greyhndz

Thank you so much for posting this, Robin. I only just now opened my e-mail from Dana and was coming to post (with a lot of tears in my eyes). And thank you for posting all of those beautiful photos. I think Dana will have some very special memories of Cartier, with especially exciting remembrances of his winning his recent "Polished Pooch" title. It was an honor well-bestowed on a baby who got to live the most wonderful year of his life with his mommy. It's only a few weeks short of his 1st Gotcha Day. Godspeed you beautiful boy. You'll live on in mommy's heart (and ours' too) forever. And we won't forget this:

The strangest things make us happy, don't they? Sutra, we're very proud of your bowels today. I really think it was the figs that did it. No matter...

Fly free, sweet Peanut. You're with your brother now, and there will never be a minute you will be out of your mom and dad's hearts. I'm so sorry, Beth and Pete.

I am sooo sorry to hear this. Quilty was an enigma on GT. She brought such dignity and courage with her, and I know every day you spent with her was a gift. Godspeed, little love...

Fig newtons are da BOMB! (No matter what flavor). I would think the figs might get his gut going again, so stand by!

Thank doG!!! What flavor fig newton? Keep on eating and getting better, handsome boy..

This sucks beyond belief. BUT... remember that there are some long-term osteo survivors out there (right, Mr. Winslow?), and there's no reason you shouldn't have hope that Neyla will be one of them. You WILL get through this, and make the decisions that you know are right for you and Neyla, because you're such a loving mom. But do hold onto that hope...

Jen, there are some xrays of osteo on GreytHealth, in an article by Dr. Couto: Neyla is not allowed to have osteo. We have met our quota for the month. Hoping very hard that you will be getting reassuring news. Big ear rubbies to Neyla.

Aw, that's the best news, Kristin!! Keep up the good work, Sutra! What a huge relief it must be, seeing him getting back to all his funny, Sutra-y little behaviors. Do you still have those oatmeal cream cookies on hand? OK, maybe not tonight. But soon. Mashed potatoes are good stuff! Hugs and skritches sweetie pie.

There are two general types of renal failure: acute and chronic. Acute renal failure is usually pretty catastrophic - the dog is *sick*. Depression, lethargy, anorexia, vomiting, increase water intake/urinary output, but dilute urine. There may be bleeding in the GI tract and anemia, from the renal failure itself. There's no question that you would be looking at a gravely ill dog. Chronic renal failure may not even manifest symptoms, or perhaps PU/PD (incr. drinking/peeing). There may be sporadic loss in appetite, weight loss but the dog may appear to be pretty healthy. Besides checking bloodwork, hopefully your vet also checked the urine carefully (including micro exam) and ran a urine culture. If the renal functions tests are elevated, a renal ultrasound would probably be in order. I'm a huge fan of internal medicine vets. Renal disease can be difficult to manage at times, and both my vet and myself appreciated having the IM vet to consult for any problems. I hope all kidney function tests come back normal, so this thread will be unnecessary. Hugs to sweet Dylan!

Kristin, you might ask your vet about just using tylenol #3 (codeine). I've used it for all my osteo dogs if the tramadol was no longer effective, and had no problem.

Kristin, Sutra isn't still on Deramaxx, is he?

What a sweet, poopy-looking face! He looks kind of stoned, but between pain meds and anti-emetics for his vomiting, I'd be stoned too. I'll bet tomorrow morning he'll be waking from the fog. Those oatmeal cream cookies are going to look a lot better then. (If he doesn't want them, send em over to me!) You can try a little burger, or even some of the jars of strained baby meats. They're stinky enough to get his attention. Feel better, Sutra! Feel better, Kristin!

Hi Kristen! Hoping to hear good news this morning, the best being that he's lying in bed beside you giving you a little stink eye for making him go to the hospital. Hugs to you and to your sweet boy, and nothing but good news! ETA: Has Sutra been on an NSAID recently?

Larry is too gorgeous to have anything wrong with him. But you definitely have lots of healing and loving thoughts coming your way!

I think xanax or any benzo is a wonderful drug and certainly has its place in treating various anxiety disorders (in humans and in dogs). But I'd suspect that dogs, as is true for humans, develop tolerance over time, meaning that they need a higher dose of medication to obtain the same result. This is not addiction (dogs can't develop addiction - this is a disorder limited to humans) but they can become *dependant*, meaning that they will experience withdrawal symptoms if the drug is withheld. All this means is that whenever you or your vet decides to stop xanax, it should be done as a gradual taper. I think behavioral techniques, homeopathy, environmental changes are all good options, but for symptoms as severe and ongoing as as Cash's have been, medications may make the difference between debilitating anxiety and quality-of-life. Disclaimer: I practice allopathic medicine so my training points me toward logical, scientific solutions, but I am very eager to incorporate alternative and integrative treatments as well. But severe symptoms that haven't responded to the extensive efforts that Chris has made, need a different approach. Chris, you have worked so long and so hard, and I can't think of anything that you haven't tried. And I think you're right on target about making a change in her meds. I also think your research has pointed you in the right direction -- in all likelihood, either an SSRI such as fluoxetine or sertraline; a tricyclic such as clomipramine or imipramine, or a different type of drug such as BuSpar, might be a better way to go. That said, I believe that most primary care vets don't have much experience in managing these medications for dogs whose problems are complex. If you can find one in your area, a veterinary behaviorist would be the best person to consult. They are most familiar with each of the meds, can determine which would be appropriate, can discuss with you the benefits/risks/side effects of each med, and know how to make changes if needed. Here are two links which should help you locate a board-certified vet behaviorist. I truly hope this will bring you the answers you seek to make Cash a happier, more secure little girl. ACVB vet behaviorists

You will never be without Peanut's spirit. Her beautiful presence will surround both of you every day, as does Smiley's. The only difference will be that their physical being that has limited them will be set free in a place we can't yet see. I hope today and tomorrow bring lots of warmth, sunshine, snoozes on the deck, ice cream, and unending love.

