Nedd, the 12 year old “puppy”

Our boy, Nedd is “scary smart”! He’s one of a kind, a special blend of a sable and white collie and a black and white German Short Hair Pointer. He’s absolutely beautiful and brilliant.

Nedd has several nicknames including: “Nedd, the atomic party puppy”. At the age of 12, he begins each day with a favorite Kong toy in his mouth. He barks very loudly and still plays very hard.

He has a little bit of arthritis which he takes a daily dose of Cosequin which seems to help keep in under control safely.

We also feed Nedd the best diet we’ve found, Blue Buffalo Senior Lamb & Rice! And, he had the best veterinary care available.

He’s a great buddy, especially to my hubby, Christian Comedian MartyDaniels. Nedd shows us unending loyalty and devotion. He’s truly a best friend.

Manda’s Last Days

I could tell she was growing weaker. I could tell she was having more bad days than good days. She was developing more problems.

She still asked for food but ate it a lot slower. She still greeted me when I woke her up. She was always happy to know I was nearby. She handled not seeing or hearing so well that most people wouldn’t realize she had any difficulty with either.

I optimistically called the veterinarian and made her an appointment telling them “she’s doing worse”. Her veterinarians, Dr Elizabeth Lauron and Dr Gale Kerr and their staff have provided excellent care for Manda for many years. I left the house alone with Manda saying we’ll be back soon.

I have utmost confidence in them. I had every belief that we could just add more medicine to her regiment of already taking 7 different medications three times daily. Dr Kerr seen Manda on this day and an examination and testing revealed that in addition to renal failure, congestive heart failure, and a collapsing trachea, Manda now had kidney stones, one of which was in her urethrea and a mass on her neck which was the size of my thumb. The mass was not visible to the eye or when touching her neck. It was obviously causing her problems though.

After seeing the results, I called my husband and he joined me at the vet’s office. We had to send Manda to heaven where she’ll get to run and play with our greyhound Russ who went to heaven in 2003. We had 18 great years with Manda and are thankful God sent her to us to love. She added so much to our lives and we miss her terribly.

This happened on November 22, 2007. My husband is a stand up comedian and he had a show that night. We had planned for friends to join us at the show and we had made plans to spend the Thanksgiving holiday with them. They are great friends and they offered comfort, love, support and didn’t judge me when I excused myself and went to bed while they stayed awake with great conversations until the early morning hours.

The veterinarians and their staff sent us a beautiful arrangement of flowers which lasted through the holiday seasons. The funeral home even called us. The urn is done beautifully.

I’m so thankful that I got to hold Manda during the euthanasia. She wasn’t scared or stressed. I am grateful that she went peacefully without struggle.

I miss her so much. She’s been my faithful little companion for many years. I miss her demanding yet loving attitude. I never begrudged a dime that I spent on her nor a moment that I spent with her or caring for her. After she was gone, I suddenly had two extra hours in each day. I didn’t even realize her care was taking any amount of time.

Nedd is doing well. He has missed her and is adjusting. He is 12 and this is his first experience being the only dog in the house!

If you’re looking for the best veterinary care in the Columbus OH area, please contact Elizabeth Lauron DVM and Gale Kerr DVM at 614.871.1111.

If you’re looking for entertainment for 2008, check out my funny hubby at: www.MartyDaniels.com.

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.

Arthritis ???

He’ll be twelve years old in November. Most of the time he acts like he is still three. Lately, he’s had a few times of being stiff in the neck and slower getting up and down. He’s also had a few times of being reluctant to climb stairs.

We’ve taken him to the veterinarian twice for this problem. Since he is a senior citizen and a 55# dog, we had a senior wellness workup done for him. His bloodwork and urine was normal. He had a few days of a muscle relaxer and Rimadyl. He responded well and was back to normal very quickly. A couple weeks later, the same stiffness came back. We treated it the same only this time, after the Rimadyl, we began a daily regiment of Cosequin only.

Now, a few weeks later, it’s back again. I’m looking at options. I’ve heard so many negative things about Rimadyl that I’m afraid to use it on a long term basis as a maintenance drug. I’ve increased his Cosequin since there’s varying doses on the back of the bottle. I’m hoping that helps.

I am researching adding fatty acid tablets and special diets. I’m also reading about some other supplements, holistic treatments, natural dog care and even acupuncture that folks have told me work well for arthritis in dogs.

It sure is hard to see this great dog age! He’s the smartest dog and just lives to love and play.

He’s typically daddy’s boy…until he doesn’t feel well and then he only wants me! It’s really a neat experience to see our dog suddenly become my boy and only want comforted by me when he is feeling ill. I didn’t realize a dog would react the same way that a child typically d0es when ill.

We’ve always said Nedd is almost human and is our son. I guess he’s proving us right!

Still treating Heart Disease & Renal Failure

It’s so hard. She has both heart disease and renal failure. As we treat one, we make the other worse.

I am praying she isn’t suffering. I’m not always sure as the last few days have been really rough. She has had continuing loose stool which is caused from a “bad gut”. She has been up nearly every night with a coughing/wheezing episode. She is panting more and more.

Her medicines are increased and we’re moving toward every 8 hours instead of every 12 hours with the veterinarians advice.

She is currently on Tramadol, Benazapril, Aluminum Hydroxide, Sulcrafate, Sub q fluids every other day, Furosemide, Famotidine, Hydrocodone and Pet Tinic. She thinks she is getting treats because most of the meds are hidden in something yummy. I don’t administer the subq fluids as I should because she runs and hides which makes it really hard for me to do. She doesn’t like the sulcrafate slury but I give her the pet tinic afterwards so she tolerates it pretty well.

She can’t hear or see. She still greets me with a wagging tail. She spins in circles as I prepare her food. She still barks and is demanding. She uses pee pads as she can’t always wait on someone to be able to take her out. She is still bright and alert.

I keep praying she’ll pass in her sleep someday. It is so hard to watch her body fail.