fiery_di

Well crossing all the fingers & toes here that Bobby responds well to the Vetmedin. Might also speak to the vet in regards to putting him onto the Fortekor as well. The vet did do a quick ultrasound on his heart and basically came to the conclusion the hardening of the heart walls from that. It was said that a more intrusive ultrasound would give him more conclusive information, but said that it would stress him quite a bit, and dont have the option of putting him under as being the age he is with epilepsy/congestive heart failure the chances of him coming out of it were NOT good at all!! His other vital functions are quite good. Kidneys positive, liver also positive which is a massive bonus as from what the vet told us the barbiturates do play havoc on the liver causing it to become enlarged. Not so worried about the expense of the meds, just more concerned that he hasnt improved in the last couple of days. This is his third day on the Vetmedin, and he is listless, hardly drinking (we are somewhat syringing him water, which he takes quite readily but will not drink from the bowl). He is still eating, which is good, but not with the voracious appetite he usually displays. I am of the mindset that if things dont improve for him in the next couple of weeks that it would be viciously cruel to keep him going. The vet insists he is in no pain, but the poor bugger looks so sad.. Will keep you all updated on his progress.. Fingers crossed that the meds take affect soon.

Has an ultrasound on Bobby today as he was not at all well this morning!! Staggering, hardly being able to stand and basically favouring one side whilst walking in a straight line and pretty much toppling over. We thought the worst, thought we were going to have to give our goodbyes, but the vet has given him these new 'miracle' drugs that he said we should notice a difference in 3-5 days!! So, what I am needing to understand/know is what situations made things worse for your dog? What was the prognosis/time frame given?? And just any other helpful information would be great!! I am realistic in the fact that Bobby is 13. He is epileptic, and he is an Iggy, not the most robust of breeds. Hence why I guess I post in the palliative care as there is a noticed decline in his demeanour these past few weeks.

vet has also started him on another med but didn't tell me the name, as she said she can always stop it but atm Jordy needs all the help he can get. No all our vets here go home for the night unfortunately. She started the transfusion and the on duty vet will go and check and finish it and then he is on his own all night. Because his red levels were dropping so low he couldn't have been left all night without a transfusion. Lets hope he starts to improve tomorrow after the transfusion and extra meds. I will know more when I ring in the morning..... hoping its good news I'd say quite possibly it would be Imuran?? This is what my Ruby was on, both the pred & imuran together, the imuran being the lesser of the two..

I think you will notice a difference with the transfusion. The energy levels will pick up!! It will also buy some time for the meds to kick in. All in all the vet advised that you notice a difference, even if it is ever so slightly with the first 24hrs, then things improve over and over from there. Best way to check if your Jordy's pred levels are not too low is to check the gums.. Any sign of white/greyish gums, give a pred straight away!! That is what our vet advised us! A healthy pink is a Any sign of the pink fading, just pop either half a pred or full pred down the hatchet!! Initially I would contact the vet in a panic, and he would always just to advise to give another pred. I can tell you after being on the meds for a good few years I knew the drill, wouldnt bother the vet and just administer accordingly. You should notice the pink returning within.. say.. 6 to 8hrs if not sooner?? HTH!! FD

Hey Dyzney!! Ruby was the gorgeous dog you see in my sig & avatar. She was a mini foxie!! And a divine one to boot!! My heart dog through & through!! In regards to Jordy!! I agree with Dyzney.. You will need to give the meds a few days to catch up, but you will then be noticing that he gets back to his old self in no time at all. Oh and a word of warning?? The appetite!! You really have to keep a watch on this!! when Ruby was on 1 Pred tab a day she would SALIVATE profusely at anything that resembled food!! Absolutely inhaled her food and then would go looking for more!! She went from a healthy 4.7kg to a whopping 5.6kg!! Quite a weighty jump for a dog her size/breed!! Another thing too is they do tend to become excessively thirsty and you will notice your Jordy panting quite a bit. You will esp notice it with this heatwave weather occurring!! Ruby was on the verge of requiring a transfusion as her platelets had dropped to below 7000 and the vet proclaimed that Ruby shouldnt have even been standing, let alone wanting to play with her ball!! Cant keep an MF away from those bloody things!! As I said before, any other info you require pls dont hesitate to pm me!!

