one sick puppy

Things clearly happen for a reason and I am now very glad to be in Pittsburgh instead of New York.

Piper, our very healthy dog, the one with a very skinny file at the vet (in contrast to Penguin and Chewy, who require wheelbarrows to move their files), is not doing well. She didn't want to eat most of the weekend and was just not at all herself. I suspected an obstruction and took her to the vet. The vet thought gastroenteritis and kept her to administer fluids. After I left, they found petechiae on her abdomen and decided to do blood work. That revealed elevated kidney values and very low platelets (thrombocytopenia). There was also fluid in her abdomen.

An internal medicine specialist who can do an ultrasound has been called in to consult this afternoon. We'll know more after that. It's not clear if the kidney or the platelet problem is primary. Given the history of auto-immune issues in Clumbers, we are fearing the worst. She has been started on steriods and antibiotics. CD and I will go see her later on.

Please hold good thoughts for the Piper-dog. I don't intend to change the name of this blog any time soon.

[10pm update: Piper condition got a bit worse during the day and she is at the emergency clinic for over-night monitoring. Things don't look good, but the cause of the problems is still unknown. I'll pick her up in the morning and take her back to our regular vet. Once we get the labwork back we will know if she needs to go to Columbus or Cleveland for more specialized care. I am hoping she has a quiet night and there is good news tomorrow.]