Have you ever had a person in your life who you thought was extraordinary? Somebody who seems to understand you, provide you what you really need at that time, or was just there at the right moment to lend a hand or an ear? There is an extremely special person who came into my life early last year whom I absolutely adore and cherish. Just when I feel like I've hit a wall and don't know where to turn or what to do with Jack's health issues and am crying out of frustration, this angel will build a bridge for me which allows me to stay focused. When I fall, she's there reaching her hand out to help me back up and doing what she can to help me and assist me in researching in an attempt to find answers for Jack. I doubt she knows any of this for this is the first time I've spoke or wrote about it. Or on the other hand, maybe she does know and she knows I need this right now? The amount of kindness she has been showing me has made such a tremendous difference in my life and I hope she knows that. She will. After all she's an angel.
Thank you for the latest link from vin.com. Another eye opener.
I don't know how to ever repay you for your encouragement, hope, knowledge, love, and for guiding me along this frightening journey. You know who you are.
_ _ _ _ _ _ _
Sunday, August 31, 2008
Saturday, August 30, 2008
August 30, 2008
I slept with Jack all night on the couch. A couple times he wanted to change position and I helped him. His pads are just a mess and it's frightening to look at them.
I looked up Mupirocin online and didn't like what I found. Apparently Mupirocin has the potential hazard of nephrotoxicity due to the polyethylene glycol content of the product base. Good God! The vet promised me she would only give him renal friendly things. Is this REALLY safe to apply to his pads when he is in the early stages of kidney failure?
Call me a loon, but after all the things I read online I totally freaked out and called the vet clinic and asked them if they could prescribe something else because I was not comfortable giving Jack anything that had polyethylene glycol in it. :o/ One of the internal medicine specialists reviewed Jack's file, called me, and said he'll give me a script for Mupirocin cream. No polyethylene glycol in the cream and he said it will be much safer for Jack. He said I can return the ointment when I pick up the cream. Phew!
I returned the ointment and much to my dismay, received a written prescription for the Mupirocin cream that I had to have another pharmacy fill. ARGH! When I was leaving the clinic, Brad texted me and said Jack had started playing tuggy with Roxy! He made Jack stop because he didn't want him to hurt his feet. We are both in amazement he wanted to play - but in any case, it's good news. :)
I went to Walgreens to try and fill the prescription, but they didn't have it in stock. I went to Safeway and they were closing and I begged the Pharmacist to fill it. I think once she heard my story about Jack, she couldn't say no, and went ahead and filled it. 62 freaking dollars! I came home and we put it on Jack's pads and wrapped his feet up so he wouldn't lick it off. A short while later, we checked on Jack and the wrap from one of his back legs was off. Brad called me over and I nearly died. One of his pads came OFF! EEWWWWW!
I looked up Mupirocin online and didn't like what I found. Apparently Mupirocin has the potential hazard of nephrotoxicity due to the polyethylene glycol content of the product base. Good God! The vet promised me she would only give him renal friendly things. Is this REALLY safe to apply to his pads when he is in the early stages of kidney failure?
Call me a loon, but after all the things I read online I totally freaked out and called the vet clinic and asked them if they could prescribe something else because I was not comfortable giving Jack anything that had polyethylene glycol in it. :o/ One of the internal medicine specialists reviewed Jack's file, called me, and said he'll give me a script for Mupirocin cream. No polyethylene glycol in the cream and he said it will be much safer for Jack. He said I can return the ointment when I pick up the cream. Phew!
I returned the ointment and much to my dismay, received a written prescription for the Mupirocin cream that I had to have another pharmacy fill. ARGH! When I was leaving the clinic, Brad texted me and said Jack had started playing tuggy with Roxy! He made Jack stop because he didn't want him to hurt his feet. We are both in amazement he wanted to play - but in any case, it's good news. :)
I went to Walgreens to try and fill the prescription, but they didn't have it in stock. I went to Safeway and they were closing and I begged the Pharmacist to fill it. I think once she heard my story about Jack, she couldn't say no, and went ahead and filled it. 62 freaking dollars! I came home and we put it on Jack's pads and wrapped his feet up so he wouldn't lick it off. A short while later, we checked on Jack and the wrap from one of his back legs was off. Brad called me over and I nearly died. One of his pads came OFF! EEWWWWW!
