rascalsmom

We've had Jack for almost two years. He is six years old. Shortly after we adopted him we found that he has corns. He has one on each of his front feet. They are painful for him. He has also never had what I'd call 'good' poop. At first we fed him chicken and potatoes, and slowly transitioned him to dog food. Turned out the food we were giving him (Fromm) didn't work for him, so after awhile we put him on a prescription diet. The vet thought this would 'calm things down'. It did, and I then put him on mid-range food, such as Iams. He did okay on that, never 'great', but okay. We also put him on rimadyl for the corn pain. He has recently been getting it only once daily, after a meal. About a month ago he started vomiting bright yellow bile up, about twice a week, in the morning. On these days, he would not eat breakfast. A couple of weeks ago I took him for his checkup, and mentioned the vomiting to the vet. She did a bunch of blood work, etc, and everything came back fine. She told me to discontinue the rimadyl, and try tramadol. I've been doing that, usually just one pill (50 mg) per day. She also put him on sucralfate, 1/2 hour before meals, to coat the stomach. He has not thrown up since, but lately he is acting weird. We were out of town over the weekend, and my friend (who kept him and Rascal) said that on Saturday, Jack was trembling, and that he seemed uncomfortable getting up, etc. Her husband was also putting a new roof on, and I thought maybe those 'bad noises' were bothering him; also it was incredibly windy that day. Usually that doesn't bother Jack too much, but Ruby used to always get jittery in bad weather, so... Well, today, he would not eat breakfast. Or dinner. That's not like Jack. He has been shaking, panting gently, and been sort of glued to my side all day. It has also been rather windy and miserable today. I cannot figure him out. He is a quirky dog, but what the heck is wrong with him?? I can't give him pain pills if he won't eat, in case it IS pain of some sort....I should also add that the poop has further deteriorated....used to be sort of 'soft serve', but now it's more like thick gravy. Talk about a mess to try and clean up..... Any thoughts?

I never knew the 'history' of how you got Bee, Tricia. What an absolutely lovely story, and so wonderful that she ended up in exactly the right home. And how wonderful that, in spite of your grief, you can write such a touching story....These dogs really do make us better people in so many ways, don't they?

That happened to my angel, Buddy...only his tail was partly skinned. We had it xrayed (no breaks) and bandaged, and then we changed the dressings daily, since they were sticking something fierce! He came through it like a trooper and was no worse for it. He even had his own R.N.--my sister came to help me with the dressings, and she's a nurse.

Rascal is on the same meds right now. Her dose is 150 mg, twice daily. She is about 52 pounds. She will be on this for a total of three weeks, since the vet thinks she may have an abscess. Ruby was on the same thing, 150 mg. 2 times daily, as a pulse antibiotic (one week each month).

Wow, he is gorgeous...one of my favorite combos: red, white, and speckled! Love the curly tail, too!

I used to regularly walk my three, alone. Like others have said, it takes some getting used to, and the dogs all need to have a 'position'. For us, it was Buddy (or Jack, after Buddy was gone) on the right. Buddy was the wild card, since he wanted to chase motorcycles, and had other-breed-fear. So he had my stronger arm dedicated to him. Then the girls on the left, in my left hand, with Ruby on the inside. Rascal enjoyed the outside, because she did more sniffing/marking. ALL the dogs knew their spot, and were good at sticking to it. I can't tell you how many times someone said to me, "your three walk better than my ONE!". Ditto what Heather said about color-coding leashes. I always did that. I liked to know who was on what leash, just in case they needed special 'control'. I saw someone at Gettysburg once, had four or five dogs, and ALL black leashes. I don't know how they did it.

Jack would probably be traumatized for months if I came near him with a dremel tool..... He is pretty good when I hull them.

Yeah, Robin, I have to admit to a HUGE relief.

Must be a good update, eh, since it's in H&M and not Remembrance! Dr. B checked her over, and she thinks that what *I* thought was a 'blister' on the tumor is actually a nodule on the tumor. She said most of the skin feels okay--normally these things get so big that they outgrow their blood supply, skin gets very thin, and they open up. She noted one area of thinness, and thinks that when it opens up, it's likely to happen in that area. She also noted that it doesn't seem to bother Rascal at all, doesn't give her pain (we have noticed that, too--it's unsightly, but doesn't bother her). She said it could be a week, or months, before it develops a 'sore'; and sometimes, if you put neosporin on it, it will heal up for awhile. She said when they open up, it is generally NOT a crisis situation (like a dog with osteo, and a bone breaking ). So that is good to know, too. Rascal's breath has been awful, so Dr. B put her on pulse antibiotics a week or so ago (generic flagyl, I believe); her breath has improved since she took a course of that (one week, minus the last pill she refused to take ). However, Dr. B does think she may have a root abscess, since her mouth is tender on one side; so she'll be on three weeks of clindamycin for that, then back to the pulse antibiotics. Rascal is down to 50.4 pounds--she was 52# when we brought her home 10 years ago, and her 'healthy' weight most of her life was around 57. So she's a bit skinny, but eating okay. I may just have to tempt her with more 'goodies'--this morning she had part of a chicken breast, and some cheddar cheese, and ate her whole breakfast. Bottom line was Dr. B's statement: "If she were mine, I'd take her home and let her be happy." So that's what we are doing.

