Loving my Oldies

That’s it @persephone. I’m just gutted for her. There is still hope though. The vet has rung through her latest blood results and although her Platelets are up (couldn’t get an exact count as they clumped) her anaemia is worse Ate only a tiny brekkie, but I am about to go back to the beginning to see if she wants to be fed by hand.

She actually seems a teeny tiny bit brighter this morning. Walking a bit better. Please DOLers keep her in your thoughts; three of my Loved Ones have crossed The Bridge this year. I’m just gutted. What is playing out really really hard is that my mother died of Thrombocytopenia. I wasn’t living in the same city at the time, so didn’t see her decline, but bad and sad memories on the surface, now.

T has managed the photo (thanks T) I tried a couple of times without success.

Things are not well here. Just over a week ago, I noticed a change in Sooty. She seemed down, instead of having a little exploratory journey downstairs when I carried her down for toileting or just to have time downstairs, she would just stand there waiting for me to take her back upstairs. She just sat on her bed in the lounge, no wandering around unless she wanted a drink or to wee. I have always recognised that she had an occasional weakness in her back legs, but this was something that happened only from time to time. This was escalated virtually overnight whereby she is down on her elbows, has difficulty getting balanced and walking even on rough surfaces. Once she gets going, she is okay, but she is quite wobbly. I have put on her toe grips, but these don’t seem to help. I took her to the vet last Thursday, where she was examined and bloods taken to be sent away to pathologist. My usual vet doesn’t work on Fridays so I was surprised to get a phone call from one of his colleagues with the blood test results late on Friday evening. Sooty is very sick. She is anaemic, her white b/cells are elevated, her red blood cells are very low as is her platelet count. The vet wanted me to pick up meds there and then so we could start Sooty immediately on cortisone and she wanted to see her the following morning (Saturday) to do more blood tests. She just about scared the life out of me telling me to watch Sooty carefully through the night in case she started bleeding. If that happened - straight to emergency. So more blood taken on Saturday morning and again today. The bloods taken today are being sent to pathology so I won’t hear until tomorrow. She is also taking Carafate before meals. Her cognitive abilities seem to have deteriorated too, but whether that is because she is weak and sick we don’t know. With regard to her legs, has anyone ever used braces with any degree of success. I was thinking of those neoprene ones that clip around the legs. But where, other than on line which could take days, could I buy them, or make them. See below photo I took of Sooty down on her elbows. Please keep Sooty in your thoughts. She has had a hard life and I am gutted that she has to struggle through this. I am hoping she will get through it, but no certainties at all. She has been with me for less than two years. I really hoped and expected more time for her to have a good life. Edited to add : I can’t get the link to work, but @tdierikx has come to the rescue below.

Do you know what “little” means . He is a looker and that’s for sure.

It’s a bastard isn’t it? They are so loved and such an integral part of our family; Sari has been there virtually the whole of your children’s lives - they must be gutted. What a lovely Grand Dame Sari became. Deepest sympathies, @SarasMum. Farewell Sari. Loved beyond measure.

Oh wow. That is unbelievable. Hope neighbour hasn’t bred humans.

I wouldn’t wait, @sandgrubber. How many animals has that vet put at risk since Bonza, I wonder. Of course, the practice manager will defend her to the hilt, they all do. But we have to try. At the very least, the mistreatment of Bonza might be discussed at a staff meeting and other vets alerted to be more rigorous in their dispensing of drugs. So horrible and frightening.

No advice, just deepest deepest sympathies for you and puppy.

I wonder when/if Chase will stop growing

I didn’t and neither did I like “They are only here to serve.”

LOL It isn’t just you, @NikkiandKane. He is a gorgeous looking boy.

All of them beautiful

There really needs to be a Love button. Who is the other little one

That is really tough and very sad, @felix. To go through such extremes as having Bruno just passing in his sleep to having Benji die in an attack, is very hard to cope with. Such gorgeous looking boys. Although, in the final analysis, we are alone in our grieving, most of this forum’s members have experienced great, sudden and sometimes violent loss and so can empathise with you very deeply and understand your huge loss.

OMG! You must be in a state!!! Having lost many dogs over the years (adopting oldies from pounds, etc) with numbers of wild trips to emergency vets in the small hours, I know the worry and heartache. But I am expecting it given ages and health conditions. Your situation is so much different. I can only hope that from now on, life with your puppy will be just fun and love. Hugs and hearts to you all.

My experience, too, @Rebanne. I used it for a couple of years for Jeune, with little to no success. That said, medications can have different results, so with the poor little dog in such a state, it is worth a try. FOLLOWING FURTHER VET ASSESSMENT.

100% agree. Poor dog needs help.

I’d be getting second opinion on the meds. Of course, side affects are often experienced, but when they are so debilitating, the “cure” has to be interrogated. As for appetite, anyone who has followed me over the years would know that I am the last to be able to help or advise. However, I always have Nutrigel on hand to administer (via syringe) to try to arrest weight loss. A couple of my oldies (now gone to god) who had lots of health issues actually never lost weight even by the end of their lives because Nutrigel is easy to give and very palatable. Another food I always have on hand is homemade bone broth. The two I have now (Mezza and Sooty) don’t seem to like it but Tamar used to lap up a mix of bone broth and Nutrigel - lightly warmed. I think I’d also be questioning the several short and long walks daily. People tend to think because a dog barks at the front door or races around to the gate or where their leads are that they must want/need a walk. From my observance only, I think this is just memory and habit. I’ve had dogs who have done this, but as soon as they are outside or a few houses down, they want to come home.

LOL. . . . Me three. I hope you, Chase and family had heaps of fun.

I had to google - Moses In the Cradle.

No insights, I’m sorry, just wishing you, Chase and Scout all the best for quick diagnosis and recovery

Thanks, T.