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Xan

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    Trish

    in Remembrance

    Posted

    Trish has been much on my mind lately, too. Maybe not more than usual, though. :blush:

     

    I just find her laughing in my head, calling me names, asking about the dogs and telling me to give everyone a kiss and not to say bad things about Pogo! :lol Our conversations had such a rhythm, and I can sort of ... how can I explain? ... It's like hearing a song in my head, sort of in the background, but bubbling up to consciousness at certain times. Someone will say "banana" (even when I say it myself) and it turns into her voice saying "Xanna Banana!!" and laughing. :lol Or, the phone will ring around dinner time, and there will be a familiar moment; a sardonic grin, and the thought, "I bet that's Trish!" ... followed by the sad settling knowledge that, no, it's not. After that, I usually run through that ... melody or cadence of our usual conversations, like the song getting louder in my head, for awhile.

     

    I've been reading a book, yesterday the part I was reading was discussing organ donors and what happens to them. It was ... intense, reading and thinking, "This is what happened to Trish."

     

    I haven't heard from Adrian in some time, which is alright. Our friendship was about Trish's passing, and that might well be a stage he wants to pass through to the next one. I did just write him a "thinking about you" email, though. Someone tell him I said "hi" if you speak to him, 'kay?

    Happy Has Unhappy Feet!

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    Elizabeth, I did think of that, too. That is, that the swelling might get worse over night with less movement, and go down during the day with more movement. It does seem to be working that way, but we'll see over this next night/day how that goes. In the mean time, it seems the benedryl (25 mg/6 hours) has actually made some improvement ... or is at least coincidental with improvement! :rolleyes:

    Happy Has Unhappy Feet!

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    Couldn't get onot GT on my computer, :unsure: but thanks for the continued good thoughts.

     

    One foot is almost normal, the other was very swollen first thing this morning, and is getting slightly better. I did give her another benedryl this morning, just in case it's an allergic thing, but I'm leaning towards a sprain or strain, because of the weird arrangement of the swelling.

     

    Jennifer and I took JUST THE BOYS for a walk this morning, and they're rough and tough, so no sore paws for them! :lol

    Happy Has Unhappy Feet!

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    Hmm! Elevate ... as in a roach? :lol Happy doesn't roach, so that won't work. Ice we have. Rest we're working on that quite successfully at the moment. Compression ... owie. I'm not sure that's called for in this case ... it's not like a bruise ...

    I don't think. ...

     

    I suppose it could be, like, if she was jumping around and landed hard on her front feet? Took a turn hard and maybe sort of sprained the left side of both front feet?

     

    Hm! That actually makes a kind of sense! Their yard is just a fenced section of meadow, with lots of little holes and bumps. Hmmmmm. That would go towards explaining the arrangement of the swelling (left side of both feet), and why it's sorest on the bottoms (say, if it involved any skidding).

     

    Well! If that's what happened, then the benedryl won't have any effect on the swelling. That's one way to rule out allergies/bug bites/spider bites, I guess.

     

    Epsom salts soak might help then. Ice. *cringe* I can't quite bring myself to compress, since they seem so sensitive!

     

    Thanks again Janet! I think you've put me onto something here! :)

    Happy Has Unhappy Feet!

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    Yeah, she's pretty zonked out already! :lol

    I guess now would be a good time to mess with her feet if I felt the need. ;)

     

    I looked at the arnica gel tube, and it has a warning about taking internally (e.g. licking), so I won't use that.

    My poor little ol' gal. She's so sweet about me handling her sore toes. :wub:

    Happy Has Unhappy Feet!

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    Oh ack! Just saw cbudshome and fritofeet's contributions! I hope the 50 mg isn't too much! :blink:

     

    Sue, yes, her "ankles" (wrists?) ... well, the area between her toes and her "wrist" joint, is also swollen, but not red. It doesn't seem any worse since this morning, so if it's moving, it's going slowly.

