Kaiha Brain Tumor Journey $8K diagnosis
Donation protected
Here we are again with our precious Husky Kaiha having complications after a standard Banfield procedure.
As some of you may remember, we had her eyes taken out about a year ago now due to Banfield over prescribing her eye drops to the point where the pressure built up and damaged her eyes (all confirmed by a dog ophthalmologist). We gave them the benefit of the doubt and did not pursue any legal action, but we were obviously devastated for her to lose both her eyes.
*apologies for the long story, skip to end if desired*
Well on Sunday 8/29 we took Kaiha in to the same Banfield for a standard tooth cleaning and extraction since she had cracked a molar chewing down on metal on her collar. Keep in mind Banfield is not allowing in person visits still so we are unable to follow her in and confirm any x-rays or testing is actually conducted. The doctor said since the pulp was showing and bleeding internally they must extract the tooth and we agreed to do so. They called us after and said they barely had to do anything and it practically fell out. Aftercare instructions were pretty simple, pain meds (Rimadyl) & antibiotics (Clindamycin) twice a day with food and they noted she would be able to eat soft food within 48 hours. During that time, I tried to entice her to sniff and lick up puree'd dog food, but she had no interest.
After we fell outside the 48 hour window, she was still refusing to eat and completely uninterested. We tried giving her baby food, wet dog food, chicken, ground beef, rice, cheese, dog treats, cottage cheese, chicken stock with puree'd dog food, warmed up the food, scrambled eggs... you name it. Once she wasn't interested in any, we called Banfield and explained what was going on and how we were worried she still would not eat. They asked us to bring her up there to check her out & upon appointment they claimed "Nothing is wrong. Keep waiting it out". Then also prescribed us more pills (Entyce - hunger stimulator & Gabapentin - to stop her tremors) that she is unwilling to swallow, so we demanded to have liquid form. They also suggested to stop giving her the pain and antibiotic since maybe it was upsetting her stomach. At this point, I already knew she needed food so we were liquifying her food and force syringe feeding her to ensure she had some nutrient to last.
Another 48 hours go by and we still don't see any improvement & she is completely lethargic to the point you have to pick her up and force her to go outside to potty. We called Banfield once again explaining what was happening & we were advised to keep syringe feeding her and wait it out. We knew they were no longer interested in helping and immediately decided to take her to the ER to get more answers. The VEG ER was extremely kind and much more helpful than Banfield ever tried to be. They also allowed us to stay with her the whole time and WATCH them conduct the x-rays (through a window) & testing. Unfortunately, after 6 hours there and running all the tests they could all her results came back normal. They gave her a free saline drip, free nutrient rich wet food, & prescribed her other medication thinking maybe she had an upset stomach and ulcers from the previous meds.
We follow their instructions & continue the syringe feeding while also trying to tempt her with all the previous other foods. This gets us to 1 week (9/5) post tooth extraction with still no hope in sight. Her tremors were getting worse & we were emotionally drained and at a loss on what to do. We had 2 calls with the VEG ER to go over her lack of progress and what they'd suggest which was to cut the dosage in half on the meds that had lethargic side effects.
Finally on morning of 9/7, we knew she needed to be admitted again for more testing. The ER said to come in that evening for an ultrasound and additional x-rays to check other possibilities. We spent 5 hours that night testing, waiting for results, and talking to ALL the doctors seeking suggestions. They were all very apologetic and pushed us to pursue legal action against Banfield for both instances. Their final suggestion was to urgent get her booked for a dental specialist to get dental x-rays and see if something happened during the tooth extraction.
It is 9/8 now & the soonest someone could get us in is tomorrow 9/9 AM. Still no answers, still shaking, still lethargic, still not eating. We are at a loss, confused, and heart broken about our baby girl. All because of a tooth extraction... Don't feel the need to donate if you can't because we will most definitely take thoughts and prayers at this point. As of today, we are at $3K in bills + whatever tomorrow brings, but willing to pay whatever we need in order to help her heal.
We are trying to pursue any legal action we can at the moment, but no traction so far.
9/9 We had her dental specialist appointment this morning. They confirmed via Banfield's records no dental X-rays were conducted before or after the extraction and felt like it was a good idea to go in and check everything. Unfortunately, they have found nothing. Her tremors are much worse and she will no longer sleep on top of not eating. They all agree something is very wrong, but don't have any idea. Dentist said we need to go to an internal medicine and possibly a neurologist next. The dentist was able to get her to eat when the gave her a morphine drip which confirms the pain is preventing her from eating.
