Not a good vet visit for Shadow

[renegaderuby]

YUMMY, does shadow want to share with me?

[Dog Dancer]

I doubt it Renegaderuby, she didn't want to share with me either! In fact, we both had some and she ate all of hers, and half of mine are in the fridge for her to have tomorrow. She's such a piggy since being on the pred!

[Sylvie]

DD, you will have to make sure she doesn't get fat

Don't you just love them.

[renegaderuby]

well, I'd say she has trained you rather well. good girl shadow. make mommy fork over the treats.
Ruby has me pretty trained too...she's "sweet talked" another two treats outta me today because her vet visit is tommorow and she'll get two owies. (bloodwork, and rabies shot).

[Dog Dancer]

Sylvie, surprisingly despite eating like a pig she is losing weight quite fast. She lost two pounds since we put her on the prednisone just two and a half weeks ago. So now she can eat all she wants.

Renegaderuby, I hope Ruby's trip goes well and her owies are just little ones.

[breeze]

DD just a thought, but maybe it's not weight that shadow is loosing but more mussel mass being on the pred??

[Dog Dancer]

Breeze, you could be right about that too! Hadn't really thought about that. It is part of why I try to keep making her go for short walks. Last night I woke up at 3:00 and tried to get her up to go out and pee, but nope, she wasn't having any of it. If I wanted her outside I was going to have to carry her. I finally decided just to let her go back to sleep. Figured I would clean pee in the morning if I had to, but all was good. Boy is she stubborn!

[renegaderuby]

DD,
Stubborn...HA , I know that word too. Ruby's first name is renegade for that reason alone!
Thanks for the well wishes on the vet visit. We had good results on liver enzimes (they check cause of the rymadyl), and our rabies shot. They had to poke her three times instead of just two, because I forgot that when they draw blood from the neck, if ruby can see me she will jump around like an idiot. So..she went to jumping around, and I had to leave out of the room, so she'd behave. (brat).
So...she got poked and extra time because they had to pull out the needle thanks to her jumping...and then restick her when I left the room. She does fine on the leg draw ...but the neck one is more 'tramatic" in her head. NOT because it actually bothers her having the needle. Its having her face held rather tightly by thier over exherbant dog holder . He is really nice, but I want to say..she's not a demon dog, you dont have to clamp her mouth and head so tight. But...its just quicker and less drama , when I step out of the room and let them do it whatever way they do it...then complain, explain, ect.
She then proceeded to burp in the holders face as I was coming back in. serves him right. LOL.

[Dog Dancer]

Renegaderuby, your handler got off easy with a burp! They had such a hard time drawing Shadow's blood last time she ended up pooping on the handler . They haven't bothered with blood work the last couple times just because it really upsets her now and well, really what's the point.

[renegaderuby]

GOOD GIRL SHADOW, serves em right for sticking ya huh!
Hmmm...hope that dosent give ruby any ideas! Think the rabies shot made her sore...she's was kinda wimpering a bit (not her norm). Put a bag of frozen peas (and held her down so she'd tollerate the peas)...and now she's settled. I also gave her her pain pill , as she's had a few bad days with the back lately. She has one calcified disk, and one calcified and slightly bulging disk. I felt like a heel , I let her go "down" the front steps (she RUNS down them at a speed that I've never understood)...to go potty. I usually pick her up, and I was distracted by the fifeteen or more humming birds buzzing around...and she got down em. Last two days she's been sore.
Got an "ok" to give her an extra rymadyl today. She's better. But kinda like shadow...some days are really "good" and some days are a bit more problematic for her.

I really think about how shadows doing..and although we are not there yet (and hopefully not anywhere near it in the future)..I do think about how one day we'll be where you are. Trying to "decide" when its time to end her "pain".
I get totally blubberish just thinking about it...so I can only "imagine" what your feeling right now.

Ps: sorry. I totally turned the subject into ruby...and this is NOT about ruby. This thread is about shadow. My apologies.
Pet your sweet ole gal for me..and if I was able to ..I'd send her a truck load of chicken.

[Dog Dancer]

Don't apologize, I don't mind the slight change of course, in fact sometimes I can use it. They both don't do well with the shots, so there you go, on track. Hope her back is better soon. Shadow sometimes flies down the back stairs at our house, and there's about 15. On a good day she makes it fine, on a bad day she trips and falls down several. I'm always terrified she'll fall and break a leg and then it's truly game over. I try not to let her use the back stairs anymore at all, the front door only has 5 much more manageable stairs (solid unlike the rear ones that are open at the back). She doesn't like going up the back stairs at all, if her foot slips it will go out the back of the stair and then she can't get it back. Doxie's worry me with all their back issues to be honest. Well Shadow just had her lunch and has settled in for another nap. Yay.

[renegaderuby]

awww...stairs. I wish we could "afford" doggie elevators. Least ruby and her ten pound self I can "pick" up. But shadow isnt a "lap" dog...(SHHHHH dont tell her I said that), so I can understand the "stair" delima.

As to rubys back. Well ...the vet says it is hereditary disk probs. (maybe..but I think her geting hit by a car, and having her pelvic bone broke in three places has a lot to do with it too).
I hope it gets better too..but doc says likely not. Can say the rymadly has been her blessing, and is thus far working.

[Magicwildwolf69]

Mom many many to you. i know how hard this is. if you want to talk i'm here! well phone call wise. haven't had much time on the computer. Sending many that shadow keeps going for now and gives you the time you and your son need. lots of love from me to both of you. you are always in my heart and thoughts.

