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That is so great , hopefully he is on his way to be fully recovered and no more pred!
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Cat maid to: Rose semi feral, a cpietra rescue, female tabby (approx 13 yrs) Jasper RIP (2001-2018) Sweet Pea RIP (2004?-2014) Puddles RIP (1996-2014) Snowball RIP (1991-2005) In a cat's eye, all things belong to cats.-English Proverb “While we are free to choose our actions, we are not free to choose the consequences of our actions.” Stephen R. Covey |
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Robyn,right after I had said I thought you were in the States,I saw you on in the post about the dog who cannot close his mouth....
I am so happy for Nookie and youthe little guy will only continue to improve
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"The cruelest animal is the Human animal" 3 kitties,Rocky(r.i.p my boy),Chico,Vinnie |
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Patti and I had a Harry Potter marathon on Saturday and she brought Sasha and Buddy. Buddy is a complete doll!! I got some great pics of Buddy, Sasha and Nookie (Thorin doesn't play well, so he had to stay upstairs). I just have to find time to post them
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"Obey my dog!" - Mugatu "Who can believe that there is no soul behind those luminous eyes!" ~ Theophile Gautier "Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole" - Ok... whoever said this has never had a sick or special needs baby. They ARE our whole life! R.I.P. my sweet, handsome Thorin. You are missed dearly Dec. 25, 1999 - Mar. 4, 2012 |
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Can't wait to see the pics, Robyn!
__________________
"We are--each of us--dying; it's how we live in the meantime that makes the difference." "It's not what you gather, but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you have lived!" "Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle." |
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Looking forward to the playdate pics with Sasha and Buddy. |
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Praying Nanook's health continues to improve . Can't wait to see pics either .
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"Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance." -Will Durant |
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Robyn, do you have an update for us?
How were your holidays? Did you take Nanook to the specialist down there? If so, did they find anything different or have the vets here diagnosed him correctly? How is Thorin doing? |
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Robyn, I hope everything is okay.
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We're praying that it was either caused by the stress of traveling, epilepsy or a bit of brain damage (scar tissue from previous seizures) and not a relapse of the Meningoencephalitis. We are not going to our regular vet clinic anymore. We saw them again the night before we left on holidays, and as usual, had the crap scared out of us for no reason. The only vet at that clinic that knows what she's doing is our regular vet, who we rarely get to see anymore. Seems we're always stuck with some idiot that has their own ideas/opinions of what's going on with our monster and then they scare us and recommend horrible treatments (like biopsies that aren't needed and tons of meds). The vet we saw told us he had Hemolytic Anemia and caused us to leave on holidays almost a full day late. She actually made me feel horrible and said we shouldn't be going anywhere with such a sick dog, that we needed to stay here and get him help and testing. She also wanted me to raise his prednisone back up. I told her we almost lost him due to internal bleeding from the pred/azathioprine and that it had damaged his front joints so badly he could barely walk. She then told me he was on pred for Hemolytic Anemia. I told her he was not, that he was never diagnosed, but she argued with me, then got defensive and told me to do what I wanted, but if it were her dog and she lost him because she wouldn't listen and follow instructions, she wouldn't be able to live with herself... I was so mad that I got up, took Nookies leash from her and said I would call our regular vet when I could and left. He was doing great that visit. Tons of energy, happy, huge appetite etc. His blood test did show slight anemia, but you would never know by looking at him. And it took them 8 tries and over an hour to run the test. She said the machine just didn't want to cooperate. I went home and talked with hubby. I was in tears again thinking we were going to lose him even after all the fighting. The worst part was thinking the meds we had allowed them to put him on was the most like culprit for the Hemolytic Anemia. Hubby and I decided we were not going to follow the vets instructions. I decided to email Dr. Marsden. To my surprise, he emailed me back fairly fast and asked if I had a copy of Nookies blood test from the clinic, and I did (I always get copies for his home file). Hubby scanned and emailed it to Dr. Marsden. He then called me and asked if the other vet had even bothered to take his temperature. I told him no, she hadn't really examined him at all. She had completed the blood test, consulted with the old vet (the same one who said Nookie had Myositis and wanted to put him under, which may have killed him in the condition he was in, and do muscle biopsies) and together they had decided it was Hemolytic Anemia. Dr. Marsden asked if it was a young vet, I told him middle aged but the vet she had consulted with had been around many, many years. Dr. Marsden just sighed and said it was ludicrous that they told us Nookie had Hemolytic Anemia. He said they would have had to take his temperature, that he would have a fever, be extremely lethargic and normally jaundiced, which he was none of the above and, in fact, he was extremely perky and playful. Dr. Marsden was heading to California on holidays and asked me to continue to email him with updates, to have a couple of follow up blood tests in the states, NOT to increase the pred and email him the results and for Shaun and I to go, have fun and not worry because he thought Nookie was just fine to travel. So we did just that, after wasting almost a full