August 29, 2008
Brad was able to get Jack to eat all of his breakfast. No real changes and he's doing the same. Obvious pain with walking and would rather stay lying down.
Brad took Daisy for her follow up visit with Dr. McRoberts. She said she suspects something is going on with Daisy's uterus, but we will continue with the abx. If that doesn't clear it up, then Dr. McRoberts is going to spay her. Daisy is such a strong girl. :0)
I came home from work and Jack was laying on his dog bed. As I approached, he wagged his tail and was happy to see me. Upon my routine inspection, I noticed some of the pads had turned white in the middle and I thought this was odd. Some of the other pads were actually coming OFF, like in big scabs and it was horrifying. I lifted up his lip and touched his gum and it was completely dry.
I immediately called Loomis Basin and they said to bring him in right away. I grabbed the dog bed and threw it in the back of my FJ. Brad snatched Jack up, put him in the back and got in with him. On the way, Brad started calling his softball team letting them know he would not be able to make the game. When we arrived at Loomis Basin, I ran inside and let them know we were there and if we could get help getting Jack inside. They got a gurney and we rushed out to the car. We got Jack on the gurney without any problems and he rode like a king inside the clinic. When we were walking through the waiting area, Jack looked around at all the people and other dogs and started wagging his tail. It was cute and he reminded me of somebody on a parade float! They put us in a room and took his temp. It was a little high at 103.4 deg. I suspected it was due to the weather we were having (100+ degrees outside) and the warm car ride over to the vet.
The vet asked us what was going on with Jack and did an examination. She said he wasn't dehydrated. (Still scratching my head over this.) She didn't feel it was an allergic reaction to the antibiotics because he had been off the abx for a few days. No tenderness in the spine, she manipulated his head, neck, and all four legs without any problems, so she really didn't think it was anything to do with his vertebra or discs. She suggested we leave Jack there overnight and she would take biopsies from his pads to send to pathology. I asked her if it was truly necessary to leave Jack overnight as I really did not want to leave him there if at all possible. She hesitated and said we could pick Jack up later, possibly around 10pm, but to be prepared he would still be out of it from the sedation and his foot would be bandaged. I thought to myself, "OK anything else? Is that it?" I thought was kind of a dumb reason to leave our boy in there overnight! We told Jack this was the best thing for him, they were going to make him better and how much we loved him. There was a lot of kissing between us and Jack and they wheeled him into the back. I looked through the window and as they were wheeling him away, he was looking at me with this sad worried look on his face that made my heart break. I blew him a kiss and waved at him until I couldn't see him anymore and the tears began to flow.
We went home and I prepared Roxy's dinner. She seemed depressed that Jack wasn't there and when I put her bowl down in front of her, she sniffed it, looked up and me and turned away. I was like OH NO NO NO, you are NOT going to do this to me. I called her back and told her to eat her dinner. Didn't take much pursuading and she started eating. She ate everything put the peas. I then had her get on the couch and I removed her 16 pretty pink stitches. :)
At 7:30pm the vet called and said Jack is waking up and we could pick him up in about an hour. She said his fever went back down to normal and upon further examination, she was impressed with how good Jack was overall. Although all 4 paws are affected, she said she took biopsies from his front right foot as this is where the most obvious problems are plus she didn't want to make all his feet sore. Because of the holiday weekend, pathology results are going to take longer to get.....approximately 5-7 days! GGGRRRRRR!
We showed up at 8:30pm to get Jack. Even though my bill was nearly $400, I was happy the vet waived the emergency fee and only charged $22 for the office visit (1/2 the normal price). One of the vet techs brought Jack out and he was walking, although extremely slow like he was walking on glass. She gave me a tube of Mupirocin and instructed me to put it on his affected pads 2x a day. We didn't make Jack walk to the car and Brad picked him up and carried him. Again, Brad rode in the back with Jack for the car ride home.
We put Jack on the couch and Roxy ran over to greet him. He growled at her and she immediately left him alone. He stayed on the couch and rested next to me. At midnight, Jack woke up and got off the couch. I watched him and he went outside to pee. He got both his front paws on the pea gravel, but his back paws were still on he patio. He peed anyways....on the patio - lol. I don't care if he didn't make it on the gravel. Jeez, I wouldn't care if he peed inside!
