Gauge's Journey – The Battle With Pythium

December 22nd, 2015
Families are starting to gather together for Christmas, joy and laughter can be heard for miles. Holiday music is playing on every channel and there is a chilly Texas breeze blowing over our 5 little acres we call home. As some families started to settle in for the evening, my family was huddled together, shoulder-to-shoulder in excitement, looking into a whelping box – My Mother-in-law’s beautiful lab was in active labor! The first pup born was a chunky little boy we called “meatball” due to his rotund appearance and wrinkled face. After a grueling 10 hours, we have 9 beautiful pups, 8 boys and single little girl. What a great Christmas gift! The kids are full wonder and amazement. This is their first real experience of birth, the creation of life – “Ewww! The puppies are slimy when they come out!”

February 2016
After one of the best holidays to date, and many long hours of tending to the pups, it was time for us to make a pick. I was drawn in from day one to the little meatball. While some of the pups eventually caught up in size, no other pup had caught up to his unique personality – and let’s face it – no one had his appetite either! We had to have the first born, the little meatball that we named Gauge. Gauge came home to a loving family, and from the first second he was carried through the door he was infatuated with his “adopted sister” Baylee (our 3 year old rescued Catahoula). They played together, they ate together and they slept together. And trust me, they did a lot of sleeping the first couple of weeks. At least during the day… At night they wanted to play. They would stay up barking and howling, they were just not quite ready for bed yet! Gauge had a few accidents in his kennel – that is to be expected. Welcome to the family little one, now go to sleep! Please?!

May 2016
It was time for our first Vet visit! Gauge was unsure how to react to the idling SUV in the driveway, but once he saw Baylee load up in the back seat, he knew it was OK to follow. We made the short trip to the Vet’s office and after a few shots and his first real checkup, we were released with a clean bill of health. I can still hear the Vet’s remarks, “Look at the size of those paws… He is going to be a big one!”

November 2016
It’s time for that six month checkup! Gauge has grown by leaps and bounds over the last few months and honestly, he is one of the smartest (and sometimes most stubborn) dog I have been around – and we are loving every minute of it. He loves to swim with his (biological) brother and mother in the pond out back, and when he can’t make it over to the pond, his $15 plastic pool from Walmart gets the job done – and he may even catch one of those embossed fish in the bottom of the pool one of these days! Weighing in 92 lbs, he is still just our little puppy. He loves to cuddle, and I believe if you if look up “lap dog” in the dictionary you might just see a picture of him laying on top of his Momma who is trying desperately to breathe under his enormous weight. He has a bark that you would not believe, a deep, powerful, almost primal sound. Baylee is no longer able to outrun him in the yard. He has learned her tactics and is able to cut her off before she can make a move to dodge him. They tumble around the yard for hours, chasing Frisbees, footballs and protecting the yard from the squirrels, cats and birds that would dare try to invade their space. Thanksgiving rolls around and everyone is treated to turkey dinners (although the four-legged kids have a commercially available option made specifically for dogs).

December 2016
Happy Birthday Gauge! Our ‘miniature horse’ of a lab is still a wonder to behold. He is rebellious yet sweet, with a rough and tumble attitude yet still gentle. We opted for a very small Christmas tree this year. Can you imagine what that tail could do to a tree full of ornaments? On Christmas Eve he gets to open his presents, and look what Momma got him! A new stuffed “baby” that looks like an elf and some new bones! It is not technically his first Christmas, but it has to the best one so far!

January 13th, 2017
Gauge has not been acting like his normal self this past week. While he would normally devour any food in sight, he is being a bit picky and not eating as much when he does finally eat. Is he getting ready for a growth spurt? Or is he finally done growing?

January 16th, 2017
This past weekend we have been monitoring Gauge very closely. How much does he eat? Is he using the restroom? Is he drinking enough water? We can tell he lost weight this week from being picky on what he eats, but now, he has not eaten in two full days, save for the tablespoon of peanut butter Momma forced down his throat yesterday. Hey!! Momma got him to eat a can of wet food! Maybe we are making progress!

