Almost exactly a month ago, I wrote a post about how well blind Helen was doing with her chemotherapy. A week ago, I emailed Helen's primary care vet, Dr. Jennifer Rockwell, to tell her that Helen was tolerating her new chemo drug, Lomustine, wonderfully and had shown none of the long list of potential side-effects that can accompany the use of this drug. In fact, I told Jennifer that Helen had seemed like the "bionic" dog when it came to withstanding both of her rounds of chemotherapy.
Until last night.
Suddenly, she threw up her dinner. A few minutes later, she threw up blood-flecked pink water that pooled on the floor. Seeing that, I picked up the phone and called our clinic's emergency number. Dr. Britt Culver, our internal medicine specialist in Helena, called right back. He said that the Lomustine had probably caused some gastric upset and bleeding, and that we should stop the chemo, give her Pepcid to soothe her stomach, and to call if she continued vomiting. We were scheduled to take Helen in on Tuesday any way to check her blood work and X-ray her lungs again, so I told Britt we'd stick to that schedule unless she didn't improve.
When we got up this morning, Helen was sleeping in Alayne's office and there was no sign she'd had any problems overnight. Whew.
Ten minutes later, Alayne was walking back down the hall, glanced into the office, and said in a horrified voice, "Oh, no!" There was a huge pool of pure blood on Helen's bed, and blood splattered across the floor. She had just vomited nothing but blood, and it was everywhere. (I made this photo really, really small so as to minimize the ick factor, but if you want to gross yourself out, feel free to click on the image and you'll get a much "better" view.) Helen was over in the corner of the office, laying on top of more blood she had vomited. It was 7:45 a.m. I took a photo and emailed it to Britt so he could see what we were seeing, and then I called the emergency number again.
The timing couldn't have been worse. A winter snowstorm had been howling all Saturday night, and in the dawn light we could see that snow drifts were everywhere. I wasn't even sure if we could get out our county road to the highway, and there were no county snowplow trucks working yet. I'd have to plow my way down our 1/4 mile-long (.40 km) drive in the tractor and then see if the road to the highway was passable. Of course, because the storm was forecast to last until Monday evening, I wasn't planning to begin plowing until Monday and thus hadn't plugged in the engine block heater on the tractor with the plow. Would the tractor start in the 3 below zero (-19 C) cold?
And Helen was sinking fast. I told Britt she was getting what vets call "shocky," i.e. beginning to go into shock from blood loss and dehydration. I didn't know yet how long it would take me to dig out, but once I got to Highway 200, I still faced a long, slow drive in snowpacked, windswept conditions for the 70 miles to Helena -- normally an hour and 15 minutes but this morning, likely to take at least two hours.
While I got the tractor fired up -- my oh my, we love these hardy Kubotas -- and began plowing, Alayne let the dogs out of the cottages and started doing the morning chores. Finally, about 9:30 a.m., we loaded Helen in the truck and I set off for Helena. The county roads had indeed not been plowed, and only a 4WD truck as high as our Chevy Silverados would have been able to clear the snow. On Highway 200 I had to drive 40 to 50 miles per hour because of the snow and ice. It seemed like it took forever.
Britt and his vet tech Maddie met me at the clinic when I got there about 11:30 a.m. We had to carry Helen in; she was too weak to walk. Britt immediately put her on IVs and then pulled blood to run a chem panel. Britt's working assumption was that she had gastrointestinal hemorrhaging from the chemo, but her blood chemistry panel would indicate whether the bleeding was from another cause -- like kidneys shutting down.
I asked Britt why the chemo could cause GI hemorrhaging. He explained that chemotherapy drugs target rapidly dividing cells in the body -- i.e., cancers -- but there are three "normal" parts of the body that also have rapidly dividing cells: bone marrow, the GI tract, and hair. (That's why people undergoing chemo often lose their hair. Dogs typically don't lose hair during chemotherapy because their hair isn't constantly growing, as human hair does.)
Within 30 minutes of the first IV, Helen started to perk up. Then the VetScan blood analyzer printed the chem panel results, and all her values looked good. That meant she wasn't losing blood internally from other causes. Fabulous.
Finally we took chest and abdominal X-rays to make sure there wasn't blood elsewhere inside her where it shouldn't be. I was so relieved when Britt showed me how clear the images were -- no fluid present. Helen was feeling good enough by this point to enjoy having her tummy scratched by Britt in between X-rays, as you see in this photo. (Click on the image for a larger version.)
But the best news? The cancerous nodules in her lungs had disappeared. Britt pulled up the last set of X-rays from October and compared them side-by-side with today's views, and it was amazing -- we couldn't see them. That meant her chemotherapy had continued to shrink the tumors.
By the time I left, Helen was definitely on the mend. I could tell she was already feeling much better. Britt put her on various medications for her GI issue -- among them, antibiotics to prevent infection from GI bacteria getting into her bloodstream -- and she'll continue on IVs for a while.