day stressing and thinking the worst was happening Shaun and I have decided that we will no longer see the regular vet clinic. I don't know what's going to happen if Nookie has a relapse of the Meningo. What I do know is that all the meds to treat it almost killed him, and made him a zombie pup. Dr. Marsden, in the first visit we had with him, made me teary when he said his hope was to "introduce us" to our puppy, and he has done just what he said. Nanook slept about 80% of the time prior to Dr. Marsden. Now we wish he would get tired out and just take a nap once in awhile, lol. He has tons of energy and just wants to play all the time! I think his teeth may have also been messed up from the meds because he seems to still be teething at almost 11 months old. He acts like a young puppy. Maybe because he missed that whole phase of his life Dr. Marsden said we will deal with whatever comes up in a natural way and he seems to think our monster will live a full and happy life. I sure hope (and ) he is right. But if we do lose him, at least we will have had some very, VERY happy days with our little boy! I am still so impressed that Dr. Marsden took time while away on vacation to keep in contact, adjust doses of the remedies he's on, check blood test results and just make sure our boy was ok. We have now placed our complete trust and faith in Dr. Marsden (and God, of course!!) as Nookie is a completely different puppy! No more prednisone, Azathioprine etc. We will not make our baby suffer like that again. Sorry for such a long post, but I got started ranting about the other clinic and just couldn't seem to stop lol. It just blows my mind how you can see 5 different people and get 5 different answers/egos. People have to be SO careful with their furkids. One thing we have learned through all of this is that if something doesn't seem right, it probably isn't. Get 2nd opinions, and third. Keep going until you are comfortable with what's happening. Just because someone has a degree and a piece of paper saying they have graduated does NOT make them competent. I hope everyone had a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!
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"Obey my dog!" - Mugatu "Who can believe that there is no soul behind those luminous eyes!" ~ Theophile Gautier "Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole" - Ok... whoever said this has never had a sick or special needs baby. They ARE our whole life! R.I.P. my sweet, handsome Thorin. You are missed dearly Dec. 25, 1999 - Mar. 4, 2012 |
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Roibyn,thank you very much for Nanooks update,I think many of us were kind of worried about him.
I am sooo relived to hear our Nookie-Monster is doing good. I had a similar situation like you,with 4 different vets,different opinions, at a clinic until I got fed up and now have a wonderful vet. Just one question,is it more serious for dogs to have seizures than people?? My middle son is epileptic and has had probably a hundred seizures,since he was about 1 yr old and in between he was doing ok. He did have brainsurgery when in his 20's,to remove scar-tissue and a small part of his brain,is it possible to do that to dogs,if it's found Nanook is Epileptic? I am sure if that's the case,Nanook could live a long happy life on meds,once the dosage and combination is figured out,no surgery needed. Epilepsi is not a death-sentence. Nice to have you back
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"The cruelest animal is the Human animal" 3 kitties,Rocky(r.i.p my boy),Chico,Vinnie |
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I don't know about the surgery for dogs. I'll have to ask about it if it does turn out to be just Epilepsy this time, and not Meningo. From what we've been told, it is different for dogs. Apparently the more seizures they have, the more they will be prone to having. Each seizure makes a path, of sorts, and makes it easier for the next seizures that follow. The meds for canine Epilepsy are also a concern. From what we were told, if a dog starts on seizure meds at a young age, they ay live to about 4 or 5. The reason is that their bodies "adjust" to the medications much fast than humans. Humans have a wide range of medication, so when the body no longer responds, you can move on to the next. It is the same with dogs except there are only a small handful and once they're through them all, there isn't much else you can do. I did read a study recently that said they are starting to use more of the human meds and it does look promising. They are very hard on the liver/kidneys, but with holistic treatment (at least in Nookies case), it helps a lot. Once he is stronger, if he has another siezure, we will have another CSF tap completed to hopefully rule out Meningo. How is your son doing now? I read earlier that he was having heart problems. That must be terrifying for you
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"Obey my dog!" - Mugatu "Who can believe that there is no soul behind those luminous eyes!" ~ Theophile Gautier "Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole" - Ok... whoever said this has never had a sick or special needs baby. They ARE our whole life! R.I.P. my sweet, handsome Thorin. You are missed dearly Dec. 25, 1999 - Mar. 4, 2012 |
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Oh no, I was hoping no news was good news .
Pred does have it's place in the medical world, but I think doctors are prescribing it much too often. Sending lots of for Nanook.
__________________
Cat maid to: Rose semi feral, a cpietra rescue, female tabby (approx 13 yrs) Jasper RIP (2001-2018) Sweet Pea RIP (2004?-2014) Puddles RIP (1996-2014) Snowball RIP (1991-2005) In a cat's eye, all things belong to cats.-English Proverb “While we are free to choose our actions, we are not free to choose the consequences of our actions.” Stephen R. Covey |
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I'll post some pics/videos of Christmas and the last few days. He really does look great. You'd never know anything was wrong And thank you for the !! Dr. Marsden said Nanook will be the type of dog who always has something going on, but seems to think we can manage it. It's just going to take time, patience and, of course, money lol. But it's made to be spent, it's ok!! So here's hoping (and 'ing)!!
