Prayers Needed

[FountainLady]

I was so happy to check in and hear that Harley is making progress! You are doing a wonderful job with him.

[Charlies_Dad]

Very glad to hear of Harley's progress. We will keep thinking of you both and hopefully he will continue to improve!

[maximum]

So glad to hear of improvement. It will be baby steps, but sounds like the journey has begun!

[racindog]

For Harley:

 

 

[silverfish]

Wow .. I'm so glad I didn't see this until now! It's good to read it for the first time with a good update coming at the end. Phew!

 

I'm really happy to hear that Harley is making slow steps towards recovery, and that he's eating and enjoying his food and feeling more comfortable. Poor old guy! And poor you, too. Get some sleep!

[RaineysMom]

Just seeing this now! glad he is improving and I am sending many prayers! :hope

[Guest Stripeyfan]

So glad to read the update! And really glad he's enjoying his pasta/chicken broth.

 

Yes, it can take a long time for a pup with IBD to come round. The onset of Kelly's illness wasn't as dramatic as your poor boy's, but at his worst he was pooping nothing but mucus (sorry if that's TMI!) had gone from 81lb to 59lb, and actually continued losing weight after he started treatment with antibiotics and pred. It's taken the best part of a year to get him back to his normal weight, he's still on the ABs, and he has to have a home-cooked diet or he gets sick again within 24 hrs.

 

If Harley is peeing a lot on the pred, and especially as he's had/still has the big D, watch out for low electrolyte levels, as the D and increased water/peeing flushes them out of the body. Shortly after starting pred, Kelly began having horrible spasms in his face and neck which we think were because of low potassium levels. Doggy pedialite was a big help with this, and once his insides had healed a little we found he could tolerate bananas, which were great too (and unlike the pedialyte didn't mean he was taking in even more fluid!).

 

You could also (in a little while) try giving Harley slippery elm. It's a natural remedy which coats and soothes the stomach and intestines, great for calming IBD flare-ups and also helping protect the stomach from meds. Kelly only gets it now if he has a flare-up, but last year I gave to to him it daily. I bought the capsules from a human health-food store, which I broke open and mixed the powder inside with a little warm water to make a paste. Of course he turned his nose up at it so I shredded some chicken into it and it was gone in an instant. I noticed a marked improvement in his poops after just a few days.

 

Hope Harley continues to improve, and sending more hugs to both of you.

[BatterseaBrindl]

Continuing to send good thoughts Harley's way.

[carronstar]

More good thoughts and prayers for Harley.

[EllenEveBaz]

Good thoughts to Harley and his humans.

[DesiRayMom]

So glad to hear Harley is on the road to recovery.

 

xoxoxoxo from Kathy,DesiRay & Skeeter

[Guest HappyHarleysMom]

Stripeyfan, thank you for the great info. I'm making a list of all the suggestions everyone has so kind to give me, and I will be asking our vet. I'm adding yours to my list.

 

Thanks one and all for your continued good thoughts and prayers. It has surely helped, because....

 

I THINK HARLEY HAS TURNED THAT CORNER!!

 

Today has been amazing! Harley is ravenous now. The prednisone must be working. He can't wait for me to put that plate down, of pasta with a few pieces of chicken mixed in.

 

Once, he even got up and came out to the kitchen on his own. I was out there getting the plate of food ready. I said my usual, "Oh boy, look what mommy has for Harley" and he got up off his mattress which is in the living room (we're both sleeping in the living room), and came right into the kitchen, looking for his plate!

 

His diarrhea is the same though. Dark brown. Although I don't think he's going as often. He does pee every two hours. I have had to wrap a small sheet around his underside and pull up on it while he goes down the 2 steps to get outside because he's so wobbly. He has needed that support until this afternoon! This afternoon he is more surefooted navigating the steps.

 

He continues to drink water just fine.

 

Today, he wagged his tail once for Chuck. My back was turned and I missed it, darn. He sniffed the kitties heads today when we were all in the kitchen. He wiped his mouth on his couch after he ate! Signs of Harley!!

 

The fluid is either very minute or nonexistent. I don't see any fluid. Maybe his tests will still show a little when he gets rechecked, but the visible signs are gone.

 

During the night was a fiasco. First it snowed. Then it rained ice. You should have seen me trying to get Harley's boots on when he had to go outside. He lost two boots in the snow and I had to hobble out and get them. He's wobbly walking anyway, and had much trouble walking in the boots.

 

Then I put rubber bands around the boots to keep them on him. Then it was so icy by early morning that I made him sleep in his boots (loosely fit without the rubber bands), because it was such a struggle to get them on while he's trying to hold his pee. LOL. Chuck got up early and shoveled the walk and a big part of the yard for Harley, and for once, Harley stayed in the shoveled out part. (He usually walks right in the snow even though Chuck always shovels out an area for him.) Geez, glad that night's over!

 

He has a long way to go, but these little baby steps are just wonderful. Miraculous given the state he was in just a few days ago.

 

Harley had gone from his lifetime weight of 80 lbs down to 73.60 lbs. The almost 7 lb loss makes his spine, pelvis, and ribs stick out, and his face smaller. I'm anxious to see if he has gained any since he is eating now.

 

But, for now, we're overjoyed at the improvement Harley has made. He's still wobbly on his feet, and still on the quiet side, sleeping a lot, but that's okay. What a change from Sunday when we brought him home.

 

I couldn't wait to get on here and post this one!!!! I've only slept about two hours today. Either the darn phone wouldn't stop ringing, or Harley had to pee. I think it will be like this until the prednisone is reduced. I'll just have to hang in there and keep grabbing bits of sleep when Harley sleeps just like new mothers do with their newborns.

