MerlinsMum

Oh my, Tracey :cry1 I had tears streaming down my face as I was reading your post Poor Jason and poor you, too I am so, so sorry. Cosmo was such a beautiful girl and she left a huge hole in your hearts Such vivid dreams about a loved one - especially one who left prematurely and took a big piece of your hearts with her - can shake one to the core. :grouphug Thinking of you.

Sorry to hear about the cut, Anne, but what FANTASTIC news about the TLI! Hope she heals up quickly It must be the day for toe injuries because Merlin now appears to have a cut on his front right foot too,and he keeps licking it!

Thanks, I'll consider it for sure, I'm new to I/D so I'll consult my vet before I do anything. I am planning to pick up some more I/D tomorrow, and I will keep feeding that for a bit (probably at least a week) and after that, I'll put him on a bland diet until I've decided (with my vet) what new kibble to try. He did some sun-bathing today (his favorite thing in the world) and seems to be in good spirits again (also very cuddly with me ) so fingers crossed that he continues to improve.

I haven't read the article, but I'd like to know more about the studies these assertions are based on. Spending 5 hours a day with their guardians? Being born in the 1990s? Being a family pet? All this - especially the last one - seems incredibly vague

Well, my vet thinks I should start to phase out the I/D tomorrow night (already? ) and mix in some of his old kibble, but I"m concerned about that. Amber's Soul was on it for two whole weeks the first time he had an episode. I was only given 4 cans so I will run out by Sunday night. I spoke with my vet today (she called me for an update, she's awesome that way) and I asked her if it would be okay to put him on a bland diet when I run out of the i/d, instead of his regular kibble. She said yes. But I think I'm going to just add some rice to the wet I/D so that it will last until Monday morning, then I'll drive to the vet's on Monday and pick some more up. I need more time on the I/D because I need to switch him to a different kibble - for some time now he's been going off the Pro Plan Sensitive Stomach and gotten awfully picky with his meals, so I think I need to switch him to something else. He has such a sensitive stomach, I was really hoping that he would stay on the Pro Plan for longer, as his poos have been great on that food (unlike other foods he was on before). Sigh. He just pooped and it was nasty dark diarrhea, very little of it, but no fresh blood at least, so I'm relieved. I did bring the hookworm issue up with the vet and she said that yes, if things don't improve we will put him on a round of Panacur.

Anne, thanks for the advice about I/D. This is my first time using this food, and using wet food as a substitute for kibble, so your comment about I/D versus kibble quantities is very helpful. The vet told me to start with 1/4 can every 3-4 hours and to increase that to 1/2 can if he keeps it down. I gave him 1/4 can this morning and then waited, he's kept everything down since last night so I just gave him a bit more. He gobbled it down - he is very hungry. He didn't seem to do very well during the car ride to the vet's - his eyes looked strange again - but I think it's possibly because he was tired and hungry. He seems very keen to go for a walk. I didn't go too far with him because he bled profusely when they took the catheter out and I didn't want to worsen things. I'm sorry for everyone who has been through this - it definitely sounds as though a lot of us have

Tests for hooks often come back negative. We almost lost a dog some years back because tests kept coming back "negative." Hookworms can embed themselves in the walls of the intestine and go "dormant"; they're there, but the fecal exam won't find them. The treatment for hookworm is cheap and benign. Thanks, I'll ask my vet about it today when I call her with an update. Well, we had an uneventful night, thank GOODNESS. Such a relief. Merlin had the couch all to himself and we pulled a mattress onto the living room floor and slept next to him, so that we could keep an eye on him. I got up several times to offer him some water, but he didn't want any. This morning i took him out to relieve himself, and he peed several times but didn't poo. I was hoping to see what his poo was like before deciding whether to hav the catheter removed this morning, but he seems perky enough (and hungry, hurray) that we have decided to go back to the vet to have it removed. It's clearly bothering him, and they left it in in case we needed to take him to the e-vet last night, so they could simply plug an IV in him right away. He looks more "normal" to me this morning. But the proof is in the pudding, as they say (if you'll excuse the horrible poopy pun), so we'll see when he poops. Amber told me to be prepared to see dark blood in it - the rest of the blood in his colon that's been congealing since he stopped eating and relieving himself. He's had two Flagyl now, so I am keeping my fingers very tightly crossed that no bowel movement (including no blood) so far is good news...

