May 25th. We lost our lovely little warrior this morning. The end was horrible and I will be writing up details for others who find themselves dealing with mast cell tumours. Michael will mourn his 'little girl' and Paschale's canine family and I will miss her terribly and always.
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She is still with us! I have had dogs and other animals all my life. I have seen births and deaths. I have nursed people and sadly seen quite a few depart this world. I have never seen any living thing so near death and survive. Paschale was in a state of total collapse - she messed herself for the first time in her life, she wheezed horribly, she was scarcely with us. I cleaned her up and carried her to a comfy bed and put a pillow under her flopping head while Michael walked up the road with the others then came in to say goodbye. We sat by her for a while and finally she just went into a deep sleep when we could see all her features had relaxed and she was breathing evenly, if shallowly.
Michael left for a time. when he returned with some lights (offal) he had cooked for her I thought how hopeless that was but miraculously she took piece by piece from him and a drink after. Since then she has slowly regained some of her strength and is now able to walk (or wobble) around the garden and the lane unaided and is eating almost normally. The tumour is still visibly large and ugly but doesn't seem to hurt her. The vet asked again if we wanted to try the newer drug Palladia, specifically helpful for cases of inoperable mast cell tumours, but we felt we could not put her through any more aggressive chemo. We had to consider the bill too (already nearing 1000euro) with other aging canine with problems but the main concern was Paschale's weakness. We want a dignified and pain free end as any owners would. Right now she is comfortable and I will be writing up the progress of her illness on the 'canine cancer' page. This little history contains a catalogue of misfortune, late and/or mis-diagnoses and incorrect treatments alongside some valued excellent veterinary care. Our thoughts now are to continue to build her up and give her medication against any recurrence of the chronic gastric upset she endured twice following chemo. Perhaps then we will slowly re-introduce prednisolone (plenty in the cupboard already) and see if this will give us a short respite in which to better prepare her and us for the end. Update, as and when but we do wish some other owners with similar experiences would contribute their thoughts or knowledge. I will add pages whenever there is enough material. We all want the best for our lovely companions don't we?...... .May 1st: I am sitting here at the computer but with not only an ache in my heart but also an ache in my neck as I constantly glance back to see if my lovely old Saluki is still breathing. She is at the moment but just looks completely out of it. She has a mast cell tumour in her point of shoulder. Because of the size and placement of the tumour combined with age concerns it seems inoperable and so far attempts to shrink it or shove it into remission have had very little effect. Our strong little warrior hound has last met the weakness of old age and seems unable to withstand the barrage of chemotherapy. All kinds of unfortunate delays and mistakes have meant that the diagnosed mast cell tumour was not discovered until grade 2 stage. A younger dog may well have recovered from this for some long time but for Paschale it seems unlikely.
May6th: I had to stop when I was going to detail here the progression/remission/progression of this disease as Paschale suddenly declined and is today at the end of her days. This will now have to wait for an update on the cancer page at a future date. Paschale recovered rapidly from a painful period of gastritis and although she didn't really respond to treatments she remained strong and without any obvious pain - until yesterday. Yesterday she woke shivering and weak. She improved a bit in the day and managed some food but seemed to have lost all co-ordination and was unable to stand steadily. The vet 'phoned and asked if we wanted to euthanise but she stopped shaking and just seemed to want to sleep. I slept near her through the night and woke frequently to see if she had passed away in her sleep - the best way - but she survived to the morning. Today she has a cough and extreme weakness and for the first time we know we cannot allow this to continue - this is now real suffering. She had her 14th birthday on Good Friday - when she still was enjoying her walks and food as normal and now her long, successful and mostly happy life is over. Michael and I are truly heartbroken of course but there are few regrets - a full and good life is over and she leaves us her son, daughter and grandsons and a million wonderful memories. A late call from Michael alarmed me from my early -to-bed, early-to-rise friend,