 

Chuck and I have much to be thankful for.

_________________

[Guest fringepup]

Happy to read such great news! We hope Harley is on his way to a full recovery! Will keep you all in our thoughts!

[TheFullHouse]

:yay

[tbhounds]

Glad he seems to be improving!! However, don't be surprised if his weight doesn't return in the way it was. GH's tend to drop muscle mass pretty quickly while on pred. You can usually notice it over the spine and in their heads - in fact we call it "pred head". Hopefully once the dosage is reduced he'll be able to build muscle again. Baby steps first!

[RedFawnMom]

I'm so glad to hear he's turned the corner! Of all the things you described, the wiping his mouth on the couch after eating was the one that made me think he's going to be just fine.

[45MPHK9]

So happy to see another good update for Harley. You are doing great job as nursemaid, Sherry. Harley is so lucky to have you as his momma.

[Remolacha]

those are excellent baby steps!

 

The slippery elm is a great idea, and may help with his diarhea as well as coat the stomach. 7 lbs is not a terrible amount of weight for an IBD dog to loose, this may help him bounce back faster

 

as for where this came from, I don't know that anyone really knows the initial cause in many cases.

[Guest hannahmom]

So happy to hear that Harley is making slow, steady improvement

[Guest HappyHarleysMom]

It's 3:00am. Am I freaking out or have real cause to worry? It was time to give Harley a little food, and he didn't want it. And, looking extra quiet. I'm letting him sleep right now. I was getting used to the hungry doggie. I know I am a worry wart, but all this is new to me, and I'm not sure when it's me being overboard worrying, and when it's really a time to worry.

 

I'll sit tight until the vet opens for me to call. I think I'll call the ER clinic here in York and ask them.

 

I must sound like a nut. I just read this back, and yes, I sound like a nut. It's a good thing I never had human children. I would've had ulcers by the time they reached one year old.

 

I'm a nut. Sorry.

Edited January 19, 2011 by HappyHarleysMom

[greyhead]

No, Sherry, you're not a nut. You just have an IBD-type dog!

 

By all means talk to the vets and report your experience. But just to share mine, the progress isn't linear and unfailingly upward. It's like when you're dieting and things are going great, and then you hit a plateau. Harley has some ground to make up, but it probably won't be steady improvement every day. But you have no idea what to expect, and it's good that you share what's happening with us and with the vets. We don't all have dogs with exactly Harleyl's condition, so the best we can do is tell you what happened to us. But that may help some. I hope so anyway.

 

Get some rest if you can. If you're sleeping nearby, you'll know if Harley needs you.

 

ETA: Don't let me give you the impression that no freaking out ever occurred in my house! It surely did. And two years later Spencer is doing really, really well, but I still watch and evaluate every change he makes. But the need for that kind of hypervigilance gets much less over time, and it will for you too.

Edited January 19, 2011 by greyhead

[Guest HappyHarleysMom]

No, Sherry, you're not a nut. You just have an IBD-type dog!

 

By all means talk to the vets and report your experience. But just to share mine, the progress isn't linear and unfailingly upward. It's like when you're dieting and things are going great, and then you hit a plateau. Harley has some ground to make up, but it probably won't be steady improvement every day. But you have no idea what to expect, and it's good that you share what's happening with us and with the vets. We don't all have dogs with exactly Harleyl's condition, so the best we can do is tell you what happened to us. But that may help some. I hope so anyway.

 

Get some rest if you can. If you're sleeping nearby, you'll know if Harley needs you.

 

ETA: Don't let me give you the impression that no freaking out ever occurred in my house! It surely did. And two years later Spencer is doing really, really well, but I still watch and evaluate every change he makes. But the need for that kind of hypervigilance gets much less over time, and it will for you too.

Thanks, Mary. Yes, I'm sleeping on the lazyboy chair (ha ha) attempting to anyway, and Harley is on his mattress right beside me.

 

I was sort of thinking what you just replied to me, that he's not going to feel better every single minute from here on out, but..oh well.. I panic, I guess, at every little thing with him right now. Lack of sleep probably isn't helping, but it's just got to be that way right now. I'll sleep soon. He's peeing every two hours so it's been hard. I've been sitting here trying to catch up on work but I'll put it down soon.

 

Geez, thanks for replying so fast. I will call the vet as soon as they open.

 

Sharing your experience and knowledge about IBD dogs has been a godsend. Especially times like this when my vet office is closed and it's the middle of the night.

 

Mary, major hugs to you,

Sher

[Guest IrskasMom]

Well Sherry , you went through a lot and I don't blame you for worrying. Get some Rest . Sending you more Hugs and Prayers

[Guest HappyHarleysMom]

It's 8am EST. I left a message with Atlantic Vet to speak about Harley. They don't open until 9am.

 

I've got the awful feeling again. Harley went out to pee at 5:30am, and when he got back in he still refused food, and his back legs seem to be caving in when he walked to his mattress. He's been there on his mattress since. The boy who has been peeing every 2 1/2 hours and eating a little now seems to be going backward.

 

I'm beside myself. If he would have to go back to the vet again for an overnight visit, he cannot do it. We just don't have another $1000 a night. Please pray for Harley. Please pray that it's just a temporary setback.

 

I just don't understand. But, I have a bad feeling again.

[robinw]

Try to relax, ok? There's nothing you can do until you speak to the vet. Like Mary said, Harley's recovery won't be linear and he's probably still not feeling great. Keep us posted, OK?