I hope we get the pathology report sooner than a week. Poor Jack is in so much pain and this is so tough to see him like this. :o(
Brad took Daisy for her follow up visit with Dr. McRoberts. She said she suspects something is going on with Daisy's uterus, but we will continue with the abx. If that doesn't clear it up, then Dr. McRoberts is going to spay her. Daisy is such a strong girl. :0)
I came home from work and Jack was laying on his dog bed. As I approached, he wagged his tail and was happy to see me. Upon my routine inspection, I noticed some of the pads had turned white in the middle and I thought this was odd. Some of the other pads were actually coming OFF, like in big scabs and it was horrifying. I lifted up his lip and touched his gum and it was completely dry.
I immediately called Loomis Basin and they said to bring him in right away. I grabbed the dog bed and threw it in the back of my FJ. Brad snatched Jack up, put him in the back and got in with him. On the way, Brad started calling his softball team letting them know he would not be able to make the game. When we arrived at Loomis Basin, I ran inside and let them know we were there and if we could get help getting Jack inside. They got a gurney and we rushed out to the car. We got Jack on the gurney without any problems and he rode like a king inside the clinic. When we were walking through the waiting area, Jack looked around at all the people and other dogs and started wagging his tail. It was cute and he reminded me of somebody on a parade float! They put us in a room and took his temp. It was a little high at 103.4 deg. I suspected it was due to the weather we were having (100+ degrees outside) and the warm car ride over to the vet.
The vet asked us what was going on with Jack and did an examination. She said he wasn't dehydrated. (Still scratching my head over this.) She didn't feel it was an allergic reaction to the antibiotics because he had been off the abx for a few days. No tenderness in the spine, she manipulated his head, neck, and all four legs without any problems, so she really didn't think it was anything to do with his vertebra or discs. She suggested we leave Jack there overnight and she would take biopsies from his pads to send to pathology. I asked her if it was truly necessary to leave Jack overnight as I really did not want to leave him there if at all possible. She hesitated and said we could pick Jack up later, possibly around 10pm, but to be prepared he would still be out of it from the sedation and his foot would be bandaged. I thought to myself, "OK anything else? Is that it?" I thought was kind of a dumb reason to leave our boy in there overnight! We told Jack this was the best thing for him, they were going to make him better and how much we loved him. There was a lot of kissing between us and Jack and they wheeled him into the back. I looked through the window and as they were wheeling him away, he was looking at me with this sad worried look on his face that made my heart break. I blew him a kiss and waved at him until I couldn't see him anymore and the tears began to flow.
We went home and I prepared Roxy's dinner. She seemed depressed that Jack wasn't there and when I put her bowl down in front of her, she sniffed it, looked up and me and turned away. I was like OH NO NO NO, you are NOT going to do this to me. I called her back and told her to eat her dinner. Didn't take much pursuading and she started eating. She ate everything put the peas. I then had her get on the couch and I removed her 16 pretty pink stitches. :)
At 7:30pm the vet called and said Jack is waking up and we could pick him up in about an hour. She said his fever went back down to normal and upon further examination, she was impressed with how good Jack was overall. Although all 4 paws are affected, she said she took biopsies from his front right foot as this is where the most obvious problems are plus she didn't want to make all his feet sore. Because of the holiday weekend, pathology results are going to take longer to get.....approximately 5-7 days! GGGRRRRRR!
We showed up at 8:30pm to get Jack. Even though my bill was nearly $400, I was happy the vet waived the emergency fee and only charged $22 for the office visit (1/2 the normal price). One of the vet techs brought Jack out and he was walking, although extremely slow like he was walking on glass. She gave me a tube of Mupirocin and instructed me to put it on his affected pads 2x a day. We didn't make Jack walk to the car and Brad picked him up and carried him. Again, Brad rode in the back with Jack for the car ride home.
We put Jack on the couch and Roxy ran over to greet him. He growled at her and she immediately left him alone. He stayed on the couch and rested next to me. At midnight, Jack woke up and got off the couch. I watched him and he went outside to pee. He got both his front paws on the pea gravel, but his back paws were still on he patio. He peed anyways....on the patio - lol. I don't care if he didn't make it on the gravel. Jeez, I wouldn't care if he peed inside!
