wonder dog.

Long story short: Wrigley is a silly, happy, healthy dog.

Long story long: It wasn't always so.

For about 6 months in the spring/summer of 2006, The Boy Wig was maddeningly, awfully sick: first with a liver disease that was never (and still hasn't been) diagnosed despite blood tests, major surgery and ultrasounds. Just when we thought things were looking up, we took Wigs in May to Martha's Vineyard, where he helped himself to a snack of goose leavings in the backyard, which launched a bacterial infection in his already-compromised digestive tract, which then led to malnutrition and then to open sores on his paws.

It occurred to me recently that I'd not kept a diary during that time as a way to help sort out my fears and emotions. And that I didn't have a record of the whole episode—aside from the stack of vet bills that equaled the cost of a small car. Since Wrigley is so healthy now, it's hard to even imagine that time when he was so sick.

Earlier this week, our company's technology department sent out a message urging people to purge their e-mail in advance of a system upgrade. Our system keeps a copy of every sent message, and I'd been less than diligent about deleting old sent messages. As I was scrolling through and deleting my old sent mail, a number of messages from April, May and June 2006 caught my eye. They were messages I'd sent updating friends and colleagues about Wrigley's ill health. Taken chronologically, these messages function as a sort of diary of that time.

To Rob, July 26 (right after our move back home):
Good morning, B -- I’m just feeling so good about OHF [our hairy friend] right now. He’s doing the Happy Food Dance and trotting around with a spring in his step. He did well on our walk yesterday (we’ll try that again tonight after it cools off — it’s good for BOTH of us!). We played a bit of tug with the tennis-ball-on-a-strap. He hopped right up into bed with me last night, and slept soundly (he twitched and grunted a bit, but I’m used to that from you!). He seems more and more like his doodle-self every day.

I am blessed to have both of you guys. I can’t wait to get you home on Friday, Buddy, so we can have a great weekend! I’m thinking much grilling will need to happen!

P.S. I have my new sparkly on, and it feels kind of like you’re right here with me.

I LOVE YOU!!!!!


To my colleague Sarah, June 21:
Sarah -- I totally appreciate your call and good thoughts yesterday. We’ve had 3 or 4 really hard days over the past 2 months, and that was one of them. I was just so worried about the boy.

Things have settled down now, though. We (all) had a good night’s sleep. I have (another!) antibiotic to give Wrigley, and we’re using a medicated solution 3 times a day for the poor foot. It’s looking better than it was, and he’s clearly more comfortable. He’s been interested in dog food again — yay! And we have a new Rx to try; the vet suggests that there MAY be a lingering case of pancreatitis; if that’s the case, this will help. I THINK, although I’m not sure, that some of the ongoing symptoms may have eased a bit (jaundice, swelling in the belly & feet). We’ll get test results on a whole bunch of things tomorrow.

So, thanks for your concern.


To Rob, June 20:
Well, I had an all-too-abbreviated conversation with Dr. Straus just now. The rundown:
• the abscess in his paw most likely is totally unrelated — maybe he stepped on something or got something stuck in his paw pad. Dr. Straus seemed to dismiss this as not a big deal.

• the leg weakness is part & parcel of his underlying disease

• the drug Dr. Bev suggested sounds quite difficult to administer (it’s a nasty-tasting powder and needs to be sprinkled on food, which of course is a problem)

• I want to talk more with him about the diarrhea/stomach upset. He was kind of short with me and I didn’t get a chance to ask more about this. He’s testing to see if there’s some kind of bowel disease that’s kicked in — i.e., the goose poop was just a coincidence.

I’m to call back at 2:00 to get more info. If his fever breaks, we can take him home later today.


From Rob, June 20:
Hello jeep, I’ve got my paws crossed for our hairy buddy. He needs us to help him through this, and we’re gonna do it!

Love,
B.


To Rob, June 7:
Hi, B!

Just back from the vet — Dr. Straus is understandably concerned, but we’re taking some action:
1. cutting the prednisone dosage in half (muscle weakness & swelling?)
2. 1/2 tablet of immodium 3x per day
3. adding 1 capsule of metamucil to help, er, solidify things
We need to get him eating again; he’s lost weight and feels bony. I’ll keep trying ...

Dr. Straus extracted a poop sample (Wrigley: “Yikes!”) and spotted something he couldn’t identify (um ... Doodusness?). So that’s gone out for testing; we’ll know tomorrow afternoon.

No word from Cornell — he doesn’t expect to hear anything definitive anyway (duh), but was just wanting to exhaust all possibilities.

Bottom line, we don’t know if the ongoing diarrhea is related to the liver disease or to the crap-snacking episode. Probably, the poop test will shed some light on that.

I’m back at my desk, so call whenever.

I LOVE YOU!!! AND WIGGY!!!!


To my colleague Sarah Whitman, June 6:
Ugh. I’m worried about the boy this morning. He’s experiencing some weakness in his hind legs, and a bit of swelling in his ankles. I’d like to think it’s a side effect of the prednisone, but I don’t know. Plus, he’s still poopy, and his appetite is spotty. On the upside, we got him out for a walk last night and he did OK.