My heart breaks for you and Pete. It's not fair, Beth. It's just. not. fair. Hold Peanut tight, and try to fit a lifetime of love into your time together. You both have so much love to give, and you know that you'll always get lots of love in return from Peanut... and lots of love and compassion from us.

And please do post again if the vet tells you things that you don't quite understand. Hopefully everything will be OK!

Yup, Batmom is correct. Elevated urine specific gravity isn't necessarily indicative of renal disease, and certainly can't be used to diagnose azotemia without concurrent changes in renal function (assessed through check of renal function tests, acidity of the blood and urine, and at the least a microscopic exam of the urine to see if there are any abnormalities consistent with renal disease). Azotemia can be caused by many things, and involves either decreased blood flow to the kidneys, or some type of obstruction in the urine flow. Again, a microscopic urine exam and additional tests to measure "glomerular filtration rate, or GFR") will help in this diagnosis, as will a renal ultrasound. Do you know on what basis the dx of "azotemia" was made?

Is it happening when she sleeps? Of course the pred increased her urinary output, but that combined with a little spay incontinence could cause involuntary urination. The other possibility that's always on the list is a UTI. If there's any question, I'd bring a urine sample in to the vet to be tested. If there's no infection, and this occurs only when she's sleeping, discuss with the vet possibly putting her onto DES or another med used for spay incontinence (I don't like PPA), or since she won't be on this dose of prednisone for long, her urinary output will decrease in the next week or two. I'd probably opt to cover the bed with incontinence pads temporarily until she's voiding more normally. If the urination persists even after her pred has been tapered down, then you can discuss with your vet what your options are. How is Aleeya's eye doing? ETA: I'm not a fan of restricting water - it's a quick way for a dog to become dehydrated since she'll keep producing urine anyway. For washing: I usually use bleach, but either an enzymatic cleaner or vinegar should work well. For wiping down, I usually use an enzymatic cleaner, and I keep the cushions covered with some type of waterproof lining so the filling stays clean. The incontinence pads really help, too.

That beautiful, gentle face.... I'm so sorry. I know that face is etched deeply in your heart. :gh_run

And I'm so sorry to hear about Ali ... Thank you to everyone for your kindness. Here's one more photo of the "family". L to R is mum Penny, Jared, and Lexi in the back. All are Angels now.

OMG, I just saw this thread. You are living my worst nightmare, and my worst nightmare was a reality when my Kody was alive. Exact same scenario: always had thunderphobia but it escalated without warning, and he had broken through the fence TWICE - once when I was at work, the second time when I was home in bed. Thank doG for wonderful neighbors who called to tell me, and who caught him. After researching this quite a bit, and taking Kody to see Dr. Nicolas Dodman at Tufts, I wrote an article for CG detailing what I tried, what worked, and what didn't work. Marcia has it up on her website now: Pass the Prozac In short, what worked best for Kody (but was not a solution - Kody could never be left alone when storms were predicted) was Inderal (propranolol) 40mg given an hour before a storm was due. Melatonin also helped in combination with the Inderal. It is true that thunderphobia and the escape response are likely going to escalate, and even if you do find a combination of meds that suppress the escape response somewhat, you may want to look into options for having her in someone's care if a storm is predicted when you're not home. I developed my own phobia of Kody's thunderphobia after a while ... my fear of Kody not being in a safe, supervised place if an unannounced storm popped up was pervasive, and to this day, a rumble of thunder brings back my own anxiety over where Kody is. Please feel free to PM if you want to talk more. I know how overwhelming this can be.

Did Aleeya already start on the pred? (Just trying to figure out the timing, because you mentioned she'd finish off the Deramaxx, and 48 hrs later start on pred.) It's very unlikely the weight loss is due to steroids, especially if she's only been on them a day or two. However the doxycycline and pred can certainly cause GI unhappiness (how's that for a medical description? ) - specifically, gastritis, and that could make a big difference in her appetite. Are you giving her the pepcid regularly? Check with your vet, but I'd give it twice daily while she's on steroids. It can't be given at the same time as the doxy, though, because it interferes with absorption. Dogs on long-term steroids can lose weight because they lose muscle mass, but this isn't something that would occur at this point. I've never heard of pred or any steroid directly causing a problem with teeth or gums, however - any immunosuppressant can open the door to various oral infections, so perhaps that's what was meant. If she's started the pred, she's now on a relatively high dose, and this can really do a job on her tummy, so between the pred, the Deramaxx (even if she's stopped it) and the doxy, that would almost certainly account for her inappetance today. Pepcid and possibly sucralfate might make a big difference. If the vet mentioned an "A" drug, that's probably azathioprine (Imuran), an immunomodulator commonly used for various autoimmune diseases. Usually, the vet will start the azathioprine while a dog is still on prednisone, because it can take a couple of weeks for it to become effective. The vet will also carefully monitor her CBC and liver function tests while on it, as it can be toxic to the liver. (Lexi, my Angel iggy, had polyarthritis, was put onto azathioprine, and developed severe drug-induced hepatitis. However, Jared, her brother, was on azathioprine for most of his life for another autoimmune disorder, and never had a problem.) If Aleeya goes onto azathioprine, she'll probably be on it for quite a while. What a beautiful face, with those huge, shiny eyes! I so hope she's feeling better. I know you just want to know why this happened, and I really hope the answer is found quickly. If it turns out to be "ideopathic", as long as she gets better and doesn't have to go through this again, we'll all do the happy dance for her.