been given the green light to go ahead with another transfusion. They are checking for cancer in different areas to try to explain why this has popped up so late in life. They said her bone marrow is working harder which is good because it means her body is fighting. The doctors don't seem as grim as the ER vet was but they say at this point it's a matter of unknowns and discovering those unknowns will tell us more about prognosis. I'm feeling better after seeing her. She's being well taken care of. Her chamber is full of blankets and my tshirt. She's hooked up to all sorts of monitors and is under 24/7 watch.

Posted by Caylie

October 4 at 9:12am

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October 3rd 10am I finally got to go see Romy. I couldn't see her for very long though because she's in an oxygen chamber. She was snuggled up with the tshirt I gave them for her. They said she's such a good little patient but I knew that. She was a little weak but she recognized me right away and nearly jumped into my arms. I had to lean into the chamber to keep her from falling out because she was pressed so tightly against my body. She did this thing she does when she's super excited to see me where she squeals at the top of her lungs. The doctors were a little concerned cuz they didn't want her getting worked up but I told them to hold on, she just needed to be held a second, and sure enough she calmed down. I spent the entire visit standing on my tippy toes leaning into that O2 chamber with her little body pressed as tightly against me as she could be, her tail wagging the entire time. When I left she was sitting up all by herself, looking bright and alert.

Posted by Caylie

October 4 at 8:46am

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October 3rd, 8:12am Got another call this morning but I missed it cuz I was on the phone with my mom and didn't switch over fast enough. It was just a 4th year introducing herself and telling me that Romy had been transferred from the ER to internal medicine where her treatment will be continued. The doc in charge of her case will be calling me when she finishes rounds in a few hours. I'm going to pack up my things and go study in the waiting room. I just need to be near her. Maybe they will let me pull up a chair next to her cage. I don't even need to hold her, she's never been big on cuddling anyway she just needs to know that I am there and she feels at ease. I just...I need her to know I am there so she will keep fighting. But if they don't let me in to see her at least I'll be just down the hall if things go wrong. I can't let her go without her mommy there to tell her she loves her and that its ok.

Posted by Caylie

October 4 at 8:43am

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October 3rd, 2:49am Was finally about to fall asleep when I get a call from the hospital. They had to stop the transfusion because her respiratory rate was decreasing. They're going to try some other things but the doc is not optimistic and she convinced me into agreeing to a DNR. Now I'm just sick wondering if I made the right decision. If she has to go I want her to go curled up in bed next to me, not on a cold table surrounded by strangers without me in site. Idk what to do I feel like the worst mom ever. I just want to be with her.

Posted by Caylie

October 4 at 8:43am

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October 2, 11:23 pm Got a call from A&M Romy is stable They're going to go ahead and do a blood transfusion. They have to use a universal donor because her blood clots before they can test it with any other samples. The doctor she's being transferred to has her game plan written up but their main concern with her being an older dog is something more sinister at work here like cancer. Regardless we're gonna fight this and hope for the best. The doctor said she is comfortable though and that makes me feel a little better.

Posted by Caylie

October 4 at 8:42am

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4 Supporters

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  • Sara Jones7 years ago Love you Caylie and I love Romy too! Hope this helps y'all out!! Love Sara, Canyon, and Darin
  • Lisa Dimambro7 years ago Best wishes.
  • Anonymous7 years ago
  • Richard M Voudren7 years ago Best wishes.
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