I tried all day yesterday to get a hold of the vet, and he returned my call late last night and we missed it. He’s very hard to reach, and I’m concerned. Sigh.


To HOW forum member Dave Hollenbeck, May 30:
Hey, Dave -- Thanks for asking! It’s been quite a roller coaster. Things were going well until Wrigley helped himself to some goose droppings in the yard while we were on vacation this weekend, which has wreaked havoc on his system. TMI, probably! We still don’t know what’s been making him so ill, but he seems to be improving. Until this latest thing ...


To Rob, May 10:
We love you too, guy! We just had a little bit to eat — 3 meat sticks and part of a can of Eukanuba. (Actually, I’m having cereal.) So that’s good. Or, as someone hairy would say, “It’s delicious!”


From Rob, May 10:
B & Wiggy,

I love you guys! Thanks for taking care of each other. See you in a little while.

Love,
B.


To my HOW team, May 8:
Well, we had a better weekend than we’ve had in awhile. We're still dealing with the underlying and very mysterious liver/pancreas problem. But the vet started him on cortisone on Friday, and within about 3 hours of my giving him the first dose, it was like he was a different dog. His appetite improved, his tail started wagging, his disposition returned to something closer to normal. All last week, he refused to eat and just hid under the dining room table or in a dark corner of the downstairs hallway.

This weekend, we took him out to breakfast with us (an outdoor table at the local bakery that's our Saturday morning habit), and got him out for a walk. We're not counting our chickens, but it's really encouraging to see him perking up a bit. I have to believe that feeling better and eating better will improve his chances of recuperating from whatever is going on with his insides. I’ve got a call into the vet this a.m. to see where we stand for the time being. He’s still a bit jaundiced, and we expect that it’ll be awhile before we see any changes in his blood chemistry related to all of this. But it was nice to not shed any tears this weekend.


To my friend and business collaborator Sam Harrison, May 8:
Thanks, Sam. Our boy Wrigley has been in tough shape these past 3 weeks, with some kind of liver malfunction that's defying veterinary wisdom. After 3 biopsies, 2 ultrasounds, a bunch of blood tests and exploratory surgery, we're still not sure what's up or what the long-term deal is. I've been see-sawing between tears and bright optimism. He's not been eating (which is a real indicator) and has obviously been feeling poorly (hiding under the dining room table, not wagging his tail). The good news is that we started on cortisone on Friday, and within about 3 hours, he was a radically different dog. So we're riding that wave of optimism, hoping that the renewed appetite and morale will help his insides recuperate as they need to.

It's funny ... He's "just" a dog, but he's such a wonderful companion and dear part of our little family. You're a dog person; you can probably relate.

Thanks for the good thoughts. Give your canine friend(s) extra scratches today!


To my HOW staff, May 2:
It makes me sort of smile that the dog, who’s lying at my feet, just farted rather stinkily. Surely that must be a good sign.


To HOW forum member Dave Hollenbeck, May 1:
Thanks, Dave. Wrigley's been dealing with this for going on 3 weeks now. We've done blood tests, two ultrasounds and a round of exploratory surgery. First, we heard it was liver disease (the poor boy is jaundiced), as the blood tests reveal off the-charts liver enzymes. They biopsied his pancreas and liver last week and found pancreatitis, but we don't know if that's the entire problem or if there's something else at work here. (We're going to have a bake sale to raise funds for Wrigley's medical bills!) Right now, I can't get him to eat, and he's just laying low. Got yet another call into the specialty vet we saw last week to find out what we can do for him. It's just awful watching a beloved companion be so sick and not being able to fix him.

Anyway, fingers (and paws) crossed! Thanks for your message!



To my friend and business collaborator Peleg Top, April 17:
Well, things are hopeful with the Boy Wig ... It was a weekend of ups and downs, and I’m still so anxious about him I’m literally shaking. Here’s the long story:

Friday morning, we knew that he was having a liver problem of some kind; that evening, got a call at the end of the day from the vet; they’d done an ultrasound and a biopsy of his liver and the best guess was that he has chronic hepatitis, which he’d been carrying around for a long time and which finally manifested as a malfunction of his liver.

Saturday morning, things were stable, so we went about trying to have a normal day and not dwell on this too much. Saturday afternoon, we got word that a follow-up blood test was concerning, and the vet described his condition as “guarded.” Tears and nervousness ensued.

Sunday morning, we went to Easter sunrise service and both totally cried. It was lovely and much needed, but also hard. We were really worried about him. Sunday mid-day, we had a message from the vet that Wrigley was eating and had tons of energy and personality (he was “bouncing off the walls”). Whew. Felt much better.

This morning, had word that he was “excellent” overnight, eating more and doing well. We’re awaiting results of another blood test around noon and results from the biopsy. Hopefully, the blood work will tell us that the treatment he’s been getting is starting to kick in, and the pathology results will confirm the hepatitis diagnosis. That is treatable long-term with meds and special food.

Still no word on when he’ll be able to come home. It sounds like his temperament and energy levels are really great — you might not know he’s really sick except that he’s extremely jaundiced.

I miss having him around today, and I’m still worried. But the latest news is hopeful and we’re focusing on that.

All of this for a silly $30 dog. But how I do love him!