Samson's Diagnosis

I made a trip to the vet yesterday. Samson had a scary wheezy breathing spell in the night, and I was concerned. It sounded like human asthma. He honked/coughed/gagged/breathed hard off and on all day. If you've been around him in the last year, you've probably noticed how he sounds when he is excited. Well, it seems worse, so we went to the Dr.

$202 later, we had a bunch of interesting information, several beautiful pictures of Sam on the inside (X-rays), and a bottle of magic juice, 4 oz. of which have to be squirted in his mouth three times of day. (Are you kidding?! Getting ear drops in Ashley's ear was bad enough! I have resorted to soaking a couple dog biscuits with the potion, having had no success with the doggy rodeo wrestling to wedge a squirt tube thing in his mouth!). Anyway, you'll be interested in knowing that in addition to airway disease (bronchitis) and allergies, he has a collapsing trachea. Who knew?! Yes, his air way is constricted halfway down...behind his chest bone. And it's very wide below that from the lungs trying to get the air out --- blowing. It's a genetic thing. He'll be 13 in August, so life is getting more complicated. I started the juice last night. He is doing better and is resting/sleeping easier when he needs to, so that is comforting. And Ashley scores a biscuit, too, everytime she's around for medicine time. I would have been a pushover as a parent.

Poor Sammy. But alas, he's his lovable self. Quite a trooper. The science of it all fascinated me. I enjoyed looking at the x-rays. I saw his bones (of course)...neck, head, and ribs. His very healthy heart. His narrowing trachea with pupcorn stuck in it (just kidding, Aunt Beth). And his lungs. No mass. No cancer. Thankfully. And if the medicine (it's new medicine --- just developed) doesn't work, he can get a stint put in (just like for heart problems). We'll be keeping our jobs to pay for his pharmaceutical habits. Because we love him. His head is on my lap as I write. Bless his paws. These dogs are great company with Glen traveling more. It's great to have Rob around, too. He's a "nice guy." (Just had to throw that in to prove I read past blogs, too.)