September 22, 2008

Jack continues to be a monster and is eating everything he can. I came home from work one day last week to find he had gotten a box of Kleenex and devoured some, only to leave them half eaten spread out on the couch. C'mon now, what kind of nutritional value is in Kleenex for crying out loud? We've had to reinforce the bottom door of the Ruud (5' tall rat cage for those of you who scratching your head) because Jack knows how to open the door with his big ol' nose. It's not the rats he's after - it's their POO he likes to eat! He is also training us to close the trash compactor door as a few times this weekend, he had a field day in the garbage and made a mess all over the kitchen floor. When either of us get up and walk anywhere in the house, Jack is right on our heels, hoping we go to the kitchen. It's funny, but it's not.....it's actually sad he feels like we are starving him. I look into his big brown eyes every day and I assure him we aren't, but he just doesn't get it. Poor guy.

Roxy has become a picky eater and I'm not sure which is more frustrating - Jack wanting to eat EVERYTHING or Roxy being so finicky. She seems to enjoy her Evo kibble mixed with a little Evo wet food, however, this morning, she only ate about 1/3 of it. Her health seems ok otherwise so at this point, I really think I've enabled her to become a fussy eater. **shaking head & rolling eyes** So shoot me.

OH! Can't forget about Sugar - our next door neighbor's puppy. Finally downloaded the pictures I took of her. She's just darling!

September 16, 2008

$158 Electrasol Power Tab?

You read that right. It cost me $158 for one of them stupid things today. Today, during my morning routine, I made one small, but what could have been a fatal mistake. After I had medicated and fed the dogs and rats, I loaded the dishwasher. I got an Electrasol tab from under the sink and while opening the plastic, I quickly looked around for anything else that needed to go in the dishwasher. I placed the tab in the cup on the door and turned to the left (my back to the dishwasher) and got the steamer bowl. I turned back around to place it in the dishwasher and Jack was standing there licking the inside door of the dishwasher. I shoo'd him away and noticed the Electrasol tab was gone. WHY THE HELL DID I NOT SHUT THE CUP'S DOOR? OMG OMG OMG in a complete panic, I searched around the kitchen thinking I placed the tab somewhere else. No, no I KNOW I placed it in the cup. SHIT SHIT SHIT Jack ate the tablet! OMG this can't be happening. I grabbed the container the tablets came in and read in capital letters "HARMFUL IF SWALLOWED". NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! I rushed Jack out to the backyard and shoved my fingers down his throat trying my best to get him to vomit. Nothing worked. Doesn't this dog have a gag reflex? My fingers wouldn't go any farther down his throat. Dammit! I ran back inside and immediately contacted Loomis Basin. I told them what happened and they advised me to bring him in right away. While running to my bedroom to get my flip flops, I called Brad and told him through my hysterics and tears what happened. I grabbed my purse and coaxed Jack into the garage. I got him into the back of my car and high tailed it as quick as I could to Loomis. I know I was driving like a bat out of hell, exceeding the speed limit by at least 20 mph. I didn't care. The cops would have to chase me to Loomis Basin and then write me a ticket there! I must have had a guardian angel with me as I never saw a cop and I never got stopped at any of the stop lights. As I approached, they always turned green - YES!

I rushed him inside where a vet tech was there. She told me she had already contacted the Poison Control Hotline and they needed to induce vomiting. They took him in the back and I realized I didn't get to give him a kiss or anything. Everything just happened so quickly. WWWAAAHHHHH! I sat in the waiting room and bawled. Of course, do you think they have Kleenex in the waiting room? NO! I have snot coming out my nose and tears streaming down my face and have no tissues. Lovely. I can only imagine what I looked like at that moment. I wiped my snot with my hands and tears with the back of my arm. Thank goodness I carry hand sanitizer and rubbed a whole bunch on my hands and arms.

Shortly after, the vet came out and asked me what we feed Jack. I told her we homecook and tried to remember everything he ate in his breakfast. She said it was really yellow. I told her that must have been the B Complex and CoQ10. She went back to check on Jack and came out a few minutes later and said it would be a while longer because Jack was still vomiting. She assured me Jack would be fine and said it would probably be best if I waited about 30-45 minutes to ensure he was done - and no accidents happened in the car. At this point, I was happy they had a nice flat panel TV playing Animal Planet so I could try and calm down. At least I got to see an elephant being born. BTW have you ever seen an elephant's water break? Can you say tidal wave?

When it was safe for Jack to come home, the vet tech brought him out and as he walked over to me, his tail was wagging, but he had this look on his face like "uh oh I sorry Mommy." I hugged him and cried and told him how sorry I was for leaving the cup's door open. The vet tech giggled and told me about all the stuff Jack vomited up. Chicken, zucchini, peas.....and then she said "a perfect almond" and "what appeared to be a huge piece of leather". Oh dear. They must think I'm a terrible dog Mom! I explained Daddy eats a lot of almonds and possibly dropped one and the leather...well, Daddy left his leather gloves out and I found them 1/2 eaten last night. Thank God he vomited it up because it could have jammed up his intestines! I guess everything happens for a reason....

