When I was pregnant with Megan (7 months pregnant), Dixie got very sick. Since I was home on bed rest, I watched as her health deteriorated fast. Jarrad and I couldn't figure out what was wrong with her. She wasn't eating, she was very lethargic and was just "off". So, after about a day of this, I couldn't sit around and do nothing. We decided it was time to take her into the vet.
Test after test after test, Dixie was diagnosed with renal failure. They treated her for this diagnosis and sent her home with us four days later. We brought her home on a Friday and she was perfect. She wanted to eat, she wanted to drink, she wanted to play.
Unfortunately, the good health was short lived. By Sunday, her signs were resurfacing. Slowly, but surely, she got weaker, stopped eating, stopped drinking. On Tuesday, I took her out to go potty and she collapsed on my front porch.
I picked her up and rushed her back to the vet...they ran more tests. Since I was on bed rest for high blood pressure, everyone thought it was in my best interested to go home and wait on the results.
A few hours later, we got the diagnosis of Addison's Disease. This is a pretty rare condition (the vet that treated her had only seen 3 cases in her 20-years). The good news was that while Addison's isn't curable, it is treatable by medication. So, for the past five years, we've been giving Dixie fludrocortisone every day. Ever since we got her dosage leveled out, she's been fine...
Sunday, we went over to Boompaw & Nawnaw's house for an early thanksgiving celebrations. When we got home around 5:45, I made the dogs dinner and let them in to feed. I could tell as soon as I laid my eyes on Dixie that something was wrong. VERY. WRONG.
She wouldn't touch her food, she was shivering, she was very "off". After a few minutes of discussion, we decided that I needed to get her to the emergency vet. Dixie & I arrived at the vet's office a little after 7:00. After countless blood tests, it was determined that she just had an imbalance with her Addison's.
She had to spend the night in the hospital on Sunday night so she could receive fluids, steroids, and other blood tests. I called to check on her before we went to bed, first thing in the morning and mid-afternoon. She was doing great and it was looking good for her to come home. They just had to run one more blood test at 6:00pm before they could release her.
I was so happy when I heard that the blood work looked good. We loaded up in the car as a family and went to get Dixie from the "hospital".
When she came rushing thru the exam room doors, I could tell that she was her old self. The twinkle was back in her eyes and she was smiling.
After a few words with the nurse, we were free to take the princess back to the house.
***she looks a little tired, but we're so glad she's home***
***sweet, sweet Dixie***
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