Another $775 spent at the dentist this morning, and the neurologist wants to keep her overnight. They aren't able to confirm anything yet, but are suspicious about her back and some discs & need the surgeon who arrives in the morning to check her out. They showed us when they pushed up on her stomach and put pressure with their thumb in the middle of her spine, she would yelp and snap at them. She will stay overnight with morphine drip and they will also keep her on fluids + try to feed her. We just got quoted another $5-8K for the stay and imagery scans prior to surgery. We shall see what tomorrow brings...
9/10 Just received a call from the neurologist and surgeon confirming they strongly believe there is something wrong with her spine and the need to perform CT and MRI scans today (part of the new $8k quote). There is a handful of reason her spine could be in pain so they want to wait to confirm until imagining comes back and they will also take some spinal fluid. Hoping to have confirmed results in a few hours, but relieved someone finally is figuring it out. It’s been a long journey …
9/12
She was able to come home yesterday as we await her spinal fluid results (hopefully Monday). She is still very confused and can’t walk straight. Very lethargic but becoming more aware of her surroundings. We are on a strict medicine routine to prevent seizures and hopefully help reduce the mass size. She is willingly eating small bits of food randomly throughout the day which is an improvement from last week. We know it’s a long journey ahead, but are praying for the best news possible on Monday to decide how we will move forward. It seems her days a numbered and we want to give her the best life possible for whatever time is left. We appreciate each and every one of you that donated to help us pay down her medical bills. This will be a financial burden we must bare for awhile, but she is worth it. Say a prayer for her and us.
9/13
Anxiously awaiting the call from the neurologist with the spinal fluid results to confirm what type of mass is growing in her brain (above her pituitary gland). Last night before bed, she did try to play with her brothers in the yard and wagged her tail (first time in weeks). As of this morning, she willingly ate a full bowl of soft food. She has to pee every 3 hours due to medications and we have a strict every 8 hour seizure med + steroid schedule to follow that seems to be helping raise her spirits. Definitely not out of the woods, but we are happy to see some improvement.
9/14
Still no call back from neurologist, we called asking for an update yesterday & they said they don't have the results back yet. However, she really has improvement with the medicine routine at home. She's almost back to "normal" again, as normal as a blind husky can be. Praying the news will be good when they call. We appreciate all of you helping us. It's not easy to ask for help, but this was definitely a financial hardship we weren't prepared for.
9/15
Michael’s 35th birthday and still no results. The hospital confirmed they have the results but must wait for our doctor to be back in office to give us the results back. Praying tomorrow is her day back in the office to call us and give us the news. The are ready to move forward and just want to know how Kaiha is playful again. Eating like a mad woman. Still a little clumsy and uncoordinated. Meds are making her per every 3 hours so no sleep for momma, but she’s worth it.
9/16 finally we received the call with her spinal fluid results. They confirmed at this time she is testing high for inflammatory cells, but no cancer cells!!!! They obviously said that could change so we have to keep monitoring her and continue the medication schedule. We have another appointment this coming Tuesday to check everything again and see if the meds are helping and can kill whatever the mass was. This was the best type of news we could get right now. Now on to figuring out what inflammatory disease she has.
9/21 Another visit, another bill, still no firm answers. Doctors are still not 100% sure if tumor or inflammation. We must keep on the same schedule and medicine routine and slowly taper down her steroids. The only true way to confirm is if we schedule to do another MRI in 3-4 months to confirm what the meds have done. If they are decreasing the size of the mass then it's some sort of inflammatory disease. If it is an auto-immune disorder, 2/3 of dogs go into complete remission. 1/3 relapse and go back on the treatment but live longer lives than they would if it were a tumor. If it is a tumor, we have to discuss options of radiation, chemo, etc. They all are looking on the positive side since she truly is acting like a new dog again, but told us to be on the look out if anything changes since that would insinuate it is a tumor and not reacting to the steroids. We still want to say a big thank you to everyone who has helped us try to foot these bills & anyone else who decides to help. The bills keep on coming, but we don't want to give up on her yet.
We are trying to pursue any legal action we can at the moment, but no traction so far.
