LEELER.COM

9/15/2008

Saturday morning Jessica and I were awoken by Bud coughing and choking a bit. We did not think much of it because this happens from time to time with him. At about 2:00 AM we were woken again with him having difficulty breathing. He was taking short shallow breaths; I took him downstairs and tried to offer him water and the chance to go outside. I decided to lay with him on the couch for a while so Jessica could get some sleep. The both of us fell asleep and slept till about 6 or so, and then we went back upstairs in hopes to sleep in a bit more. About 9:00 AM Jessica and I woke up to the sounds of Bud having difficulty breathing once again. We both agreed that this was not something that we could “Keep an eye on” till Monday when our regular vet office opened, so we immediately got up and took him to the hospital. They put us into a room right away and had us fill out all of the necessary paperwork. They took Bud into the back for an initial exam while we waited. The Doctor came back and told us that he has a fever and his gums were pale in color. She recommended several tests and the cost of each. I do not think there was a question in either of our minds as to what we should or should not do. They suggested that we go and get some coffee as the tests would take a few hours. After Breakfast and returning to the hospital, they brought us into the exam room and said that all of the big things that they initially look for appeared negative. This was a huge relief for us to hear, I thought at that time we would get some meds for an infection and we would be on our way and basically that is what happened. The Doctor did indicate that she would call us back once a radiologist had a chance to look at the x-rays. They also gave Bud a shot to help bring his fever down and help control his breathing. She indicated that he would become lethargic and his eyes may not track correctly. A few hours later I got up to check my phone and noticed that I had missed the vets call. I immediately called her back and she began to tell me that there might be a chance he has cancer. I did not hear much from that point forward but I think she said that it is early, and there are treatment options. She indicated that she would be forwarding all of this info to our regular office that day and we could begin the dialog with them from that point. We are hoping to sit down with our vet today to fully understand what is going on and what our options are.