Nedd vomited piece of dental bone …

In the middle of the night, I heard the sound.  I jumped out of bed and ran toward Nedd.  There he stood with the sad look in his eyes, his belly jerking as he vomited by the door.  There was the normal stuff you see in vomit and there was a piece of a dental chew that he had enjoyed while we watched the American Idol last night.  This piece of the dental chew was about the size of the palm of my hand.

I feel like a terrible pet parent right now.  I didn’t even know he had swallowed it!!!  I buy these particular dental chews at the vet hospital because they are of a good quality and are a food product.  They really do help his teeth.  I’ve purchased these for about 3 years and we’ve never had this problem previously!

I’m a little frightened right now.  This is a treat he really enjoys and he has one about every other day.

He acts perfectly fine now.  I gave him a late breakfast and he’s still doing fine.  I didn’t call the veterinarian … at least not yet.  If he vomits again, I’ll be calling very quickly.  I try not to call over every little thing while at the same time not overlooking a health concern.

~Trina Daniels

Quality Time for my Geriatric Dog …

Manda is 17 1/2 years old. You may have already been following her story. She has good days and bad days because of heart failure and renal failure. She also has a collapsing trachea, arthritis and is anemic.

She has a great attitude. She is still as demanding as she was when she was young. She no longer tolerates being brushed or having her nails done; which never was a problem until the last few years. She doesn’t see very well and will walk into things occasionally. She doesn’t hear very well and no longer hears the tone of my voice.

I still try to spend time with her. I no longer take her places unless I am traveling overnight. She doesn’t enjoy it like she use to. She doesn’t mind the hotel stays as long as she has her mesh kennel. She doesn’t like to be picked up or held any more. She doesn’t want to sit and watch Letterman with me at the end of our days as we use to. Instead, she lays on her own doggy bed next to my chair. She no longer jumps on and off the bed; instead, she sleeps near me on her own blanket. She no longer plays and doesn’t seem to enjoy a walk anymore. While I try to spend quality time with her, basically, it consists of sitting on the floor or ground with her and gently petting her. Her little tail wags as I tell her how much I love her and that she is beautiful. That seems to be the extent of our quality time together at this point.

During the last few months, she has really bonded with my husband. They always liked each other, but now, there’s a new bond. I am the one that forces meds down, gives subq fluids, cleans her body even when she doesn’t want it done and he’s the one who only offers her gentle touches and food! It’s been hard to see but I’m glad they’ve bonded.

When she is left alone, she waits by one of our desks, knowing that when we come in, the computer is one of our usual first stops! She patiently waits under the computer desk. I’ve moved a doggy bed into the office to help keep her comfortable.
~Trina

How long does a dog live with heart disease and renal failure?

Our greyhound Russ went to heaven in July 2005. His illness and decline was sudden. Manda grieved and missed him so much. We noticed her health start to decline. We also noticed how dependent she was on him and that she had really lost a lot of her hearing. She moved to greet us because he did. She got up in the mornings because he did. The first few times she didn’t run to greet me, I was startled. She missed Russ in a lot of ways and she was and still is the alpha dog in the house even with declining health.

In February 2006, Manda had to begin medicine to treat her heart murmur and heart disease. Today, her heart murmur is a 5/6 on one side and a 4/6 on the other side.

In March 2007, Manda was diagnosed with renal failure and began medications immediately.

Today, she is 17 1/2 years old and I’m wondering how long a dog can live with heart disease and how long a dog can live with renal failure? The treatment for either one makes the other one worse. So, as I’m helping her heart, I’m hurting her kidneys. As I’m helping her kidneys, I’m hurting her heart. It’s tough!

This week, she’s restless and I seem unable to help her find contentment. Most of her medications have been increased to every 8 hours. She has diarrhea at least once daily and a normal bm at least once daily. Her “tummy” is in bad shape and she’s on two medications to help her tummy tolerate the medications. She’s urinating more often and not always able to make it outside or to her “pee pad”. The thing that is really concerning me this week is the PANTING. She’s panting even at rest.

My husband thinks she’s lost weight. She still has a beautiful and fluffy coat so it’s hard to tell if she’s really losing weight or not. She doesn’t need to and has already dropped from 12# to 10# since first beginning treatment.

She also has arthritis. She’s on a total of nine medications. With all of that, she’s still bright and alert. Her poor eyesight and poor hearing doesn’t stop her or slow her down very much. She gets around the house perfectly and only walks into something if I leave something where it doesn’t belong. She still seems happy. She is still demanding for food and attention. She doesn’t cough very often as long as she has her medications. She doesn’t let me hold her anymore, brush her anymore or trim her nails; all of which she use to actually enjoy.

I already miss holding her and cuddling her. I miss carrying her throughout the house while doing chores. I miss her sitting with me to watch tv.

It’s so hard to watch her decline. We’re going to the veterinarian tomorrow for an exam, check her weight and possibly more bloodwork.

Geriatric dogs…

They have already been senior citizens for a long time. They are now in the geriatric phase of their lives!

My 17 year old dog is now on eight medications every day. She doesn’t tolerate the heat at all. She spends most of her time indoors. We now have to purchase “doggy pads” because she can’t hold it very long.

She has heart failure and renal failure. She can’t see very well and can’t hear very well.

She still gets up every morning with great attitude and tail wagging as she gets our her few morning coughs. She spins and jumps as her food bowl is filled despite her arthritis. She gets very excited as I prepare her medicines several times each day and views most of the medicines as special doggy treats.

This phase of her life is different. She requires a lot more “care” than she use to. She no longer enjoys being brushed and hates having her nails done. Both of which she never minded until the last few years.

She’s worth every bit of time and effort. I already miss the girl she use to be but I love her all the same. I dread the day that she’s no longer with me.

Caring for our geriatric pets takes a lot more time, effort, money and energy. They’ve dedicated their entire lives to us and rarely asked for anything. I feel I owe it to her to give her the best possible life I can even until the very end.

I’ve had to make the toughest decision of my life once, two years ago. I understand that sometimes it is necessary and the best thing we can do and the last thing we can do for them is to have the veterinarian help us send our pet to heaven.

Bellagio for pets!

I travel with our dogs as often as possible. I’ve only left my dogs a few times in their lives in a boarding facility. I have been very fortunate that most of the times I have ever left the dogs, we’ve had a wonderful pet sitter to come to our home or we’ve left them with their grandparents. It has helped me to feel a little less guilty when I have had to leave them.

Have you seen some of the new boarding facilities for dogs? They are like luxury hotels! They are wonderful. I can’t wait until there’s one near me. I’m sure I’d feel much more comfortable leaving my dogs knowing they were not in a cage.

These state of the art facilities have play times, grooming times, cuddle times and sleep time. They have TV’s playing upbeat cartoons, soothing jazz music, beds, pillows, toys and nearly all the comforts of home. The only thing missing is “mommy and daddy”!

www.doghotel.net

It’s a win-win!

Over the years, we’ve tried a LOT of different shampoos for our dogs. This is a WIN-WIN! If my dogs could talk, I’m sure they’d be telling me that this is their favorite and to never buy another product again.

We recently discovered this product when Manda was at the veterinarian.

This shampoo is gentle and all natural. It has no dyes, synthetic ingredients or fragrances. It has jojoba oil which really makes her coat look great. To top it all off, this product is non-toxic, biodegradable and earth friendly!

This product makes bathing the dogs easier. It is called Ezall Dog & Cat Shampoo.

I hope you’ll love it as much as we do.

Enjoy!
~Trina