2hounds

I am so sorry.

I am so sorry to hear this.

She's beautiful! And I have a "Mia Bella" so I know she must be special!

Oh Heather, I am so sorry.

Lots of hugs for sweet Polli. Keep doing what you are doing, her personality will be back.

Look at him roaching and playing his first day home!

I love her coloring, she is gorgeous! And welcome to GT!

Sweet face! She will be in my thoughts, I am sure her recovery will be fast, it is amazing how fast they bounce back from surgery!

Thank you for the feedback, I feel a little better knowing that it isn't as unusual as I thought to do a dental on a 12+ year old hound. I will see my vet again on Wednesday and I will talk more about my hesitations, but knowing that his dental health could affect already known kidney problems, I am leaning towards having his teeth cleaned now. Judy, he usually licks bones, but doesn't really chew on them. If they are too small he will try to swallow them whole, if they are too large he will lick them to death and might crunch a few times. Michelle, I am not 100% sure that his teeth aren't the problem. I should have added above that we do wet his food so when he eats it later it has had time to soak in more of the water and is softer. I don't know if the softer food is why he eats it later or if he is just finally hungry enough to eat it.

Iceman had another vet visit today (we have been going to the vet with him about every 2 weeks for acupuncture and to monitor his blood pressure, which has been high). My Icybaby is 12.5 years old and he is in great spirits (roaching on the couch as I type) and I would consider him to be in "ok" health. He does have high blood pressure and he is in the early stages of kidney disease (he is on medication twice/day for these things). He has LP and a very weak back end so we have to be really careful about his activities. But overall, I would say he is in pretty decent health for a 12.5 year old. He has recently stopped eating at meal times, but I wait an hour or two, put his food back down for him and he finishes it then. We had an appointment with the vet today and I asked her to draw blood, look at all of his levels, look at his teeth, etc and see if we can find a physical reason why he isn't eating. His blood levels are all ok and besides the known problems above, everything is ok. My vet suggested a dental, which I was shocked to hear her suggest for a 12.5 year old. He does have a layer of tartar, but no obvious decay and his breath won't slay a dragon or anything. If we were talking about one of my (younger) hounds, I would agree that it is probably time for a dental. But because we are talking about an older hound with known health issues, I just assumed we would try to avoid anesthesia unless it was ABSOLUTELY necessary. I should also add that I do LOVE my vet and know that they are not eager to suggest unnecessary procedures normally. They do a combination of traditional and alternative medicine and they offer acupuncture, chiropractic care, massage, etc. I am just not sure if anesthesia is a good idea for Iceman. Has anyone had dentals on older hounds and did they recover ok afterwards?

Lots of healing thoughts coming your way.

Welcome!

SWOOON!!! Congrats to you!

I am relieved to hear she is responding to the pred! It is still doing a great job of controlling Mia's polyarthritis. And TRUST ME, the pred will take care of putting weight back on her. Mia had lost 10 lbs and weighed 48 at her lowest and then when she started putting the weight back on, she actually gained too much and had to go on a diet, much to her dismay!

When we lost Cujo last January, our vet gave him a sleepy shot and then waited a few minutes, he slept in my arms, and then she gave him the other shot. It was definitely very peaceful. I am sorry your experience wasn't so great. It is already a difficult time. But know that he is peaceful and worry free now. And he had a wonderful life. You are in my thoughts.

Hugs to you and Jason, I am sorry to hear this.

Fingers crossed they are able to get her feeling better soon. Mia's IMPA is completely under control now with medication, but I remember not so fondly those first scary days of not knowing what was going on or why she was in so much pain and being desperate for the vet to come up with an answer.

Heather, I am here if you need to talk.

Welcome - and glad everything turned out ok! I have a coffee hound - Paradise will slurp up any coffee if it is in her reach so I know what it is like!

Welcome! Your girl is GORGEOUS!!

Sheila, I am so sorry to hear this. My thoughts are with you and your family.

Linda, I am so sorry. A million hugs. If you need to talk, call or email.

What a gorgeous girl! Welcome home!

Many hugs for you.