Mooper

Thank you, BMP. You were one of the few locals who met the little man. I'll never forget this lovely photo that your OH took of Scamp when you brought Rupert (your first foster?) around for a playdate: I said goodbye to Scamp, in a weird way, this morning. I had a dream, just before I woke up, that he climbed on my lap and curled up, sitting there just looking up at me while I stroked him and said goodbye. I woke up sobbing, but it felt good to say goodbye. It seemed so realistic ;) I was probably stroking my OH's head in my sleep ;)

I've just read the Show Ring thread and been reduced to tears ... I'm so very sorry that Cassie had to go so soon. RIP little lady

Thank you all I can't believe he's gone When we got Scamp, I remember thinking my Grandma wouldn't be with us for long ... she's still here at 96yo or so , but Scamp is gone

Mum called this morning to say our beloved Scamp (by name and nature) was PTS yesterday with a massive tumour on his liver. It must have been so aggressive ... it just came out of nowhere, but we hope that means he wasn't in pain for long. He went off his food last week, dropped some weight and condition, and went straight to the vet. That day, Thursday, lumps began appearing everywhere. The vet offered to give him pain medication and send him home, but mum and dad knew it was time to say goodbye. Scamp came to us from a farm as a very young puppy, in 1995. His mother had been run over by a tractor when he was very young and he seemed to have no idea how to be a dog. Our family cat, Misty, taught him how to be a cat instead He turned 14 in March. We never thought he'd make it that far. We nearly lost him as a pup, with the Weston Creek vet taking him home overnight to make sure he made it through a mystery illness. He had a second brush with death when bitten by a snake a few years back. And more recently he nearly choked on a chicken wing. But it wasn't his time until yesterday. Rest in peace, little man. Your mate Chloe misses you as much as we all do. xx

Happy birthday, Ollie dog Enjoy the family celebrations

I think it cost us around $1000 all up to have Jack's lump tested, then removed once it was shown to include mast cells, then tested again to show that they'd got it all and that it was a grade III tumour. The lump was near his waist area and they took loads of flesh with it. ETA I hope you get some good news ...

Great news on the mast cell, and I hope Fred's stitches heal quickly

Poor Ruby has been in the wars! Fingers crossed the next mange scrapes come back clear

Fred landed on his feet with you The support here is fantastic My dog Jack was diagnosed with a grade III MCT in October 2007 and recovered really well from surgery. I'd read all sorts of horror stories about the prognosis but they managed to get clear margins and we haven't found any more lumps or bumps. He's on medication for life from Addison's disease (underactive adrenal gland) but other than needing that, he's still like a puppy at 9 years of age. Best of luck to you and Fred on the MCT roller-coaster ride.

Onya, Ruby Thinking of you, LC. We'll definitely SMS next time we're passing your gate.

Oh, that last photo did it ... I'm so sorry Ruby was such a duffer. We drove past your place just this afternoon and I thought of SMSing to see if you were in -- I'm glad I didn't disturb you. Such a tragedy will take some time to come to terms with. RIP Ruby. Tommy will be missing his buddy. Take comfort in the knowledge that Ruby had a wonderful time with the Longclaw clan.

Hi Deb, and welcome to Dogzonline. I'm sorry to hear that Kelly has Addison's, but pleased that you finally have a diagnosis and you're seeing positive changes already. I think Jack's florinef tablets are 0.1mg each, so he's on 0.6mg per day (three tabs in the morning and three in the evening). The cortate tabs are 5mg each, I believe, and he's down to one per day. The vet said this is pretty normal for a 30kg dog Whatever the case, he's doing really well on it and that's what matters to us. Even better, he's getting used to taking the pills. He used to fight if I tried to drop them down the back of his throat and hold his muzzle until he swallowed, so I was giving him the tablets in low-fat cheese and such. Now he takes the pills without complaint!

Hi Jettas Mum. I'm sorry to hear that your young rotty has been struck by this disease. Those Newy vets sound great Best to give the vet a call and ask about bowel movements. Jack's haven't been sloppy, but he's been on a raw diet for ages. The only time he does sloppy poos is when he gets into the bag of blood 'n' bone that I have for the garden ... :shakehead: Jack went back for his 1-month checkup yesterday and got the all-clear :p All levels are looking good, so he's down to a single Cortate each day, still with 3 Florinex morning and night until next month's urinalysis. They said a blood test shouldn't be necessary next time unless we notice any change in him. I hope you get some answers for Jetta soon and that her levels stay good.

