dogbesotted

HAPPY HAPPY BIRTHDAY OLLIE DOG! we are all celebrating with you ....woohoo! nine years old almost mature.

Erny, Just to let you know that Kal is constantly in my thoughts and prayers...dear sweet girl has been through so much ( along with you). The medication effect can settle after a while and sometimes there is some adjusting to do until they do settle. Sending tonnes of healing energy to you both. Hugs Helen

Erny, Thinking of you both and sending heaps of positive energy Kals way. Hang in there. Hugs helen

Pauline, I know your pain. These special souls are with us for such a short time. I had to help two of my elderly dogs to The Bridge last year and it is the hardest thing to do. I knew it was time but that really does not help the heart. Cooper will let you know when he is ready...I cant tell you how but you will know. My Jake had dilated cardiomyopathy and I was very afraid that he would suffer greatly. In just a few short weeks he went from a vibrant 12 year old to a tottering frail shadow of his former self. Giving hi his meds was a trial for him and he did not want to eat. When he would hardly acknowledge my presence because it took so much effort I knew it was time. His peripheral circulation was deteriorating and his paws and ears felt very cold... Just recently I came across some words of wisdom that I feel may be appropriate here: """Death isn't losing the game. Death is unavoidable; it's a part of life. If you make death a safe, loving, comfortable experience, then you've won the game." -- Dr. Eric Clough, VMD, Hospice Care for Pets sending you plenty of prayers for strength and peace with whatever decisions you make. Sending Cooper prayers for a peacefull crossing when the time is right for him. Remember Cooper has lived his life surrounded by your love and care and he will cross to the next surrounded by your love and car. Hugs Helen

agreed Skysongtollrz BUT ( there always seems to be a but ) foods containing grains and corn in particular are implicated in the development of hot spots in susceptable dogs. so looking at diet is worthwhile. If checking for corn in a product..you need to look for maize, corn, and the by products some manufactuerer can be devious and conceal the high grain content of the product by listing individual ingredients under other neams but it is the total amount that is important.

WE HAVE POOP!!!!!! AT 5.11 Oscar passed a beautifully formed, if soft, poop.

well still no poop! Time is starting to run out for Oscar. Panic is well set in for me. Have been feeding Oscar small meals, rice congee, with chicken, punpkin and oils added. If anyone else has any ideas at all..please let me know. margali is still barkless..and a barkless livestock guardian dog is like apple pie without icecream. Lucinda is LOVING life at the moment

delighted to hear that Maddie is at home where she belongs... and that soon this incident is just a distant memory.

hey Eagle pack! can you direct me to where i can find ingredients lists for your products etc....

"we dont like to get our paws wet" the bullies are such fragile little souls - For all their reputation of being fierce..Jake also did not like to get his paws wet, go out in the rain or outside when it was a little bit cool. Note the word cool....as soon as the temperature would drop a tiny bit he would place himself in front of the fire place giving me meaningful looks interspersed with full body shivers. God i miss him. I use: "Urine-Off" odour and stain remover. it seems to work well.

Lucinda is terrific.....very active and tearing about the place. She really loves the colder weather and loves the new foster Angel. Plays with her etc. great to see. Margali is still barkless....a sad state for a maremma whose reputation for barking is huge. Apart from the barklessness she seems fine. Oscar is still alive..have a call into Sue at All Natural Vet for advice on Oscars first meal of the day which i feel is quite important for getting that colon to do its work.

Jodie, It is most likely the effects of the pred...poor lad probably cant hang on. Lucinda used to stagger to the water bucket, drink what seemed like gallons, stagger away pee, then return for more water. she was so thirsty and sometimes even peed and drank at the same time. Erny could be on to something with the comment that Ollie is perhaps remembering peeing on the tiles. Can you get some spray on deoderiser from the vet to take away any remaining urine smell ( which his oh so sensitive doggy nose will be picking up) Hugs to Ollie dog

Erny, I thought the same about the increased v decreased muscle tone...but it is a copy from the article...shrug so your guess is as good as mine in that respect. also the caninecushings autoimmunecare group at yahoo has some excellent information re lysodren etc. http://groups.yahoo.com/group/CanineCushings-AutoimmuneCare/ How is kal today?

well here we go again! sigh. Oscar has not been himself again..the breathing problem has eased ( thanks to the pred) but his prostate has not gone down as much as we would have liked. For the past couple of nights he has had some difficulty with bowel motions! But in the mornings had seemed much better. This morning I checked him and he seemed OK, so took my husband to the airport. got back to find Oscar as flat as a tack..he could barely move so off to the vet. he has megacolon as well as everything else! we are praying that the nerves recover.....so if you could spare some prayers for him it is appreciated. now monday, i have an apptointment for Margali who has lost her bark. cheers helen

