Penelopesslave

Thank you all so much for your support. DH and I had "the talk" last night and we decided to keep her as comfy as possible & spoil her with love this week and send her to the bridge on Saturday. Of course as soon as I finally had dried my tears and felt a little better about our decision she decided to eat 1/2 a pound of chicken and about 6 milkbones. So of course DH and I both start crying again and second-guessing our decision about Saturday. This morning however we are back to square one and she won't touch anything. She won't even sniff the food I offer her, is lying on her bed not moving except to get water and pee, and is staring at the wall. She vomited some water this morning as well. So for now the plan for Saturday still stands. I hope I am doing the right thing.

I haven't posted anything about this because I didn't want it to be true, but I think we are at the end with Bell. She hasn't eaten in 2 days and won't get up except to pee and drink a little water. The meds for her CHF aren't helping at all. She didn't even greet me by the door when I came home from my doctor's appointment this morning. In the three years we have had her she has met me at the door every time I came home, even if it was just coming back from the mailbox. Her eyes are dull, her sparkle is gone. I cannot bear to watch her like this. I know we have to make a decision soon, probably within the next day or two. I didn't realize how hard this was going to be. Even though I know it is the right thing to do-- she isn't enjoying life anymore and we've pretty much exhausted our options-- I still feel like I am betraying a friend. Given her poor condition I would not be surprised if she passed away in her sleep, maybe that would be best. I wanted for her to stay with us long enough to meet our baby in December. I am sorry I am rambling. I am going to miss her so much and I know other greyhound people will understand. I just had to get it out somehow.

Poor Zoe! I hope she is feeling better soon! It's so hard on the old ones when they stop eating and are already skinny to start with. Our 14 year old was on a hunger strike until she got some sub-q fluids and an IV when she was sick recently. They gave her just enough "oomph" to start eating on her own. I would also second the carafate and Pepcid.

OMG, Patti, what rotten timing! I am so sorry about your job, although I am sure Lee will be happy to have his mommy all to himself during the day. Hugs for both of you!

She must be part feline, because this girl has nine lives!! Thanks to all who have asked about our steel magnolia. I am happy to report that she is eating again, fairly regularly, though she still won't have anything to do with dog food, kibble, or canned. I have to cook each meal for her-- a lot of ground beef, potatoes, baby rice cereal, chicken breasts, etc.-- but she eats at least two good meals per day so I am not complaining. Today we ventured out to our regular dog park and she got to see all of her friends. The human ones all commented on the "sparkle" being back in her eyes. It was tiring for her but she had such a good time I am glad we went. She is still on the Lasix, and will be until the end, and we are going to the cardiologist next week for an electrocardiogram and full consult, so we can keep her as strong and happy as possible for as long as possible. She still looks like a skeleton but tomorrow I am going to experiment with satin balls and maybe put some meat back on those old bones. I thought Bell was ready to give up but she wasn't, I am so glad I didn't give up either. What a rollercoaster! Thank you to everyone who has helped us with your good thoughts and wise advice. We definitely could not have done it without you!

Patti, I sent the harness via FedEx this morning, so look for it on Thursday or Friday afternoon. I hope it helps!

Give the suspected hound a tablespoon or so of hydrogen peroxide. If it has only been a couple of hours they should vomit up the chocolate. The good thing is that milk chocolate is much less toxic to dogs than baker's chocolate. In the meantime look up an e-vet and call them. Advice over the phone is free.

As we are having many of the same issues with our Bell, I am interested in the responses. Right now I kind of feel as long as she is eating, we can slowly re-introduce her regular food and supplements, but right now anything can turn her off so I am not worrying about it too much.

Patti I sent you a PM about a harness I have that is too big for my girl but might work for Lee.

Bell ate some more cooked ground beef this morning, and took a lamb treat from DH, ate half of it, then spit the rest out onto Penny's bed. Penny was happy to finish it for her. I can't push her on the food. Either she eats or she doesn't. I am keeping a little of everything in the fridge so I can tempt her every couple of hours. It seems that she'll do a little at a time, but not full meals. She looks skeletal, but she has a little energy and this morning she pooped a little poop! Today I am on a mission to find some nutritional yeast on Judy's recommendation, maybe that will help. I am trying to get used to the idea of taking everything day by day, and just enjoying her as long as her poor little body will let us. I want to "fix" her, but I know this can't be "fixed," only managed. So we are managing. Thank you to everyone who has sent us prayers, good wishes and suggestions for help. They are working.

I am so sorry. It is a testament to how much you love Bodie that you are giving him this final gift.

Bell ate a hamburger last night and seems a little more "alive" this morning. I think the Lasix was making her nauseated. I've cut back her Lasix dose to one right before bed and one in the late morning instead of 3 times a day to see if I can get her to eat more in the afternoons and evenings. Our vet had a sub in yesterday who was no help. Our regular vet should be in today and is going to call me about an anti-nausea med. She is so thin I can pick her up, even as pregnant as I am. I am giving her little syringes full of Ensure every time I walk past her, just to get some calories in her. I know she feels better today because she ate some last night. She also seems to really enjoy going on short little walks with me and Penny, it really lifts her spirits and seems to stimulate her appetite just a little. vet said no exercise but I am going to argue that eating is more important. GOOD NEWS!! She just ate a quarter pound of cooked ground beef that DH hand fed her!! And licked the bowl!!

Can I light one for my own girl? for beautiful Bell and more for all the sick babies out there.

Hugs for Gumby. I know how hard it is to watch them decline. My own heart is breaking right now for our old Bell so I know just how you feel.