So there you have it - $158 Electrasol Power Tab.

Lesson of the Day: ALWAYS immediately shut the detergent cup's door on the dishwasher, especially when you have a dog taking Prednisone!

Friday, September 12th

This week Jack has done really well. His walking seems to have hit a plateau - still not normal, but I suppose that's a given considering the condition of his poor paw pads. He's been eating without problems (thanks Prednisone!) and is back to drinking water on his own.

Last night somebody had an accident in the house. I was walking down the hallway and just as I was inside the master bedroom door, I felt something cold on the outside of my right foot. I turned on the light and realized I stepped in poo! Ugg! I happened to step in the only little turd on the runner, go figure. There was also one more "dollop" just inside the doggie door. Whichever dog it was, was *trying* to get outside.

At this point, I'm not sure if it was Jack or if it was Roxy because Roxy has not been eating her breakfast. She eats her dinner, but not her breakfast. We aren't sure if she's just getting picky, she wants attention, or if she truly is not feeling well. Maybe she's the one who pooped.... dunno. Today when I fed her breakfast, she picked out the chicken and only ate that. She wouldn't touch her scrambled eggs or green beans. I swear these dogs are making my hair turn gray. I'm glad it's Friday and looking forward to hanging out with them this weekend. :)

September 8, 2008

Predisone: The Miracle Drug?
It's been a little over 24 hours since starting Jack on Prednisone. He's eating on his own, drinking on his own and WALKING! Yes, Jack is walking! He comes in the kitchen and lies under our feet when we are preparing food. At one time we would have made him leave the kitchen. Now, neither Brad or I have the heart to tell him he can't be in there. I asked him if he wanted to go for a walk and he got up and walked over to the front door. He walked slowly and sniffed the whole time. I can't tell you how exciting it was to see him outside....walking....sniffing.....and most of all enjoying himself. He's still walking a bit gingerly, but no where near like he was before. YAY! Tonight, Roxy got one of their tuggies and laid down about 3 feet away from Jack and started chewing on it. Jack immediately bolted to his feet and tried to get it from her. Wooo Hooooooooooo! Our old Jack is back! BTW he didn't succeed....Roxy was too quick. Oh and I forgot to mention the pad we found on the chaise lounge today. Nothing like finding your dog's pads on your furniture - ew!

I made his appointment today with Dr. Cannon at the Animal Dermatology and Allergy clinic. His appointment is set for next Tuesday, the 16th. I'll print off the pictures I've taken because I have a feeling his feet are going to be A LOT better by then. His progress the last 24 hours is just amazing. I'm hoping and praying we can get this issue cleared up and won't have to keep him on Prednisone for a long time.

I had some of our rats out (Flash Gordon, Doughnut and Philo) on the back of the couch and was able to capture a really cute video of them. How anybody could be afraid or disgusted with such wonderful loving creatures is beyond me. Too close minded I suppose. Too bad, their loss.

September 7, 2008

This morning, I got up and went to the Placer SPCA to walk the dogs for a couple of hours. I was excited to find out that McGuire, who had been at the shelter for a long time, got adopted recently. As much as I'll miss that big old lug head, I'm glad he found a home. I'm hoping his new family will keep in contact with the SPCA.

When I got home, I took a few more pictures of his pads. They appear to be healing, but he is still extremely reluctant to walk and only walks when absolutely necessary. Here are today's pictures:








I was a little worried about Jack this afternoon. He was laying on the couch and he was shaking. Not his whole body, but his left shoulder and leg. I went over to comfort him and I heard his tummy making noises, so I had Brad pick him up and take him to the backyard thinking he had to poop, but was too sore to walk. Nope - as soon as Brad put him down, he hobbled back into the house. I got him back up on the couch and he was shaking again so I assumed he was in pain. :o( Despite my fear of starting Jack on Prednisone, I felt like I didn't really have another alternative... and therefore started Jack on the Pred. He ate his dinner without any problems and seemed to be doing well. However, about 5 minutes after he ate, we found poop in the kitchen and down the hall. There was one formed poop and the rest was pretty soft, but not runny. Obviously it snuck up on Jack and he didn't make it outside. I found him in the backyard laying on the patio and he looked ashamed, poor guy. After we cleaned everything up, we went out back, gave him love, and assured him he wasn't in trouble. After realizing he wasn't in trouble, he came back in the house and laid on his dog bed where he's been since. Time for me to go and give him some more love. :)

September 5, 2008

It's been a week now and still no word from Loomis Basin on Jack's pathology report. **yanking hair out** Jack's paws pads are continuing to fall off and the ones that have fallen off are scabbed up - I suppose they are healing? Walking still appears to hurt which doesn't surprise me. How would our feet feel if the bottoms were all scabbed up? He still won't eat unless he's hand-fed,won't drink unless a bowl is held up to him and continues to act depressed. My poor baby boy, my heart aches for him. I wish I could just lay next to him all day long and take his pain away.

