Hi Lisa,
Thank you for your kind words! I hope Carrick does well. I had to order more needles from Norfolk the other day — Pam, the sales rep is wonderful — she suggested you contact Animal Medical Center in NY. She said it’s a non-profit but she didn’t know if they would charge less or might have some ideas. The $17,000 is ridiculous, Manhattan, his size or not! It was about $5k here in NC…it didn’t work & in fact yesterday was the 3 year anniversary of the initial surgery. The odds were 70-80% success rate.
I drain my dog twice a week & get about a liter of fluid each time, so about a gallon over a 2 week span. I think it was about a liter every 2 weeks initially so it’s increased quite a bit. Her left side is pocketed from repeated chest taps but the vet said fluid was still coming out so that’s a good thing. Sounds like Carrick has about double the fluid but he’d be much larger – she’s about 30 lbs.
I would not have had the surgery if I’d had any idea how bad things would get but I’m very grateful she’s still here!
I think the port is the way to go but I’m not a vet. It doesn’t cause scarring/pocketing like the taps do. Took a while to get used to doing it (I am more than a bit squeamish) but she’s very good about it. She’ll even come over to be shaved. knowing what’s coming. I’m sure she feels better.
One thing that I’ve read about chylothorax is a “gradual wasting” because of the loss of fats and proteins being removed with the chyle. I haven’t noticed any weight loss, her appetite is good, although her protein levels are a little low but not seriously low. I did talk to a nutritionist and she recommended a product called Vivonex TEN. It’s a liquid diet for people who can’t absorb nutrients through digestion. I tried mixing it with chicken broth, my dog won’t take it. But, it may be worth asking about, or since you’re using a holistic vet, there may be other nutritional alternatives.
Good luck! I hope that if you have the port put in that all goes well! Keep us all posted.
Carol
