An update on Payton

Sorry it has taken a while to get this post published today.  The past few days have been exhausting, physically and emotionally, but our family can’t thank you all enough for the outpouring of concern, and we are so grateful for all of the prayers.  We know they are helping.  And each comment and email has meant so much to us all.  Since Payton is resting,

she said that I could explain what happened, talk about her diagnosis, and update everyone on how she is doing today.  But I had to promise that I wouldn’t give away any details about her adventure so she can tell you all about it tomorrow.

It started on Saturday morning.  Payton began to cough, like she tugged too hard on her leash or had something in her throat.  There was a severe air quality alert where we were visiting (high pollen count and such), so it was no surprise that she was having sinus issues and sounded congested to all of us.  The entire day, Payton was alert and happy despite the cough, very interested in whatever we were up to and especially the food, so it was hard to justify a trip to the vet.  When we got back from the day’s activities, the coughing attacks became more frequent.  Evidently Payton wants to see emergency clinics around the country in the same way that her dad would like to tour all of the major league baseball stadiums.  

So we had to say goodbye to our friends a bit early and venture out after dark to find the 24 hour vet.  That was fun.  Google was way off and construction prevented a direct route.  But the staff was so friendly and caring that it made the hassle worth it.  By the time the exam, XRAYS, blood test, shot to help prevent water in the lungs, and paperwork was complete, we didn’t get back to the hotel until almost midnight and then still had to pack so we could head home on Sunday.  Why did daylight savings time have to occur THIS weekend? 

Anyway, on Sunday, Payton continued to cough off and on, but it became less frequent and has pretty much turned into an isolated occurrence.  However, she was getting cold to the point of shivers so easily and was having a hard time breathing when not sleeping.  Luckily she rested the vast majority of our drive home, but the last couple of hours in the car were rough.  First we got a flat tire.

Thankfully we were in familiar territory and a populated area, only about an hour from home.  Then after Tim put on the spare, Payton had a seizure while outside and whined during it.  This is new, and just broke my heart.  I almost lost it completely.  After that she really seemed in bad shape, so we had to stay up with her until about 3am.  Then we had to get up at 8 on Monday and take her into our local vet.

So after talking to both vets, it is most likely that Payton has a collapsing trachea.  She may also have an infection, maybe the beginnings of bronchitis, so she is on antibiotics to be safe.  Since we ruled out a heart condition during our last trip to Chicago, her restricted airway explains her fainting episode a while back and why she has seemed out of shape.  Unfortunately, the problem area is at the end in her chest, not the throat.  Worse yet, there isn’t really anything we can do.  She is either already on the meds typically given for the condition or can’t take them because of her PDE; for example, bronchial dilators do not mix well with PDE, so those are out.  We just have to keep her calm.  For the most part, this is no problem as Payton is pretty laid back.  However, we aren’t quite sure how we are going to handle her seeing Gammy and Gampy.  She gets so excited!  We will also have to limit new toys (shh! don’t tell her).  And I’ve already put a sign on the door asking that no one ring the bell or knock.

But we aren’t giving up.  In fact, we thought it might be good to talk to an internist that works with Dr. Podell, so we have an appointment at the end of the month.  We also discovered that Payton has lost another pound in the last 3-4 weeks, so she is down to 16 pounds and some change.  Seems like a ton of weight to lose (4 pounds since the fall) because of steroid induced muscle loss.  Perhaps there is something else going on compounding her issues.  Perhaps there is something that can be done for Payton, especially if she gets too excited and has a major attack.  We will feel better having explored all the options.

Ok, so on to the most important thing…how is Payton doing today?  Well, much better!  Yesterday after our morning trip to the vet, she was glued to my lap and slept most of the day away, except for meals of course.  She also had a good night.  She is still noticeably more tired than normal today, but that could also be due to the recent trip.  We just spent some time outside where Payton enjoyed the mild temps and soaked up some rays before “taking care of business”.  She has had to catch her breath a handful of times, but it is now only slightly worse and more often than it was before the events of this past weekend.  I don’t think she’ll have near the same energy level as she did, but we are optimistic that she will continue to improve as the week goes by.

Life is going to change for all of us again as we begin to implement new things throughout the day to make sure she doesn’t have an issue, yet still try and keep her life interesting.  Payton does love adventures.  Bathroom breaks are proving a challenge as they tend to cause her the most problems – breathing and seizure related.  Even picking her up is a challenge as we don’t want to put any extra pressure on her chest.  I think we’ll be more lax on treats and extra food.  I may even start making her food.  I had to do that once recently to fill in time while waiting for a new box of Honest Kitchen Zeal to arrive and she just LOVED it.  I think she senses that.  I took this picture today about an hour before lunch time, already in the kitchen waiting on me.  

I think she wanted a steak from the fridge.  One thing about Payton is that she has such a desire to live life to the fullest that she ignores the fact that she’s sick.  Although this makes it super hard to know when she is hurting, I am encouraged to know that my little fighter doesn’t want to give up.  We will keep you all updated.  Thanks again for your support and please continue to pray for her. 

Love,

Christy