Lan's Story

I am so glad I moved Lan into a little bit bigger cage so I could put a wheel in it. It's a wodent, and I hear it squeeking like crazy in the glider room right now. It makes me happy to know that he is a little happier now with more to do in there, even if he is all by himself. I will try to get some pictures and maybe even a video tomorrow so I can try to show you what I mean about the big area of hard skin/scab.

I don't know if this thread or parts of it needs to be moved or not as we really don't know if this is a dental issue at this point.  I know I did a lot wrong in this case, but hindsight is 20/20.  I really was just hoping that the medicine that worked last time worked again.  The sad thing is that I knew what I needed to do in the first place, but I didn't want to put him through any more tests if I didn't have to.  I know now that it really would have been best for all of us if we had gotten x-rays and a C&S before starting treatment.  I know I had good intentions, but it doesn't make me feel any less guilty and stupid for not doing what I absolutely knew needed to be done.  

He still has a facial abscess that may or may not be dental related.  The lump on his back that turned out to be an abscess and drained scabbed over and was a mess that kept draining.  Disgusting, yellow, stinky stuff kept coming out from underneath.  I should not have used the Quickderm on the original abscess as that promotes healing of the skin and it needed to stay open and heal from the inside out.  

We went back to the vet yesterday and I was armed with knowledge about what needed to be done thanks to Val and a few other wonderful people who have been through similar situations.  Unfortunately, it was too late in the day for the vet to be comfortable about anesthetizing him for a dental x-ray since they would be closing shortly after and would want to watch him recover from the anesthesia.  We looked at his back, which was draining and I explained to her that we needed to remove the scab (for lack of a better word for what it was that had formed on his back).  He had lost weight between the 1st and 2nd vet visit and I told her that he was eating very well.  He had gained about 16 grams since the 2nd visit.  That sort of concerned her and she was wondering if there was something else that could have contributed to the weight gain.  As she was palpitating his belly area, she thought she felt that his right kidney was enlarged.  She didn't think she was feeling bowel or food, but a solid mass that seemed to be his kidney.  She decided to see if he would sit still long enough to get an x-ray.

Dr. Gabel brought Lan in the back to get an x-ray and to see if she could at least lift the scab enough to be able to flush it out underneath since we figured it would be best to remove that when he was under anesthesia.  When she came back some minutes later, she had him wrapped in fleece.  As she was explaining what was going on, she unwrapped the fleece and I gasped.  It turns out, that after she clipped a little bit of fur and started to lift the scab, it popped right off.  She showed me the wound and explained that she didn't find any pockets, that the infection had just been trapped under the scab.  Apparently, the wound is already healing nicely from the inside out.  

I had asked for a shot of convenia and to switch to a sulfa drug and so she went out to get those ready.  At that time, Lan was sitting on the fleece on the table, his eyes drooping shut, his ears lowered, and I thought I heard a popping sound coming from his chest.  I called for the vet and said I thought he was dying.  She came back in and he snapped back and alert.  We watched him for a while and she could tell that he was tired and stressed and he just wanted to rest, but he also felt he needed to stay awake and keep an eye on that lady who had done things to him.  She then became concerned that giving him a shot would stress him out more and she was not sure if we should do it and left that up to me.  I called Val and asked what we should do.  She said to get the shot.  So, we did.  

I was given SMZ-TMP to give him twice a day and some betadine to make a weak tea solution to wash the wound with 1-2 times a day.  She and I looked at the x-ray she had taken and she showed me where she thought the right kidney was enlarged.  Neither of us have much experience with glider x-rays and internal anatomy, so they emailed the x-ray to Dr. Walsh for his opinion.  I'm not entirely sure what's going on with that, but I believe Dr. Walsh responded to my vet and they may need to discuss some things.  I do know that I am on the phone with my clinic right now and Dr. Gabel is not in today so I don't know when I'll find out more.  

Here are a few pictures before the vet visit and after the scab removal:














And links to video:

Before vet visit

https://youtu.be/nV2g_Qq1-Sc


After scab removal

https://youtu.be/xWNTqEsEntM

His expression looks so much better after the scab was removed. It may have been pulling and causing him enough discomfort that along with everything else just depressed him more.

Thinking of you and Lan.

I'm sorry you and Lan are going through this. Sounds like you are a great glider mom. I hope Lan gets better soon!

