Simon Update

After a very worrisome Sunday (see below), Simon seems to be doing very well. We've had no more vomiting and no more blood.

Yesterday afternoon we went to see our own vets, the Drs. Woolard. These two are awesome. It's a husband and wife team and they work so hard. Dr. Sarah is who we initially saw when we got Simon as a puppy. She looked after us for about a year, then was off on maternity leave, so Dr. Stuart took over Simon's care. Now Dr. Sarah is back and Simon was quite happy about that. Unfortunately, Joanne had already left by the time we got there. Joanne is one of the technicians and Simon ADORES her. She always gives him special attention and treats and usually sends him home with a special toy or a handkercheif. She was especially helpful to us when we were going through all the allergy tests and learning how to administer his injections because she has a Boston Terrier with allergies.

Anyhow, yesterday was an already booked appointment to do a blood test and get his heartworm medication. The emergency clinic had faxed all the paperwork over, so it was all in Simon's file. Dr. Sarah told us all of the reasons why this could have happened - a bone chip, a sliver of wood if he'd been chewing sticks, etc. all the same things that the other vet had told Jim, but....nothing showed up on X-Rays or in the bloodwork. It must be tough to be a doctor of any kind when patients are looking to you for answers and sometimes there just aren't any. One thing she did mention was that it could have been the prednisone. He gets minimal & sporadic doses when he's really itchy because of the allergies. This could cause an ulcer. The abscense of blood in his stool also indicates that the bleeding is not in the intestinal tract. The medicine we got from the emergency vet is very good, but very expensive. Dr. Sarah was saying that because he doesn't need the prednisone all the time, we might be just as successful with Zantac, which would be more economical. We'll see how he's doing when he's finished all his meds.

In the meantime, he's back to his normal Jack Russell Terrorist antics. I'd say he's feelin' fine! That makes me very happy!