Thanks for the feedback Bully!! Good to know that you got another 3yrs out of her!! That is AWESOME!! Well I shall just try to bide the time over the next 3-5 days and see how the ol Bobster goes.. I have a sneaking suspicion that he is milking it a teeeeeny bit too!! Sitting.. LYING on the lounge looking quite comfortable!!

My Ruby had ITP too!! Was diagnosed with it back when I first joined DOL back in 03?? I think?? Anyway, she was on the pred & also imuran for a good 3-4 years full time until I weaned her off it completely in mid 06 and the ITP didnt return (prior to this any weaning her off it over the years she was on it and she would decline & her platelet levels would drop). The biggest concern at the time that my vet gave me was more so the pancreatitis side of things. Never mentioned muscle wastage. Ruby ended up passing away from cancer back in April 08 (totally unrelated) at the age of 7yrs & 7mths. Her muscle tone never seemed to be an issue, and the vet never made mention of noticing any muscle wastage. Dont lose hope. The outcome can be good. Even tho I had Ruby on the meds for 3-4yrs I was eventually able to wean her off them, so the case with your dog may also be the same, on meds for a few yrs and potentially wean off again with no ITP ever presenting itself again. I understand how difficult this must be feeling right now. So if you want anymore information re the ITP, side affects, etc. please feel free to pm me..

Bobby the Iggy has been quite knocked around by this heat. We have kept him indoors during the day in the air conditioning, but put him out last night as per normal for bed time. The night wasnt overly hot, but not overly cool either. Anyway, came out this morning and he could barely pick himself up!! Naturally S & I thought the worst and were readying ourselves for a last goodbye!! So off to the vet S dashed. Half hr later and back with Vetmedin capsules for dogs. It seems that Bobby has thickening of the heart walls. He is still not himself, quick ultrasound revealed this, BUT the vet advised that these are basically 'miracle' like drugs, and that we should see a vast improvement in the next 3 to 5 days.. Anyone else have their dog on these meds?? At $150 pack/100 lasting him 50 days (two tabs per day) I can say they arent cheap!! I guess the decision that has to be made now is whether it is worth keeping Bobby on these meds when this lot run out. Bobby is approaching 13. He is an iggy, he is epileptic and on 1.5 tabs per day of Phenomav. Is it cruel to keep him going?? The vet assured S that he is not suffering whatsoever. Just knocks him around a bit. But having come home from work and discovering Bobby lying on the lounge hardly moving and looking so sad & sorry for himself I am hoping he isnt suffering. Maybe he is just tired?? It is going to be a difficult summer if we are both working.. But we will cross that bridge and make allowances when it presents itself. His age is a major factor as to where to go from here. Any thoughts/info appreciated.

Awww Carlibud, it certainly doesnt feel any better one year on. My thoughts are with you.. xx

I have been excruciatingly busy at the moment with my new job of 4mths and general work around the farm... But I had to take the time out to write a quick small but meaningful tribute to my baby girl, Ruby.. 16.9.00 to 23.4.08 Ruby, it is one year on BUT I still think of you daily. Still long to cuddle you and for you to exceedingly annoy me to incessantly throw the ball for you. There is no longer any ball in the back yard, it isnt any of the other dogs' thing.. I stopped for a few moments at approx 1.30pm today remembering that this was the approx time you took your last breath in my arms exactly one year ago. I will never ever ever forget you and you will always have the most special place in my heart.. Thinking of you as you forever run free over the rainbow bridge. xxx

What a beautiful thing to do Harminee.. Thinking of you Carli!! Good bye my gorgeous Ruby 16.9.00 to 23.4.08, and very recent good bye 'Big Girl' to Matilda 2000 to 8.1.09

Run free Anzac!! May you find Ruby & Matilda to keep you company over the Rainbow Bridge..

Awwww Griffy.. I am so so sorry to hear that you lost your heart dog.. I hope Ruby is there to meet Sinna at the bridge to keep her company.. Thinking of you... The loss of a heart dog really affects you to a point that no one will understand..

Hehehe! I have done that a few times with Bobby too calling him Ruby.. Esp when he does something that annoys/frustrates me..

She will always be beside me and in my heart!! Thanks Schnauzer!! :thumbsup:

Awwww thanks Carlibud!! We will always 'share' the end of our fur babies journey.. Thinking of you. They say time heals, but the wound still feels as fresh as the day it happened..

