Thanks to all of you who E-mailed with best wishes and healing thoughts for
Ruby.  She has been in the hospital since Saturday morning, and is slipping
fast.  She has refused all food and water for over 72 hours now.  The vet is
keeping her hydrated with subcutaneous fluids with a little glucose, at
least.
 
Blood work reveals kidney and liver function fine, initial high glucose
level that has now normalized, and an elevated white cell count.  The vet
also x-rayed her and sees something suspicious sitting just under the liver.
Spleen is quite enlarged.  Vet's current hypothesis is this: a tumor under
the liver (not unlikely, considering the mass that was removed several
months ago).  The tumor would explain the high white cell count and could be
putting pressure on the spleen, restricting blood flow and causing it to
swell.  She is scheduling exploratory surgery for tomorrow (Monday) morning.
 
She is still at a loss to explain why all this came about as a result of ear
cleaning.  BTW, Ruby's neurological signs are completely normal, ruling out
any damage to inner ear from cleaning.  The vet's only explanation is that
the stress from the ear cleaning somehow brought this underlying condition
to a head.
 
If upon surgery, the vet finds something really bad or inoperable, she has
asked our permission to not bring Ruby up out of anesthesia.  Oh, oh, oh!
We can only hope that there is a simple and easy answer.
 
You do your very best for them, but sometimes it's just not enough.  I wish
I could undo the ear cleaning, and get back my toe-nibbling,
eraser-stealing, Ruby-kisses girl.
 
Any suggestions and input is appreciated, as are prayers and loving thoughts
for our little-Rubes.
 
Chris & Rick
Twoser, Max, Pippin, Kirby, and Ruby (the great one).
[Posted in FML issue 1618]