[Tundra_Queen]

DD...I'm so sorry to hear about Shadown. Know I'm thinking of u both.

[Dog Dancer]

Thank you guys for your messages. Shadow is doing not too bad these last couple days. Her legs were rather weak today, and she didn't make it outside for her poop at work today. Fortunately they're solid! I never really know if she's doing good or not. I honestly don't think she's ready to go yet. Hubby says "she's perfect!" but I know better than that. He just doesn't want to accept the reality of her situation. Anyhow, it seems she's definitely going to make it until my son gets home, so that's a good thing. I'm hoping for another month, but I really think winter will be hard on her if she's still here and not sure that would be fair. Time alone will tell. Thanks again, your msgs mean the world to us.

[Goldfields]

My husband has always been like that with the dogs too, DD. Although it's great that they are kind, caring people, (real keepers) it does make it that tiny bit harder when that hard decision has to be made. Funny that you are worried about Shadow with Winter coming, while I have to wonder whether Perkins will survive our Summer heat.

[Dog Dancer]

Yes it is odd that isn't it GF. You have extreme summer heat and we have the extreme winter cold. I remember from like a hundred years ago when I was a teenager and we went to Australia (Sydney only due to an airline strike) and it was our spring and your fall and we thought your weather was lovely and people there were wearing fur coats! It was so obvious who the tourists were and who the locals were. You know I'm thinking of Perkins. He's such a beauty. Is he still in love with Zara?

[Goldfields]

He thinks she is wonderful, DD, but I suppose he wishes he had the strength to keep up with her. For such a big, and sometimes clumsy girl, Zara is actually trying hard to be careful and avoid bumping into him. She seems to like him as much as he does her. Now I'm thinking that I might still have to get another ACD, as company for her after that dreadful day we have to say goodbye to him. She likes the shelties but could hurt them because of her size.

I can believe that our Autumn weather here would seem nice to tourists, they'd get a heck of a shock though if they arrived during a heatwave. I love all our seasons bar Summer, BUT in the paper today it says that the La Ninya weather pattern is still with us, which means a dry Spring(bad for farmers, and for grass for my sheep) and a wet Summer, which hopefully will mean no bushfires. Hope it's not that wet that we get a repeat of the floods though.

[Dog Dancer]

They're so sweet! Halo is forever slamming into Shadow and I'm always giving her heck. I'm afraid she's going to knock her down the back stairs one day - fortunately we don't really use those now.

I upped Shadow's Advil dosage yesterday, last night specifically. The vet said to give her one in the morning, and I could give her a half at night if she seemed bad. She is very restless at night and had a hard time with one leg yesterday, so last night I gave her a full Advil with dinner and she had a good night. I'm sold.

[Winston]

DD I am so glad to hear that Shadow is doing reasonably well! Yay for pain meds!

[Dog Dancer]

Hi Winston, still thinking of you. Shadow does seem to be holding her own, but as I said above, she seems to be doing better with the extra meds. I'll give the vet a call in a couple days. I don't know why he doesn't want to up the Prednisone though. 5 mg twice a day is fairly low, and I know right now while she's doing "okay" I think she could be doing better. Yesterday she was walking around with one hind paw folded upside down, then was very restless, so that's why I decided to give her another pill. I feel it helped.

[marko]

Sending good vibes to you and shadow DD

[Goldfields]

Poor old Perkins isn't so good now either, DD, pretty bad diarrhoea. I stopped the Metacam tonight just in case that caused it.

[DMCWLVSSR]

Checking in and sending Hugs, pets and prayers!

[Winston]

Goldfields and DD sending good vibes your way!

DD Winston did that a few times at the end with the paw and it looked so uncomfortable but it didnt even faze him??

[Dog Dancer]

Goldfields, odd that Perkins has the runs, could it be the heat? Shadow didn't get the runs from the Metacam at all. Other way I would say. Pull out the pumpkin my friend!

Thanks all for the support. Winston, I agree that having the foot backwards/upside down doesn't seem to bother her, but it gives me the worst feeling in my gut. I guess because I know it's a very bad sign.

That is one thing the vet checks every time we go in. Last time she didn't let him flip her left foot at all and that made him happy, but the right one he just turned upside down and she just stood there and left it. Never even tried to fix it.

[chico2]

DD,I had no idea Shadow was this bad,it seems though,she still has many good moments.
You always show so much compassion for others and I am really sorry you and Shadow are going through this difficult time.

[Dog Dancer]

You know Chico that's the hard part. She has such a hard time sometimes, and then she has these bright shining moments. DH keeps telling me "she's perfect" but I know he just doesn't want to let her go. He doesn't spend 24 hours a day with her like I do. He doesn't notice that she's up and down from her bed to the floor every 10 minutes all night because she can't get comfortable. He will need to see some obvious signs before he agree's to let her go. Ultimately I know he'll let me decide, but I really need him to understand and be on board. That said, I don't think she's quite ready yet. I really did hope that the Prednisone would give us several more months, but I don't get that feeling anymore. I won't let her suffer, but it does appear she'll at least get a bit more time. Thanks for popping in to check on her.

[growler~GateKeeper]

& the increase in pain meds gives Shadow some relief from her night restlessness

[Sylvie]

to you and Shadow.

Even though, I am not on the computer much, I think of you and Shadow every day.

Glad to hear that your son will see her soon.