It’s official. I hadn’t added everything up since the end of June, but I did on Friday, and we topped $15,000 in expenses to treat Lilly’s severe rabies vaccine reaction. To be exact … $15,095.01. People have been asking, so I’ve again set up a chip-in, if you’re so inclined. No pressure. No expectations at all.
Buckle up, kids. I’m ranting today, and it’s a curse-soaked doozy.
There is a rant brewing about something that happened at the veterinary hospital today with a fellow dog owner, but for now … let’s only focus on Lilly’s recovery status. A tiny bit of potentially scary news today.
Lilly made great gains in her recovery through about Wednesday. She hasn’t been as great since then. She seems weak, tired, wobbly, and droopy. I worry about her gums and tongue being pale. We’re not getting much sleep at night. BUT, Lilly can walk again — not well, but she can walk.
If Lilly was 5% of herself Friday (Aug 10), we’d say she is 20% of herself today (Saturday, Aug 11). Just talked to our neurologist, though, and he said I’m a “brutal Olympic judge” because he would have given her a much higher score. Some photos from today.
Again, I’m mostly too tired to be coherent, but here is the top news about Lilly’s massive adverse rabies vaccine reaction relapse.
I am exhausted at the cellular and spiritual levels, so just quick notes and one picture. The headline is this: Lilly is about the same, with 2 exceptions. Her fever is down, but so is her heart rate.
Via a daily news brief of veterinary-related news, I learned of 12 dogs in Mooresville, North Carolina, who were put down after one of them — a puppy — contracted rabies. Many people were also exposed at a recent fish fry and are receiving treatment. The case raised a critical question: Is a current rabies vaccination enough to protect dogs exposed to rabies?
I’d always thought the answer was YES. Apparently, the reality is more complicated.
Starting on Monday, August 6, 2012, Lilly began declining. Monday was bad. Tuesday was MUCH worse. Wednesday (today) was beyond terrible. I called our veterinary neurologist’s cell number early, and Lilly and I made a mad dash for the hospital this morning. She is now hospitalized. Details below.
Not only do Lilly’s elimination issues persist (nearly 6 weeks now), but we’re two days into another significant setback of some sort. It’s hard to tell what’s what since the symptoms of her vaccine-induced brain inflammation and treatment side-effects are so similar.
