Sandee, please help Chuck find Billy, Jay and Chara.
 
Chuck had insulinoma and had been on pred 3 months.  One week ago he
didn't want to eat his gravy, then on Monday began having black, sticky,
tarry diahrrea.  I continued to force feed gravy and give him his meds.
He also had a bloody nasal discharge.  Monday he went to the vet and was
put on clavamox, Tues. he was back at the vet for sub-q fluids.  He
seemed to do better for a few days, wanting out of the cage, but still not
eating on his own.  A friend contacted his vet who said it sounded like
DIC, which I'd never heard of, but was given a detailed description on how
to recognize it.  I left for work at 8:15 on Thurs.  and when I got home
for lunch he had the DIC splotches on his body, and was immediately rushed
to the vet.  I told the vet tech if there was anything they could do,
please do so, if not to just keep him comfortable until I could get back
to him after 5P.
 
After getting back to the vets after 5P I held him and talked to him while
waiting for the vet.  I'd talked to the vet at 4:45 and she suggested
that I put him down, as DIC usually kills within 24 hrs.  Chuck was a deaf
blaze and would have been 5 in Feb.  I know he couldn't hear me telling
him about the Rainbow Bridge, yet I hoped he "felt" the vibrations of love
I was sending to him.
 
The wonderful vet sat down and asked me if I'd allow her to do a necropsy
on him, to which I replied "Yes, if I could watch".  Chuck was masked and
gone immediately, with me holding him.
 
During the necropsy it was found he had 2 nickel sized tumors on his huge
spleen, 1 the same size on his liver, numerous islet tumors on his
pancreas, and 3 massive cancerous tumors on his lymph nodes in the chest
cavity.  I never suspected lympho, as no visible swollen nodes were
obvious.
 
I lost Billy and Jay last Dec, Chara in August.
 
Sandee, please let Billy, Jay, Chara, Chapper and Cheba greet him and make
him feel welcome.  Please let them all know how loved and missed they are
all.
 
Chuck, I'm so sorry you had to leave, yet I'm so hopeful you didn't have
to suffer long.  Wait for me Babies, we'll all be together in the future.
 
Your loving Mom,
Sandi in TX
[Posted in FML issue 3634]