ricey Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 Hi all, After losing Lulu (our little fluffy hyena/hell hound terrier) only 3 months ago, we thought that it was Hobbes turn to die. Hobbes is our gentle, 14 year old pit bull terrier type dog (possibly 15 year old APBT). I had thought that he was just slowing down and showing a bit of old dog doggy dementia, and that he was just developing a bit of an old dog belly/gut. But I thought I'd get my vet to check him over again. I'd taken him in for the full 'senior dog' exam and tests 4 months ago, and everything was fine apart from a mild anaemia. Nothing too much to worry about, we were reassured. Hobbes is after all 14 or possibly 15 years old. Turns out the 'mild anaemia' was actually a sign of the huge splenic mass he was developing and this needed to be removed as soon as possible. It was removed today; I am happy to say that Hobbes survived the operation (all vital signs 100% according to the vet surgeon) and he will be with us for some time (how much time depends on the his life expectancy at the age of 14/15, and whether the splenic mass is malignant or not). We get the pathology results in 5 days time. Were we crazy to spend the money we did on Hobbes, to give him a chance at another 6 to 12 months life at best (and possibly only 1 or 2 months if the splenic mass turns out to be a hemangiosarcoma?) Nope, we love our dogs. Best case scenario is that the mild doggy dementia that Hobbes had been exhibiting for the last few months will go away now that his spleen has been removed, and Hobbes will die of old age sometime in the next 6 to 18 months. Worst case is that the splenic mass was a hemangiosarcoma and he's got around 2 months before we'd need to euthanize him. If we'd done nothing, we'd have had to euthanize next week due to the pressure on his lungs and other organs. I will be gutted if Hobbes's has a hemangiosarcoma, but I'd prefer that to having had him euthanized because that was the best thing from a economic viewpoint. ricey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 oh. wow. :hug:What an ordeal for everyone . I hope the old boy feels much more comfortable now :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdierikx Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 Fingers crossed that it isn't hemangiosarcoma, and that Hobbes gets better quickly... T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Teebs Posted September 3, 2015 Share Posted September 3, 2015 Poor old man! Give him a pat for me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tassie Posted September 4, 2015 Share Posted September 4, 2015 Good old Hobbes .. tough boy coming through the surgery so well. Good on you for giving him a chance. Fingers and paws crossed for good result. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ci Posted September 4, 2015 Share Posted September 4, 2015 (edited) Good luck Hobbes. Wish you a speedy recovery! And many more adventures ahead!!!! I too just had to make the decision on massive surgery for my 14 year old Staff and I don't regret it for a minute. Just to see him now confirms I made the best decision for him. Edited September 4, 2015 by Ci Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vehs Posted September 4, 2015 Share Posted September 4, 2015 Here's to a speedy recovery and a few more years with him, Ricey :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
juice Posted September 7, 2015 Share Posted September 7, 2015 He sure is a fighter, surgery at his age and still strong. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricey Posted September 13, 2015 Author Share Posted September 13, 2015 Thanks for all the lovely replies; I really appreciated them. Hobbes' results are back and everything is fine. No malignancy, just heaps of benign haematomas and scar tissue. Hobbes has a new lease of life; he is prancing about like a young pup again. I had thought that he was just getting old quickly over the last 3 months and that his time was near. But now, 10 days after his surgery he is back to how he was before his decline started. Cheers, ricey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tassie Posted September 13, 2015 Share Posted September 13, 2015 Thanks for all the lovely replies; I really appreciated them. Hobbes' results are back and everything is fine. No malignancy, just heaps of benign haematomas and scar tissue. Hobbes has a new lease of life; he is prancing about like a young pup again. I had thought that he was just getting old quickly over the last 3 months and that his time was near. But now, 10 days after his surgery he is back to how he was before his decline started. Cheers, ricey What a great update! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Xyz Posted September 13, 2015 Share Posted September 13, 2015 Awesome update!!!!may you have many more happy years Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tdierikx Posted September 13, 2015 Share Posted September 13, 2015 Here's to a few more years in the old dog yet... *grin* T. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ricey Posted November 14, 2015 Author Share Posted November 14, 2015 Hobbes went majorly downhill about 4 weeks ago; lethargic, depressed, just lay on the floor. Took him into my vet, who said "shit, what's happened?" Blood tests diagnosed ITB (immune thrombocytopenia); basically, Hobbes immune system had decided that his platelets were evil invaders that needed to be destroyed. So, no clotting factor, platelet count was under 10 (its supposed to be 175 to 450). Treatment was prednisolone; after 1 week, platelet count was 50, and after 3 weeks platelet count was 350. So, the prednisolone dose is being reduced and it looks like Hobbes is cured again. As my vet said, "Hobbes keeps getting knocked to the canvas, but he keeps getting up and dusting himself off". Fingers crossed. ricey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vehs Posted November 15, 2015 Share Posted November 15, 2015 agree - fingers crossed Ricey Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tassie Posted November 16, 2015 Share Posted November 16, 2015 OMG, are you sure Hobbes is a dog, not a cat ... he's going through his nine lives like he thinks he's a cat. So glad your vet picked the problem up quickly and got onto it successfully. Best wishes for you and Hobbes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kirislin Posted November 17, 2015 Share Posted November 17, 2015 How's the old boy going? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ari.g Posted November 18, 2015 Share Posted November 18, 2015 How's the old boy going? Yes, how is the old boy going? :) Any chance of a pic? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stressmagnet Posted November 18, 2015 Share Posted November 18, 2015 Update please? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
melzawelza Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 Just read this whole thread, Hobbes is amazing. Hoping he's still going well on his (second) new lease on life. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jed Posted November 25, 2015 Share Posted November 25, 2015 Well done Hobbes - we've known this pit bull so long he is part of the family - didn't know he was such a tough old fellow though. Marvellous to hear he has done so well. He's lucky to have a such a great owner too :) Best wishes Hobbes - just keep on keeping on. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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