'What's the matter?' 'I think Paschale is dying' Shock - horror - she was all right yesterday. 'That lump or cyst or whatever you were worried about on her shoulder...' 'Yes?' 'It flared up and now her leg and neck are so swollen she can't walk or breath properly. It looks so bad, and she's nearly 14, and... and...' Well of course Pashcale has always been Michael's little girl from the day he brought her home. She has never much liked me although I have spent nearly 14 years devoted to her and caring for her every need. I didn't want another Saluki at the time she was born but was told I must take one from a litter sired by my dog, stud fees unheard of apparently. She wasn't even my first choice although I soon realized she was the right one - but she obviously never quite forgave me. Always a tough little hound, neither giving nor craving much affection, she has only ever shown any real fondness for her son Roman and for Michael. He was always besotted with her as I have always been with Roman and so his uncharacteristic panic made me reverse the usual roles and calm my friend, 'I remember the lump looked a bit swollen up and it sounds like an infection that got out of hand - she needs antibiotics and she won't die if she gets treatment. Better ring Dr John and see if we can take her down now' Well, Dr J diagnosed an abscess straight away but she of course went through all kinds of tests and probably a drip as well - so many vet visits I really can't remember who had what - and back-up appointments over several days trying to avoid an operation which the vet was loath to perform given her age and our finances. I didn't want her to return to 'the bunker' which is much colder than my home being further up the mountains but it was the best place away from the 'boys'. Michael applied hot/cold poultices and pads of medical alcohol to draw out the pus and after a couple of days the abscess burst . He continued with the same care and a cocktail of antibiotics and painkillers and of course she rapidly recovered (old or not I 'm a champion Saluki of ancient and noble lineage) and yet another crisis passed and another bill was run up to add to the ever increasing diesel/petrol and electricity costs. The males continued with their rivalry and generally appalling behaviour throughout winter days of storms, mud, wet bedding, soaked towels, grimy floors and walls spattered by hounds shaking off the excesses of dashes through torrents saturating their coats. I considered sending photos to Kelly Hoppen of my amazing main room design with extraordinary sepia wall paintings, multi-coloured drapes and furnishings and pretty mobiles, all subtly lit by candlelight. The reality by day showed where mud plastered long Saluki tails has brushed and swept all over the walls, bedding hanging on every available stand in a vain attempt to dry before dark and the candlelight was an unromantic necessity in the frequent power cuts. The mobiles were my fractured garden wind-chimes brought in to save them from ceasing to chime ever again - but of course we live in luxury on a sunny Med island where we don't need a heating allowance - even the Cyprus government agrees with the UK, the many millions borrowed from the EU and taken from UK retirement/lifetime savings bank accounts could surely be put to better use. I sleep in my coat under a fleece blanket on my sofa surrounded by my dogs who have everything else I can find to warm their thin desert bodies. Today, all the Salukis are back and basically well but Golly is afraid of everything including rain, wind and the veranda - we wait for the 'glorious summer'... What a lot happened - Salukiwise - in this ghastly winter. Restless nutcase Golly showed the worst of his always nightmare crazy character (real name Shmaal, but only answers to this silly soubriquet and not at all from his black colour but reference an old friend of Salukis, Gilbert, but known as 'Uncle Golly') - how could 2 hounds born 30 minutes apart be so different, Sharav so feisty but loving and responsive, my gorgeous red 'boy', and an equally physically attractive male sibling, so nervous and weird? So, even after the 'girls' had gone up to 'the bunker' as M's home is known, Golly worked himself up into a sexual lather and late one night I found him wandering about the garden trying and failing to pass urine. This condition happened once before with a urinary tract infection diagnosed and treated but suspect prostate problems leaving a query for future concern. In spite of the late hour, limited diesel and Michael's sleep, once again he had to come down and take a dog to the vet's surgery. Thankfully Dr John was nearby finishing an evening with relatives and attended to Golly straight away but of course both that night and the following morning all kinds of tests and treatment were required. I had noticed that in Golly's developing paranoia he had stopped drinking water in his room when his brother was present so I had stood by him and made sure he drank in an empty room but after a while I found him lapping at dirty water from a broken pipe outside and hadn't seen him take fresh water for a while. Now he had become severely dehydrated and had to be put on a drip with fluids and a cocktail of anitbiotics and nutrients. Another UTI of course but that worry about prostate problems again and days passed of drugs and vet visits and tests until finally Golly improved but the vet felt the dog should be castrated. We had considered this so often but people always think there is no risk with this course of action. One of the main reasons we had rejected this in the past had been the feeling that he would become even more nervous of his stronger brother and lay himself open to attacks that he had countered as he very slowly matured, leaving Sharav wary of picking on him as in puppyhood. Having had to separate the other 2 males already from the brothers