I hope we get the pathology report sooner than a week. Poor Jack is in so much pain and this is so tough to see him like this. :o(
Thursday, August 28, 2008
August 28, 2008
This morning Jack only ate about 1/4 of his food and went out to pee. He came back in and wouldn't finish his breakfast. I was able to handfeed him, but could only get him to eat about 3/4 of his food. I tried to move him into the front room and the poor guy just doesn't want to walk. When he does, he's really unsteady on his feet and walks like a geriatric old man. He seemed to be in a lot of discomfort, so I gave him 2 Tramadol. He also licks at his legs and feet alot which leads me to believe they are really bothering him.
I spoke with the vet's office today and let them know what is going on with Jack. I know my dog and there is something not right with him. At this point, I really don't feel it's a soft tissue injury. I asked if Dr. Smith could see him, but she's booked. I was able to book another appointment with Dr. Vellutini (the last vet to see him) for Saturday at 12:20pm. I was told Dr. Smith may call me tonight and talk, but so far it's 6:45pm and I haven't heard from her yet.
When I got home from work, Jack was laying on the couch in front of the front window. He didn't get up to greet me, but wagged his tail as I approached him. I started inspecting his paws and it appears as though his pads are getting .... like thick and cracky. I put some aloe vera cream on them and Brad wrapped them up so he couldn't lick it off.
As for dinner, Jack ate his dinner, but we had to bring it to him on the couch. He ate all of it which is good. For some reason, Jack always eats for Brad. :) After dinner, Brad took off Jack's foot bandages because Jack always has to pee after he eats. As soon as Jack got off the couch, he walked over to his bed. Then to the next rug. For some reason, he does not like walking on the laminate floor.
Roxy continues to do well. She is great with Jack and pretty much leaves him alone and doesn't tease him like she usually does. Although her appetite is well, she still isn't drinking water which is still of major concern to me.
When will this ever end? :o(
I spoke with the vet's office today and let them know what is going on with Jack. I know my dog and there is something not right with him. At this point, I really don't feel it's a soft tissue injury. I asked if Dr. Smith could see him, but she's booked. I was able to book another appointment with Dr. Vellutini (the last vet to see him) for Saturday at 12:20pm. I was told Dr. Smith may call me tonight and talk, but so far it's 6:45pm and I haven't heard from her yet.
When I got home from work, Jack was laying on the couch in front of the front window. He didn't get up to greet me, but wagged his tail as I approached him. I started inspecting his paws and it appears as though his pads are getting .... like thick and cracky. I put some aloe vera cream on them and Brad wrapped them up so he couldn't lick it off.
As for dinner, Jack ate his dinner, but we had to bring it to him on the couch. He ate all of it which is good. For some reason, Jack always eats for Brad. :) After dinner, Brad took off Jack's foot bandages because Jack always has to pee after he eats. As soon as Jack got off the couch, he walked over to his bed. Then to the next rug. For some reason, he does not like walking on the laminate floor.
Roxy continues to do well. She is great with Jack and pretty much leaves him alone and doesn't tease him like she usually does. Although her appetite is well, she still isn't drinking water which is still of major concern to me.
When will this ever end? :o(
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
August 26th, 2008
5:30am: Jack ate about 1/3 of his breakfast and headed outside to relieve himself. When he came back in, he wasn’t interested in finishing his food right away until we prompted him with “Eat your breakfast Jack” and he ate it all! YAY! Roxy was standing by just in case he needed help….. :oP He got 1 Tramadol with breakfast and 2 crushed Traumeel tablets before I left for work. His limp is almost all but gone, but he continues to walk like a geriatric old man. I wish I had answers for this. Could it be his body is sore from compensating from the terrible limp?
12:30pm: I miss my babies. I can’t stop thinking about them and wish I could bring them with me to work to lay at my feet. So what if they smell up my office with their sour farts? Right about now, I’d love it! When I get stressed, I could smell Jack’s feet. There is something about the smell of his feet I love. I know, I know, crazy huh? At home, I find myself getting down to his level and taking a quick whiff of his feet. He looks at me as if I’ve lost my mind, then decides it’s ok because he knows Mommy just loves him so much, and reciprocates the love by slapping my face with his slobbery wet tongue. I love it. I wonder why Roxy’s don’t smell the same? Ump.
