Busderpuddle

Ruby has been on Colmicalm for several weeks now but it seems to be making things worse for her. The first week she seemed much calmer (I know that it needs to get to a therapeutic level) but her S.A. is now getting worse. She now circles her bed about 20 times before laying down and will sometimes do that 10 times in a row. She also occasionally stands up and stares at the back door which is new. She is now trying to bite her way out of her crate and has bent some of the bars. She is only in there a few days a week for a few minutes to a few hours. We have tried the alone training again but it is not helping at all. She destroys her bedding and is drenched in drool when I get home. She has even more destructive behavior when left out of her crate so that is out. She does love her crate at night and voluntarily puts herself in there at bedtime. Her appetite is still really good. I am taking her to the vet tomorrow to get some lab work done and discuss these new behaviors. Does anyone have any other suggestions or questions that I should make sure and ask the vet ? Thanks.

Sending prayers up right now for you and King.

I also use a battery operated toothbrush for Ruby and she tolerates it OK. It has Superman on it so I think that helps....lol. I also use the Petrodex enzymatic toothpaste and I think it smells disgusting but she doesn't seem to notice. It's chicken flavored. Yuck.

So sorry for your loss.

I am looking for a petsitter near Portland Oregon where I could leave Ruby for a rare weekend away. She is a very well behaved girl who doesn't bother a thing, doesn't bark, sleeps all night and pretty much just lays around all day. She sleeps in a crate at night. I see that Gracegirl lives in Beaverton. Maybe you are still available ? We were told she is not cat safe but she pays no attention to the neighborhood chihuahua. Please email me if you can help. skykaren1219@yahoo.com

I started Ruby on this medication 10 days ago and it has already started to help her. She no longer tears her bed up while we are gone and the drool puddles are now non-existent. She also will go right in to her crate instead of us having to haul her in there. The only thing I have noticed is that she now pants a few times a day for no reason. The vet says they are not worried about that. She is on 60mg a day. I now wonder if her dose is too high? Always something to worry about. I wish you luck and am looking forward to hearing about your experience with this.

I don't have any advice but just wanted to say how scary that must have been for you ! I am sorry it happened but glad there were no serious injuries.

I did forget to add that I did call the vet to see if she wanted to see her for the panting and she said "no". this only happens 4-5 times a day for a short period and other than that, she seems great. Thanks for the replies and I will insist on an appt. if this continues.

Ruby has been doing GREYT on the Colmicalm with one exception. She now pants a lot. She is doing this when we are just sitting around so it's not like she is exerting herself. She will do it for a few minutes, then flop her head down and go right back to sleep. She seems happy and she now goes in to her crate eagerly when we leave and with only having to tell her once. There are no drool puddles, wet feet or messed up bed when we return. I know she is feeling better but I worry a bit about the panting. She does not seem to be in distress in any way and will romp and play if I distract her. Has anyone else had this happen? Did it go away? She has been on it for about 9 days now.

I have never heard of coconut sugar or flour but the oil is supposed to be good for all kinds of things. My niece has bad excema and she uses it topically and eats a small amount each day and it is now gone. Also, my gynecologist said it is a more natural product to use.....shall I say....romantically. She said it is much safer and doesn't cause any allergy problems. I bet it is good for dogs too. A lot of coconut info floating around right now.

What a great idea ! Hoping your Mafi heals soon.

Sorry. It is so obvious how very much you loved her.

Thank you again for the advice and comments. Ruby took her pill this morning without a hitch (hidden in cheese) and gobbled up all her breakfast. So far so good.

For some silly reason it never dawned on me that the capsule might make all of her food taste nasty. DUH. Yesterday I wrapped it in some cheese and she gobbled it right up. Will stick with that or the peanut butter. I am really hoping that she doesn't need to be on it very long so it is encouraging to hear that Gracie wasn't on it too long. I have done the alone training a few times but it just isn't working. My poor girl. I sure hope this helps her. Appreciate the comments and help.

Thank you everyone for your replies. I feel better knowing she isn't the only thirsty looking grey.

Ok, I finally broke down and put Ruby on the Colmicalm yesterday that our vet gave us a month or so ago. Her S.A. was getting really bad to the point of her shaking, panting and drooling when she would see me get my purse. I thought I would give it a try, and if it makes her life easier, great. I gave her a 50 mg. capsule yesterday. I thought she seemed more playful and a bit more "wound up" than normal. This morning I put the capsule in her food along with the usual water I put in it and I saw her kind of picking around the pill. A few minutes later I notice she is ready to come back inside and for the first time in 7 months, my girl did not eat all her food but the capsule was gone. I know it didn't have enough time to dissolve so she must have eaten it. She has never been a picky eater and has never left a morsel so now I am worried about her lack of appetite. I finally got her to a good weight and I am afraid she will lose it. Can someone tell me their experience with this drug? Does their appetite return ? It said that they may have lethargy (lol...how would I know?), loss of appetite, diarrhea, etc.....so far stool looks normal but it's only been a day. She is happy and tail is wagging like normal. Thanks ! OOPS........this went to the wrong Forum. Sorry.

Ruby doesn't drink any water throughout the day and I am wondering if anyone else has this issue? When we got her in the Summer I realized she rarely drank anything so on the advice of our vet, I started putting 2-3 cups of warm water on her kibble twice a day. She doesn't drink after exercising or if I purposely don't put the water on her meal. I always have fresh water for her outside and in the house, have tried changing her water dish to a bucket as suggested by the adoption group and take her to it after walks.She knows where the water is both inside and out so that is not the problem. She does have S.A. so if I have left her for more than an hour or so, and she has drooled buckets all over her feet, she will occasionally go out and drink a sip or two. I worry about her getting UTI's if she doesn't drink enough. Is this normal? I forgot to add that when we got her, the vet said her kidney function was a little low so we are watching that.

Prayers for Wendy ..................

Thank you everyone for your help. I will check out the links and see what I can figure out. I like the thought of a healthier coat, no gas and smaller poops. Sounds like Ruby would love the change. I do occasionally feed her raw chicken pieces and she loves those creepy chicken feet! They still scare me when I open the freezer and see those nails poking up at me....ugh.

I am seriously thinking about switching Ruby to a raw diet instead of her kibble. She is currently on Blue Buffalo salmon and is doing ok but has some gas even with the addition of yogurt and pumpkin. This is her 3rd food in 7 mos. I have been reading about the benefits and it looks like a good way to go. Since I am new here, I wasn't able to figure out how to do the search and I am sure that somewhere on this board there are instructions for how to start this process. I need to know what foods are important? supplements? etc.. I know my girl is allergic to beef so that is out. Can someone give me the basics or how to get the search to work? Is there a good book you recommend? Thank you again for all your help.

Sending prayers for your sweet Onyx.

Saying prayers for Chase..........