Be Huey's Hero

Ever since Huey was a little pup, he's been a bit of a special case.  Diagnosed with Subvalvular Aortic Stenosis (SAS) and a tricuspid insufficiency when he was about 3 months old, his heart condition continued to worsen as he grew.  By the time Huey was 2 years old, his condition finally plateaued. His heart murmur progressed to a grade 5/6, he was put on beta blockers for the rest of his life, and given a 6yr life expectancy.



Due to his condition, Huey has never had the life of a "normal" Golden Retriever. His exercise is extremely limited, so he doesn't have an aneurysm and pass away immediately. He can't play fetch, his training was stopped because he got too excited when we would work with him, and he doesn't leave the house much.  Occasional trips to Lowe's are perfect for him, and when he was healthier he became a Therapy Dog (a day after his first birthday!) and we would make visits to a nursing home. He's now 6y3m old, seems to be doing well with his condition, and has outlived his life expectancy.

Since he is a homebody, he finds mischief to keep himself occupied; hence the position he is in now.

On the afternoon of 2/2, Huey made his way onto the dining room table and found a package of Ice Breakers gum. His antics in the past have only included paper shredding, but something about this gum appealed to him.  Unfortunately the pack was quite full and he ingested 30 pieces. First ingredient in Ice Breakers gum: Xylitol. 

Emergency Vet Visit:

2/2/20
When I found out about the gum, two hours after he ate it, I took Huey to the Cabarrus Emergency Vet Clinic at about 6:00pm. While they took him back, I was asked to call Animal Poison Control and explain the situation so they could work up a care plan with his exact toxicity levels. The vet induced vomiting and only saw a few small pieces of gum in what came up. His blood glucose was 54 (~100 is normal in dogs,) so he was becoming hypoglycemic. His ALT was elevated at 424 (10-130 is normal,) which increases as a result of liver cells "dying."  He was in good spirits and all of the employees loved my golden boy. They said he was "oblivious to his condition," and didn't seem to feel ill.
He was given medications to help his liver continue to function, and given fluids with glucose to maintain his blood glucose levels. He was not able to receive the recommended amount of fluids to keep stress off of his heart, so he has been supplemented with oral glucose as well.

2/3/20
During a call with the Emergency Vet to check in with Huey, I was told he was continuing to do well. We discussed transferring him to his regular vet for continued care and monitoring instead of the ICU at another hospital.  Things were starting to look up and I got a couple hours of sleep before I made my way over to CEVC to pick him up.
When I arrived at CEVC, I was told Huey needed to be transferred to Carolina Veterinary Specialists in Huntersville for continued care in their ICU. We switched to their Matthews location because that is where his Cardiologist is located.
His ALT had doubled and was 822, while his blood glucose had stabilized around 130 after multiple tests all night. Worried that he would soon go into liver failure, we transferred him directly to the ICU at CVS, where he is currently.

GOING FORWARD:
Huey is scheduled to have more bloodwork done early tomorrow morning to check his ALT levels once more. His blood glucose is being monitored more regularly, and he is continuing to receive fluids with glucose, and two medications to protect his liver from further damage. He isn't out of the woods yet, and things could still go downhill. Barring a catastrophe, the next steps are to continue to monitor his liver and determine if any permanent damage has been made. Additionally, I have requested that he have his yearly echocardiogram during this visit, to ensure this hasn't put any additional and unnecessary stress on his heart.

COSTS:
Below I've listed the costs (both paid and estimated) for his care:
Paid:
Poison Control Report - $75
CEVC Overnight Stay - $742
CVS Matthews ICU - $700 (Deposit for stay thru 2/4)
Expected:
Echocardiogram - $300
CVS Matthews ICU - $200 (rest of estimate for stay thru 2/4)
CVS Matthews ICU - $700-900 (stay 2/4-2/5 - unknown if required)

Total expected:  $2017
Total if care extends thru 2/5: $2717-2917

I will update these numbers as they finalize/change, and will provide anyone who asks with itemized receipts if needed.

Thank you in advance to anyone who finds it in their heart to help Huey. He is a great pup with a great life left to live.