Loving my Oldies

Nah, nothing to do with eating alone. I reckon she just sayin': See I can eat faster'n you.

Thinking of you today, Anna. **hugs** to you and yours.

Stitch, someone on my thread about Danny suggested Lactose Free Milk. Danny still has lots of problems, but along with other things, Lactose Free Milk has proved a winner. He will always lap some up and I mix it with bone broth and know he is getting a lot of nutrition. Short of tipping over the bowl, your little girl would have a problem hiding it under or on the carpet LOL. Just a suggestion which might help with lessening the constant mess you are having to clean up.

Why did I think of you, **kirty**, when I read this? :D https://www.facebook.com/pages/Paws-Recover/194966863882378 ETA: Just realised this in in the wrong thread. Meant to put it in kirty's Rupert thread

Stan: What ya think of ma girl, ma? Feather: Sheesh, does that bozo think I'm going out with him? I don't even come up to his shoulder

Thanks DDD . They are from Karen's Kollars. The dogs like them as they are a combined collar and lead, and they open up wide to easily slip over their heads. Being paranoid, I also put cat breakaway collars on them too, just in case I often look at DOLers names and wonder why. We have the explanation for yours :laugh: So the collars are like martingales ??

Of course you are. Such a huge loss. I wish I could help with the pain. :heart:

Oh, Kajtek.... NO!!! Your precious precious little man. I am so so sorry. Hugs by the million and deepest deepest condolences. :cry:

Thanks WSM. Danny is supposed to have small meals regularly, and I'm afraid that I haven't been sticking religiously to this rule, but the experience of the past week has shown me that I must. Because he is always off colour in the mornings (hence starting this thread), his meals have tended to be more concentrated to the evening and larger than he can obviously cope with. And because finding something he would eat was such a process, I still tend to get a bit overexcited when he has a good meal and, if he wants it, give him more. That will stop. He had two small meals (liquid ones) before 12 noon today and no more throws or regurgitations. We had to go down to North Shore Vets for his final check up (eye surgery late January) and on return he had a couple of pieces of dried chicken breast which he loves and about a desert spoon of ice cream - which he also loves. And has been at the front door telling off passers by - LOL. Having given up hope that, by the strength of the appeal in his gorgeous eyes, he will get some more icecream, he is back at the front door.

That makes me so angry and so upset for all the poor little dogs whose owners wouldn't have gone away to think about it, but, understandably thought the vet would act only in the interests of their dog. What is it about the F**k*ng human race that so many of them think it is okay for animals to suffer.

So glad to read that. As for insurance, I have no experience, but a lot of others on DOL will be able to advise. My dogs are all too old to qualify for any cover.

Thanks Haredown. I don't know if you braved my previous thread about Danny, but I think just about every dog food known has been tried . At Danny's age, I wouldn't worry what sort of food he ate; it was finding something he would. We have cracked that, but the nausea has still proved to be problem. I want to buy a blender that really turns food to liquid which will go through a syringe because he likes (and actually will eat it normally from time to time) Royal Canin canned. I give him what I call "a shake" consisting of lactose free milk, bone broth and RC canned. Unfortunately my stick blender doesn't blend it into a real liquid, so off to check out kitchen shops this afternoon.

Look at the beautiful collars on Bella and Tari

Too much excitement. Whose gorgeous link bracelet is that featured?

Thank god you have posted in this manner, cavNrott. I have been jumped on from a great height from time to time suggesting that, shock horror, vets might actually either not know what they are talking about or, even worse, thinking of their bank account. It's like people getting into a lather because an animal is diagnosed with a heart murmur. 99% of animals, including the human animal, if they live long enough will have heart murmurs or heart problems most of which will not need medication or be controlled by medication.

Thanks Haredown. There is rarely bile in his throw ups and I can tell you I am kicking myself from here to there for not realising the affects of a late night meal. I am really going to try harder to give him the small meals more often. I know now that when he did eat with any show of enthusiasm, I would get carried away. Yes We did all that a little while ago. I think we have actually got to a stage where giving the meds is under control. Now that the worst (Ranitidine) has been stopped and replaced by another that will be compounded in liquid form and only twice a day and a tiny little dose, I think meds will no longer be the enormous problem they were in the beginning. Such a sad but loving story about your Rottie, cav. Only 6!! Too cruel. I'm doing a mountain of filing and honestly the papers for Danny's file for the past six months are about an inch high. No way will I be getting out the calculator. I do from time to time have mild hysteria welling up and if I knew what I'd spent in the past year I think it would overflow. Not just Danny: Myrtie died of pulmonary hypertension after trying for three days to save her at SASH :cry: ; Danny's had eye surgery as well as everything else; Bunter is going to have to have a raft of tests, etc etc etc; and then my dearest little Gussy Cat died of blood clot and heart failure three weeks ago. :cry: He isn't on heart medication, JulesP. I have tried dropping the number of times he gets his meds and really the difference was very difficult to assess. I did start keeping a chart in the hope of seeing whether it was worse or better, but no indications either way. I really appreciate all this input as on the other thread. Reading everything people have to say and formulating my responses, make me realise the mistakes I am making and the better systems I can instigate, not to mention the additional things to try.