Your vet is fantastic, Staffyluv, so I'm sure he wouldn't even suggest removing Ollie's toe unless it's the lesser of two evils. Great news that the boofer is home, and was tempted by some BBQ chook. I hope he picks up a little with your TLC tonight

I hope it's nothing ...

An update on Jack :D He's responded really well to the medication and we've turned back the clock by several years We couldn't be happier. Well, it would be nice if he left the strawberry patch in its previously pristine form, but I'm prepared to put up with a little displaced mulch :p Thanks to everyone for their support. We're not out of the woods yet, but things look a heck of a lot better than they did last week!

I'm so glad to hear Ollie is back to his usual cheeky self, Staffyluv

She put up a heck of a fight, Helen, and has you to thank for the years of tender loving care. Enjoy tending the flock at the bridge, Lucinda

I wondered why we hadn't seen photos for ages! Good to see you're back into it again :rolleyes:

Rest in peace, beautiful Buddy

He's done an indoors zoomies session now, too. It's the first time he's played with his toys all week, and I got all teary (great news, Spotted one. Enjoy the challenges!) Thanks for your support These dogs are, indeed, a worry PM. It's to be expected as he ages, I suppose, but that doesn't make the changes any easier to accept.

I've just come home to be greeted by a total nutter of a dog who had found a buried rawhide in the garden. We had zoomies, play-bows, playful barking ... I've never been so happy in my life

It floats my boat, Spotted, and I reckon Jack would be sorely tempted by it, too Words can't describe how pleased we were to have acted quickly. I initially felt silly, saying to my OH that we really couldn't go to the vet with the mere symptoms of depression. We wondered whether the change in routine of me leaving home early, working full-time etc was upsetting him. Then came the other symptoms and it was time to act. Hopefully someone else reading this one day will also act quickly

Thanks for the link, squeak. I was reading that site yesterday Yes, LoveisGolden, we will look at Jack's diet. He has been on an all-raw diet since his mast-cell tumour of October 2007. The vet has suggested that because of high protein levels in Jack's urine, I should cut out the morning bones and just give him the sloppy BARF mix both morning and night until things stabilise. Hubby did all the vet visits this time, and doesn't tend to ask as many questions as me so I'm planning to give the vet a call for a chat. There are apparently injections that can be done every 25 days or so instead of so many tablets a day, which I read tends to work out cheaper for a larger dog. So I'll ask about that option. It may not be available until we know how this medication program is working. Jack ate 2/3 of his BARF tonight, or 200g, which is a vast improvement on a few days ago.

My 9yo ACD x has just been diagnosed with primary Addison's disease (underactive adrenal glands). Please don't feel silly if your dog seems 'depressed' -- go to the vet, as we did. The vet said Jack may have had heart failure by now if we hadn't acted so quickly. His symptoms were pretty tough to pinpoint, but the first thing I noticed was that he tired quickly on even the shortest walks. Then he got hotspots for the first time ever. Followed by extreme thirst, then lethargy, then fussiness with food. Jack is not a dog who has ever been a fussy eater When he wouldn't even touch his morning bones or his evening BARF, hubby took him to the vet. Apparently a dog's sodium:potassium ratio should not fall below 25 -- Jack's was at 17. Nearly crisis point. He perked up last night at the vet's, and ate some tinned food that they offered him. He was on a saline drip overnight and was pretty much back to his usual self this morning, charming all of the staff He's certainly much happier tonight, and just came running as I got his BARF from the freezer. I've been told to avoid the morning bones for a while and just give him BARF twice a day. His kidneys aren't processing protein properly, which the vet believes is linked with the Addison's symptoms. Jack's blood tests came back with no signs of his mast-cell tumour from October 2007 having returned Cancer was our first thought when we found it yesterday that the vet suspected Addison's, which was confirmed this afternoon. But, so far, it seems the cancer hasn't returned (phew!). Jack is on 6 Florinef pills a day (3 in the morning, 3 at night) and two Cortate (one each, morning and night) until his next blood test in mid-March. At that time, the vet expects we can re-introduce bones but we'll see. He also expect the Cortate dosage to drop to 1 tablet every second day. Again, we'll wait and see how Jack responds to this medication regime before looking too far ahead. I've read some other threads here of people with dogs who have lived a full life on medication after diagnosis, so we're feeling positive. So thank you to those who have shared their dog's stories :cool: