greyhead

Godspeed Holly, and thanks for sending your mom a rainbow.

B-12 injections can be like magic for the appetite and cognitive functions. A whole bottle is cheap, and it's an easy shot to give under the skin! Plus, results are *fast*.

It's not unusual, with humans as well as dogs, to start higher -- to rectify the deficit faster -- and then monitor every 6 weeks and lower the dose as appropriate. If you're not comfortable with the dosage, tell the vet you want to start lower. In general, GH's get half the dose of other canines. ETA: Spencer, at 77 lbs., started at .5 Soloxine twice a day.

Time to revisit the possibility of TBD testing?

Some leg shaking is because of excitement while sniffing. If it happens while pottying, and leg-lefting is being avoided, there may be back-end trouble.

I'm so sorry, for both the loss of Clodagh and of Jackie. It is a wonderful gift to give them, to be let go when it's time. But it's so hard.

My heart is broken for you.

It's clear from your beautiful tribute how much you loved him, what a wonderful life you gave him, and how much he loved you. It made me cry. I'm so very sorry he had to leave, but he left on the best possible terms.

I'd probably do the thyroid panel. I'm sure your vet wouldn't have suggested it if she thought that chasing individual infections with scrapings was going to be beneficial. But you could have that discussion with her more thoroughly before you decide. I don't know about MSU these days, but IIRC they (full panel without interpretation) didn't used to cost an arm and a leg. Oops, Batmom posted while I was typing.

I think your vet's approach is a good one. Even if you find another infection with the culture, you have to wonder why he keeps getting skin infections. Thyroid is a candidate as a predisposer of skin infections -- oh, and ear gunk too.

We've had similar issues with our 11.5-year-old, who has LSS. We find gabapentin 3X/day (100 mg each), plus 1/2 methocarbamol at the same times, eliminates need for tramadol. Even 1/2 tramadol makes ours anxious! If I were in your place, I'd take that 600 mg. of gabapentin and divide it into 200 mg. 3X/day and see if that helps. For starters anyhow. Our Shane's panting/smiling led us to have to distinguish what was pain and what was anxiety. Turned out it was both. And some of that anxiety was due to tramadol. He would tend to overheat when panting heavily, but it was winter, so it wasn't the heat!

Me too. Recently it has been a combo of hookworms, pain, and stomach acid/gas. Sometimes we'd give a Pepcid, Zantac, or Gas-X and he would eat within a half-hour. Ensure in a bowl next to his food bowl was a good trick too; he'd start with the Ensure (1/2 bottle at a time) and then transition over to his regular food. Good luck.

I'm so sorry for your broken heart.

Thank you for sharing her beautiful self in this lovely tribute. I'm so sorry she's gone.

Well, I don't know if it's legal to ship it to the U.S. or not, I just know it's illegal to sell it here. I expect Novartis will say you can't have it shipped here either. That's why you can purchase it, without a subscription, from an Australian provider but they will not ship it to the U.S. (along with several other Novartis products). So if it's illegal, please don't tell me!!! I purposely wasn't making too big a deal of it on an Internet web site. What I'm sure about is that giving my senior something that makes him sicker than he already is would be less moral, by my standards, than obtaining a safer medicine by semi-duplicitous means. But that's just me. ETA: Just checked this web site, the FAQ's for ordering from Pets Megastore in Australia. Scroll down, and they address the issue of ordering Novartis products for shipment to the U.S. http://www.pets-megastore.com.au/faq.php

My seniors did fine on Interceptor and then a flea product once a year in the summer. Trifexis and Sentinel have both caused the problems the OP mentioned. It doesn't sit well with me that Interceptor seems to be for sale everywhere except the U.S. So with my vet's blessing, I'll be seeking it from some other country. Fortunately, I live close to Canada. Canadian peeps, can you tell me whether prescriptions are needed for Interceptor in Canada? (No problem, just need to know.) Thanks.

Oh Pam, I'm so sorry the time has come. You're in our thoughts, and they're sending love to you and Poodle.

I'm so sorry for your loss. He was a beautiful, accomplished houndie. Godspeed, Moose.

Awww, I can only send good thoughts for sweet Peggy and for you. Hoping for good news at the vet check.

If you loved each other for 10 years, I daresay her spirit is still close. Hope you can feel it and take some comfort. Do not stand at my grave and weep, I am not there; I do not sleep. I am a thousand winds that blow, I am the diamond glints on the snow, I am the sunlight on ripened grain, I am the gentle autumn rain. When you awaken in the morning’s hush I am the swift uplifting rush Of quiet birds in circled flight. I am the soft stars that shine at night. Do not stand at my grave and cry, I am not there; I did not die. Poem by Mary Elizabeth Frye.

Irene, I'm so sorry. Your heart is broken, and the poem is perfect. Godspeed Paul.

Wish I had more to offer than hugs, Pam, but I'm sending you those. I know how much you love your Poodle.

We just went through this with our 11-1/2 year old, sort of. He didn't whine, but he'd jump up every 20 minutes, and pace and pant. He did it occasionally during the day but it was mostly night. It appears to have been a bad resurgence of hookworms. Every time we treat for them, the behavior stops. (We're having to do multiple rounds of worming, and we can get Panacur OTC in our state, don't know about others.) Given your dog's youth, I'd suspect something like this before I'd suspect cognitive issues. In any case, good luck! ETA: We used Benedryl to knock him out, but it never really solved the problem. And it got to where even that didn't work. I should add that there is also a pain issue in our case, but we don't think that was responsible for the night time behavior.

I'm so sorry. Our hearts have broken with yours. You and Duke put up a truly valiant fight.