Coco suffered her seizure throughout most of the cab ride to
the vet that her tongue had turned blue but Ena stayed calm and Coco was rushed
into emergency and administered oxygen, put on IV and given a diazepam jab to
stop the seizure. Her body temperature was so low that they needed to use hot
water bottles to warm her up.
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| Coco at home when we went to visit her for the first time |
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| Coco at home, too weak to stand properly |
They did a blood test and it was no surprise that the
results showed that she has end stage renal failure. Her seizure was probably caused
by the buildup of toxins in the kidneys. According to her family, Coco has been
walking around with her head down and walking in slow circles which could
signal a neurological problem. Her eyes are a little glazed and leaking
discharge so we are unsure if she has any sight in them. She is also severely
dehydrated. However, these are all secondary concerns. The main priority is to
stop the seizures. Thankfully,
Ena has been going over to the elderly couple’s home twice a day to give Coco
subcutaneous drips for the past 2 weeks, that sustained her and kept her going.
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| Hot water bags to keep Coco warm as her body temperature was low |
The
vet wanted to ward Coco for 2-3 days. However, with our experience, we'd
rather not ward old dogs overnight. It’s very scary for any dog to be alone in
a strange environment without their loved ones, much less an older, sick dog.
So the plan is to have Ena take Coco to the vet every morning and update the
vet on Coco's condition at home. The volunteers will see to her discharge and
send her home at 8pm in the night. To reduce the stress of waiting for a cab
each morning, we have arranged for pet transport to take Ena and Coco to the
vet for the next 3 days. While at the vet, Coco will receive fluids,
glucose, food through IV, heat pad and be under close monitoring for any
seizure. Each day is estimated to cost around $350 to $400. We don’t
know how she will be, if she will get any better, or how long this arrangement
will need to be in place. We have planned this till Friday and will re-assess
the situation then.
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| Discharging Coco, after spending a full day at the vet on IV drips |
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| Volunteers sending Coco home |
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| Coco sleeping soundly at home. Actually she is heavily sedated. |
It’s
a bit more trouble and effort arranging and coordinating daily visits to the
vet as all our volunteers have day jobs, but we want Coco to be able to see her
family every night and not be scared or worried alone at the vet overnight. We
want what's best for Coco, for her to be comfortable and unafraid. If she
needs to transition, we hope to ease it so that she goes without much pain and
suffering.
If you can help with the vet bills and bring some comfort to
and elderly couple, their old dog, and a kind neighbour who won't give up on
them, please email hopedogrescue@singnet.com.sg.