I think Bell has given up. She won't get out of bed, won't eat, drinks a little water and pees and that's it. If only she would eat. Looking at her makes me cry. I tried a salmon patty, McDonalds, a hot dog, deli turkey, pasta, pizza-- everything this morning, she won't even lift her head to sniff any of it. Our regular vet isn't in today but the other vet from the practice is going to call me in half an hour. I am going to try to get an appetite stimulant like the one Robin got for Polli. I am afraid that if this doesn't change soon she is just going to go to sleep and not wake up. I know she can get better if she would just eat.

Well DH's flight was late so we just got home. Just now he was making a pastrami sandwich to take to work and Bell seemed to perk up a little at the smell. So DH hand-fed her about 1/4 of a pound of pastrami (none left for him!). I know it's probably too salty, etc. but at least she ate SOMETHING. I got her some Pepcid so we will try that next. I am saving the McDonald's for tonight, I got Chicken McNuggets and a quarter pounder with fries. Penny is VERY jealous of Bell at the moment. She got one small piece of pastrami and looked extremely ticked off about it.

I tried meat baby food this morning, a chicken burger, some yogurt, and some Ensure. She wouldn't eat any of it. I have to pick up DH from the airport in a little while, so I'll stop at McDonald's on the way home and see if she'll eat some fries and a burger. She loves McDonald's, so I am hoping it works. Also once DH is home he can carry her down the stairs so she can at least get a little sunshine (no way my giant pregnant butt could carry her at the moment!) so that will be good.

Bell is not improving. She's eating but only a little, I managed to get a salmon burger and some ground beef and cheese into her yesterday, that's it. She won't touch treats or get out of bed to do anything but pee in the yard. The Lasix is working in that her breathing is easier, and she's drinking more, but she really can't afford to lose any more weight, she's only 48 lbs now and I can see every rib. She wants to go on walks with me and Penny but the vet said no exercise yet (we have a long staircase to our house that is the only way inside, which is very hard for her to climb). I just want her to be happy and she's not happy, she just looks so sad lying there on her bed. I tried to snuggle with her and she didn't like that either. DH gets home this morning so I guess we will call the vet and see how soon we can get her in for the electrocardiogram and consult with cardiologist. It's breaking my heart to see her like this.

I am having the same problem with Bell right now. Today i got her to eat a salmon burger for lunch, served warm straight from the pan. She wouldn't eat the chicken she scarfed up last night. For dinner I cooked a cheeseburger in the salmon juice and she did eat that also, until it got cold. She ate the rest after I warmed it back up. Bell won't eat from her bowl anymore, I have to serve her food off of the human plates.

Well, the vet just called. The radiologist compared Bell's xrays to the ones we took of her in June, and feels that her heart has enlarged slightly and would give a diagnosis of congestive heart failure, which would apparently also explain the weird "diffuse" patterns in her lungs which looked pneumonia-ish. We are starting her on Lasix once the pharmacy opens tomorrow, then will probably get her in for a consult with a cardiologist and an electrocardiogram to determine the extent/level of the CHF and the appropriate treatment. Her bloodwork showed everything textbook except a slightly elevated kidney creatinine level of 2.1-- I dunno what that means but I figure someone on here will! Otherwise vet says her blood looks like that of a much younger dog. I asked what the prognosis was, and the vet said that with the right meds, we could be talking years not months, which made me feel a bit better. I know at 14 this is not something that is unexpected but at least we have an answer and a plan.

Thank you for asking, Judy, Bell is better tonight. Her breathing is a little deeper and she ate two whole boiled chicken breasts for dinner (though she won't touch any of the stinky stuff I bought, only the most expensive cuts of meat for Her Highness!). We made it down the stairs and for a short pee/poo walk, even though it took us almost 5 minutes to get back up to the house (I move almost as slowly as she does these days!). She is drinking on her own and did some actual sleeping this afternoon. I haven't heard back from the radiologist or the lab about her blood work. I am going to call our regular vet in the morning and see if she has any more info. I had to go to the hospital this morning myself for a fetal monitoring and some non-stress tests on the baby. I think they really need to do non-stress tests on ME!!!! Still, I am feeling cautiously optimistic that Bell is going to continue to improve, as long as those test results are clear. It really cheers me up to read everyone's posts wishing her well and giving suggestions for help.

Oh no! Good luck at the vet's. Sending fervent wishes that it's something easily solved.

Good news, she slept pretty well last night although her breathing is still not anywhere near normal. She woke me up to go potty and drank a bunch of water on her own. We took a VERY slow stroll up the street with Penny just now, which produced more pee and a tiny poo. She ate another entire boiled chicken breast out of her dish (albeit in bed!!) for breakfast. I had to drop the pills down her throat to get her to take them but eventually they were swallowed after the chicken. Thank you for all the suggestions and help. I am going to stop at the grocery and get some stinky treats (which I am sure are going to smell great to my nauseated pregnant nose, but anything for Bell!) on my way home from my ultrasound today. I am so proud of my girl, she is a fighter!!

The power of GT is working! She wouldn't eat ANYTHING today but just now let me hand-feed her almost an entire boiled chicken breast! Her breathing is still fast and shallow, but she did drink some water and ate. She wanted to go for a walk with me and Penny and was very mad to be left behind, so maybe that's a sign she is perking up too. Now, if I can just figure out how to get the Baytril into her tomorrow morning. I asked my vet about pork when I talked to her this evening. She said in small quantities, like as a treat or to entice an anorexic dog to eat, bacon was fine. Just like people, she said dogs shouldn't have it every day. Lean pork meat like tenderloin is a good alternative meat for those dogs allergic to poultry or red meat. Oh, and Penny is acting out because of all the attention Bell is getting. Sigh. I guess this is good practice for having skin kids, right???

My Penny sends your Penny many healing kisses, and hugs to you! Get better soon, Penny-Girl!