More fun at Liverpool

This seems to be becoming a regular slot in my life now.  Not 6 weeks since we were last there, me and Soli have been back to Liverpool, this time with Remy in tow (well, with everyone, but Remy was off to the vet as well).

Soli was in to have her 'orrible lump removed; good thing too.  Turns out, it had dropped from its normal position as it had outgrown its blood supply; once fallen, it had squished into a ball and was going necrotic.  Still, all gone now; as is the smaller lump it had fallen on top of.  Now we just have to endure a week of lead-walks only - not fun with such a stressy dog as Soli; because she can't run, she can't release as much stress as usual so gets gradually more wound up as the walk progresses.

Remy finally, finally had his referral for his lethargy/lung problems.

So far, we're none the wiser; we are waiting on the result of his lung wash to look for nasties.  He does have significant inflammation, but the cause as yet is not known.  He also has some intriguing nodules, but these appear to be normal tissue, if abnormally shaped: the ordinarily horseshoe-shaped tracheal rings in his windpipe appear to be sticking in at the ends on one or two rings.

Blood tests were all normal though, which is good in a way - although we are no nearer to solving the lethargy, if it traspires that his lungs aren't to blame, his liver enzyme count is normal (when I first took him to my vet it was triple the normal value).  So that's something.

For now, he's on a long, strong course of wormer granules to rule out longworm or other parasites; if that doesn't work we'll try steroids.

Given that it's taken me 4 years to get 8kg off him - and he's still 3/4kgs overweight - I am not thrilled with the prospect of steroids.  But, if they help him then so be it.  Hopefully it won't become an issue.

One last thing to note: get your pets insured!  Remy's issues have so far cost me £69 for his excess; had it not been for insurance, he would have so far cost me over £1400.  His little 7-hour stay at the specialist on Tuesday accounts for over £1000 of that!  Likewise Soli and her many issues would have cost me many thousands by now.  Just the 15-minute operation on wednesday cost £707 - granted, it is high due to being done by a specialist, but given her heart condition that was a necessity.

well, nothing else to report from this trip: we are there again for Soli's next heart check in January.  Hopefully not again before then!