I had nowhere really left to house and cope with them - they had to get on and live together and despite frequent growling etc. they had largely managed to do so (as with previous difficulties like this in their ancestors, we found that outside the property they enjoyed walks together without problems). At this time, finances had to be considered too but Dr John kindly agreed to do the op gratis and after many delays we accepted that option. Golly appeared not to notice and was appalling on his return, annoying the'girls' no end who had only been back with me for 4 days. The following day I noticed Carmel had started a 'season' (why now?) so up she went again with mum Paschale back to Michael's. As the days passed Golly began to show further signs of irrational fear - suddenly afraid of the rain or wet surfaces, even fearing Sharav when the latter was tucked up sound asleep and uninterested in anything, still not drinking except from a syringe etc. etc. I started giving him sloppy food, watery gravy and putting a bowl of milky water outside covering the old pipe he would drink from and gradually he regained his confidence to manage fluid himself. Since then he has made me ill with all kinds of mad behavior alternating with better and pleasant days but overall he remains a huge problem. as M is away less now we hope that improvements to his garden to secure it he may then take him up there from time to time but my fear is that Sharav will never allow him back again and then what do we do when M cannot have him. He is absolutely hopeless with anyone else so I have accepted he is a problem for life but of course, for all his trouble and my exhausted rage at him by night, he is a Saluki and by day that ineffable charm they have means that I still love him. Continuing the winter woes tomorrow with another late evening rush to the vet with Paschale who Michael thought was dying - well she came close.....
This line is from a favourite poem, 'The Darkling Thrush' by Thomas Hardy and reminds me of bright frosty days walking with my brother Graham in Dorset - Hardy's Wessex - and puts me in a melancholy mood. My brother has been gone from this troubled world years ago now and so many of my lovely canine companions departed too. You might think that living in a sunshine island in the Med would be cheering but a freezing wind and sleet is accompanying the sun today. The wealthy politicians in the UK decided a year or so ago that ex-pats should be denied the cold weather allowance even when they have paid in contributions for an entire working life of 40+ years and temperatures in this part of the world drop to below freezing and annually kill off my lush Morning Glory foliage (saving me the trouble of cutting back these invasive plants but highlighting how desolate the landscape can be in winter). We have been battered and deluged by familiar storms up here on the edge of the Troodos mountains and of course the Salukis have saved up some of their worse ailments for these wintery days.
The autumn began with a lessening of Roman's breathing difficulties with cooler weather but very soon he joined the other 'boys' in going crazy over 'mum'/'grandma' Paschale, at the grand age of 13, appeared to be having a 'blind' season - anyone familiar with this infuriating female condition, please contribute - but still managed to cause the 2 brothers to live semi-permanently in fight-mode and poor Roman to get breathless again with excitement. Even Ahlu became quite feisty and he was neutered 8 years ago! I worried that Paschale may really have been having hormonal problems but she seemed in every way strong and lively. I sent the 'girls' up to Michael in his little house further up the mountains - the boys failed to calm down and it reminded me that, from all the years of observation, I am convinced that males continue to follow through the entire period of heat even when the females have been removed - its as if they have the pattern fixed in their beings just as much as the object of desire - comments please. Paschale's daughter (litter -sis of Roman) appeared to have given up seasons ('I've had my perfect children and I have to watch my figure at my age') which at only 10 years old - not an advanced age for a Saluki - she might have ovarian cysts or some other problem but again, she seemed absolutely healthy and happy and other veterinary problems took precedence - Roman continued to give concern but, as the damp/cold weather crept in, the crazy one came into unwanted focus yet again.... This has been a sad summer for my Salukis (but good alliteration!). Although they belong to this part of the world and were born and brought up in hot countries, the intense heat of this Cyprus summer has been uncomfortable for these aging loved ones. Paschale, the eldest (13) has developed a cough with that restless scrabbling about in the evening trying to get comfortable that suggests heart problems and time for medications and a change of lifestyle but Roman has had all the attention (and funds). That evening (previous post) we rushed him back to the vet he was in a state that was like overheating - panting, shaking and rapid/erratic heart rate - not unlike dogs we have on occasion rescued from some senseless owner's car left in the sun. Yet his temperature was almost normal and, after further tests, we left and are still none the wiser as to what the real cause of his distress may be.
