Clean Bill of Health!

Gio had to go back to the vet college this morning for some follow-up blood work after his discharge last Thursday. The vets are very pleased with how he is recovering!

They ran a CBC, chem panel and pancreatic enzyme test, as well as a physical exam. His CBC is back to normal, with no indication of inflammation. His chem panel and pancreatic enzyme test are not completely back to normal, but are much closer to normal ranges than they were at the last check on March 17th. His pancreatic enzymes (amylase and lipase) are back into normal ranges and his cholesterol is back to acceptable levels as well. His bilirubin, ALP and GGT are still slightly elevated, but closer to normal than they were last time. The vet explained that this is because, when the pancreas swells up, it constricts around the bile duct causing a back-up of gall bladder-related enzymes into the bloodstream. As the swelling of the pancreas goes down, the pressure is relieved from the gall bladder and the levels gradually return to normal. So while the concentrations of these enzymes are not 100% normal yet, the decrease indicates that the swelling has decreased and the body is slowly reverting back to normal.

Gio is to remain on his special canned diet for the next while, gradually increasing the daily amount of food to recommended levels over the next week. He is currently eating about half of the recommended amount for a dog his size. He'll be happy to know he gets to eat MORE soon, even if it is goopy canned stuff.

The vets gave an all-clear to take him off the Tramadol (pain medication), but he is to remain on the antacid for the next couple of days still.

He needs to go back again in another week and a half to run a check on his phenobarbital levels to ensure that they are within range. At that point, hopefully we can say "fare well" to the vet clinic for a while longer!