I'm sad for all of the neglected pets in this world who don't receive the kind of love they are so worthy for. Stuck outside in the hot sun with little or no shade, or in the cold rainy winters with no warm bed to cuddle up in. Some get shitty food thrown at them, no fresh water, no daily walks, no training, no grooming, the list goes on. These people call themselves animal lovers and for some idiotic reason have the dog to make them feel like they are doing the dog a favor (possibly boost their own ego a bit?) or feel they have somehow done this dog some good by getting it out of the shelter. Well lemme tell you, those dogs are better off in a damn shelter than at some of these places they currently live. The shelter dogs live with an A/C in the summer and heat in the winter, clean blankets daily to snuggle in, receive good food, 3-4 walks a day, training, treats, toys, playtime, they are groomed and get lots of love and attention. I truly think some pet guardians should take a closer look at their own conscious. Someday....I'll win the lottery and purchase a large amount of land to have a sanctuary.......
12:30pm: I miss my babies. I can’t stop thinking about them and wish I could bring them with me to work to lay at my feet. So what if they smell up my office with their sour farts? Right about now, I’d love it! When I get stressed, I could smell Jack’s feet. There is something about the smell of his feet I love. I know, I know, crazy huh? At home, I find myself getting down to his level and taking a quick whiff of his feet. He looks at me as if I’ve lost my mind, then decides it’s ok because he knows Mommy just loves him so much, and reciprocates the love by slapping my face with his slobbery wet tongue. I love it. I wonder why Roxy’s don’t smell the same? Ump.
I'm sad for all of the neglected pets in this world who don't receive the kind of love they are so worthy for. Stuck outside in the hot sun with little or no shade, or in the cold rainy winters with no warm bed to cuddle up in. Some get shitty food thrown at them, no fresh water, no daily walks, no training, no grooming, the list goes on. These people call themselves animal lovers and for some idiotic reason have the dog to make them feel like they are doing the dog a favor (possibly boost their own ego a bit?) or feel they have somehow done this dog some good by getting it out of the shelter. Well lemme tell you, those dogs are better off in a damn shelter than at some of these places they currently live. The shelter dogs live with an A/C in the summer and heat in the winter, clean blankets daily to snuggle in, receive good food, 3-4 walks a day, training, treats, toys, playtime, they are groomed and get lots of love and attention. I truly think some pet guardians should take a closer look at their own conscious. Someday....I'll win the lottery and purchase a large amount of land to have a sanctuary.......
August 25, 2008
5:30am: Jack only ate 1/3 of his breakfast. He then went outside to pee and wasn’t interested in finishing his breakfast when he came back inside. I did give him 1 Tramadol tablet. He is walking much better – meaning he isn’t limping as much, but walks pretty slow. Before I got in the shower, I was able to get him to finish his breakfast by hand-feeding him. I crushed and gave him 2 Traumeel tablets before I left for work.
12:30pm: I called the Integrative Veterinary Clinic and made an appointment for Jack. They are only open to 5:00pm Monday through Friday so it's impossible for me to get Jack there without having to take time off of work. If only my employer would allow me to bring Jack to work, I could do it without any problems! However, seeing that the company I work for is making changes, I'd rather not draw more attention to myself. I need my job. The clinic is closed this Saturday due to it being Labor Day weekend, so my only other choice was to make the appointment for the following Saturday - the 6th at 9:00am. I hope Jack doesn't get any worse!
3:00pm: I received an email from my wonderful neighbor, Pam. She said during her morning walk with Cali (her dog), Roxy gave them a very energetic bark as they walked by and she was very glad to hear her. YAY! Roxy is doing great. She’s just as energetic as ever and the only evidence of her recent tumor removal is the 16 pink stitches in her back.
6:00pm: I left work late so Brad prepared Jack & Roxy’s dinner. Brad said Jack had to be hand-fed in order for him to finish his dinner. I believe the Traumeel is working because Jack is barely limping, although he walks so slow as if his whole body is painful. He reminds me of a really old frail man. It hurts so much to see him like this.
12:30pm: I called the Integrative Veterinary Clinic and made an appointment for Jack. They are only open to 5:00pm Monday through Friday so it's impossible for me to get Jack there without having to take time off of work. If only my employer would allow me to bring Jack to work, I could do it without any problems! However, seeing that the company I work for is making changes, I'd rather not draw more attention to myself. I need my job. The clinic is closed this Saturday due to it being Labor Day weekend, so my only other choice was to make the appointment for the following Saturday - the 6th at 9:00am. I hope Jack doesn't get any worse!