Thank you guys so much.  Lan is still hanging in there.  I swear his nose is looking better as well as his back.  What concerns me most at the moment is in his belly.  I know he is eating great and I know that he is pooping, at least at times.  The poop is sometimes thin and soft, but I don't know if that is due to all the medications and the yogurt and the milk thistle that he is getting in addition to his food.  We seem to be having a difficult time getting Dr. Gabel and Dr. Walsh to connect to discuss the x-ray.  I'm hopeful that tomorrow I will know more and if there is more testing to be done, that we can get that scheduled.  My boyfriend made me cry a bit tonight.  I mentioned that I was worried and so scared every time I check on Lan that he'll be gone.  Jeff said that maybe he wants to be with his wife or she wants to be with him.  The kids are grown and doing well and maybe it is time for Lan and Nynaeve to be together again.  If it is time, I will accept it.  However, in the meantime, I will be doing everything I can (without causing Lan too much pain and suffering) to postpone that meeting.

Give Jeff a "Gibs slap" for me. As this made me cry too.

I had to google to find out what a "Gibbs Slap" was, but I did it.  Jeff was listening to his headphones and asked me why I hit him...lol.  I told him and he smiled and said something about domestic abuse or something like that...  ;)  

I spoke with Dr. Walsh this morning and he said that due to the fact that Lan is eating and pooping, he thinks it is either an enlarged kidney or it could be an "artifact" and that we need a few more views on the x-ray to get more information.  I then spoke to Dr. Gabel who said she did not think it was an "artifact" as it felt solid and did not feel like bunched up intestines that appeared bigger on x-ray (my words - don't recall the exact terminology she used), but she agreed more views would be good.  What she said and what Dr. Walsh said about a different view made me decide that I now know what "artifact" must have meant.  

Dr. Gabel wants me to keep a close eye and feel on the belly and is hoping that the back (and maybe even the facial abscess) will heal up soon and then we will put him under anesthesia and get some more x-rays and also she would be able to examine his teeth at that point.  If the mass (enlarged kidney?) in his belly seems to change or get bigger, I am to call her right away.  Dr. Walsh wants me to keep him updated and I think at some point it would be great for Dr. Walsh and Dr. Gabel to actually talk together.  Dr. Gabel asked me if Dr. Walsh had given any thoughts on why the kidney may be enlarged.  He did not say anything to me, but I told her some of the things that Val told me and how I am already trying to adjust his diet to help if it is a kidney issue.  What I said made perfect sense to her and she said that is how it is with cats - a simple change in diet can do wonders to help an ailing kidney.

Have I mentioned yet how awesome Dr. Gabel is?  She doesn't have much experience with gliders, but she is so interested in learning and really wants to help Lan and gain knowledge about his case and to be able to help others with that knowledge in the future.  She is a great lady who is more than willing to learn and share and put all our heads together to make my sweet boy better.  I hope that she stays at this clinic for years and that my gliders and I can help her gain more knowledge that she can use and share.  It would just be nice if it wasn't because of health problems that scare the heck out of me.

Keep updating us. Tell Jeff he can take up the domestic abuse thing with me and make sure you tell him that while I may be 50 years old now I can still manhandle a 1000 pound horse.

Give Lan a kiss for me!

Lol! Will do. On both counts. :)

Keeping Lan in our thoughts and Prayers.
Brenda I am glad you have a vet you trust and who is willing to learn and not afraid to ask a seasoned veteran on gliders. Give him a snuggle from me and you are doing good. I think Jeff needs another "Gibbs" Slap just because. Yes I am a NCIS fan (I have a Ziva glider here).

OK on a big meanie mod note here: There is some chit chat going on and I will leave it for now but in time I will delete non-medical posts to keep this a learning post.  

Thank you, Brenda. I also noticed the chit chat going on    (sorry!) and am just fine with it being deleted so this can focus on the medical issues.

Not a big deal Bren...even I chatted! We will clean it up later. Sometimes a little hug helps the human feel better and that promotes Glider healing.

I will keep Lan - and you, Brenda - in my thoughts and prayers! You are such a good, loving glider mom <3

Thank you, Bobbie.  :)  

Does anyone know if SMZ-TMP is okay to take for prolonged periods of time?  He was supposed to be on it for 10 days, but if possible, I would like to go longer.  As it is, he's got maybe a day's worth left in the little bottle, but it has only been 6 1/2 days so far.  

Here are a few pictures of Lan from this evening.  I noticed there is still a lump above the wound on his back and there is some possible scab or something near his ear - thinking it may be because that's as far as his little feet can reach to groom.  Unfortunately, the little stinker refuses to sit still for photo shoots, so I'll just share the best of the many that I took.  

Lan's back is healing pretty well.  We finished with the SMZ-TMP a few weeks ago and the abscess on his nose was not getting any better and seemed to be getting even bigger.  I've been so worried that Lan's little body would just give up and I would find him gone and, instead, I found my precious Poppy had passed away on January 7th.  She would have been 5 years old in February and seemed perfectly fine and healthy the night before.  I sent her body in for a necropsy and apparently the results were inconclusive.  I have no idea if any of this is connected, but it has been a pretty stressful and distressing couple of weeks.  

