Walker, I’m balling my eyes out with joy!Allright, I know most of you won't care, but I am just so happy I need to talk about it.
So, Lilly my 12 yr old golden retriever recently lost her appetite last week. It was extremely abnormal for her, so I got her into the vet ASAP. It turns out, Lilly had a bunch of fluid in her abdomen. This was caused because her albumin levels were low. Albumin helps keep fluids where they are supposed to be in the body. Albumin is produced in the liver, so if there is low levels it could mean that the liver is failing. The vet told me that her liver was on the brink of failure, and that soon fluid would reach her lungs, which would drown her. He said that I could try to drain the fluid, but that it would be extremely expensive, and the fluid could come back in less than a week. Lilly also had diarrhea, which id also a sign of end-stage liver disease. He did give her some steroids to help with her appetite. He also said and reccomended that I put her down ASAP. I was devastated. Lilly is my everything. She was heavily abused in her first half of her life, being used solely for breeding purposes. I believe she had 6 liters of puppy's in her first seven years of life. My Aunt lived next to the house that Lilly was at, and she said she would constantly bark and cry because her water was frozen, she was never fed, and all she had was a small unheated shed. She would become so dehydrated and cold. Anyways, the former owner of Lilly was moving to Florida, and said that she needed her to find a forever home. I instantly drove the 4 hours to get her. She is now 12, and is living the best life possible. Today, I brought her back to the vet, as the vets thought she would get way worse over the weekend. Right when I took her inside, I weighed her, and she had lost six pounds. The vet did an ultra sound, and was so surprised to find all the fluid gone. She took a blood test, and was also very surprised because her albumin levels were back up to normal. This either means that the steroids are somehow helping with the issue, or that she has made a recovery somehow. It was always a guess that her liver was failing, as there is always a possibility that there is an infection/injury in the liver. Given her old age, the vet had no doubt that it was liver failure. ITS NOT! Her liver is working again! Anyways, I take her next week when the steroids are gone in her body, to see if it's the steroids that are helping her liver work. If it's not, then she is healthy as a horse! No cancer or anything! I am so sorry for writing so much, but I am just so happy!
At her horrible beginnings; at the incredible life she has had with you; at horrible vet visits/decisions; and most importantly that you went with your gut and all the love you have given her made her stronger then anyone knew!
She is so beautiful and adorable in those photos - you can see thru her eyes how loved she is.
And never, never, apologize for long, emotional posts. First, we are always interested in our friends lives, second, we are here to support those lives anyway we can; and third, Joel has dedicated a space for us all to do this.
Please continue to keep us updated on Lily. And we love more photos.
