Raising Litter Mates

	DEALING WITH INFLAMMATORY BOWEL DISEASE IN AN OLDER DOG. Jordan had her endoscope done yesterday to see if there are any problem areas down through her stomach and intestines. The specialist who performed the procedure had done her colonoscopy not too long ago (July 30, 2010). There is an area of concern, the pathologist report is still pending.
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I tried so hard to not stress about Jordan the entire time she was gone, but that didn't work. This little girl has a hold of my heart for sure!!!

I dropped her off at 8:00am and I didn't get her back until 7:30pm! That's a long time for her to be away from me, and me from her, especially under such serious circumstances.

Her procedure went well, she was stable during the anesthetic, but had a very slow recovery from it, she is still quite dopey even now! They had maintained her on IV fluids with some added potassium prior to and following the anesthetic. Due to the amount of weight she has lost and her condition in general, this isn't too surprising.

She had several endoscopic biopsies taken from her stomach, small intestine and colon (again) and those were sent off to a pathologist in Ontario for interpreting. Apparently this pathologist is one of the best around, and only a number of clinics have an account with him - he isn't accepting new clients.
Needless to say, we have come this far with her, may as well get her the best of everything to find some answers. The report I am hoping will be in at the end of the week, due to courier and the weather back east etc. it may be early next week. The veterinarian I am dealing with right now is going to try to put a "rush" on it, due to the time constraints we have with Jordan. The staff at the clinic have taken all the necessary precautions (freezing weather etc.) to ensure that her samples arrives as fresh as possible in order to receive the most accurate results.

Dr. Eugene Gorodetsky performed the endoscope and colonoscopy on Jordan. He didn't find anything abnormal down her esophagus or in her stomach. Biopsies, however, were collected from her stomach to be submitted.

The area of concern is her upper small intestine. It was grossly abnormal =(
There is note of a small raised area, that hopefully is a polyp, biopsies of that polyp were obtained as well as the surrounding areas. He re-entered her colon, and noted no significant changes. Biopsies were also submitted. Now we wait...

Jordan is now on Prednisone. And although the side effects of Prednisone are greater than those of her previous steroid - Budesonide, the benefits would outweigh those risks if it's not too late. Clearly, after seven weeks the Budesonide wasn't working, and never did work, and although there is no guarantee her new medication will work, we have no other choice.

Jordan is also taking Sucralfate and Omeprazole - to help protect her stomach.

As we all anxiously await for her results to come back, the goal now is to keep her as comfy and happy as possible until we know what we are dealing with and then treat whatever it is accordingly. I was told that it could be "bad" real bad, like lymphosarcoma, or it could be a severe case of IBD. In either case, I am ready to take it on. I don't expect her to live forever, but as her provider and her best friend, I will do whatever it takes to make sure she is comfortable and happy.

Before I left her at the clinic yesterday morning I told Jordan that all I want from her is to come home tonight and eat for me. She did. She ate two cans of Recovery Formula on her own, and slept through the night - beside the bed. I told you she is amazing...