Last Thursday I took blind Callie in to see our internal medicine specialist in Missoula, Dr. Dave Bostwick, for her two-week check-up after her radiation therapy. She continues to circle with a head tilt from the ear infection she developed at the WSU veterinary teaching hospital, though she is definitely improving. Dave found no signs of infection and he said her ear drum is starting to heal up, but still has some perforations in it. It may take a few more weeks for this vestibular issue to finally clear up.
In addition to the physical exam, Dave also took blood to check her serum phenobarbital levels. That's what Dave is doing in the photo above, with vet tech Alex holding Callie for the blood draw. (Callie is hoping that Alex will give her a head massage while she's at it.)
Dave got the blood results back on Friday and determined that we needed to increase her phenobarbital dose slightly to get her back in therapeutic range. She turned out to be just below the threshold, which is why monitoring her serum phenobarbital levels is something we will have to routinely do. The good news is that even on such a low dose, she hasn't had any seizures, which is a sign the tumor has indeed shrunk.
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Enter
"Rolling Dog Ranch" and our state postal code, MT for Montana,
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Rolling Dog Farm Blog 
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