Check out the Berner-Garde Photo of the Day 💐
Berner-Garde is a way to give your Berner a broader legacy — is her/his record up to date? If not, please put it on your to-do list for the week 📥 It is easy peasy to update data and doing it is such a contribution to the breed we all love 💕
Here is a real working dog 💙
Bright Star Atlas with one of his humans
Happy Monday, Friend — hope your day is awesome, even if work is involved 💙
Here is where the info stands with regards to Sparkle:
The infusion of bisphosphonates failed to give Sparkle the bounce we were hoping.
The second cytology did not clarify the nature of the lesion in Sparkle’s right femur. In fact, it added confusion.
We do seem pretty confident that the leg lesion and the long-standing mass in her lung are not the same thing.
The lung mass is just hanging out and does not seem to be marching Sparkle towards her demise.
Sparkle is three-legged from pain, even though we are aggressively managing the pain.
I do not want to have to euthanize Sparkle for pain 💔
Sparkle continues to do all her usual Sparkle things — she is engaging…
View of my lap
Picking up bowls…
And just happy to be here with us…
Hanging with my girls — Sparkle next to me, Pozy looking up, and then Capella
But that leg hurts.
A bone biopsy was rejected by the specialists because of fracture risk. The consensus is that it is highly unlikely the leg lesion is something that can be treated in a way that would allow Sparkle to use the leg again in a normal way.
I have to be her proxy and so I have considered her answer to this question:
Sparkle, would you rather stay here with pain, head for the Rainbow Bridge, or be officially three-legged for the rest of your life with short-term recovery pain but then no leg pain?
“None of the above” is not an answer choice.
And so Sparkle is scheduled for amputation surgery on Wednesday.
I remain just stunned by Harper B’s death.
Bloat?!
WTF.
Baby Harper TD at about seven months
Harper ate her dinner on Monday evening at about 5:30 pm. She was fine. Nothing unusual.
At about 8 pm I put Sparkle and Capella in the bedroom, and let Pozy and Harper outside to potty. All normal.
Harper B for Beautiful
About 30 minutes later I let them in and Harper was whining a bit, but that wasn’t too unusual as she was a noisy girl. Then she promptly retched a couple of times. I put my hands on her, felt her hard abdomen, and within about four minutes we were in the car and on the way to the ER vet. She was crying in pain — it was the longest 12 minutes.
Harper B for Bombproof
They took her back immediately and used a needle to decompress the gas in her stomach. Between that and pain meds, she was comfortable enough for the x-rays and ultrasound that confirmed my worst fear — not only bloat but her stomach had twisted (torsion).
There is no good option when this happens. A painful death is assured without surgery. Based on her crying in the car it would be a very painful death. I feel sick imagining what would have happened if I had not been home.
Harper B for Bounding
In the best of circumstances, surgery for this condition — officially known as gastric dilation volvulus (GDV) — has about a 30% mortality rate. So many later complications can happen, including changes to the heart’s electrical system. The surgery is just not a guaranteed easy fix.
By this time it was 9:30 pm.
Harper B for Babies
The ER vet was great. She joined a telephone conversation/consultation with my MT veterinarian. It was soon clear there was no choice — surgery on such a senior dog was ill-advised 💔
I spent time with Harper B, and she left peacefully while being told that she was the B for Best Girl and that I loved her.
And I cannot believe that happened.
Harper B for Berkeley
There really isn’t any good evidence for what causes a dog to bloat. Aside from not letting them run amuck after feeding, we have no clear sense of how to prevent it. We can pretend we know because that might make us feel safer but that doesn’t change the “random bad shit happens” nature of bloat.
Things I do — feed three times a day. Feed a mix of kibble and homemade. No running amuck after meals. Lucky Socks.
When Pozy was spayed, I had her stomach tacked. That doesn’t prevent bloat but it makes it hard for the stomach to twist, which is the especially deadly part of things. I will do that with all of my dogs in the future.
So there you go. Some additional info about that horrible thing we call bloat 💔
In other news, Sparkle’s leg lesion remains a mystery.
Taken today 🩷
The second cytology report isn’t even calling it for sure cancer 🤯 The bisphosphonates infusion Sparkle received last week had no impact. We are regrouping with a new plan.
Thanks for all your kind support 🙏