More visits, blood work, urine and faecal samples, ultra-sound etc. have served only to eliminate various possibilities, no diabetes, no obvious signs of cancer, not Cushings, not liver disease (although there was some indication of minor shrinkage), not this, not that. In the end it took some time to stabilise him and began with 2 additional drugs we already had in the house - a beta blocker for his heart arrhythmia and Valium to calm him and allow him to rest and sleep (ditto me). These worked like magic for a few nights but now have more limited effect. The cooler weather is a help but Roman is not the same creature he was a few months ago. The only thing that has remained constant is my love for him - and all my aged and ailing beloveds. I am looking to have some new young Saluki lives with me but perhaps, given my age now, these present ones will be my last. Note: check out the 'Healthy Solutions 'page in the coming weeks for more details on heart and lung problems, causes and treatments. The weekend after my previous post and I was on the 'phone to Michael to get Roman to the vet a.s.a.p. Negative response from M - hysterics from me (which familiar over-reaction probably contributed to Michael's hesitation). There were several reasons, cash flow being a constant one - pension/incoming rent week has become the focus of each month and 5 other aging hounds to consider. Transport is another biggy- neither of us lives in town or that close to a vet. The 'car' (a big 4x4 animal carrier) is waiting for repairs and the hire car is just a small saloon at special rate with express request NOT to put dogs in it. A couple of years back we had what was known as the Cyprus Haircut when the island borrowed huge amounts of EU cash and hived off large sums of money from private bank accounts here, leaving many UK customers with a loss of savings - it the last straw for many ex-pats, during already difficult times, and they went home. Some of those remaining moved to cheaper properties away from the towns and, in short, we had few friends locally to call on for help and actually none available that weekend. Roman surprised us by deteriorating rapidly. The temperatures had soared way above even what my desert dogs were used to and Roman's breathing had become so rapid I thought he might collapse and die but he was unable to lie down or rest without discomfort and exhausted himself pacing about in the heat. I tried to keep him cool, prayed hard and waited out the weekend in anguish; we would have transport by Monday. I vowed we would call the vet in or manage transport somehow if Roman grew worse. Our vet has the care of the local donkey sanctuary and is always in demand for every conceivable animal problem at his regular surgery so it was Tuesday evening by the time he saw Roman. By then Roman was a Technicolor display with gaping mouth showing scarlet red gums and a purple tinged tongue. Cyanosis! The vet asked many questions and was somewhat mystified that Roman didn't fit into any normal pattern of heart, lung or cancer symptons - he was eating well, voraciously actually, wasn't lethargic and didn't have the usual tell-tale cough. He listened to his heart and lungs for some while and then took blood. His surgery is very well-equipped and we waited for the full results of the blood work. They were inconclusive and further tests would be needed the next day. Even so he suspected a heart condition and gave Roman an ACE inhibitor - Fortekor - and a diuretic to help clear the build up of fluid on the lungs and told us to bring him back next morning early . We had used Fortekor before but only with old and ailing hounds not a 10 year old (not old for a Saluki) who had seemed in perfect health until recently but we trusted this drug and were a little comforted. I slept for an hour or two but Roman didn't. The next morning Roman was anaesthetized and a full set of x-rays taken as well as ultra-sound to check other organs aside heart and lungs and the vet ran the blood and other tests again. The news didn't seem too bad - he did find that the dog had an enlarged heart but only slightly and he found no signs of any cancers(although he could not entirely rule out tumours) as well as eliminating other causes of trouble like diabetis or thyroid. He was concerned about the lung x-rays but considered that the abnormalities shown were a result of the excess fluid caused by the heart not functioning fully. He explained to me (Michael as an ex-paramedic already knew) that the lack of oxygen in the blood was causing the cyanosis (which I actually did understand but pretended I didn't as I wanted to be very clear in my mind) and we needed to strengthen the heart and clear the lungs. We went home saddened but relieved that much could be done to give Roman a lengthy and near normal life. As 2 tests had been taken that indicated the very slight possibility of tick disease we had 4 packets of big yellow pills for that as well as vitamin/mineral pills obviously made for giants, the colour suggestive of illness rather than health. To these I had a bag of goodies from which to count out daily Fortekor, diuretics, various minor potions and cure-all-else prednisolone. I waited hopefully for a positive response to this collective panacea. 