January 17th, 2017
-5:30am
Gauge is not definitely not himself this morning. Momma’s up getting ready for work and instead of Gauge following her every move, waiting for his morning belly rub, he is laid out on the floor and doesn’t even react when Momma kneels down to pet him. When he went out, he threw up the canned food from last night – undigested and still distinguishable… Momma is worried, I am calling the Vet’s office at 8am.

-8:00am
I am driving to a morning meeting at work. I am on the phone with the Vet’s office scheduling an appointment the very second the clock strikes 8:00am. I will take any appointment they have available – but it looks like we have to wait a bit, the first available appointment is this afternoon.

-11:45am
Meeting is finished. I head back home so I can get Gauge loaded up and ready for his appointment. I have an hour drive back home. Maybe we can get some answers and get this pup eating again.

-1:20pm
Oh! A car ride! Gauge hops into the backseat of the SUV without thought, he loves going for rides! I laugh a bit, thinking of the many rides we have been on where he refused to get in the car until Baylee got in first. He is growing up. The rear window is down just enough for his nose to poke out – the breeze tickling his nostrils.

-1:40pm
Gauge is checked in at the Vet. They know him by name and laugh when he barks at them. At least he acting more like his normal self this afternoon.

-1:45pm
We are back in the exam room. Gauge is being weighed and my stomach is rising into my throat – I keep swallowing trying to get the nausea to subside. He has lost almost 15lbs in the course of a week. 15lbs? Is that right?

-1:50pm
The Vet’s face is strained now. He is performing an exam and notices something hard in Gauge’s stomach. Gauge is growling now, a deep guttural noise like I have never heard before. My little guy doesn’t have a vicious bone in his body, but they have to slip on a muzzle so they can finish the exam. The Vet invites me over to feel the mass, it feels about the size of my closed fist, firm, yet not hard like a rock. Does he have a blockage?

-2:00pm
I am referred to 24/7 emergency and surgical hospital. We could either be dealing with a blockage that requires surgery, or…(swallowing again)… cancer. Momma is texting me, calling me, pleading for answers – I have none. I need to take Gauge across town, “Can you go with me?”

-2:45pm
Dad has been driving faster than normal. Gauge is sitting in the back seat with Momma, leaning on her shoulder. He is watching the world pass by the windows, oblivious to the optimistic small talk and the sound of the radio playing in the background.

-3:15pm
Gauge is checked in and taken to the back for vitals. We are ushered to an exam room where the Dr. comes to talk with us. “So tell me what is going on today…” After a few minutes of taking notes, the Dr. replies, “We will take him back for x-rays and depending on those results, we may need to do an ultrasound. We are looking at a few hundred dollars here just in a diagnosis…” Not a problem! Let’s do this and get our boy back to himself. We have a glimmer of hope – this may just be a foreign object, nothing that surgery shouldn’t be able to fix.

-4:30pm
We are called back to the exam room. The Dr’s face is not the same. He has that same strained look that the Vet had. My stomach is knotting up. “The x-rays are not showing what we had hoped for…” Momma’s leg is shaking, she is sideways in her seat looking away. “He is in for the ultrasound now, but we may actually be looking at something we didn’t want to see. It appears that he has Lymphoma…” Cancer? He is just a baby! Momma is in tears now. The Dr. is still talking – I am looking directly into his eyes, but I am not hearing his words – it just sounds like a mumble now. There is a few seconds of silence. “I will come get you when they finish the ultrasound. As soon as I know something…”

-5:45pm
Momma has been crying for over an hour now. I am trying my hardest to be positive, to be strong. I am not doing a very good job of it. I am staring blankly at a TV in the waiting room.

-6:00pm
We are called back to the exam room. The ultrasound agreed with the x-rays. We are no longer looking at a foreign body, that is pretty much off the table now. “We have a few options here…” My mind is racing, processing information as I hear it. We go to the medical side, they run a scope into his stomach and intestines to look from the inside; We take him into surgery to get a hands on look at the issue, there is fluid build-up, enlarged lymph nodes, swelling. “If we are going to talk about surgical options, you need to be prepared beforehand that there will be difficult decisions to make. Surgery alone is going to cost thousands of dollars, and there is no guarantee, I can’t even offer you odds.” My mind is still racing. Am I really hearing this?
“I also need to mention that there are other options, such as euthanasia…” Momma is about to lose it. We need a few minutes alone.