A very interesting read>>>> Thiamine deficiency in dogs due to the feeding of sulphite preserved meat. Singh M, Thompson M, Sullivan N, Child G. Veterinary Specialist Center, North Ryde, South Wales. A 6-year-old dog, a 4-year-old dog and three 7-week-old puppies were diagnosed with thiamine deficiency caused by feeding sulphite treated meat. The 6-year-old dog presented with a history of inappetence, weight loss and vomiting that rapidly progressed to signs of multifocal intracranial disease including mental dullness, paresis, seizures, spontaneous nystagmus and strabismus. Thiamine pyrophosphate effect was elevated at 58% and magnetic resonance imaging revealed bilaterally symmetrical hyperintensity of the caudate nucleus and rostral colliculi. The dog recovered with thiamine supplementation. The 4-year-old dog and three 7-week-old puppies also presented with rapidly progressive multifocal central nervous system signs including ataxia, paresis, increased muscle tone, seizures, nystagmus and exophthalmos. The 4-year-old dog made a rapid recovery with thiamine supplementation. Euthanasia and necropsy of a puppy revealed malacia of multiple brainstem nuclei and oedema of the cerebral cortex. These findings were consistent with thiamine deficiency.

Update on Oscar, the cortisone has done its job..his breathing is much easier and he is far more lively..thank heavens. Lucinda is doing great at the moment....

Yay! way to go Ollie! Jodie i am so pleased Ollie is having a great UP time! So is lucinda..she is disgustingly perky at the moment. Put on her very best slavering savage dog act for the man delivering the water this week...I was delighted to see that ( dunno if the bloke on the receiving end was tho LOL). Oscar is on the improve too ( not what we were suspecting ..it appears that altho his heart is slightly enlarged ( acceptable for his age according to specialist) but the breathing is due to thickened bronchial passages...so he is on pred for a short time..his has been much happier and much more comfortable since then. Have appt with Sue for this afternoon to see if we can put together something less harsh for him. Please give ollie dog heaps of smooches from me..I really miss those bully snuggles, kisses and snorts and snores. Helen

I have discussed annula vaccinations with my vet and he too is perfectly confortable with no annula boosters. He too agrees that the latest literature is showing that immunity is n0ot dependent upon annual boosters. It think it is difficult for vets to take a stand at the moment..it puts their practise at risk if they advise a different protocol than that which is r4ecommended. It is a "be damned if you do be damned if you dont scenario". Which leave the individual dog owner in the position of having to do their own reseacrh and making their own decisions. The Mercury artcile will hopefully push more people to at least start asking questions and questioning. For far too long many people have been far too accepting of whatever their vet or dr says or prescribes. I am not being critical of drs and vets but rather of just believing hwatever we are told as being set in concrete. If I had accepted that my Lucinda would have been put to sleep nearly 4 years ago..instead she is still here and still feisty. There is one vet practice that I know is providing the "three year" vaccination now.

Oscar update: His breathing is still laboured. But the specialist does not believe it is his heart or that he has cancer. Rather that he has thickening of the lung walls...we are now trying coryisone ( briefly) in an attempt to improve his quality of day to day life. Will be contacting Barbara and collegues today. Lucinda is still frisky and veyr playful. Delighted herself by frightening the water delivery man this morning..put on a very convincing dispaly of agressive nasty dog. LOL

Dear Karen, If Wags were speaking now..he would be saying thankyou for the love and care throughout his life and thanking you for having the strength and above all the love to release him from his earthly constraints. I will be lighting a candle this evening in his honour. Soar with the eagles Wags...you have earned it. Helen

Lucinda is having agreat time at the moment. Her brother Oscar..we are still awaiting the specialists interpretation of chest x rays. There is something nasty going on with heart and lungs. sigh. it seems to never end.

heaps of hugs to you both..enjoy every single moment. helen

Jodie, I do know how you feel....even if Lucinda has not undergone chemo. But we need to try to keep in mind that Lucinda and Ollie know nothing about what they have been diagnosed with. They may have down days..but they bounce back, I think because they have no preconceived ideas about what is happening. If they feel good then for them thats to be taken advantage of..( unlike humans who can waste a lot of quality time pondering the future ). Dogs are great examples of "carpe diem" grasp the day. We can all learn from them. we are having a bit of a down time. yesterday Oscar, Lucindas litter brother was at the vet. 3rd time this tear. previous visits, blood tests etc have revealed nothing but yesterday ..xrays show that there is something very nasty going on - heart and lungs involved and that bloody C word has poppped up again, as well as possible heart failure. So I am trying to practice what i preach and desperately grasping for the day... Thursday afternoon should bring more information from the specialist. Its not bloody fair!

Jodie, you and Ollie are certainly well on the rollercoaster ride. Sending prayers that Ollies white cells rally and that all goes well. Hugs

hehehe! poo checks. such a fun occupation. years ago when my heart dog Morris had thrombocytopenia ( which causes bleeding) we needed to check each bowel movement. Now Morris was a very private dog and if he noticed that we were watching him he would scurry off and go about his business out of sight. So we would take it in turns to watch thru the binoculars...then one would direct the other to THE SPOT. now Morris was a huge dog ( 70kgs) and of course did huge poos ( ) but by golly it was hard locating them just the same. Many a time i just knew I was in the right vicinity- that odour is unmistakable - but actually finding the target could be time consuming. Sometimes i wonder what they think about our apparent obsession with their bodily functions. LOL