Thank you Fi!! I think has been therapeutic writing this to Ruby and releasing it too!!

*Ruby* 16.9.00 to 23.4.08

Today marks the 8 month mark that my beautiful precious Ruby girl gave her last breath in my arms.. Not a day goes by that I do not think about her.. I just want to send this note to her so that she knows she will ALWAYS be in my heart.. My darling Ruby, Year 2000 - You will never fully understand the excitement and joy you brought to me the day my ex husband placed your tiny 8wk old body into my arms... From that moment you were divine.. And you were mine.. The whole way home in the car you would nuzzle up into my shoulder. You never whimpered or cried and finally you fell asleep in my lap on the hr long journey home. That night we tried to put you in the laundry with a hot water bottle and some soothing noise of the dimmed radio in the background (and a ticking clock under your bed clothes in your bed box). You would have a bar of it and 'screamed' for almost a half hr. How could I just leave a tiny 8wk old pup that we had just torn away from its mother.. So it was settled. I scooped you up and brought you into my bedroom AND my bed where you spent the entire night (and pretty much every night) snuggled in my arms. Every couple of hrs I would wake to see you softly breathing in your quick puppy breaths.. To me this was heaven.. The next morning I took you to the laundry to give you your 'first' meal with us. You were so funny.. You were soooo small that your tiny back legs would rise up off the floor as you lowered your head to greedily eat up your tucker!! We decided to call you Rhubarb.. But Ruby seemed to be the abbreviated version and this name stuck throughout your life. A few years passed. You settled in quite well with us. I absolutely adored having you around and you pretty much preoccupied all of my spare time. Devastatingly in 2003 you suddenly became quite ill and a trip to the vets, overnight stays and numerous blood tests, etc. revealed that you had Immune mediated Thrombocytapenia (ITP). You were not well at all and I was so scared that I was going to lose you then and there as your blood platelet levels were soooo low. I couldnt contemplate nor even comprehend not having you with me and these certainly felt the worst days of my life. A few days later your platelets seem to regulate after being on Imuran and prednisone. Being steroid based drugs they certainly gave you and appetite and you went from a lovely sleek 4.7kg to a whopping 5.6kg (quite a bit of weight for a mini foxie). After the ex husband and I broke up I couldnt have you with me in the unit that I could afford to rent so the ex husband looked after you for 9mths until I could afford a townhouse where I could take you full time. When I signed the lease over for my new townhouse the elation I felt that I could finally have you with me again was something I could never describe.. I was so happy. The 9mths you lived with the ex were so hard even tho I would visit you every moment I could. We settled in, I found you a companion (Coco) as I still worked full time so I wanted you to have a friend that would keep you company whilst I wasnt there. You both meshed perfectly (you had your occasional little spats in later years but isnt uncommon with female desexed dogs). Another set back came along in 2005 where you had an overactive thyroid. Off to a specialist vet and a bout of radioactive treatment revealed that you did not have cancer, we removed half your thyroid and you seemed fine from then on.. 2007 was a big year where I found you another companion (Bobby the Iggy) and then I moved in with my current OH. You were now part of a 5 x fur kid family!! A rottie, kelpie, 2 x mini foxies and an iggy!! Didnt we look like the *Doggy Bunch*. Again you settled in quite well and was still the absolute apple of mum's eye!! 2008 brought a year I would never forget.. One day we came home and found you limping and upon closer inspection discovered quite a nasty injury to your rear leg. Another visit to the vet specialist, insertion of pins under a decent operation & $2,500 later we were hoping that this was the last of the 'upsets' you'd succumbed to for the time being.. It must have been toward the middle to latter part of your leg injury that you started to drop weight. I thought you were just being fussy due to the ops, the leg and the fact that you had bouts of canine colitis so didnt take a great deal of notice but would try to coerce you with other food. In order to keep your nearly recovered leg protected we built you a separate run in the backyard away from the other dogs. You didnt seem yourself, but I it down to you being apart from your companions unawares of what was coming around the corner.. Every night after work I would come out and give you 'cuddles' from your run. One evening you were particularly snuggly and whimpered and snuggled into my neck. I thought you were just feeling out of sorts. You, my poor darling were probably in pain from the torment that was being inflicted on your poor little body. You were dropping weight so a couple of visits to the vet and no immediate prognosis left us all scratching our heads. They'd taken some blood but no results seemed to come through so it was left for the time being. A few days later would bring about your demise. One evening after worrying as you hadnt eaten very much at all after a few days I brought you in for cuddles on the lounge for a few hours. Something in my heart knew that you were not right. Looking back I should have INSISTED on more testing to find out what was going on with you. Hindsight doesnt change things. I blame myself that your last days you were probably feeling pain that you couldnt eat. I cuddled you on your last night for hours, in tears, knowing in my heart that this was my last night with you... I crated you that night and regret not bringing you in for 'one last sleep' with mum. That morning just before work you kissed me and your tongue was so cold. I put you in bed with me for half an hour to warm you up a bit and then asked the OH to take you to the vet whilst I went to work. The call to the vet was the worst call I have ever been part of in my life. The vet's words 'Ruby has cancer' were the most devastating, heart wrenching words I have ever had to hear. I asked if I could come and see you right there and then. The vet's answer was of course. We drove to the vet, me in tears, the other half holding my hand as we both knew what was awaiting you. When the vet nurse took me in to see you in your cage I will never forget seeing your poor 3.4kg body shaking, wracking from the torment of having tests carried out on you. Your teeth were chattering, your little head was shaking against the wall of the cage. You were a mess. Even OH was crying from the mess you were in. Why oh why had this happened to you?? I knew the end was nigh. I knew the decision was to take this pain away from you. I knew I had to be strong although my insides were tearing to shreds from the grief. I asked them if I could come with you whilst they administered the needle. They declined as they stated that your poor lil body could not handle insertion into the vein but would require straight through the heart. I weakly asked if I could have one last cuddle. Again they said of course. I took your beautiful little body into my arms for the last time. My beautiful baby Ruby. My everything, my heart dog. You shook & trembled the whole time. I cuddled you and whispered to you.. You are mummy's girl, shhhh stop shaking baby, mummy has you now and mummy loves you so much!! You took your last breath in my arms whilst I was whispering to you and stroking you. You had waited for me, wanted me to be holding you with your last breath.. Then you were gone with a sigh just like that... This to me was the sweetest consolation.. No one can ever take this from me.. You are now buried in the yard underneath some orange trees and I have planted frescias where you lay. There are now four dogs in the yard.. It seems so different without you. Bobby tries as hard as he can to fill your void and to soothe me. He does a great job, but he isnt you, my precious Ruby (he sits on the bed beside me whilst I type this note looking into my eyes and wondering why the tears are streaming down my face). I dream about you every so often. I thought the dreams would soothe me but not having you in the bed with me when I wake is just pure torment.. The dreams are just another constant reminder that you are gone.. I dont think I could ever take in another dog after losing you my Ruby. I think I would be too disappointed as the bond we shared was so strong. You seemed to know me and understand me. You were taken from me so early. You were 7yrs, 7mths & 7 days. I just hope one day I will be reunited with you at the Rainbow Bridge where once more I can whisper to you that 'mummy is here, you are mummy's girl once more'. Till then please take care of all the other dogs that cross the bridge and please remember that you will ALWAYS be mummy's girl...

Too magical for words!! *Wipes away tear running down face*

So so so sorry carlibud.. I lost my baby too today. No amount of tears can bring them back...It wrenches your heart knowing they are no longer with you!!

My iggy has quite bad seizures. He is approx ten (dont know correct age as he is a rescue). The last time I left giving him his Phenomav a bit later than normal he suffered a seizure for half hr, then another for a few minutes after the half hr one lapsed. He was exhausted to say the least. As I suspect your dog would be also after 13 seizures. It is best not to 'allow' the dog as such to go thru these seizures and would recommend the Phenomav if this has been given as a way to combat this... Bobby has been on them since he came with me in April and is just a normal happy go lucky dog. Puggles is the BEST person for advice in regards to any epilepsy questions in regards to your dog. She is the WEALTH of info for this topic on DOL...

Blood in Stools thread Here is the specific one I was thinking of.

Canine colitis?? There is a thread I responded to a while back that outlined the symptoms, etc. I will try to find it and post the link...

Just wanted to add that he is being fed a diet of tuckertime (free of preservative, artificial colours and flavours) and chicken necks/wings. Will also add some sardines to his diet and the fish oil tabs... As I believe seizures/epilepsy is diet related as far as preservatives, etc are concerned??