     

    I'm going to desperately hold out that heart can't be a problem because of the limited redness. *crossing fingers* I'm not so sure about my vet. I'm fairly new to him. If I were him, I'd just say bring her in, y'know?

     

    I'm going to give the benedryl a chance to work and observe for at least a couple hours. If it's changing for the worse before closing time at the vet's, I'll just bite the bullet and at least call.

     

    Can you bite the bullet if that means spending money, when you have none to spend?? :rolleyes:

     

    I have arnica gel and tablets ... thoughts on that?

    Happy Has Unhappy Feet!

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    Poor Happy. Her front feet are quite swollen and tender. Our current financial status requires that we watch and wait, or do home treatments unless it's an emergency (knock wood!!), so of course I come to GT for a little input. :)

     

    Background: Happy is 9 years old, retired with a broken hock which is now "fusing". She's shown some lameness in that leg and a bit in her front leg on the same side. Xrays showed a tiny spur on her front "wrist" that might be the cause of the front leg lameness (which is minor and only occasional), but the vet considered the possibility of a spinal issue, and xrays showed a slight compression in her neck vertebrae (we now use a harness on her exclusively).

    She also has a skin condition which we can't figure out. Biopsy was inconclusive, but the best treatment seems to be to keep the affected area covered with cotton, so probably some kind of contact dermatitis or allergy. So, she wears a tee shirt all the time. The affected area is just on her ribs, on the bottom only.

     

    So, yesterday morning we were on our walk, and DH noticed she seemed to be limping. He checked her front foot, and noticed a small bit of berry vine, stickery, and took it off. She seemed alright after that. Later, she did seem to be walking a little carefully, and didn't participate in the zoomies in the yard, but none of that is so unusual in itself. This morning, both front paws looked like .... Lab paws! Especially the far left toe on each front foot. I put on my headlamp and strongest glasses, rolled her over, and looked carefully (she didn't like this, was clearly uncomfortable with the most swollen toes), and saw some redness, mostly in the web between the swollen toe and the one next to it. No visible wound like a cut or stinger or thorn, and no rash. Just swelling and redness, almost purply on one foot. Her feet don't feel especially warmer than anywhere else.

     

    So, here are my thoughts.

    1. allergic reaction to something she walked on?

    2. stepped on a bee/wasp or bit by a spider? With both front feet??

    3. her tee shirt was too tight in the "armpits" and cut off circulation just enough to cause swelling? (It's now off and switched for a much looser shirt)

    4. (KNOCK ON WOOD!) something to do with the spinal compression?

     

    I don't have any NSAIDs on hand, except people stuff, but I might have some benedryl-like stuff. Do you think I should try that on the chance it's an allergic reaction/sting/bite and it might help?

     

    Here are two very lousy photos of the top of her feet, to show how swollen they are. I couldn't hold her foot and the camera to get pics of the bottoms.

    lffoot.jpg

    rffoot.jpg

    Mazie's Mri Is Done

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    I JUST SAW THIS!!

    :bighug

    Oh man. Well, okay. Serious chanting going on over here.

    *Mazie the Moose will fly through any and all treatments. She'll be spry and lovin' life, cuddling with her people and her Truman, swimming, running and jumping in NO time! :bounce :bounce Mazie the Moose will fly through any and all treatments. She'll be spry and lovin' life, cuddling with her people and her Truman, swimming, running and jumping in NO time! :bounce :bounce Mazie the Moose will fly through any and all treatments. She'll be spry and lovin' life, cuddling with her people and her Truman, swimming, running and jumping in NO time! :bounce :bounce *

    Asking For Many Prayers

    in Health and Medical discussion

    Posted

    One more hug, and another story of the bold blind dog in my history. My first boy, a poodle, lost his sight as he got older, but it didn't slow him donw a bit! You wouldn't know it unless you really tested it. He adjusted as if he'd never been able to see at all.

     

    I hope whatever is bothering her, though, is something minor and easily addressed, so she can continue to adjust and relax in her new state.

     

    And more hugs to you, sad mommy!!

    :bighug

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