Brad noticed that Socrates and Hercules have figured out a way to open their cage and found them on TOP of their cage this morning! It had to have been Hercules, he is such a mischief maker! I put binder clips on the cage door and I'm hoping that will be strong enough to hold the door closed.

Speaking of the rats, they are all doing well albeit the few who are on meds - but even they seem to be in good spirits. Daisy's "spotting" has subsided with the meds Dr. McRoberts prescribed so I'm hoping this will do the trick and we won't have to proceed with getting her spayed. After what Jack has gone through, I'm so paranoid to have any of my pets put under anesthesia. Ump!

Junior is loving the tugboat his Auntie Carolyn and Uncle Al brought over to him. I find him in the boat a lot and he seems quite content while in it! What do you think?



I was going through some old photos and came across one of Jack and Roxy taken in December 1998. Wow. Roxy's face is soooo.....BLACK! The look on Jack's face is absolutely priceless!



I can't leave out the uber cool pictures of me in Australia with the roos and wallabies either. Looking at these pictures again makes me want to go back! Yep, I'm feeding the roo bread from my mouth in the first pic. Kinda insane huh? =)



Happy as a clam!


Me and my new friends!


Me and a wallabee. Check out the emu on the left.


The vet called me on my way home from work. She said the pathology report came back as pemphigus foliaceus. To make a long story short, she wants to start him on an aggressive course of Prednisone and has referred us to a dermatologist who specializes in these sorts of problems. From what I've read online, this can be drug induced - makes sense to me since he was fine up until he had his dental procedure. I'm numb right now and feel so lost. :o(

September 3, 2008

Jack is continuing to lose his paw pads. The ones that have previously fallen off are all scabby and gross. I called Loomis Basin and told them Jack's bandaged foot stinks and asked if I could take the bandage off. I was instructed to leave it on and to bring him in. I asked if they had any appointments late this afternoon and was told they didn't, but I was more than welcome to bring Jack in and pay their emergency fee. She said the ER vet tonight was going to be the same vet that Jack saw last Friday and she wouldn't be working again until Monday. SHIT! I opted to make the appointment for tomorrow and prayed his foot would be ok.

My wonderful neighbor Pam came over this afternoon and checked on Jack. She said he was excited to see her. :) She got him some water and he gave her a nice appreciation kiss. We are going to be in BIG trouble when this is done and over with...Jack is beyond spoiled now. I don't care, he's worth it!

I received a phone call from a very nice vet tech from Loomis Basin. She inquired about Jack's bandaged foot. We agreed that I could take the bandage off when I got home, and once I did, I would call her and let her know how it looked.

When I got off of work, I retrieved a voice mail from IVC that they were no longer going to work weekends and if I still wanted Jack to be seen, I had to reschedule the appointment for M-F between 8-5. Lovely. There goes that idea. I will have to find another reputable veterinarian who practices alternative medicine and works hours that coincide with my schedule.

I came home from work and took off Jack's wrap. OMG the smell was atrocious. The best way to describe it is a sour smelling sweaty buttcrack! Visually, his pads are frightening and nasty! Check it out:





His right paw pretty much resembles like it went through a cheese grater. ICK! I called the vet tech at Loomis Basin and we agreed that Jack should be brought in tonight. We loaded Jack up and got to LB. As we were waiting for the vet to come in the room, I noted the stench permeating in the room. Between Jack's rank foot and the mephitic fumes coming from his rear end, he had our olfactory systems on overload!

The vet came in and said the pathology report had not come in yet. She said she requested a certain pathologist, who has a tremendous amount of experience with skin disorders, to look at the biopsy. I asked her what her thoughts were after examining Jack again and she said she's thinking autoimmune disorder but obviously, can't make any calls until the report is in. I hate this waiting bullshit. I keep thinking whatever it is is eating away at his organs and we aren't doing anything about it.

She thought it was best to leave the wrap off in order for it to receive some air. She cleaned it the best she could with chlorhexidine and while cleaning, 3 more chunks were either removed or fell off. She also gave us more Tramadol for him in case he needed some pain relief. She said she would really like Jack to follow up with his normal vet (who is one of the Internal Medicine vets there) and would have her assistant call me to schedule an appointment. I was pleasantly surprised when I got the bill - $38.40 which covered the re-check visit and 45 Tramadol pills. She waived the ER fee which I thought was nice.

When we arrived home, I prepared Jack's dinner (Roxy ate before we left) which he ate all of - - and only because Brad hand fed him. We are thoroughly convinced Jack has also got a bad case of SDS - spoiled dog syndrome.