When our equine vet Dr. Angela Langer was out here last week doing dentals on the horses, I had asked her to draw blood on blind Hawk so we could run a CBC and chem panel on him. Alayne and I had noticed Hawk just didn't seem himself; a little stiff, lying down more than usual, but nothing dramatically different -- and hard to know if the changes we were seeing in him were just because of his advanced age (late 20s) or due to something else. We couldn't put our finger on it, but we figured blood work was the place to start.
On Saturday morning, our lead equine vet, Dr. Erin Taylor, called to say she had just received Hawk's lab results. She said that while the rest of his blood work looked fine, his potassium levels were significantly elevated and completely out of whack with the other results. Basically, it was a puzzling finding because it wasn't clear from the blood work why his potassium levels would be so high -- but high potassium levels could ultimately result in muscle rigidity and other major problems. Erin said it could also be the first indication of a kidney problem developing, though his kidney values were perfectly normal.
She wanted us to start him on daily injections of lasix, a diuretic, to help "wash" the potassium out of his blood stream. The injections need to be given intravenously, directly into his jugular vein. Alayne took this photo of me giving Hawk his dose this morning. We're going to keep on lasix for several days, tapering him off, and then re-test his blood work. You can see from the photo just how big he is, but he has a jugular vein to match, making it easy to find!
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Don't forget, you can vote every day for us in The Animal Rescue Site/PetFinder's Shelter Challenge.
Enter
"Rolling Dog Ranch" and our state postal code, MT for Montana,
and it will bring up our listing so you can cast your vote. Invite your family and friends to vote, too!
Wow .. still No. 3! Please keep voting -- thank you!
You take such great care of all your animals,most people would not even notice a slight change in their animals. I guess the difference is because they are your fur family. Keep up the great work, you have definatly earned a special place on the earth!We are still voting!
Posted by: Kathy and Harley | June 20, 2009 at 12:25 PM
Thanks for this. My 26 year old rescued quarter horse sees the vet next week for a checkup, and I was wondering about whether to do a CBC etc. since we did that last fall. But this sure convinced me to do it!
Mary E.
Posted by: Mary Elynne Tappero | June 17, 2009 at 12:21 PM
Considering his size vs your size, it's a good thing Hawk is being amenable to the procedure! Here's hoping he is feeling better soon.
Posted by: Miranda | June 17, 2009 at 09:59 AM
A rancher wearing a pressed dress shirt while caring for his animals. Now I've seen everything!
Get well Hawk.
Posted by: Lynn | June 17, 2009 at 07:39 AM
We hope the Lasix injections help Hawk out and that he gets more mobility. I have a sweet spot for this big guy!!
Posted by: boundforglory | June 17, 2009 at 07:12 AM
I sure hope Hawk will soon feel much better, once his potassium levels are back to normal and that his kidneys will keep on working just fine.
Please give him a HUGE hug for me and keep us posted.
P.S.: Steve, you'd make a great vet!:-)
Posted by: Carla Polastro-Nigro | June 17, 2009 at 12:12 AM
You look like you know what you are doing. I am sure that you do. How fortunate for Hawk who seems like a very patient patient. ;-}
Posted by: Evelyn | June 16, 2009 at 07:31 PM
What a good boy to take an injection with no extra person. Here's hoping the levels are an anomaly and not an indication of something more systemic. Keep us posted!
Posted by: Darcie | June 16, 2009 at 06:50 PM
Awww, poor Hawk! Hope he feels better soon! Yup, he is huge!
Posted by: Colleen & Sweet Kitty Erin | June 16, 2009 at 06:39 PM
I hope you're all right, Hawk.
Posted by: Janet in Cambridge | June 16, 2009 at 04:47 PM