Thursday Update

Hello all
Sorry for the light posting.  Jake is being somewhat difficult.  He's gone on a hunger strike.  I've tried just about everything to get him to eat and to take his meds.  It's been very difficult.

Today Jake had his stitches taken out!!!! YAY!!! His ears are healing nicely.  However, it looks like there could be some permanent facial nerve damage as Jake still can't blink properly.  Also, Jake is having some trouble eating on his right side.  It could be facial nerve damage or it could be some underlying jaw issue.  In other words, although the surgery solved his ear issues, it may not have solved his jaw problem.  The latest on the jaw problem is that it could be arthritis in his jaw.  We are going to try metacam for a week to see if that helps.

I really feel like Jake needs House.

As Jake and I were discussing his medication problems, I ran into his dermatologist, Dr. Metry, who is totally awesome and she gave me a big hug telling me that it was great news.  I'm like, yeah, Jake got his stitches removed.  She's like they didn't tell you?  Tell me what?  The final biopsy results came back.  The mass in Jake's ear is not cancer!!!!!!  It apparently was something that became a necropsis in his ear and became surrounded by pus and other goo.  Because his ear was so calcified, the medications could never get to the mass.

Here is Jake in the exam room!

He's got Christmas collar cover on!

Doesn't he look awesome!

Preliminary Biopsy Results

Good Friday to you all!

The surgeon called this morning with the preliminary biopsy results. So far, it is excellent news. The mass in Jake's ear appears to be infection and inflammation. NO CANCER! The full biopsy isn't completed as they have to de-calcify his ear to check the deeper parts.

The cultures of the infection came back as well. Our favorite bacteria, psuedomonas, was present. And, unsurprisingly, resistant to the free antibiotics they hand out at the grocery store. But don't worry, it is susceptible (sorry it was a mistake earlier) to an antibiotic that is $7.50 a dose. yay?

Tuesday Jake Update

Hi all!
Jake is doing really well.  Sometimes he seems a little confused, but I think it is because he's still adjusting to being totally deaf.  For the most part, he has been taking his medicine like a good little basset.  It involves baby food, cheese, and the peanut butter from a Reese's Peanut Butter Cup.  There was some damage to Jake's facial nerves, so he was having trouble blinking, but it seems to be getting better.  This requires Jake to get eye ointment.  Jake's been really good about leaving his ears alone, so he only has to wear the cone when he's unsupervised or at night cause I can't keep an eye on him, cause I'm sleeping.  He's licking his paws more so I guess I have to wash them with the medicated wash.  That's always fun!

His stitches are scheduled to be removed Thursday, December 17.

That bald spot on his butt is where his opiate patch was.

It came off today.

Update on Jake 12/5/09

I visited Jake this morning in the vet hospital.  He's doing really great! He's not really eating well, but that is to be expected given the stress of the surgery and the opiates.  Jake won't take his medicine (shocked, I'm shocked not at all) so he has to stay until Sunday so they can give him shots.  They wanted me to try and give him pills while I visited...yea, right.  The vet student also said he kept trying to escape...

They shaved his butt for a pain patch.  They also shaved his head and his actual ear flaps.  Walks are going to be very, very cold.

His paw has lots of band-aids and the IV.

He's bald!

You can see the base of his ears are swollen.