3:00pm: I received an email from my wonderful neighbor, Pam. She said during her morning walk with Cali (her dog), Roxy gave them a very energetic bark as they walked by and she was very glad to hear her. YAY! Roxy is doing great. She’s just as energetic as ever and the only evidence of her recent tumor removal is the 16 pink stitches in her back.
6:00pm: I left work late so Brad prepared Jack & Roxy’s dinner. Brad said Jack had to be hand-fed in order for him to finish his dinner. I believe the Traumeel is working because Jack is barely limping, although he walks so slow as if his whole body is painful. He reminds me of a really old frail man. It hurts so much to see him like this.
Sunday, August 24, 2008
5:00am I got up and went to use the restroom. I was pleasantly surprised when BOTH dogs came looking for me. Jack appeared to be walking slightly better, although he's still limping pretty badly.
I will be picking up some Traumeel today for Jack to see if that helps him at all. I'm so fed up with "traditional" medicine. It just does not seem to be working for him and I'm just wasting money while watching him suffer. :o(
Last night we met our next door neighbor's new puppy. Her name is Sugar and she's a little apricot colored poodle. O-M-G. Her fur is soft like cotton, she has awesome smelling puppy breath (one of my favorite smells in the world) and is absolutely precious. I will be photographing her soon and I will post pictures when I do. Welcome Sugar. :o)
8:00am Jack would not eat his breakfast today. I tried handfeeding him, and although he took a few pieces of chicken, wouldn't touch the green beans which he normally loves. He still has a bunch left and I'll try to get him to eat a little bit at a time. Not sure if he still has an upset tummy or not, but I did NOT give him another Cipro pill.
As usual, the guys left the kitchen a mess which really ticked me off. Crumbs, empty soda cans, open spice bottles and red pepper wrappers were left scattered around the counters, a dirty pizza tray was left on the cooktop, and the sink was an absolute mess with stuff stuck all over it. I mean how hard is it to clean up after yourself? I took the cans out to the recycle bin in the garage and the dumbasses left the garage door open all night! Not only was it left open, the door to the backyard was open and the GARAGE LIGHT WAS ON! HELLO?! Is anybody home? I swear the men *ahem* I mean "boys" living in this house are completely friggen brain dead. As if I don't have enough on my plate right now, do I have to do everything around here? And then Brad wonders why I get bitchy.....
9:00am I tried handfeeding Jack again and again, he'll only take the chicken and VERY few pieces of it before he turns his nose up. I sure wish I knew what is going on with him. I feel so helpless! While Brad sleeps in a comatose state, I'm scouring the internet for answers non-stop trying to find something, anything!
9:30am I took Jack out to the front yard. He seems to be walking better! As soon as he made it to the grass, he put his chest down, but left his butt up in the air for a few minutes. He eventually relaxed and laid fully down. He seemed to enjoy sniffing the air while laying in the warm sun (one of his favorite things to do). We stayed out there for about 10 minutes and I coaxed him back inside. Once inside the front door, he immediately laid down on the entryway mat. Poor Jack. :o(
6:00pm I went and bought Jack some Traumeel today from Sunrise Natural Foods. When I got home, I crushed two pills and then put the crushed pills in the pocket of his mouth. He didn't seem to mind at all. :) I took Roxy for a short walk and apparently when we walked out, he walked over to the door. Yesssss - he's walking more! I'm going to go make his dinner, let's see if he eats it himself instead of staring at us until we handfeed him.....
I will be picking up some Traumeel today for Jack to see if that helps him at all. I'm so fed up with "traditional" medicine. It just does not seem to be working for him and I'm just wasting money while watching him suffer. :o(
Last night we met our next door neighbor's new puppy. Her name is Sugar and she's a little apricot colored poodle. O-M-G. Her fur is soft like cotton, she has awesome smelling puppy breath (one of my favorite smells in the world) and is absolutely precious. I will be photographing her soon and I will post pictures when I do. Welcome Sugar. :o)
8:00am Jack would not eat his breakfast today. I tried handfeeding him, and although he took a few pieces of chicken, wouldn't touch the green beans which he normally loves. He still has a bunch left and I'll try to get him to eat a little bit at a time. Not sure if he still has an upset tummy or not, but I did NOT give him another Cipro pill.
