On my own with a diagnosis

Well,
Mr Beebs has been on ciproflaxin for months and months ...every single time I take him off of it the dog goes down hill fast. He sleeps all the time, looks unhappy, can hardly walk.So this weekend I put him back on it, along with 75mg of deramax and tramadol twice daily for pain. He is like a young dog again. Playing with his ball, acting crazy and smiling. For the life of me I can't understand where this infection is hiding that it manifest over and over again.The only thing I can think of is scar tissue...but how it would enter his blood stream is beyond me. Ever since the initial enterobacter infection he has been hosting some bug or another.My poor neighbor's husband had a few staples left in him and oh course now he has MRSA and a wound vacuum attached to him. The hospitals whether human or animal are in dire need of mandated cleanliness. Most of all the infections are a matter of sloppiness on the part of the staff. Eventually just as human hospitals have patients rights so too will animal guardians.Why shouldn't we expect decent, clean, professional service? Our money is just as green as the next persons and we too are paying for credible services.I'm tired of hearing"Its just a dog".Quite frankly my Mr Beebs has done more for mankind in his 11 years then alot of people I know in a lifetime.Sometimes I think he's more spiritually evolved than I am...his motives are love...always.Everytime I see him suffer I think of that lazy doctor who dismissed our case as frivolous.Well here we are 2 years later...still fighting no thanks to him and that filthy hospital.
I know I sound angry...but its righteous indignation I feel...not anger. It was wrong...and I aim to correct it.Mr Beebs has changed my life and the direction of it and all my energy is now pumped into school, knowledge and the tools I'll need to make a difference. Every time the work gets so hard I feel like crying...I think of him hobbling around unable to take a walk...and I study harder.
He is my inspiration and when he's gone I'll carry him around inside me every single day..and everything I do for animals will be in his honor.For now I'm glad I still have him to cuddle and lie on the floor with.He's doing okay once again...and I'm always searching for a way to keep him happy.

Mr Beebs and continueing prostate infection

Ever since the enterobacter clocae infection our lives have been upside down. We removed his testicles hoping the prostate would shrink...it did however an infection keeps rearing its ugly head.I am so worn out by this I can't even put it into words.My other dog Sydney is always smelling his penis as though there is something wrong with it.Beebs is very tired...lethargic, he's also almost 11 years old. I have this terrible suspicion that whatever is in there is not responding to ab's because it's either the wrong ones or its resistant. To get a proper culture a needle would have to be inserted directly into the gland.I think the poor dog has had enough invasive action and I am try9ing my best to give him the best possible life, or quality of life. That means oral meds, deramax, 2 injections a week of adequan, ciproflaxen, car rides, tiny romps in a new location, lots of love.His back leg is really taking a beating and he will not use his wheel chair. I went back up to the place to have it fixed and he is stubborn and refuses to move in it.
I'm getting married this August and want so badly for the boys to be in the wedding party at my home.When i think back to that fateful day 06/06/06 I cringe.However I have been actively pursuing a court case with the surgeon and the dirty hospital that brought this pain upon us.I have done several speeches in college on the subject of which I am told they were very compelling.I intend to fine tune this argument until I can get traction in congress.I don't give up on anything easily especially my beebers.To be honest I spend alot of time trying to diagnose his problems myself using the Merck vet manual and AVMA sources. The GP vet can only know and do so much...and complications are the great teachers of medicine...They see a snapshot and I see a movie.There should be a better way to help the vets, patients and their guardians get to the bottom of the problem.Maybe a software program that adds up symptoms and spits out possibilities, then reduces those to a more finite cause.Well this is the price of love and when I signed on 11 years ago I promised to take good care of him and he held up his end of the deal and so should I.College has me so busy I am not here often enough but will make an effort now that finals are next week.Any prayers for Beebs would be appreciated, I believe our intentions have the power to heal. Lori

