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| Nuka and Quinn, have a special relationship...always there for the other. |
Shaking and pressed tightly in my arms, Nuka endured Dr. Julia's initial peek under her tail at the problem and the unpleasantness of having her temperature taken. Dr. Julia's reaction was that the swelling was a result of irritation cause by her diarrhea. She was more concerned that Nuka had lost two pounds since her last visit in May.
Nuka has been struggling to put on weight since her battle with a serious acute pancreatitis attack in the Spring and weight LOSS was exactly what was not needed. Dr. Julia ordered blood drawn and a panel done.
"Let's wait to see the bloodwork but I think our girl is at the very early stages of another pancreatitis attack. Even though she still has a healthy appetite I think her extremely upset system and her increased consumption of water are indications."
Coral brought Nuka back to the exam room; she stayed with her to massage her shoulders in an attempt to calm the panting White One. Dr. Julia returned shortly with the lab results. Sure enough her pancreas and liver levels were nearly as high as they were in the Spring; the kidneys, fortunately, were fine. No signs of diabetes or other scarier possibilities. Not the original reason we thought we were coming in but we were all very glad that this was caught early.
Nuka has both acute and chronic pancreatitis and will probably suffer spikes of it throughout the rest of her life. Her reactions are much more pronounced than Quinn's, who also has the chronic issues which are nearly totally controlled by diet. The White Dog Army eats a low-fat healthy diet that is fished based and none of the pack is overweight (save Yo who Dr. Julia would like to see a bit lighter although he claims it is just his extra floofiness that deceives her).
We were sent home with instructions to continue the ointment until the area is normal again and to give Nuka an anti-diarrheal for the next week. For now she is just to have her salmon and sweet potato kibble fed in small amounts several times a day (the rest of the Army is going to want into that plan, I guarantee). Of course we will keep in touch daily with reports and vitals. We will slowly reintroduce her homecooked foods and supplements based on her ability to digest and process.
Hopefully we have avoided a major crash and poor Nuka will bounce back quickly. How she will EVER gain weight on her low-fat bland diet, though, just has White Dog shaking her head in wonder. "No cheese? No leftover carrot cake? Well, at least they didn't take away her duck jerky (only one small piece, though)!"