Tell me when the house next door to you is up for rent or sale

Ha ha. Me too. My slow feeder (I googled around trying to find similar to show you) just has different levels of raised bits. I think your little girl will quickly master the ones that look like mazes :laugh: Let us know how you go.

Number one: you are not a bad mum. :) Far from it. Number two: see another specialist. Number three: "free" check up at any sort of show even for humans are done to lead the person to take further action which won't be free What breed is your dog? Luxating patella is one of the most over diagnosed and over treated conditions for dogs. Be 100% sure your dog needs surgery before having it. Once you are cut, you can't be uncut. Yes, there are dogs who need surgery. Many have it who don't need it. Vets like to scare people into having it by saying their dog will have arthritis.

OMG, Hazy, I thought I was just envious when you told us about the Templestowe walk. I am now raging raging jealous :rofl: Fancy meeting and spending time with all those lovely DOLers. :thumbsup: I can't get over the difference between Stan and Feather. Feather always looks big in K's photos LOL. What a wonderful time for you all. I am really happy for you.

Boronia, Danny is supposed to be on low fat foods. I know heart is a muscle, but what about fat content? With chicken I imagine it would be not worth worrying aboutl? This morning sure has been a lot better than the past few with only one large throw about 3/4 hour after his first med of carafate. Unfortunately, it contained a lot of bile and some of the food he'd had at about 8.30pm last night. Something that came to me last night and I will be discussing this with my vet this morning is that, because I discovered that he would eat a reasonably sized meal of kibble late at night, I was making a practice of this as I cleaned up before going to bed. I was also doing this in an attempt to keep his weight stable. I stay up very late and so this meal could be as late as 11pm or midnight and shortly after that we'd be off to bed. Also because of his throwing up, he was missing a few doses of Cisapride and I think these two things might have had a contributing factor to his throwing up in the morning. But then ....... until yesterday and this morning, there wasn't food from the previous evening in his throw-ups. I am changing my routine to see if it helps, that is going to bed earlier, getting up earlier and making sure, despite how he is feeling, he gets all his meds. Even if he throws up afterwards, some must be getting through . One of the problems with Danny now is that I can't move that he doesn't follow me . He can be absolutely dead to the world, but the second he knows I am not in the same room, he is up looking for me. Lots to consider and take action on today.

Thanks, cavNrott. I'm just hanging out to give him the last of his meds and then to bed. Will update tomorrow morning.

Well my little boy is home having spent the day being spoilt and watching very intently everything that happened around him. Vet says, "He is very clingy." That's my boy. Looking at the xrays taken in October and then today, you would believe that Danny was vastly, hugely improved. So why is he throwing up so much? We just don't know. He definitely doesn't have megaesaphagus which has been suggested by a dear DOLer who read all through my other thread and this one in an effort to understand the problems and to help. So grateful - Andrea. The vet took urine sample too because of his drinking, but there was absolutely nothing to show that his intake was above normal. Also he has bloods done twice in the past few months and there is nothing obvious showing up there. So both the mystery and the medicine regime will stay the same although the Ranitidine (Zantac) has been changed to Famotidine. This latter will be compounded in liquid form and just the tiniest amount is needed, so that will be a relief. The Ranitidine tastes really horrible and Danny was having to endure this three times a day. I've had Famotidine in tablet form for a few days and, up until this morning, I have been able to give that to him in some "plastic" cheesy spread which they all like so all get a little bit when Danny has his meds LOL. This is given only twice a day so that is a relief for Danny: two little bits of cheesy spread instead of three syringes full of horrible tasting liquid can't be all bad. He is a tired old fellow this evening and his dinner, despite my entreaties for him eat something sustaining and nutritious, consisted of some icecream. Everything crossed that his "morning sickness" won't appear tomorrow and he has a better day.

Well for me to offer advice on feeding is a bit rich :laugh: :laugh: but I have one dog, the only one ever, who would eat until he bursts. I bought him a little slow feeder which really does slow him down. I know your problems isn't gulping the food down, but my thinking is that maybe the design of a slow feeder would prevent your little dog from pushing the food around.

Great video, Hazy - and such a super place for walking. I think I'm envious.