Tuesday, June 3, 2014

Harvey on grass after the vet visit

So Harv has urinary incontinence, as I posted previously. The vet came out Monday, June 2, and afterwards he went out on grass for the evening. Doesn't he look great?

Harv on grass, as far as he's concerned he's doing great. A wonderful thing.and 
Here is the scoop.

  •  His vitals are good, and based on this and his demeanor the vet felt he was comfortable. 
  • His anus didn't have good tone, nor did his tail. Not too surprising.
  • She did a rectal and palpated his bladder. It was full, the size of a basketball! 
  • The vet drained his bladder which had thick sludgey deposits followed by clear urine. 
  • She flushed the bladder with saline.
  • The urine will go out for analysis.  He may or may not have an infection, but it is probably more a symptom of his problem than a cause.
  • The vet felt it is likely one more neurological symptom among several he exhibits. 
  •  The prognosis will depend on how rapidly his bladder refills, whether it will drain well on its own (enough to prevent a backup), and how well or sustainably we can manage his issue. The vet was unable to project or guess how this will all turn out, but essentially is it a plumbing problem.
  • She thinks, but is not sure, that any problems will be of slow onset, and that he is unlikely to crash. If we notice signs of discomfort we can act.
I'm so thankful that Harv is happy right now, and my goal is to manage this well enough to give him a beautiful summer. 


5 comments:

  1. Harvey is a very lucky boy to have you.

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  2. Here's to a perfect summer for Harvey!

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  3. My TB boy will be 20 this summer, and I read with great interest all of your Harv postings. If I am lucky enough to keep him healthy and happy for the next decade, your experiences and observations will come in very handy. Best wishes for a wonderful, healthy, drama free summer to you and all of your guys. Harv and company are indeed very lucky to have you!

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  4. Wow, poor guy must feel better after getting all that fluid out of there! Hopefully the vet can figure out what is going on.

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  5. As I was reading the idea of neurological damage also struck a chord in my mind. I am sending him some good wishes, and you as well.

    One little request--would you please try to tag your Harvey posts? He's a favorite and I like reading about his adventures, good or not so good. Thank you!

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Hi Guys, Your comments are valued and appreciated -- until recently I never rejected a post. Please note that I reserve the right to reject an anonymous post.