9/9 We had her dental specialist appointment this morning. They confirmed via Banfield's records no dental X-rays were conducted before or after the extraction and felt like it was a good idea to go in and check everything. Unfortunately, they have found nothing. Her tremors are much worse and she will no longer sleep on top of not eating. They all agree something is very wrong, but don't have any idea. Dentist said we need to go to an internal medicine and possibly a neurologist next. The dentist was able to get her to eat when the gave her a morphine drip which confirms the pain is preventing her from eating.
Another $775 spent at the dentist this morning, and the neurologist wants to keep her overnight. They aren't able to confirm anything yet, but are suspicious about her back and some discs & need the surgeon who arrives in the morning to check her out. They showed us when they pushed up on her stomach and put pressure with their thumb in the middle of her spine, she would yelp and snap at them. She will stay overnight with morphine drip and they will also keep her on fluids + try to feed her. We just got quoted another $5-8K for the stay and imagery scans prior to surgery. We shall see what tomorrow brings...
9/10 Just received a call from the neurologist and surgeon confirming they strongly believe there is something wrong with her spine and the need to perform CT and MRI scans today (part of the new $8k quote). There is a handful of reason her spine could be in pain so they want to wait to confirm until imagining comes back and they will also take some spinal fluid. Hoping to have confirmed results in a few hours, but relieved someone finally is figuring it out. It’s been a long journey …
9/12
She was able to come home yesterday as we await her spinal fluid results (hopefully Monday). She is still very confused and can’t walk straight. Very lethargic but becoming more aware of her surroundings. We are on a strict medicine routine to prevent seizures and hopefully help reduce the mass size. She is willingly eating small bits of food randomly throughout the day which is an improvement from last week. We know it’s a long journey ahead, but are praying for the best news possible on Monday to decide how we will move forward. It seems her days a numbered and we want to give her the best life possible for whatever time is left. We appreciate each and every one of you that donated to help us pay down her medical bills. This will be a financial burden we must bare for awhile, but she is worth it. Say a prayer for her and us.
9/13
Anxiously awaiting the call from the neurologist with the spinal fluid results to confirm what type of mass is growing in her brain (above her pituitary gland). Last night before bed, she did try to play with her brothers in the yard and wagged her tail (first time in weeks). As of this morning, she willingly ate a full bowl of soft food. She has to pee every 3 hours due to medications and we have a strict every 8 hour seizure med + steroid schedule to follow that seems to be helping raise her spirits. Definitely not out of the woods, but we are happy to see some improvement.
9/14
Still no call back from neurologist, we called asking for an update yesterday & they said they don't have the results back yet. However, she really has improvement with the medicine routine at home. She's almost back to "normal" again, as normal as a blind husky can be. Praying the news will be good when they call. We appreciate all of you helping us. It's not easy to ask for help, but this was definitely a financial hardship we weren't prepared for.
9/15
Michael’s 35th birthday and still no results. The hospital confirmed they have the results but must wait for our doctor to be back in office to give us the results back. Praying tomorrow is her day back in the office to call us and give us the news. The are ready to move forward and just want to know how Kaiha is playful again. Eating like a mad woman. Still a little clumsy and uncoordinated. Meds are making her per every 3 hours so no sleep for momma, but she’s worth it.
9/16 finally we received the call with her spinal fluid results. They confirmed at this time she is testing high for inflammatory cells, but no cancer cells!!!! They obviously said that could change so we have to keep monitoring her and continue the medication schedule. We have another appointment this coming Tuesday to check everything again and see if the meds are helping and can kill whatever the mass was. This was the best type of news we could get right now. Now on to figuring out what inflammatory disease she has.
9/21 Another visit, another bill, still no firm answers. Doctors are still not 100% sure if tumor or inflammation. We must keep on the same schedule and medicine routine and slowly taper down her steroids. The only true way to confirm is if we schedule to do another MRI in 3-4 months to confirm what the meds have done. If they are decreasing the size of the mass then it's some sort of inflammatory disease. If it is an auto-immune disorder, 2/3 of dogs go into complete remission. 1/3 relapse and go back on the treatment but live longer lives than they would if it were a tumor. If it is a tumor, we have to discuss options of radiation, chemo, etc. They all are looking on the positive side since she truly is acting like a new dog again, but told us to be on the look out if anything changes since that would insinuate it is a tumor and not reacting to the steroids. We still want to say a big thank you to everyone who has helped us try to foot these bills & anyone else who decides to help. The bills keep on coming, but we don't want to give up on her yet.
Organizer
Christine Sullivan
Organizer
Fort Worth, TX