A Life in the Balance

   We were planning to go to the 2011 Phoenix Gay Pride Parade yesterday, but unfortunately our foster-dog, Bella, was at Death's Door, and that took precedence.

    Bella's been with us for a week now.  She was all-puppy until Wednesday, when she became lethargic and stopped eating and drinking.  We thought it might be some sort of 24-hour crud, but by yesterday morning, she still wasn't eating/drinking and was literally on her last legs.

    So it was a trip to the vet as soon as they opened Saturday.  Blood tests there revealed that basically, Bella had no more red blood cells.  Hence the trip to Emergency Care, where she was given a doggy blood transfusion (who knew there was such a thing?), a shot of steriods, and more blood tests.  By the time we picked her up late yesterday afternoon, her red blood cell count has risen from "10" (can't remember the units) to "21".  Normal is "30-50". 

    The cause of her anemia is not known.  Apparently, there is some sort of auto-immune disorder that can strike animals suddenly, for no reason, and quickly kill them.  Treatment is a bunch of drugs, including steroids (prednazone), but there is no guanratee that this will work.  Sometimes the dog recovers to live a full, normal life, sometimes the dog needs to stay on the drugs to stay alive, sometimes the dog simply succumbs anyway.

    It is also possible that this is due to Tick Fever, but we won't get those results for a few days.  Bella was out in the sticks for a while before Friends For Life took her in, so maybe this is the Root Cause.  You actually end up hoping it is Tick Fever, because that is curable.

    For now, she's back with us.  She's still very weak, but at least today she's eating and drinking a bit, which is very encouraging.  She even tried to go for a walk with us this morning, but quickly got winded so she and I came back home while Liz and the boys continued on.

    Technically, Bella still belongs to Friends For Life, which means much of the decision-making rests in their hands.  They approved taking her to the Emergency Center, which is very costly.  We in turn picked up the visit to the Vet (a couple hundred $$), and will do so again tomorrow, when she has to be taken there for more blood tests.  Gotta see if her red blood cell count is continuing to rise.

    I suppose we could just give her back to Friends For Life as "damaged goods", but that'll only happen if FFL demands it.  Bella is part of our family now, even if it is still unofficial.  And you don't give up on family just because they become a fiscal liability.  We have our fingers crossed re her recovery, but it's really in the hands of Fate and all we can do is give her loving, drugs, and sustenance; and hope for the best.