Britt and Jennifer will consult with the oncologist at WSU, Dr. Janean Fidel, to determine the best course for Helen going forward. But after a day that started off terribly, it ended with our hopes up that we'll have this big, blind love of a dog for quite a while yet.
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In The Final Week -- Still No. 1 -- But That Iowa Group Is Moving Up Fast!
Please keep voting for the ranch every day in The Animal Rescue Site/PetFinder's Shelter Challenge. Thanks to your votes, we came in third nationwide and won $3,000 for the animals in the previous contest earlier this year. Now we have a shot at No. 1 and the $20,000 grand prize in the current contest! 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. Please ask your family and friends to vote, too.
You can see how fast the rankings can change, so we really need an extra push in the last week of the contest to hold that No. 1 spot. It ends on December 20th, so we're in the home stretch -- and $20,000 for the animals is in sight! Thank you!
This is great news,helen must like where she is and isn't ready to leave yet. The battles they go through make them so brave, and with you and Alayne looking after them they can't go wrong.On a happy note we hope the Holiday Season is a bright one for everyone at the RDR and any one connected in there own way.
Posted by: Kathy and Harley | December 21, 2009 at 08:05 PM
This was a blend of bad and good news but we're all so grateful to you and Alayne for getting Helen to the vet's where she could be treated and healed. We're thrilled that her lungs look clear!!! What a great gift!
Posted by: boundforglory | December 15, 2009 at 10:15 AM
You and Alayne are Champions!
Prayers for sweet Helen. Sending loving thoughts and prayers from Indiana!
Doe
Posted by: Doe George | December 14, 2009 at 10:07 PM
So glad that precious Helen is on the mend. Sending her hugs and prayers for a complete recovery.
Posted by: Nina | December 14, 2009 at 08:57 PM
Hope you feel better soon Helen. Your Dad sure loves you to run the truck so fast to Helena!!! God bless you and Dad. love cheryl
Posted by: Kevin Pohl | December 14, 2009 at 08:35 PM
Just got my newsletter the other day and relived the sadness of losing sweet Teddy (God bless his little soul)and couldn't bear the loss of another beautiful creature just yet. We get so involved with these sweet spirits we have never met through your writing Steve. Happy endings are the best ending for sure!!!
Posted by: Marla | December 14, 2009 at 06:04 PM
We need to start a drive to get you guys a helicopter!
Hang in there Helen!
Posted by: Amy A | December 14, 2009 at 03:19 PM
I was relieved to find the good news at the end of this, as the way it started was just so scary! I can only imagine the fear factors that you & Alayne were experiencing with all the blood that Helen lost! Then with the weather conditions working against you, whew! You two are truely working miracles. Thank you both so much for doing all you did to get Helen to Dr. Culver & share the great news about Helen. It's wonderful that her Tumors have shrunk.
Warm hugs to all,
ginger, Tobias & Tlingit
Posted by: ginger | December 14, 2009 at 02:11 PM
Dear, sweet Helen! We sympathize and send you healing thoughts and prayers. We're going through chemo in our house, too, and our Jack's had some rough spells. For him the massive blood loss was from his nose, not his tummy, but it's frightening either way.
So great to hear that everything else looks good. It's amazing to me how quickly dogs are able to rebound from things that would keep me in bed for at least a week!
Posted by: Linda | December 14, 2009 at 01:45 PM
Poor sweet girl!! Glad to hear the tumors are disappearing though!
Hope she's feeling better and home where she belongs soon.
Posted by: Kenna | December 14, 2009 at 01:32 PM
Wow, you not only need big hearts and a lot of dedication to do what you do, you need nerves of steel. These emergencies must take a lot out of you! I'm sorry you had to go through that scare, but very glad that Helen is feeling better and that the cancer seems to be kicked.
Posted by: Tonya | December 14, 2009 at 01:19 PM
Harrowing! I'm so glad she is OK, and that you guys are too. You must be an excellent driver, Steve. And here's to Alayne, doing all the chores in the freezing snow storm by herself.
Posted by: Kelly | December 14, 2009 at 01:04 PM
I think I would have had a heart attack had my dog thrown up all that blood. How spoiled I am having my vet just 10 minutes away, and Urgent Care 20 minutes away. I'm so relieved the end result was good news and not bad. Hope Helen will be home soon!
Posted by: Aliza | December 14, 2009 at 12:20 PM
I got half way thru this blog and my heart started beating so fast I had to scroll down immediately to read the end. Thankfully it was a happy ending.
Hurry home Helen, your family is waiting for you!!!
Posted by: Lynn (in Louisiana) | December 14, 2009 at 12:15 PM
Give Helen a hug and a kiss for me. I'm also sending a big high five to the two of you. Love your dedication!