Hi everyone. Thanks again SO MUCH to all of you for all your wonderful get well wishes, support, and good thoughts. I so appreciate them, you have no idea (or maybe you do?) what a difference it makes. I'm sorry I'm only posting now but it's been an utterly exhausting day. I just fed Merlin some I/D and he ate it voraciously. I also gave him a Flagyl. He's resting on the couch. I just had a real freakout because I noticed a soft mass on his side - super soft and wobbly, protruding from his side, and thought of CRAP, what on earth is that??? DH comes home with groceries and I tell him and he laughs. It was the subcutaneous fluid they "bumped" him up with to help with the rehydration process I know, I know, DH needs to carry this around his neck: Keep in mind that I haven't slept since Wednesday night, with the exception of an hour's nap this afternoon, so I am totally out of it. Hopefully that excuses me...? The vet said it was up to us whether we took him to an e-vet and left him there for the night on fluids to get back to normal or whether we took him home. I wasn't sure at first but when I saw how anxious he was to get into the car, I realized that the wizard wanted to be home more than anything else. And now I think we made the right decision. He is OUT cold on the couch. If he gets worse, we'll head to the e-vet. I have their phone number, address and route on file in my iPhone, so we can just jump in the car if we need to. By the way - someone asked about worms. They tested him for Giardia - that was the first thing they did. It came back negative. An especially big thank you to the wonderful, wonderful Amber Thank you for updating this thread for me, and always being there for me when I call you in a panic. Here's hoping for a peaceful night

Thanks everyone it breaks my heart to see my wizard like this but I'm trying to stay rational (not that easy after getting no sleep last night). We were at the vet's when they opened, Merlin's (grey-savvy) vet Dr. Katie Xan see him at 10am. We are a home now buy will be heading back out in 30 minutes. Merlin pooped more blood outside the vet's, and a few minutes ago on the couch, poor baby. He pooped himself too, just now, I've been trying to clean him up and doing a horrible job. I've never seen him this bad. As I told Amber on the phone this morning, I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw all that blood shooting out of his rear end Thank you for your continued good thoughts...

Thank you for your comments. He just had a drink of water and has curled up on the couch with a blankie. I'll stay here with him through the night and my clothes pile is ready in case I need to make a swift rush to the e-vet. My gut tells me he won't stay settled for long I just hope he can hold on until we can get to our regular vet, I trust her and she's grey-savvy. Don't much like he emergency vets around here at all.

We're outside and he doesn't want to go back in. He's walking very stiffly and lip-licking. No more diarrhea bit a lot of stretching and he's archig his back. He just retched bile twice. Gosh - not sure If this is getting to be an emergency or not ((

Merlin had a couple of good poops today, and then two really nasty ones -(pudding poo). At dinner time, he refused his food. An hour later, I gave him a very small amount of rice. He only ate some of it. Another hour later, he asks to go out and has horrible diarrhea. 30 minutes later he wants to go out again ans he has more diarrhea with bright red blood in it. He has a really loud gurgly tummy. I am not sure if the blood is just from straining or whether there is something else going on. He had a similar issue about 2-3 weeks ago. I'm wondering if he has worms or something. I didn't give him a Pepcid as the problem is clearly further down in his system. I am planning to call the vet first thing tomorrow morning, but is there anything I can give him tonight to make him more comfortable?

I'm so very sorry :grouphug

Kristen, I am so, so sorry.... :grouphug It really has.

:cry1 I'm so very sorry. :grouphug

I'm so terribly sorry, Sophie :cry1 :grouphug Rest in peace, sweet Giselle.

Oh no I'm so very sorry :( :grouphug :f_white

Yup. Like all homeopathic "remedies" (I use that word very loosely), it's 100% useless. I think that behavior conditioning through positive raining is your best option. I speak from experience... Merlin was a highly anxious dog when we adopted him -- he was a bounce -- and it took a lot of work before he realized he was home. But the training did the trick. He is now one of the most laid-back dogs on the planet

I'm so sorry Sending many many hugs to you :grouphug Rest in peace, Howard

I'm sorry I'm only seeing this thread now. How did it go? Hope "the little piglet" is recovering nicely from her dental

Just seeing this I'm so terribly sorry. You and Spencer are in my thoughts. I hope you have many happy days left together :grouphug :goodluck

I'm glad her passing was peaceful... I'm so very sorry she had to go Sending lots of hugs :grouphug Be gentle to yourself. Rest in peace, sweet Indigo

I'm only just seeing this Sending many, many hugs to you today. You are giving your sweet girl the biggest gift of Love anyone could ever give. :grouphug

Beau is always in my thoughts and he is now officially in my thoughts around the clock. Sending hugs and 100% positive thoughts your way, Robin.

Chris, Dude looks just FANTASTIC