I did use the duct tape and the cream together, but not until mid to late July. I started the cream April 1. At the three month mark, I hadn't really seen any difference in the corn. I pressed on however, for two reasons. First, I had promised myself I would use an entire tube of the cream, and second, I believe the Murray's website says it could take up to five or six months to get results. Does Jack have multiple corns? I ask because I have plenty of cream left even after using it twice a day for over five months. A dot of the cream was all I used. ETA: The time involved is frustrating. I work from home, so I had the time to do the twice daily treatments. And, according to most of my family, I'm stubborn as a mule, and I made it the #1 priority every day to get those treatments done, no matter what else was going on. Jack has two corns, one on each front paw. One is giant, and the other one is small. I have used duct tape before, maybe I will give that a try again. I manage to hull them every couple of weeks, but the *)!!@* always come back!!

Did you use duct tape AND the cream? I used the cream on Jack (a whole tube of it), probably for three months, and pretty consistently, and it didn't do anything. Duct tape seemed to change the texture of the corn somewhat.

You are right, Susan. I always have the thought of "better a day too soon than a minute too late" in my head. And I know that, for the dog, they are asleep when they pass anyway. I have a cousin who put her Golden through nearly 9 months of agony--daily subcutaneous fluids, having to carry it outside, among other things; the dog was NOT going to get better--and she is a NURSE. Actually a nurse practitioner. When I saw her a few weeks ago, they had finally had the dog put down, and she said, "we waited too long." Everyone knew it, but she only saw it in hindsight. I don't want to do that.

Thank you, Nancy. The worst part is, Rascal still seems to feel pretty good. It doesn't seem to give her pain, and she is really more playful than Jack, who is half her age! She is eating about the same as always (which means not much breakfast but a pretty good dinner). This will be the hardest part, whether it's tomorrow or later on--putting a dog down who 'feels' pretty good. At least with Ruby, I knew she was having pain so I had NO doubts.

I'm taking Rascal to the vet Thursday to get this looked at. She was there two months ago, but it has gotten a lot larger since then. I need the vet to tell me if she thinks it may be 'time'.

Rascal already had surgery on this--May 2009. At the time, the vet told me that a second surgery is usually NOT indicated, since it comes back more severely and surgery would be very hard--amputation was also mentioned in stuff I read online. I also read, online, exactly what our vet told us, that a second surgery is generally not an option. So we knew that, if/when the cancer reared its ugly head again, it would be a matter of time, and managing any pain she has. Fortunately, she does not seem to have pain with this. It is ugly, and I know it's just a matter of time for her, but I know that surgery is not an option.

I called the vet's office. The tech said the vet would probably rather just look at Rascal, than see the picture. She did say that it sounds like the beginnings of ulceration, and that it will just get worse from here. Which I knew. And I knew this could happen, so I don't really see any point in taking her in right now. We will watch it closely...and whenever it gets worse, opens up, whatever...well, then we will only have one dog, Jack. Then again, Rascal won't have to be looking for her sister every evening.

My oldest dog, Rascal, has hemangiopericytoma. She had surgery for it in May '09. In January '11 I noticed a lump reappearing, which the vet had warned me might very likely happen. The vet confirmed that indeed, it was a tumor. Since then the tumor has continued to grow. So far Rascal doesn't seem to be bothered by it, but it is really getting large. The vet told me it would either begin to give her pain in her leg, or it would basically 'outgrow' the skin, and begin to ulcerate. We know that when either of these happens, we will let Rascal go. Today I noticed an area on the tumor that 'looks' like a blister. Is this the beginning of ulceration?? Sorry for the yellow-y pictures...I turned the flash off to get a clearer picture. This is my beautiful old girl: Here is a close up...I put a box around the area I am concerned about.

