#beaupdate

[intriga-hounds]

getting results from pathology today or tomorrow. please PLEASE don’t be cancer.

[intriga-hounds]

beau is going to be ok but here’s what we’ve been dealing with:

last friday, beau yelped when jumping off the bed and started limping. my parents took him to the vet and the vet said it was probably something soft tissue so to just rest him for a bit.

by sunday, beau stopped eating.

by monday, he was on his 3rd vet trip. they did xrays and found a weird fuzziness in his chest cavity. we thought maybe he had pneumonia.

the vet told my parents that beau had lung cancer, an enlarged heart, and lung torsion. the vet said he had days to live. my dad was devastated. i called him and he was a wreck. he was preparing to euthanize because fluid in the chest was making even breathing painful.

i packed a bag, canceled my root canal for today, and prepared to drive to nevada to be there for my dad.

we called starfyre silkens, beau’s breeder and co-owner, who urged my parents to get a second opinion with a specialist before making any dire decisions. they originally were going to drive to CA for a vet, so i stopped packing. then they found one in NV. so i was kinda in limbo and everyone was stressed tf out.

the specialist immediately drained the fluid to make beau more comfortable (the GP vet wouldn’t do it bc they said it might kill him??), then took new xrays. they told my parents there’s no way anyone could diagnose cancer or really anything at all from the original blurry xrays that had fluid obstructing the view.

after many tests, surgery was suggested as the only way to figure out what was going on. hernia was suspected as a best case scenario, but regardless, the vet said whatever it was, it did not seem life-threatening. at this point, we all felt like we could breathe. my dad sounded optimistic, so i decided to stay home.

the surgeon, who has operated on many sighthounds and is eminently esteemed in his field, found a faulty lobe in beau’s lung today. it was removed and sent away for testing. no cancer, no lung torsion, no heart issues, and no hernia were found.

beau is stable and in the ICU. this should not affect his life in any way once he recovers, but the next 24 hrs are critical. i will get an update tomorrow.

[intriga-hounds]

beau do a walky

[intriga-hounds]

How's Beau doing? Is he recovering okay?

beau is doing great. he still has some minor neurological issues from the strokes, mostly affecting the use of his rear legs, but he’s slowly getting better. :)

[intriga-hounds]

beau yesterday 😭❤️

[intriga-hounds]

my dad got to see his boy 💕

[intriga-hounds]

Just a heads up: if you hear rumors about more cancer in the breed, be careful about the source. A vet tech who works at the ER where Beau was treated (and never actually treated him) was caught spreading lies today on a TikTok channel. She did not name Beau, but shared enough details about him that it was obvious it was him. For those who don’t know, Beau was just treated for a lung lobe torsion. He had pneumonia and an infection, NOT cancer (which is confirmed by biopsy of the failed lobe). I share this because I keep hearing accusations of cancer in the breed, even from people in the breed, and there is simply no data to back it. This person claims there are 17 silkens in their onco wing. I don’t think there are even 17 silkens in Nevada. Also my parents are there right now and their surgeon had never seen a silken before. As for their claims about teeth…also false.

[intriga-hounds]

beau had his final checkup today. no fluid buildup at all and his bloodwork is normal. he doesn’t need to go back for any further checkups and can just recover comfortably at home!

[intriga-hounds]

hang in there, beau. we all love you so much.

[intriga-hounds]

i am not getting as many updates now that beau is home, but he’s doing ok. he is getting fluids at home bc his kidney levels are a little off, but the fluid buildup in his chest has been negligible. he still has a lot of recovering to do, but he’s more his old self. he and zoe tried to play several times when he got home, so he now has the pen to help him rest and heal.

[intriga-hounds]

beau is coming home today!!!!!!!!!

[intriga-hounds]

we are overjoyed that beau is still fighting. we have a long way to go, but things look more hopeful today. please continue to keep us in your thoughts, prayers, vibes, etc.

[intriga-hounds]

update from my dad:

Just talked face to face with the attending doctor who will be with him until Thursday (if he’s still there).

Our main concern is the fluid. There is no idea where it’s coming from. In-house lab testing is showing a non pathogenic bacteria. We are still waiting on outside lab results for the lung lobe and fluid.

Because there’s no obvious infection, trauma and cancer are possibilities. We know he had no trauma, so we are keeping our fingers crossed. We don’t know what caused the lung damage. It was deflated and necrotizing when they removed it.

So for now, we are watching the fluid levels every 4 hours. He is walking and eating fine. They cut back on his pain meds, so walking was a little harder for him, but he still made it a good distance.

We brought his favorite blanket from home for the visit and he immediately laid on it. He was able to get himself up several times.

Keep praying.

[intriga-hounds]

my dad visiting beau before flying to AZ for the day for work. beau produced just 27mL of fluid this morning, after producing over 400mL last night. we’re hoping this is a trend that holds.

[intriga-hounds]

he left for a minute, then came back and checked on me. finding my condition unsatisfactory, he came back up.

[intriga-hounds]

from my dad:

Beau has been able to get up and walk around. He’s a little wobbly, but it sounds good. He has not had another stroke. His RBCs are up from 28 to 34. Platelets up too and creeping up towards normal. Liver function looks good. Kidneys are fine.

We are not clear of the woods yet, but he’s making good progress. We need to get him to eat more. We are on our way with his food so hopefully he will take it from us.