Posted by: Lynda | December 14, 2009 at 12:05 PM
Steve, I anxiously read about Helen and am relieved...but this post is about you and Alayne. As a rural Montana transplant myself, I think I appreciate more than most just how resourceful and self-sufficient you two have to be; your recent automatic waterer story comes to mind. Montana is continuing in the negative teens Fahrenheit this morning -- hang in there and stay well.
Posted by: Linda Metzger | December 14, 2009 at 11:59 AM
As much as you love Helen, we love you guys for going those extra snowy miles for her. Thank you.
Posted by: Miranda | December 14, 2009 at 11:54 AM
Bless your hearts and thank goodness that Helen is doing well. When I saw the title of your blog post my heart just sank. Having lost my beloved Rottie just a few years ago to cancer I have really been hoping Helen would be OK.
Thanks so much to you and Alayne for all you do. Every day I get inspiration from reading your blog posts! Kisses and best wishes to Helen for a speedy recovery!
Posted by: Paul, Becca, Sweet Pea and Rocky | December 14, 2009 at 11:53 AM
What a horrible experience but once again you and Alayne did WHATEVER it took to take care of the wellness of Helen. That was intense and I'm glad you are both safe!!!! You NEVER, NEVER cease to amaze me. It is a complete honor to support RDR!
Posted by: Shirley * James/Portland, OR | December 14, 2009 at 11:38 AM
You guys are saints, and brave. And I'm sure relieved at Helen's results, so glad to hear. Hope your day today is very calm!
Posted by: Dawn | December 14, 2009 at 11:21 AM
Helen is such a sweet gentle girl! Hope she gets feeling better soon. Glad she has you guys to care for her and get her the medical help she needs! (no matter what kind of weather you have to go through to get her there!)
Posted by: Kate and Luke | December 14, 2009 at 11:15 AM
I am with Bryan. Bit of a hard case myself. Found this site and I am hooked on the happenings of the Rolling Dog. Helen is in my prayers as is all the four,three and wobbly legged critters of the Rolling Dog. Oh and the two legged folks also. Together they all bless my life everyday. thank you
Posted by: Eric | December 14, 2009 at 10:41 AM
Beautiful Helen....we are sending you love from Iowa for a total recovery.
Now just rest up and don't worry about anything!!
Posted by: Chloe | December 14, 2009 at 10:32 AM
I'm glad her kidneys are okay. As I found out in March when I lost my little girl schnauzer, once the kidneys fail there isn't much veterinary medicine can do for them.
That was the case this morning. I just got home from having my boy schnauzer put down. His kidneys were failing also.
Steve and Alayne, I don't know how you do it. I've lost two this year and my heart hurts so. I can't imagine all the emotion you two wrestle with each year. You are titans.
Posted by: Lynne Parker | December 14, 2009 at 10:27 AM
I am so grateful that you were able to get out of the snow and to the vet...with tears of joy...I am praying for Helen...You both certainly know how to handle stress and emergencies!
Posted by: Brenda | December 14, 2009 at 09:33 AM
Helen has always been one of my favorites...poor girl has been through the wringer. Please give her a huge hug from her #1 fan...and keep up the good work.
Posted by: Debbie | December 14, 2009 at 07:49 AM
Poor Helen, she must have felt terrible!:-((( And how scary it must have been to see all that blood on the floor...
I'm so pleased, though, to hear that she's already feeling much better and that her tumors have disappeared!
Let's hope she won't needing any more chemo, from now on.
A huge hug to you all from Italy.
Posted by: Carla Polastro-Nigro | December 14, 2009 at 02:52 AM
It kinda sounds like "the good, the bad & the ugly" just in a different order? Nice to see some great news come out of a ugly situation! Sending healing thoughts from British Columbia to you Helen......
Posted by: Joanne Cottle | December 14, 2009 at 12:44 AM
Hell, I used to be a tough guy before I started reading this blog. Now, I just type and cry ;-) Great work...so great
Posted by: bryantp | December 14, 2009 at 12:31 AM
Poor Helen, as if you haven't been through enough! But I'm so glad your tumors are gone, and that you're on the mend again. Hugs to you, to Steve and Alayne and all the vet folks!
Posted by: Moon Rani | December 13, 2009 at 11:33 PM
A very scary story indeed. Thank goodness the snow wasn't any worse. I'm so glad that Helen is on the mend and that her cancer treatment has been working. Someone is certainly watching over her.
Posted by: Barb Ribinski | December 13, 2009 at 11:28 PM
What a frightening experience. With that much blood, I would not have predicted a happy ending. I'm so glad it all turned out well and that Helen's tumor has disappeared. But what timing...
Posted by: Janet in Cambridge | December 13, 2009 at 09:45 PM
Sweet Helen! We are all thinking wonderful thoughts for you, honey! Your mom and dad are taking wonderful care of you!!!
Posted by: Penny Heinrich | December 13, 2009 at 09:42 PM
Hallelujah! Great to hear the good news! We will be praying for complete recovery for Helen.
Posted by: Leila - Washington | December 13, 2009 at 09:28 PM