As usual, the guys left the kitchen a mess which really ticked me off. Crumbs, empty soda cans, open spice bottles and red pepper wrappers were left scattered around the counters, a dirty pizza tray was left on the cooktop, and the sink was an absolute mess with stuff stuck all over it. I mean how hard is it to clean up after yourself? I took the cans out to the recycle bin in the garage and the dumbasses left the garage door open all night! Not only was it left open, the door to the backyard was open and the GARAGE LIGHT WAS ON! HELLO?! Is anybody home? I swear the men *ahem* I mean "boys" living in this house are completely friggen brain dead. As if I don't have enough on my plate right now, do I have to do everything around here? And then Brad wonders why I get bitchy.....
9:00am I tried handfeeding Jack again and again, he'll only take the chicken and VERY few pieces of it before he turns his nose up. I sure wish I knew what is going on with him. I feel so helpless! While Brad sleeps in a comatose state, I'm scouring the internet for answers non-stop trying to find something, anything!
9:30am I took Jack out to the front yard. He seems to be walking better! As soon as he made it to the grass, he put his chest down, but left his butt up in the air for a few minutes. He eventually relaxed and laid fully down. He seemed to enjoy sniffing the air while laying in the warm sun (one of his favorite things to do). We stayed out there for about 10 minutes and I coaxed him back inside. Once inside the front door, he immediately laid down on the entryway mat. Poor Jack. :o(
6:00pm I went and bought Jack some Traumeel today from Sunrise Natural Foods. When I got home, I crushed two pills and then put the crushed pills in the pocket of his mouth. He didn't seem to mind at all. :) I took Roxy for a short walk and apparently when we walked out, he walked over to the door. Yesssss - he's walking more! I'm going to go make his dinner, let's see if he eats it himself instead of staring at us until we handfeed him.....
Saturday, August 23, 2008
Jack's ongoing saga
Thursday, August 14th: Jack had a dental with one molar extraction. All went well, although he was in pain for about 24 hours, which is to be expected with an extraction. He was given Propofol, Isoflurane & Ampicillin at the clinic. Since we brought him home, he will not drink water. In fact, he acts repulsed by water and turns his face away. We have been compensating by making his homecooked meals "soupy". He has no problem eating and is still very interested in food (thank God!).
Sunday, August 17th: Jack started limping and it has not gone away. We can see no evidence of bites, wounds, stings, etc. anywhere on his paw, between his toes or leg, although his two middle pads seem to be the most sensitive...or possibly what hurts.
Monday, August 18th: I took him to the vet (same clinic, but not his primary vet as her schedule was booked), insisted on another blood panel to include Lipase and Amylase, as well as another urinalysis + radiographs. Radiographs showed a perfect foot and leg with no evidence of masses, fractures, distensions, spurs, etc. The vet said to treat it as a soft tissue injury and recommended I keep him on the Tramadol as anti-inflammatories would be too hard on Jack's kidneys. Although they said he was not dehydrated, I insisted on sub-q fluids since his water intake had diminished.
Tuesday, August 19th: When I arrived home from work, I noticed there was a bit of swelling in Jack's paw. Still no signs of what is causing any of this to happen.
Wednesday, August 20th: I raised hell with the clinic as I wanted the test results NOW and had not received a call back from a vet. Amazingly, I was told Jack's BUN level is now at 26 (down from 51), Creatinine level is 1.5 (down from 2.0), ALT level is 141 (down from 188). Lipase is 584 (ref range 100-750) and Amylase is 1329 (ref range 450-1240). This is all wonderful news!
Thursday, August 21st: I was able to speak with Jack's primary doctor, Dr. Smith, (who was not able to evaluate Jack's foot/leg yet), and she prescribed another antibiotic for us to start - Ciprofloxacin. I rushed to the vet's office before they closed so I could start him on it ASAP. She asked me to call on Friday and let her know how Jack was doing. Thursday night Jack started refusing to get up to greet us when we got home from work, or when anybody came to the door. He just does not want to bear weight on his foot at all.
