Mercedes55 Posted May 16, 2013 Share Posted May 16, 2013 Our nearly 14yr old chocolate labrador has been unwell this week. She's been off her food, been sick, had the runs etc so we took her to the vet last night. On examination he found that she had lost about 2kg of weight in the last month, she seems to have a mass in her bowel which he said could be a tumour or could be a piece of poo stuck in there, plus he noticed she had some jaundice in her eyes. Obviously we are worried out of our minds and he took some blood and the results make little sense to us, but obviously they are not good as they want to do an ultrasound on her tomorrow. Just wondered if these results make any sense to anyone TP 105 g/L GLOB 78 g/L ALKP 944 U/L TBIL 113 mol/L RBC 4.24 x10 12/L HCT 31.2% HGB 11.0 g/dL WBC 5.23 x10 9/L Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chucky Mama Posted May 16, 2013 Share Posted May 16, 2013 Our nearly 14yr old chocolate labrador has been unwell this week. She's been off her food, been sick, had the runs etc so we took her to the vet last night. On examination he found that she had lost about 2kg of weight in the last month, she seems to have a mass in her bowel which he said could be a tumour or could be a piece of poo stuck in there, plus he noticed she had some jaundice in her eyes. Obviously we are worried out of our minds and he took some blood and the results make little sense to us, but obviously they are not good as they want to do an ultrasound on her tomorrow. Just wondered if these results make any sense to anyone TP 105 g/L -Total protein GLOB 78 g/L Globulin ALKP 944 U/L Alkaline Phosphotase TBIL 113 mol/L Total Bilirubin RBC 4.24 x10 12/L Red blood cell count HCT 31.2% Haematocrit HGB 11.0 g/dL Haemaglobin WBC 5.23 x10 9/LWhite blood cell count Your vet needs to interpret these for you and put them into context given her symptoms and their clinical examination. I am afraid to say that if they can feel a mass, there is jaundice and given her age I supsect the prognosis (outlook) is not good If she has the runs it is unlikely although not impossible for the mass to be poo (sometimes a hard piece of poo can cause a blockage that only very liquid poo can get past). Good luck with her Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mercedes55 Posted May 16, 2013 Author Share Posted May 16, 2013 TP 105 g/L -Total protein GLOB 78 g/L Globulin ALKP 944 U/L Alkaline Phosphotase TBIL 113 mol/L Total Bilirubin RBC 4.24 x10 12/L Red blood cell count HCT 31.2% Haematocrit HGB 11.0 g/dL Haemaglobin WBC 5.23 x10 9/LWhite blood cell count Your vet needs to interpret these for you and put them into context given her symptoms and their clinical examination. I am afraid to say that if they can feel a mass, there is jaundice and given her age I supsect the prognosis (outlook) is not good If she has the runs it is unlikely although not impossible for the mass to be poo (sometimes a hard piece of poo can cause a blockage that only very liquid poo can get past). Good luck with her Thanks for the reply Chucky Mama. We were surprised to not have the results interpreted to us as we just see it as a list of letters we don't understand. We also suspect sadly that the prognosis is not good but the vet made us feel we were not giving her a fair chance by not having the ultrasound done as he said if there are no signs of a tumour then she could have hepatitis which can be treated with antibiotics and steroids. Whether he is right or not I still feel we are putting a very old dog through a lot of unnecessary stress and tests just so they can make a diagnosis and they aren't seeing things from our perspective. The poor thing has already had 3 abscesses this year and also had 7 teeth taken out so she's not had a very good time Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackrocksrock Posted May 16, 2013 Share Posted May 16, 2013 Usually there are 2 sets of results - your dogs results and the levels the bloods should be at = they should never give out this without explanation. Go back to them and ask please. you are paying well enough for it. Edited to say I work in a veterinary clinic! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mercedes55 Posted May 16, 2013 Author Share Posted May 16, 2013 Usually there are 2 sets of results - your dogs results and the levels the bloods should be at = they should never give out this without explanation. Go back to them and ask please. you are paying well enough for it. Edited to say I work in a veterinary clinic! Yes there are two lots of results and we are assuming that the ones in blue are the low ones, the green are within range and the red are too high. However the results are just a list of letters divided into sections labelled Electrolyte Analyzer, Hematology Analyzer and Chemistry Analyzer and nothing on the paperwork explains what the letters stand for which is confusing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chucky Mama Posted May 17, 2013 Share Posted May 17, 2013 You should really not have been given the results without a vet interepreting them for you. I am quite shocked An ultra sound won't be too traumatic for her but I would ask for the results to be interpreted before you agree to have anything else done. If they can feel a mass the ultrasound will give an indication as it it's location but you need those results interpreted by a vet first without a doubt. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackrocksrock Posted May 17, 2013 Share Posted May 17, 2013 Ultrasound - shave the area they are to scan and manually scan that area with a scanner like a womens pregnancy scan - not too traumatic for her really. