Early in the month Maxx had stopped eating for several days so on the 8th, we took him to the vet and had blood drawn for various tests. Since hypothyroidism is common in Basenji's, we had tests run for that as well as for Valley Fever which is prevalent in the desert Southwest.
The blood tests for the hypothyroidism came back okay, but one of the tests they run for the Valley Fever included a liver enzyme test and Maxx's liver enzymes were really high. We took Maxx back to the vet the next day to have a liver function test done. The following Tuesday, we took Maxx back to have more blood drawn for a blood clotting test in preparation for a liver biopsy (this test must be done because if his blood didn't clot, or clotted very slowly, he could bleed to death when the liver biopsy was done).
The blood clotting test came back fine so on Friday, the 15th, Maxx had an "ultrasound-guided liver biopsy" done. The results of this biopsy showed "nonspecific inflammatory response" and "lymphocyte infiltration" plus a smaller-than-normal liver. What all this means is that they really don't know exactly what is wrong with Maxx's liver. The vet said that the type of damage seen in Maxx's liver is usually seen as a result of a drug overdose. Maxx did take a drug for a urine infection he had a couple of years ago, but the vet didn't think that would have caused this.
It's my belief that Maxx's liver problem could be a result of the monthly heartworm pill he's been taking...especially since his dosage was increased last year because Maxx had gained weight. The vet denies that this could be the case, but Basenji's are a very ancient breed and are genetically different than most other dogs...drugs that don't affect other dogs can play havoc on a Basenji's immune system. Many vets know nothing about Basenji's and I've had to insist on some things with our vet. For example, the tests that most labs run for hypothyroidism consists of only two different tests when the complete panels of tests that should be run consists of six different tests. I insisted that these six tests be run. I've also insisted on getting a prescription for the daily heartworm pill. This was a major hurdle as the vet saw no need for it and, in fact, wasn't even sure it was still being manufactured (it is). His one concern was whether or not I'd remember to give him his pill daily...well, duh!, I remember to feed him every day, don't I?
Maxx was prescribed a couple of different pills and is on a low protein diet. Once he completes this course of treatment, we'll take him back for another blood test to see how his liver enzymes are doing. In the meantime, he's back to eating and acting like his regular self.
We attended several parties this month. Buck and Phyllis Draughn had a Christmas party on the 15th which was a lot of fun. Unfortunately, we couldn't stay as long as we might have otherwise, because the party was on the same day that Maxx had his liver biopsy and we didn't want to leave him alone for very long after this procedure.
On Christmas Eve, we went to a party at John and DeAnne Cooper's house. DeAnne is a high school classmate of Earl's (as is Phyllis) and they've just recently moved to the Phoenix area from Washington State. Everyone brought two gifts...one for a man and one for a woman...and we had a gift exchange which was good for lots of laughs.
Christmas Day, we had a brunch at Joe and Kay Devita's house (Kay is another of Earl's high school classmates). Of course, we ate too much at all these parties, so come the New Year, we're going to have to "try" to loose some weight. Hah!
Buck Draughn, John Cooper,
Phyllis Draughn, Earl Hylton
We had a very nice Christmas...I got a CD burner, a digital camera, and headphones with which to listen to TV. Earl got a golf club, some golf shirts, and an electric razor.
Earl continued golfing every Wednesday at Villa De Paz Men's Club and, on Monday's, he and Buck usually played golf someplace...Falcon, Maryvale, and Estrella Mountain Golf Clubs being favorites.
