Today I took our little blind-and-deaf Cocker Spaniel, Ellie May, to see our internal medicine specialist in Missoula, Dr. Dave Bostwick. For the past couple of weeks, Ellie May has had blood in her stools. At first we thought it was colitis or some kind of other intestinal bug, but she didn't respond to antibiotics. So last Friday, Dave ultrasounded Ellie May's GI tract and other organs but didn't find anything suspicious. The next step was a colonoscopy, which is what we did today.
In the photo above, Dave is looking through the endoscope into her colon, while his vet tech Tracy holds Ellie May and keeps an eye on her vital signs during anesthesia.
Dave said her large intestine looked visually normal -- there were no masses or growths. However ... a big however ... some cancers (like lymphoma) can still be present, so Dave took biopsies of Ellie May's intestine. We should have those results back by Friday. It could turn out she has a form of inflammatory bowel disease, but we want to be able to rule out cancer first.
Here's another shot of Ellie May under anesthesia. She did really well, and came out of it just fine:
Incidentally, I exercised sound judgment and decided not to post photos of the colonoscopy taken at the other end of Ellie May.
Look forward to the update on Elle. Her coat and cut looks so nice. She's in the best care.
Posted by: Shirley & James, Portland, OR | January 09, 2008 at 10:28 PM
My wife Brenda and I are saying a prayer for Ellie May. Thank you for caring for these beautiful creatures. In a world full of silly humans complaining about issues that pale by comparison these wonderful little guys, watching them live in a silent or dark world with joy in their hearts and a zest for the moment is such a wonderful gift. Our prayers to Ellie, their animal brothers and sisters. And thanks to the people who help financially and to you guys.
Posted by: Phil Manson | January 09, 2008 at 08:41 PM
It's a good thing you guys adopted her. Anyone else would not put the money into this lovely animal for these procedures. Kudos you guys!
Posted by: Craig | January 09, 2008 at 05:44 PM
What a precious face!!! Sending you best wishes for good results on her testing.
Posted by: Nina | January 09, 2008 at 02:53 PM
While going to the vet may not be her favorite she must love that she gets your undivided attention on these trip.
Posted by: Lisa James | January 09, 2008 at 10:16 AM
Oh Ellie May...not much fun having that done?!! I agree Steve, don't think anyone would want to see the photos of the other end! :) Hopefully it is only the inflammatory bowel disease. Very treatable. My cat had that, changed his diet and no more problems.
Posted by: Laura | January 09, 2008 at 09:05 AM
We hope Ellie May is resting beneath your feet at this very moment and that her biopsy comes back with good news. Keep us posted!
Posted by: Boundforglory | January 09, 2008 at 07:02 AM
She may have not enjoyed the test but I bet she enjoyed the ride to the vets with "just you". How's Oliver the sad little dog we saw about 2 weeks ago?
Posted by: gayle | January 09, 2008 at 06:49 AM
Your little minion has been through so much already! I really hope it's something minor.
Posted by: KB | January 09, 2008 at 06:07 AM
Once again Steve your 'sound judgement' is appreciated lol. While I'm thinking about it, has there been an update on the cause of Wobbles passing?
Posted by: Andrew | January 08, 2008 at 11:01 PM
Yes, thank you Steve for not taking the pictures from the other end... Here's hoping that it's "just" inflammatory bowel disease.
Michelle, Ben, Strider, and Kiso
Posted by: Michelle Stacer | January 08, 2008 at 10:20 PM