Sorry I've been away for awhile

Well Mr Beebs has been neutered and has protititus.After his neutering I expected him to feel better but that has not been the case. His prostate is still infected so after 2 more months I have put him back on cipro.His back leg weakness I attributed to arthritis but it was pain from the swollen prostate that was causing the problem .That could also be why his wheel chair was never used., it probably hurt every time he put pressure on that area. So he's back on adequin and cipro and he's throwing his toys in the air again. I should have know...it was infection when I saw him sleeping and sleeping and sleeping.He has not been able to go for any long walks in a very long time. The amputation has not been as successful as the vets promised. So what we do is go for long car rides, jump out in a park for 10 minutes and let him sniff around.Poor Sydney is so frustrated and I need to address his needs too. All in all I'm just so very happy he's still with me today because in 2006 I came very close to losing him forever. I'll post new photo's soon

He's slowing down alot

Well Mr Beebs seems alot less energetic since his nuetering. At least that's one of the reason's he seems so old all of a sudden.I also wonder if the swollen prostate is shrinking inside him or if there is something hiding in it like a tumor. I am hoping for the best but facing the fact that if it is cancer I have some hard decisions to make. These last 2 years have been nothing but hard decisions for me regarding this poor pup. It's an everyday job keeping him happy, pain free, and doing as much as I can to give him quality of life. I could wring that surgeons neck for what he's done to my guy. My life will never be the same ....this situation has propelled me into an entirely new focus and drive in my life. To think that an ACL surgery could lead to such life altering conditions is beyond anything I could have dreamed up. I'm glad I didn't know what I know now.It would have sent me over the edge along time ago....but I'm grateful my beautiful dog Beebers has redifined my life and my life's purpose .So in a way this hardship has given me new determination and a sense of direction.That in and of itself is a blessing...and leave it to an 80 pound ball of loving fur to provide it.

Is this just an act?

Hmmmm,

Mr Beebs has taken to looking at his food bowl and retiring to another part of the house.I get worried and say come on boy eat your breakfast. He follows me back to his food bowl and stares at it like a snake is lurking in the bottom of it and is about to strike any minute. In the meantime Sydney has eaten half his food with total abandon. I ask myself..is he in pain? So I get a towel out and make him sit in front of me and then I hand feed him noodles and chicken.All of a sudden his appetite returns and he eats like a dog who has been roaming the streets for several weeks. It occurs to me that I am being trained. Why should he stand up and eat his food when he know's I'll run to his rescue and feed him succulent morsels by hand and then wipe off his big sloppy jowls. Who ever came up with that saying "Work like a dog". It must of been someone who never owned one thats for sure.

Merry Christmas to all

Well Mr Beebs has a swollen abdomen and the vets think its prostatitus..or bacterial infection of the prostate .No bacteria has shown up in the cultures so far and I'm feeling like something isn't adding up. I have the Merck Vet manual and was reading it last night and his symptoms seem to be more closely related to a cystic condition. I have no idea but I need to really stop...think...and get very clear on his treatment. The poor old guy has had so many surgeries and numerous set backs that I have to really pray about this one. He's such a good boy but I can see he's tired and I believe even with the pain meds its uncomfortable for him.So I need to get him taken care of.Its been a real heartbreak these last couple of years...I guess its true the "cup that holds your deepest joy holds your deepest sorrow."

Here we go again

Well Poor Mr Beebs is now looking at castration after 10 years of having his testicles .Apparently his prostate is 10 times its normal size and its infected. What concerns me is his heart. When we were in Georgia they called in a cardiologist because there was something going on. How many operations can and should this dog have? He's been through so much already and if he died on the table over a swollen prostate I'd be heart broken.He could be in pain though and so its a quality of life issue.Oh boy...anyone who thinks a family pet is property is living in an alternate reality. I have had so many emotional ups and downs over his situation not to mention the financial aspects. Well I'll pray about it and perhaps get a clear answer...he deserves to live pain free.