-6:20pm
The Dr. is back. He is tired, you can see it in his face. He squats down to the floor, he is trying his best to be supportive, but you can tell he is not happy with his own diagnosis. “Have you been able to talk some? Do you have any questions?” I have thousands of questions – my brain is hurting. Is he in pain? Does he know what is going on? What are the best chances? Are there any other options? “We do have the option of sending him home and waiting on the final blood work and fluid samples.” He is not in physical pain, he may have hunger pains from not eating. Lab results will be back in 24 hours, then the Dr. needs to review the findings… they should know more in a couple days. They will send us home with some special food that they use in the ER, see if that gets him to eat. They will give him something to prevent nausea and get him ready to go home. Momma is still crying.

-6:50pm
The door opens and there stands our boy, wagging his tail. He sees his Momma and runs over for a hug, not understanding why Momma is crying. He has a large fluid pocket on his back, they gave him a liter of fluids to make sure he would not get dehydrated. We listen to a few instructions and gather our things and head out to the main waiting area.

-7:00pm
I settle the tab with the front counter and we head out to the car. $1200 – Money can be replaced. The ride back to the house is quiet. Gauge lays his head in Momma’s lap and sleeps most of the way home – it’s been a long day and everyone he met has been poking at him and holding him in weird positions. I just want to be home – the nausea starts up again. The kids are waiting at home. What do I tell them?

-8:00pm
Finally home. Gauge is happy to be back – he is sniffing around the front yard looking for any signs that he may have missed something while he was away. Baylee greets him in the yard, they run inside ready to wind down for the evening. The kids are happy to see him, but ask about the fluid sac on his back. Momma starts to cry again.

-8:15pm
We talked to the kids about what was happening, what we were told and the reality that Gauge my pass away soon. Everyone cried. We try to feed Gauge some of his “special” food, and after a good 30 minutes, we manage to get him to eat 1/8th of the can as directed. At last he ate something! After a few more minutes of hugs and kisses everyone parted their separate ways. We all needed to be alone, to process this information and what it meant. Guage followed his Momma to our room.

-10:00pm
Momma and Dad are still awake. Laying silently in bed with the TV on. Gauge is laying with his Momma, or more accurately, he is huddled up so close to her is basically in her pajamas with her. We all drift off to sleep.

January 18th, 2017
-8:00am
Everyone is up and off to school and work. Dad works from home, so he sits in the living room with his laptop while Gauge sleeps on a blanket on the floor. We try to eat throughout the day, he is just not interested. White bread, plain white rice, chicken broth… simply refusing everything he is offered. On the positive side, he never threw up his dinner!

-3:30pm
Daughter makes it home from school. “Has he eaten anything?” No – and we have tried everything. Daughter makes a small plate of “special” food and is just short of shoving spoonfuls of it down his throat. After a 10 minute battle, Gauge gives in and eats his 1/8th of a can portion. Progress!

-4:20pm
Son makes it home from school. Gauge is up waiting at the door. He is used to going out and playing catch after school, but only wants to stand on the porch today. His tail is wagging, he just doesn’t have the energy to play.

-5:15pm
Momma is home now. Gauge is almost acting normal again! He is following Momma around the house as she changes and puts her things away. He wants Momma’s loving – that soft belly rub and good scratch on the back with those fingernails digging into his fur. Gauge takes residence next to Momma on the couch as Dad cooks dinner. Daughter is still primed to make Gauge eat. This time it takes a solid 45 minutes before Gauge breaks down and eats his “special” food.

-8:00pm
Time to wind down for bed. Son wants Gauge to sleep with him – so they head off to lay down. Momma and I head to lay down, we are mentally exhausted. Dad leaves the bedroom door cracked just in case.