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mercedes55 Posted May 17, 2013 Author Share Posted May 17, 2013 You should really not have been given the results without a vet interepreting them for you. I am quite shocked An ultra sound won't be too traumatic for her but I would ask for the results to be interpreted before you agree to have anything else done. If they can feel a mass the ultrasound will give an indication as it it's location but you need those results interpreted by a vet first without a doubt. I did speak with the vet again on the phone last night before surgery was over. He still didn't explain the blood test results but just kept saying how important it is to get the ultrasound done so that they can have a better idea of what is going on. Today has been dreadful as Mishka is a wreck when going to the vets and we had agreed before talking to the vet last night that we weren't going to put her through any more stress and we asked the vet if he could come and do a house visit but he said to have her pts at home would cost about £265 and that they would have to plan it as he would have to bring a nurse with him. The ultrasound he reckoned could show that she hepatitis which he can treat and that if we had her pts without knowing what is wrong that we would regret it, which made us feel really bad. The cost of the ultrasound is £160 but the total we got this morning when OH dropped her off at the vet is for £260 as there are lots of other charges which we weren't told about. We have already decided that we won't have any needle aspiration done if they do find a tumour as we've already gone beyond what we feel is fair for her. We both feel terrible for not standing out ground and getting all the information we should have. Don't expect to get the results of the ultrasound till lunchtime and will take it from there. I feel I am making a complete mess of all of this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluekarin Posted May 17, 2013 Share Posted May 17, 2013 Please don't feel you are making a mess of things. I feel from what you have said your vet are being very insensitive. I would make it very clear that them giving you bloods test results without telling you what they mean is really pointless and a waste of both of your times. Plus, how can you know if it is vital for your dog to have the ultrasound if you don't understand what the BT results mean. Is there another vet at the practice you could speak to who might be more understanding? I do hope you get some good answers to enable you to do what is best. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bramble Posted May 17, 2013 Share Posted May 17, 2013 Oh I really feel for you. I went through something similar with my last dog a while ago - she had an ultrasound scan which showed nothing, the vet rang and asked if she could do an x-ray which did show the full extent of the problem. With hindsight, I wish I'd just opted for an x-ray as soon as she was ill (not that it was suggested to me) instead of faffing about with blood tests etc. I do think sometimes you have to stand up to vets - no one knows your dog better than you and your instinct won't be wrong. I will be thinking of you today, it will be a very hard day for all of you. Sending hugs. x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lavenders_Blue Posted May 17, 2013 Share Posted May 17, 2013 I don't have any words of wisdom to add except to echo what Bramble said - no one knows your dog better than you, so go with your gut instinct and don't be afraid to stand up to what sounds like a very insensitive vet. You are your dog's voice. You are also paying a lot for the benefit of the vet's expertise so you deserve nothing less than exceptional treatment! Good luck x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mercedes55 Posted May 17, 2013 Author Share Posted May 17, 2013 Sadly we had to have Mishka pts a little while ago. The results of the ultrasound showed a large tumour on her spleen and the vet felt it was most likely malignant and that to remove it would not only be a very large procedure for a dog of her age but apparently it would most likely come back within 3mths, so from that we are guessing that perhaps it had spread but not sure as we are a bit numb from it all still Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blackrocksrock Posted May 17, 2013 Share Posted May 17, 2013 Oh I am so sorry - but at the end of the day she is not in any pain. I would also ask more re the blood tests when you get yourselves together. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluekarin Posted May 17, 2013 Share Posted May 17, 2013 I am so sorry to hear that RIP Mishka x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ain't Nobody Here Posted May 17, 2013 Share Posted May 17, 2013 I've only just read this thread from the start - I'm so sorry about the outcome for poor Mishka . You obviously did all you could for a much loved pet and it sounds like your vet's bedside manner could be improved . xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bramble Posted May 17, 2013 Share Posted May 17, 2013 Oh dear, I'm really sorry to hear that. The one good thing about having the ultrasound is at least you KNOW what the problem was and that you won't be thinking "if only we'd tried this/that", there was nothing that could be done and hopefully that will give you a crumb of comfort when you are starting to get over the loss, which will take a while. Thinking of you all, sleep tight Mishka x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Patricia W Posted May 17, 2013 Share Posted May 17, 2013 I am so sorry. But you did all the right things. I'm not impressed by the sound of your vet though. Maybe worth looking for another one for the future? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cheeky Chooky Posted May 17, 2013 Share Posted May 17, 2013 I've only just read this thread too; I'm so sorry that you've all been through such a difficult time and you've lost your dear old girl *hug* Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chucky Mama Posted May 17, 2013 Share Posted May 17, 2013 So sorry to hear your update. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Groovychook Posted May 17, 2013 Share Posted May 17, 2013 So sorry to hear about Mishka xx Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lavenders_Blue Posted May 18, 2013 Share Posted May 18, 2013 So very sorry to hear this Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purplemaniacs Posted May 18, 2013 Share Posted May 18, 2013 Oh dear I am so sorry, how horrid for you. The vet does not seem to be very understanding. Chrissie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Luvachicken Posted May 20, 2013 Share Posted May 20, 2013 I am so sorry to have read today what has happened to your lovely dog. I want to send you a hug. Sweet dreams little Mishka. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
