MerlinsMum

Oh no, I'm so sorry to hear that you had to let D.C. go :( :grouphug Rest in peace, pretty girl.

Tears are streaming down my face after reading your beautiful tribute. I am so, so terribly sorry :weep Still finding it hard to take in :grouphug

Try to take deep breaths and focus on your breathing. I know it can seem silly, but it will help you, I promise. Also, even though I totally understand why you helped yourself to some wine (I would have too!!), make sure you don't drink too much as it's a depressant. It makes me awfully sad to read about the stray cat problem in hour area How irresponsible But at least it means you can be fairly sure that no one is missing their companion. Maybe some music or a funny stand-up comedy show would take your mind off things a bit? Take care.

I'm sorry you experienced that I watched Merlin grab a squirrel and shake it as s/he was dying, it was horrible, and left me shaken up for two days, and that was nothing compared to what you had to deal with Is there any way you can report it? Someone may be worried about their kitten and wondering where she is For better or for worse, whether you agree with people letting their domestic cats roam free or not, some people feel that their cats are different from their dogs in that respect and should be allowed to prowl around the neighborhood. It doesn't necessarily follow that they don't care about the cat. Just a thought. :grouphug ETA - I just saw your last post. I must say that I couldn't disagree more with your adoption group's advice - especially if you have a reasonable idea whose cat that was. They have a right to know what happened to their cat, and you are not liable since it happened on your property. I realize that it may cause some bad feeling, but quite honestly if they are happy to let their cat roam free they need to expect that this tragic outcome could be a very real possibility. I still think that telling them is the right thing to do.

Xan, I think this is what Sagan developed a couple of weeks ago. He is the world's biggest klutz and banged it against something (can't recall what). It looked swollen, but strangely enough the swelling seemed to increase over the next day or two before going down again. It didn't swell up immediately. When it did, it was soft and squidgy. No bruising or redness and he wasn't bothered by it He seems fine now Hopefully Brilly just banged it against something and it will go down on its own

I am so very sorry :grouphug

Good point. Especially for him, He's a man-queen :lol Brilliant! Hoping for some good news SOON. :goodluck

I just logged on. I am in utter shock. I can't believe it. Jeannie - I don't know what to say right now other than I am desperately sorry. :cry1

Gosh, I missed this completely! Poor Sadie So glad the surgery was straightforward and that there were no complications. Kisses to your beautiful girl

Waiting is the worst Thinking of you, Robin!

Just saw your FB post and rushed here. I'm so sorry, Robin, I didn't know that Phene had problems with his rear leg. My fingers are tightly crossed for your boy.

Oh my goodness, I missed this thread completely I am sooooo glad Chase is eating some kibble! Hopefully she will become more and more comfortable and won't need to be syringe-fed soon. I am keeping her in my thoughts and sending a ton of good thoughts and hugs your way. :goodluck

I'm so sorry. :grouphug Rest in peace, Doc.

I'm so sorry :grouphug

Oh, poor girl I don't know what might be going on - her symptoms seem very different from what Merlin has been experiencing over the last few weeks, so no real advice to give, but sending lots of good thoughts for Choo! :goodluck

:yay That's great news! Let's hope the antibiotics help! That is a VERY GOOD roach

Poor Bunny! How is she doing today? Have you tried using nutritional yeast? Its "cheesy" flavor is enticing to dogs sometimes. However, if she's not even reacting to the word treat, I would think she may be feeling nauseous and/or have a tummy upset. I'm keeping her in my thoughts. :goodluck

Oh, I loooooove her sweet face!! Welcome home, Annie!!

Yup - but Merlin is a wizard and he just has to be different I just hope he keeps eating the dry kibble and doesn't go off it in a couple of days - or we're in trouble I just spoke to my vet. She said that anywhere between 30 minutes and 2 hours is okay in terms of spacing out the Sucralfate and the Pepcid. She did say I should probably wait at least 30 minutes before feeding him, so that's what I'll do. And then I'll give him the Pepcid. I am very very grateful for everyone's advice... I just feel that if this is working, I should probably stick to it. We'll see, though. I'm open to changing anything and everything I'm doing if it turns out not to work. So please do keep any suggestions coming, I may not update as often as I'd like, but I read EVERYTHING! The latest is that he had FULLY FORMED, FIRM poop this afternoon!!!!!