On Sunday evening, January 19th, I noticed that the right side of Lan's face and neck was swollen (the abscess on his nose is on his left side).  I thought maybe the abscess on his back had spread since it was on the same side.  I made another appointment with Dr. Gabel as soon as I could on Monday and brought him in that afternoon.  I knew that she wanted him in early on Tuesday so she could put him under and drain the abscesses, get x-rays, and check his teeth.  I work at 6am and I knew I wouldn't be able to drop him off without being hours late for work and did not want Jeff to be late, either.  So, I brought his hospital cage and his food for the night in the hopes that she would allow him to stay there overnight.  Luckily, she was fine with that.    

The vet ended up draining the abscess on his nose and the one on his neck.  She also cleaned the one on his back.  She said Lan's teeth look great.  He got another shot of Convenia and we are back on the SMZ-TMP for a while.  I am supposed to apply a warm compress to the abscess a few times a day for 5-10 minutes each time.  He handles that pretty well as long as he's eating treats at the same time.  See video below.  I am still worried, but also hopeful.  Here are a few pictures the vet took while he was under and then some more that I took over the last few days.  

Awe, poor Lan! You guys have had a rough start to the new year... The wounds look clean and healthy. I use a splash of chlorhexidine diluted in warm water for wound cleaning. Hang in there!

Hoping he get better soon. Poor guy. Give him an extra treat for me please.

Thank you guys. I will, Brenda. I've been using betadine in warm water to wash the wounds twice a day for a while. I finally hit a feed store here in town to see if they had Vetericyn and they did. So, we'll be using that now and hoping he heals up fast and from the inside out.

Lan is still hanging in there, but he's not too happy.  I still feel like he could let go and give up anytime, but am still hopeful that we can get through this.  My vet got some samples of the fluid from his nose and neck and I sent them for a culture and sensitivity.  We got the results back the other day and now I know why the Clindamycin was not helping.  The results were Proteus Vulgaris and was resistant to Clindamycin.  It is sensitive to the TMP-SMZ, however, so I called my vet and we are getting more of that tomorrow as well as some extra syringes as they do not seem to be made to be used so much.  This is obviously not the same issue we dealt with 2 years ago and I feel horrible that I thought it could be and hoped the same treatment would work. His back seems to be healing great and so is his nose, but his neck is still draining so I am continuing with the warm compress to keep that open.  I know Lan is enjoying the extra time with mom and the extra bra time and so am I.  I am still not ready to let him go, but I have also let him know that he can go if he feels it's time.    

Today, there was more blood coming from the neck opening than ever happened before and I do not know if that is a good sign or bad or just to be expected or what.  We are still using the Veterycin 1-2 times a day.  Lan is still eating great and I am hoping and praying that he gets better so he can go back in with his kids sooner rather than later.  This is the longest he has ever been alone.

I will keep you both in my prayers.  Such a brave little fighter and so very loved.  
 

Keep going Lan your Momma has you on the right track now. Brenda keep positive. We will keep thinking of Lan. Maybe there was an extra pocket deeper down inside and it is finishing draining   

This morning, I made the hardest decision I have ever had to make and I let Lan go. I was not ready to let him go, but I know I never would have been. The last few weeks, he had been going downhill and I kept expecting him to be gone. Every time I would go get him from his cage, he would either be curled up in his wheel, on the floor of his cage, or holding onto the bars on the side or top. He would be cold and listless. He barely moved anymore and his little feet were getting sores on them - I believe from his wheel. He was not interested in treats or his pouch or anything that he had been before. He seemed to be in pain and suffering. His ears were perpetually down, his nose was dark blue and he seemed to always have labored breathing. He had completely stopped grooming himself. Before I brought him in this morning, I did my best to clean the pooh and food off of his tail, face, hands, and feet. I know I made the right decision and I probably should have done it a week or more ago, but I kept hoping. I just couldn't let him suffer anymore. I stayed with him through the end. I have never had to make this kind of decision on my own before and I have never had to do this before. I am heartbroken, but Lan is at peace now and he is with his love, Nynaeve, again.

The vet did a mold of his hands for me. I will be sending his body in for a necropsy even though I know the cause of his death. If Lan's life and death can help others, then it will have meaning to someone besides me. I loved him so much and will cherish the 7 years I had with him. Lan settled into my hands and heart on February 18th, 2007 and on February 18th, 2014 he left my hands, but never my heart.

Thank you all so much for your love and support and encouragement - some of you have been there for us since almost the beginning. Thank you.

I am sorry Brenda..Know in your heart he is free from all pain and is eating all the mealies and treats he can get his little hands on.
It is one of the hardest but the kindest thing we can do when we can do no more.

Hugs

I'm so sorry, Brenda.

Thank you guys. As always, I just want one more cuddle, one more kiss. The time we have with our loved ones is just never enough.