[nagdu] Noticing medical issues

[Mardi Hadfield]

When I decided to retire Nala, it was because I wanted her to have some
time to relax and just be a dog.I wanted her to not have to work all the
time.She had not slowed down any at all,but I noticed that she clung to me
more.She would come up on the bed to lay next to me when I was watching
TV.She would come to me to get loved on and wanted to be with me all the
time.Her guide work was still perfect as always and when she saw me putting
the harness on Shaman,she would bring me her harness so she could go too.I
had no Idea she had a tumor growing on her spleen.Nala was the type of dog
that never really was very affectionate.She would come to me for lovin' on
her terms,when she felt she needed it. There were times she would pull away
when I tried to cuddle with her. This is just the way she was and I
accepted it.I knew that she was kept in a kennel most of her life and used
as a baby machine before I got her so I figured that she just did not know
how to be loved.It was very unusual for Nala to get up on any furniture.She
had impeccable manners, so when she started getting on the bed,I thought it
was odd.But she acted so healthy and had not slowed down,her guide work was
perfect and she ate well,I thought it was because she missed going every
where with me now that she was retired. I would use her occasionally to
make her happy and she showed great enthusiasm for those times I took her
with me instead of Shaman.She was checked out by the vet and he said she
was still healthy at 10 years of age.I took her to the grocery with me a
week before she died.One night she did not respond to me when I called
her.I went to check on her and found her lying in her favorite spot but she
was unresponsive.I called my friend and told her something is wrong with
Nala. We rushed her to the emergency vet but nothing could be done for her.
Nala died shortly after getting to the vet.The vet said she had a tumor on
her spleen that had burst and she went into shock and died.She also said
that those tumors are very hard to diagnose as the only way to tell is by
doing an ultrasound on the dog.She also said that this is a very common
type of cancer. Hemangiosarcoma and she sees about 3 dogs a month with the
same thing.The dog dies suddenly with no pryer symptoms.I wish I had picked
up on Nala's behavior changes and insisted that their was something wrong
with her,but I didn't and either did my regular vet.I also had one of my
pet dogs' exhibit the same behavior changes and I took her to the vet to
get checked out. The vet felt her abdomen but did not feel any tumor.At the
time I could not afford to have an ultrasound done on Tunyan.It would have
cost over $2000. I have watched her carefully and it's been a year now and
nothing has happened to her.I am still watching Tunyan but she still seems
to be healthy.I just don't know what to think.I know my dogs very well and
knew that some thing was wrong with Lily when she had valley fever.She was
sick for a long time and had been to the vet the day before she died.I knew
when Wanagi was not getting over her kennel cough that it was not kennel
cough but valley fever and I was right. She tested positive for it. She is
doing much better now but she has lost the sight in one eye from the valley
fever.Some times when you know your dog really well, there can still be an
underlying condition that goes undetected. Even with a good vet.      Mardi
and Shaman and Neechee.

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