Hi all - I'm sorry I've been stingy with the updates - I have SO much going on at the moment... work is killing me, we're having a crisis at home unrelated to Merlin, and then of course, first and foremost, there's so much to do in terms of the wizard, including talking to the vet and keeping daily logs up to date. Not easy to do considering I've had no more than 2 hours' sleep per night since Sunday... I'm kind of a wreck. Thank you SO much for your continued thoughts and advice. They are helping more than you know. Well, here's a GOOD update for a change. Since he started on the Sucralfate - oh my! What a change! First of all, he is now eating, so I can give him his antibiotics. And he is keeping the food down! We separated the dogs the last couple of days while we were at work, so that Merlin wouldn't have to wear his muzzle, just in case he needed to vomit. I didn't want him to be uncomfortable and I'm always worried about the possibility of him choking on his vomit He was actually happy and playful with us when we got home yesterday! And very eager to go walkies. He was marching ahead like a trooper!! We have been crushing the Sucralfate and then putting it in a syringe, then adding 2-3 ccs of water to the syringe, mixing it up, and administering that orally. Merlin really hates it, but I use my sing-songy voice and praise him as if he just won the London Marathon, so he deals with it. I'm just waiting for him to feel so much better that the stink-eye makes a reappearance I agree with you. Sucralfate can only work in an empty stomach. It needs to bind/coat the stomach and intestines. Pop the pill in the mouth and then squirt a little water to make sure it dissolves in the stomach (or you could dissolve the pill in some water then squirt it in his mouth, some dogs dislike this though). Pepcid will inhibit the sucralfate if given too close. Just be on the safe side give the sucralfate a couple hours before feeding the pepcid, then feeding food. I believe you can dose it every 8 hours. Thank you for your suggestions... I will speak to my vet about this, as she said to give him the Pepcid 30 minutes after the Sucralfate, although she must know what she's talking about because the improvement has been AMAZING. His poop was even semi-formed this morning! Considering that on Wednesday night there was blood gushing out of his rear end, I am inclined to stick with what seems to be working. But I do give the Sucralfate a while before feeding. Still - I will call her to find out what she says. Maybe I'll try to give him the Sucralfate at 6pm, then the Pepcid at 7pm, than feed him. So far I've been giving him the Sucralfate, then waiting just ten minutes, feeding him and then giving him the Pepcid 30 mins later... He wouldn't eat the wet I/D (I'm done with that stuff) but he is eating the dry kibble. The vet suggested the wet food because it's more easily digestible, but quite frankly he wasn't going to eat it, even after fasting for 36 + hours, and he was soooo hungry, and I was really worried about the interruption in the administration of Flagyl, so I tried the dry and he went for it. I am sure we are nowhere near finding a solution, but I'm going to take it one step at a time and keep in touch with the vet every day or every other day.

I'm so very sorry Those pictures are just so beautiful. And the first one literally took my breath away Rest in peace, sweet Rory.

Sending LOTS of good thoughts for Kelly tomorrow!! He will be fine, you'll see but I know how hard it is not to worry, especially when anaesthesia is involved I'll be thinking of you both tomorrow and keeping my fingers crossed that all goes well and that the results are good news. And yes, please make sure you keep us posted! :goodluck :goodluck For Kelly -->

Thank you so much for all your suggestions. I haven't had a chance to read all my PMs yet but I will reply ASAP. I just got back from walking the dogs - separately. Merlin had bloody diarrhea again and it was a strange raspberry type color I was at the vet for over an hour earlier today. While I was at the dentist (for a crown AND a root canal - a good day! ) she called me and left a long message addressing all my questions and the suggestions I received here. She suggested I catch her before her afternoon appointments. I drove over there and we went through everything - she still thinks the most likely scenario is IBD. We went over so many possibilities that my head was spinning at the end of it all. But we decided that we're going to try the I/D again (wet only as it's easier to digest) and Flagyl for the next 24 hours, then I'll add Tylan. I'll update her daily. I have to monitor his gums, and monitor him for signs of weakness, etc. She did suggest that if things get really bad we may have to consider surgery. Of course it's even more invasive than an endoscopy, so very scary but it would give us answers in a way that the scope might not. Anyway, that's hopefully a distant option. What worries me most at this time is watching him vomit and have bloody diarrhea constantly, and not knowing what to do (and feed him) on a day-to-day basis. Susan - thanks for your offer! Merlin is already seeing a specialist - that's where we did the ultrasound. I spoke with her again yesterday when she suggested switching from the Metro to Tylan and then proceeding with a scope of that doesn't work. I just don't want to waste money on a scope that might tell me nothing when I can use that money on finding something that works for him. I will willingly go into debt for my wizard, but the way things are going that's going to be the case anyway, so I need to make sure that I go into debt to obtain a *result*. I am petrified of finding myself completely broke and unable to make the best decisions for Merlin if things get really bad. I am beyond worried about going to work and leaving him tomorrow. I have so much to do that I can't take any more time off right now... I'm going to have to separate the dogs so that I can leave Merlin unmuzzled in case he needs to vomit. Sagan is NOT going to like that at all, I hope he doesn't freak out Anyway, the vet sent us home with Sucralfate as well. I have to give it to him 30 minutes before I give him his Pepcid. Oh, and I love my vet. She met with me for well over an hour and she didn't charge me a penny.

And yes, I do want to know more about the ultrasound and exactly what she saw and didn't see there. All I was told is that they didn't find anything. I'm not medically trained, so I don't know enough to be able to ask all the right questions without doing some personal research first, which is frustrating. I have also thought about a consult with OSU. My vet met him a couple of years ago and is familiar with his work, which helps. DH and I have decided to fast him this morning. At least that will give his tummy and GI tract some rest until I can talk to my vet. I think I may go see her this morning before she heads into surgery.

UPDATE 4/27 We had a horrible night. I thought Merlin might keep the hamburger and rice down, but he didn't. Around 9pm it all came up, presumably together eighths Pepcid and the Tylan Then before bed he asked to go out and he had liquid diarrhea - with blood at the end. I didn't sleep again last night as his stomach was loud and I wanted to be ready if he needed to go out. I laid down next to his bed and stroked him. He really relaxed for a bit, bit around 3am he got up and dry-heaved (or close, there was just foam in the bowl when I looked). I went out with him just now - "garden hose" type blood. What now?! Clearly the hamburger and rice don't work. For now I'm going to have to see if he eats some I/D - at least that wasn't producing rivers of blood out of his rear end I really hope my vet has some suggestions on what else we can try. I don't want to do the scope yet without trying other things first. I'll put together a sheet with your suggestions and see what she says....