-9:30pm
Dad is up getting a drink. Gauge sneaks silently down the hallway and pushes himself past the door into the room. He dives into bed next to Momma, stretches out and promptly falls asleep.

January 19th, 2017
-1:00am
Dad is up again. He forgot to take his allergy meds and with the rain moving in again, he is plagued by sneezes and drainage. Gauge is up too. He is wagging his tail, eyes bright with excitement. “Are you hungry buddy? Will you eat for daddy?” We head to the kitchen, and while “special” food is being put on plate, Gauge stands at attention, tail going full speed. He eats his food, slowly, almost as if savoring the taste with each bite. It looks and smells like vomit to be honest, but he wanted to eat!

-9:15am
It took a little coaxing but we were able to eat some more “special” food. Dad may have dished out a bit more than the 1/8th of a can allotment, but that should be ok.

-11:15am
Phone call with the Dr… “How is Gauge doing? Tell me about his activities since he left the center.” Gave the Dr. the rundown on food and water intake. Not as much as we want him to be consuming, but he is getting something. “Well, let’s just say that you must have ESP. I was sitting here reviewing his results when you were transferred to my office.” Good news, Lymphoma is ruled out, there is no cancer; but… (getting nauseated again) he has a fungal disease called Pythium. It is not cancer, that is good news right? “Yes and no”. Here is some information on it. Here are some approximate costs for surgery and fungal medications. Call me back later after you digest the information or if you have any questions. We will work on a game plan.

-11:40am
Dad is tired already. From one extreme to the other in a matter of days and even hours. I’m going to pack Gauge up and head to the store, we need to find some more “special” food.

-1:33pm
Turns out that Dad needs a prescription for this “special” food – and we did not get that. We have enough to last the night. Tomorrow we are heading for a second opinion on surgical options with a local vet who is recommended for patients with oddball diagnoses – and is experienced with Pythium.

-2:45pm
Medical report is received from the hospital. Dad is a smart guy, but most of this over his head at this point. We sit on the porch, enjoying the fresh air.

January 19th, 2017
After an easy evening and uneventful night, we head out to the vet. Gauge ate some boiled chicken and rice this morning, he is acting more like his normal self today. Vet reviews the report from the hospital and gives Gauge a once over for good measure. He refuses a treat from the Vet Tech, but willingly accepts the hugs and belly rubs that are abundant here today. “Well, we already have a diagnosis, and I agree with the lab results – no pun intended. Our next step is difficult, but it is our only option right now… We will schedule surgery for Monday morning.” The vet gives us some medicine to help with nausea, it should help him to eat.

January 22nd, 2017
It has been an amazing few days for Gauge. The meds are helping with appetite and we have been on so many adventures this weekend. Today is Gauge’s 13 month birthday and this weekend could not have been better. We have been so busy that Daddy has forgotten to write down his updates. That is ok, we have high hopes for tomorrow. Gauge has always been a lover, a big baby that wants nothing more than to love and be loved. Don’t worry big guy, we all love you.

January 23rd, 2017
Daddy and Gauge head to the Vet’s office. He sure loves his car rides. It is only a 20 minute drive, Daddy feels like he has been on the road for hours now – it is definitely one of the longest rides of his life. As we sit in the waiting room, Gauge lays by me side, head resting on my lap and his paw gently placed over my arm. I am an emotional wreck. I am trying to stay positive, but after late nights researching this disease, I am not sure what to think any more. I am tired. Gauge is tired. As we head back to the kennel for pre-op care, he licks my face one last time and I walk away crying.

At 10:48 am, the day after his 13 month birthday, I received the most heart-wrenching call of my life. The disease has progressed towards his heart and lungs, and even if he made it through surgery – he would never make it through the week. The decision was made to end his suffering – my world was crashing down around me.

At 10:53 am, Gauge crossed the rainbow bridge. He was brought home and buried surrounded by his family. Though he is gone, he will be in our hearts and minds forever. Although my heart aches to this day, I am at peace knowing that he will no longer suffer at the hands of this disease.