Millie status report – is this the end?

Last week the vet’s assistant noted how it was more difficult to control her because Millie was stronger than before. But the blood test results were poor, revealing she still had anaemia and there were few new red blood cells being made.

Despite all the effort made over the weeks, we had to concede that it might be a problem with Millie’s bone marrow; this meant, almost certainly, cancer. But Gillian, Millie’s vet, is always positive. She decided the best course of action was to carry on with the steroids (albeit a lower dosage) and antibiotics, because there were other indications that the treatment for parasites was working. With heavy hearts, we clutched at this last hope.

This week’s trip to the vet was tense. Despite all the fresh meat and fish she had been eating, we knew she wasn’t gaining weight. Her strength and temper, on the other hand, were making great strides. Like us, she was fed up with the intense meds regimen.

“Gerroff me! And stop shoving that medicine down my throat,” she growled each time Liz wrapped her in a towel and Jamie administered tablets and syringes.

As we pushed through the door to Gillian’s surgery, we feared the worst. She was put on the scales and we saw that her weight had moved only slightly upwards. Unperturbed, our ever-optimistic vet said it was a sign that she is stabilising. OK, good. There was a bit more of a struggle than usual to take blood from Millie’s jugular, which Gillian also saw as a positive sign. Millie was fighting back.

We waited for the results. Gillian appeared with a smile; for the first time in three months the results were normal! Our little Millie had fought the bad guys and it looked like she was winning!

“Alright, Mr. DeMille, I’m ready for my close-up.”
Where does Millie’s improvement leave us?

We have another two weeks of meds (reduced dosage of steroids and antibiotics). But we want to start heading towards the Philippines as soon as the current weather system passes, probably Friday 21st February. So Gillian has agreed that as soon as we have a departure date, she will test Millie again and give us plenty of meds to take with us.

Thank you to everyone for the fantastic messages of concern and support. In particular we would like to thank those people who went out of their way to assist with diagnoses, either as vets themselves or as supporters who have vet friends. We think you love her almost as much as we do!

Peace and fair winds!

Liz, Jamie and Millie xxx

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6 thoughts on “Millie status report – is this the end?”

  1. I am watching the live live update when you mentioned Millie’s condition. I immediately logged on to catch up. I’m so sorry. It’s absolutely the worst part of having our pets, after all they have given us. I’m thinking of both of you as you work through this, and of course am thinking of Millie. Best, Liz and Jaimie.

    1. Thank you, David, that’s very kind of you. Millie’s blood work is now normal, but she’s still not eating properly. We’re giving her lots of help and encouragement, just like we’ve received from so many of our lovely followers.

  2. My eyes filled with tears, again, reading the update. A little good news goes a long way, however, and it was an encouraging way to close out this post. It’s worrisome, still, yet we know we can’t keep them by our sides forever. In our hearts it’s a different story … and your Millie is spread out in SO MANY hearts!
    Calm seas, fair winds, and calm hearts as well!!
    As ever,
    Bill

    1. Oh Bill, we’ve been crying on and off for three months! Thank you for your big heart. She’s taken a bit of a step back this week with throwing up again. We’ll give her till Friday then it’s back to the vet for another round of tests, I fear. 🙁

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