Friday, August 22nd: Jack is still refusing to drink water on his own and refuses to walk at all unless it's to take himself out back to relieve himself. When he comes back inside, he immediately lays down, then after a few minutes walks forward a few steps and lays down again. He won't get up to greet anybody and *tries* to walk for food, but it's obviously extremely painful for him. I've been helping him get out back by taking a long towel and using it as a sling around his front legs/chest. I called the vet clinic to let Dr. Smith know how Jack was doing. She was not seeing patients that day but scheduled an appointment for Jack to see Dr. Vellutini. We brought Jack in at 2:30pm and unfortunately, Dr. Vellutini was unable to diagnose what is going on with Jack, although he thinks something is going on with a couple of Jack's toes. He recommended we increase Jack's Tramadol to 2 tablets 3x a day and if that was not bringing him any relief, he would give Jack a Fentanyl patch.
Today - Saturday, August 23rd: Jack appears to be somewhat lethargic like he doesn't feel well. Brad got him to drink some water out of a cup, so we were pretty happy about that. He ate his dinner and approximately 1/2 hour later, he vomited. :o( I believe the Cipro is most likely the culprit to his lethargy and upset stomach. I do not want to continue it! The good news is Jack's desire for water is much greater today, although he'll only drink from a cup!
Sorry the picture below is of poor quality - it was taken with my webcam! :o/
Sunday, August 17th: Jack started limping and it has not gone away. We can see no evidence of bites, wounds, stings, etc. anywhere on his paw, between his toes or leg, although his two middle pads seem to be the most sensitive...or possibly what hurts.
Monday, August 18th: I took him to the vet (same clinic, but not his primary vet as her schedule was booked), insisted on another blood panel to include Lipase and Amylase, as well as another urinalysis + radiographs. Radiographs showed a perfect foot and leg with no evidence of masses, fractures, distensions, spurs, etc. The vet said to treat it as a soft tissue injury and recommended I keep him on the Tramadol as anti-inflammatories would be too hard on Jack's kidneys. Although they said he was not dehydrated, I insisted on sub-q fluids since his water intake had diminished.
Tuesday, August 19th: When I arrived home from work, I noticed there was a bit of swelling in Jack's paw. Still no signs of what is causing any of this to happen.
Wednesday, August 20th: I raised hell with the clinic as I wanted the test results NOW and had not received a call back from a vet. Amazingly, I was told Jack's BUN level is now at 26 (down from 51), Creatinine level is 1.5 (down from 2.0), ALT level is 141 (down from 188). Lipase is 584 (ref range 100-750) and Amylase is 1329 (ref range 450-1240). This is all wonderful news!
Thursday, August 21st: I was able to speak with Jack's primary doctor, Dr. Smith, (who was not able to evaluate Jack's foot/leg yet), and she prescribed another antibiotic for us to start - Ciprofloxacin. I rushed to the vet's office before they closed so I could start him on it ASAP. She asked me to call on Friday and let her know how Jack was doing. Thursday night Jack started refusing to get up to greet us when we got home from work, or when anybody came to the door. He just does not want to bear weight on his foot at all.
Friday, August 22nd: Jack is still refusing to drink water on his own and refuses to walk at all unless it's to take himself out back to relieve himself. When he comes back inside, he immediately lays down, then after a few minutes walks forward a few steps and lays down again. He won't get up to greet anybody and *tries* to walk for food, but it's obviously extremely painful for him. I've been helping him get out back by taking a long towel and using it as a sling around his front legs/chest. I called the vet clinic to let Dr. Smith know how Jack was doing. She was not seeing patients that day but scheduled an appointment for Jack to see Dr. Vellutini. We brought Jack in at 2:30pm and unfortunately, Dr. Vellutini was unable to diagnose what is going on with Jack, although he thinks something is going on with a couple of Jack's toes. He recommended we increase Jack's Tramadol to 2 tablets 3x a day and if that was not bringing him any relief, he would give Jack a Fentanyl patch.
Today - Saturday, August 23rd: Jack appears to be somewhat lethargic like he doesn't feel well. Brad got him to drink some water out of a cup, so we were pretty happy about that. He ate his dinner and approximately 1/2 hour later, he vomited. :o( I believe the Cipro is most likely the culprit to his lethargy and upset stomach. I do not want to continue it! The good news is Jack's desire for water is much greater today, although he'll only drink from a cup!
Sorry the picture below is of poor quality - it was taken with my webcam! :o/
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