I was just going to suggest this. There are times in a dog's life (and our own) when repatterning is necessary. Since your husband seems to be the trigger for her unusual behaviour, he needs to be involved in changing it. Judy had an excellent point about littermates and their close connection. I expect that Rascal is grieving, but hoping Daddy can fix things. On a positive note, I'm so happy to hear that Rascal is still doing well. I always tell people when talking about cancer "if my dog has to get cancer I want it to be hemangiopericytoma". If only my husband could fix it.... As for the cancer, I guess this is one that is a lesser evil. She still feels pretty good, although the tumor is very ugly--I just hate that my beautiful Rascal has this ugly thing--but I suppose it could be a lot worse. Our vet is actually amazed that she is still around, almost 2.5 years post-surgery. She had the surgery May '09, exactly one month after my daughter died.

A little update. Last night, my DH was not home when I went downstairs. Rascal went with me, I gave her a treat, and she settled onto her bed. Never a peep out of her. About 1/2 hour later, DH got home, and as soon as he came downstairs she started barking at him, pawing at him, etc. This is definitely related to him somehow. I told her to get in her bed, to lay down, etc...and after telling her those things about six times, she did. Then DH says, give her a treat...and I said no, I just treated her with PRAISE. She never did listen to him. Anyway, I think I'm going to try the short walk/coming through the basement door instead of down the stairs tonight. We'll see if that helps. I really agree with Judy that she is just confused, since Ruby isn't here. And her focusing on DH makes sense, since he was the one who usually brought Ruby around the house and in the basement door. During the day, Rascal is the same as always. Relaxed, sleeping, etc. No barking AT ALL. Just in the evening. And just at DH.

First a bit of background. Rascal has been with us for just over 10 years now. After we'd had her a little over a year, her litter-sister, Ruby, came home. We had to have Ruby put down on August 23rd. Rascal is 12 years old. She has a large tumor (hemangiopericytoma) on her left front upper leg. Right after we lost Ruby, Rascal started acting differently. Mostly in the evening, and mostly with my husband. We would relax in the downstairs family room each night. While Ruby was with us, after her accident, we did not let her do stairs, so DH would walk her outside, around to the basement door. I would go down the steps with Rascal, inside, and tell her, "You have to wait for your sister, then you will get your treat." She'd look at the door, waiting for Ruby to come in, then they'd get their treats. [Might add here that Jack, being the 'peculiar' dog that he is, will NOT come to the basement, just in case you wonder why I don't mention him. ] Since Ruby died, we'll go to the basement as usual. Then Rascal will start barking at my husband. She has NEVER done this before, in the 10 years we've had her. He'll try petting her, and she jerks away. She will paw at him, at the couch, even playfully 'bite' at him. So then he gets up, tries to engage her in play, either with a stuffy or just with him. Sometimes this works, sometimes it doesn't. At first, she would bark at him, then look at the door. As if saying, "Daddy, go get Ruby!" It was very sad to see this. She doesn't seem to be looking at the door anymore, but the barking/restlessness continues. Last night she kept looking at the table where the treats are. My husband ended up giving her 15 Milk Bones . She was still restless, but of course eventually settled down. What is going on with her?? This is such odd behavior for her.

Hi there, and welcome!

I don't have any real advice. I am going through the same thing here. My littermates, Rascal and Ruby, have been together nearly their entire lives (except for about a year, between their retirements). They were 'inseparable' as pups, raced at the same tracks, then we brought Ruby home when she retired. They were 12 in May. On Aug. 23 we said goodbye to Ruby. Since then, every evening, Rascal stands and barks at my husband. The first time she did this, we were in our downstairs family room. She would bark at him, then look at the door (to outside). Bark, look. Bark, look. We think she was telling him to GO GET RUBY--ever since April, when Ruby injured her neck, we did not let her go up and down the stairs; my DH would walk Ruby around the house, and in through the basement door every evening, when we went to the family room. I would take Rascal down the inside steps, then say to her, "You have to wait for your sister, then you will get your treat"; Rascal would look at the door, waiting for Ruby and my DH to come in. Then we'd give them a treat. Prior to losing Ruby, Rascal never ONCE barked at my husband like that. She is still doing it, two weeks later, but I think she is beginning to settle down more quickly. It was really heartbreaking to see Rascal do that. And yes, Rascal has continued to get her treat when she comes downstairs, that hasn't changed. I think she is just confused that Ruby is not there, and her daddy isn't going to get her sister.

Xan, I am so very sorry to hear this. My sympathy to you and your family.

What's the theory behind stopping vaccines? I had two 12 year olds (lost one recently ) and our vet never mentioned NOT vaccinating them as they got older.

Robin, I am so sorry for your loss. Even though he didn't live with you any more, we never forget the pets we love.