Today was our appointment with the Veterinary Specialty Center of Tucson to have Maxx checked out.

They took X-Rays, did an echocardiogram, and drew blood for tests, including another VF titer test. Turns out that Maxx has heart problems, probably caused by the Valley Fever. We were given a bunch of pills...a diuretic to get rid of the fluid in his body that's collected around his heart and some of his other organs, an ACE inhibitor for his heart, and an anti-arrhythmic to help with his irregular heart beat. We were also told to increase his Valley Fever medication from 50 mg per day up to 200 mg per day.

The vet talked to us about doing open heart surgery to remove the sac that's grown around Maxx's heart and about some type of infusion that would be done 3 times a week for a total of 15 times (at $400 a pop, or $6,000 for the entire treatment). Since the average life expectancy of Basenjis is 13 (although many live to be 16 or 17), and Maxx is already 13-1/2, we declined both of these options. We'll keep him as healthy and pain-free as possible with medication.

This little trip to the vet cost us a small fortune, too!