6 days on: Roman - love of the loved, my darling heart, how could I lose him now, not ready , not nearly ready. Yet it looks like the end - another rush to the vet - more next time......  Cyprus swelters under its' usual scorching summer sun and the Salukis repair to all the cool parts of the house and garden by day and roam about most of the night working off their laziness on any passing fox or wildcat - the madness of the crazy one is masked by the general night ravings of the others - his problems shelved for now. I still cannot sleep, partly because of the heat, but also because of my terror of poisonous snakes attacking the dogs in the dark. There is only one type of seriously dangerous snake here - the blunt nosed viper - but we have seen plenty and had 2 near misses actually in the grounds. I used to leave big water bowls out in the garden - no more - and although I admire friends with delightful garden water features, up here on the slopes of the Troodos surrounded by fields and farms I prefer to live in my dust bowl with the distant Mediterranean the only water I want to see. The real worry of my life now is my beloved Roman who has been losing weight rapidly and seems starving all the time even after large and nutritious meals. In this part of the world the usual cause for this condition is tapeworm. Ticks are common although quite controllable but fleas, that carry the tapeworm, are almost impossible to eliminate entirely successfully. However, the dogs are regularly wormed and so this is unlikely to be the problem with Roman. Another worrying sign is constant panting, even when the room temperatures have been regulated to a level tolerated by the other hounds, including the fat and furry neutered one. Of course the next step has to be the vets but with massive bills and commitments this month I have delayed but I know that the real reason for this tarrying is the dread of unbearable news. Of course if a friend came to me for advice in similar circumstances I would virtually shove her and the hound in the car and go straight to the vets for tests - but oh how difficult it is when faced with fear for one's own - to hesitate could limit the effectiveness of any treatment but I need to rapidly get into a frame of mind to deal with whatever the diagnosis might be - surely by my next post.   I had my first Saluki in 1981 after meeting Eileen Skelton-Fortune and her Daxlores in Cranleigh, a few miles from my family home in Abinger Hammer, Surrey, UK. Many more have followed who have given me the most immense pleasure and caused a great number of serious problems too! I have known Michael even longer than the Saluki years and have shared our faith, various hounds and our fortunes, good and bad and very bad. Michael was with me for part of the 7 years I lived in the Holy Land, just outside Jerusalem, and all our remaining Salukis come from that country although bred with our UK hounds and Finnish/Israeli and Desert Bred lines. We are now a retired aging pair living on the lower slopes of the Troodos Mountains on the island of Cyprus where we both have small traditional houses outside of town because, of course, we have 6 also aging Salukis who somehow survived the nightmares of recent years. The bad years have taken their toll on some from this most sensitive of breeds and one now has become increasingly ‘difficult’ (polite word for infuriatingly mad). Although all are family the males fight and have to be separated, some occasionally, some always and right now the crazy one will only stay or sleep in the same room as his brother if the door remains open. Fine until the other males want to go out or when the regular night-time troop of foxes and wildcats arrive. I need to shut the doors at night! Read on how I cope from day to day with the beloved ones and all the ailments associated with age (theirs and mine!) .  |
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