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"Obey my dog!" - Mugatu "Who can believe that there is no soul behind those luminous eyes!" ~ Theophile Gautier "Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole" - Ok... whoever said this has never had a sick or special needs baby. They ARE our whole life! R.I.P. my sweet, handsome Thorin. You are missed dearly Dec. 25, 1999 - Mar. 4, 2012 |
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Thanks for the update Robyn.....it all sounds really promising
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I'm so happy to hear that Nookie is doing well. You guys sure have been given the runaround with the vets but glad to hear that Dr Marsden has been able to help so much and also your regular vet.
Is it not possible to just book an appt with your regular vet if you want to see her? That's what I do with my vet as I don't like the others that are there. Glad Thorin did well on the trip but sorry to hear that he may have another UTI .....I hope it will be cleared up quickly. Looking forward to the pics and video of your handsome boys. |
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Glad that Nanook is doing so well, Robyn! And sending a few more Thorin's way, as well! So happy that you found Dr Marsden!!
__________________
"We are--each of us--dying; it's how we live in the meantime that makes the difference." "It's not what you gather, but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you have lived!" "Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle." |
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I've also been waiting for an update! Glad that you are all okay.
When Timber had such low red blood cells, hemolytic anemia also came up. From what I understand, you would see a very dramatic anemia, not just a slight drop. I think Dr. Lee posted something about that earlier in my thread. It is so difficult to get so many opinions but I agree that you should go with your gut and do what you feel is best. I will update my post as soon as I get our current blood results but we did go to the Natural Healing Vet clinic here and had some acupuncture and gentle massage/chiropractic adjustments done. Also will focus on boosting Timber's immune system. Wanted to thank you for suggesting it because I don't know if I would have gone otherwise. |
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We will be taking Thorin to see him this month as well. Hopefully he can correct, or at least treat, the Colitis.
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"Obey my dog!" - Mugatu "Who can believe that there is no soul behind those luminous eyes!" ~ Theophile Gautier "Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole" - Ok... whoever said this has never had a sick or special needs baby. They ARE our whole life! R.I.P. my sweet, handsome Thorin. You are missed dearly Dec. 25, 1999 - Mar. 4, 2012 |
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How has Timber been feeling lately? Is her blood count back to normal? Have they put her on any herbs yet? Nookie has been on several and the latest was to help boost his immune system. I would have to say it worked because his warts were so large that his little lip was hanging to his chin from the weight of the 1, but they all fell off about a week ago, so no need to have them removed now And yes, Dr. Marsden told us the same thing... if it was Hemolytic Anemia, he would be a very sick boy and the Anemia would not be slight, it would be a fast and drastic drop.
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"Obey my dog!" - Mugatu "Who can believe that there is no soul behind those luminous eyes!" ~ Theophile Gautier "Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole" - Ok... whoever said this has never had a sick or special needs baby. They ARE our whole life! R.I.P. my sweet, handsome Thorin. You are missed dearly Dec. 25, 1999 - Mar. 4, 2012 |
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I didn't realize that the regular vet that you like only works Mon - Wed .....that sure makes it difficult. I hope Dr Marsden will be able to help Thorin as much as he has Nookie.
And, btw .....still waiting for pics and videos. |
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So do we! I explained the situation to him and Dr. Joanna Milan (one of his colleagues) and they seem to think they can help. I know we need to get him on to a diet that won't aggravate the colitis but will help in stopping the formation of Struvite and Calcium Oxylate stones as he has both. The one vet is still pretty hung up on prostate cancer. We will be having an ultra-sound to hopefully rule that out.
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"Obey my dog!" - Mugatu "Who can believe that there is no soul behind those luminous eyes!" ~ Theophile Gautier "Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole" - Ok... whoever said this has never had a sick or special needs baby. They ARE our whole life! R.I.P. my sweet, handsome Thorin. You are missed dearly Dec. 25, 1999 - Mar. 4, 2012 |
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Sending lots of for Thorin .....I hope that Dr Marsden/Dr Milan will be able to help him.
Have you read the information from the B-Naturals Newsletter? ..... Quote:
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Thank you for all the info rainbow!! I do want to start making a homemade diet for both Nookie and Thorin. I have to be careful because of Thorin's Colitis and the last bout threw him into the beginning stages of Pacreatitis, so he will now be prone to that so we have to watch the fat as well. What I am hoping to do is to get both boys on the same diet, though I don't know if that will be possible. Nookie has so many allergies and sensitivities and we have to really watch Thorin's calcium and fat intake(fish, omega oils etc). I'm hoping that between Dr. Marsden and Dr. Milan, we can come up with something!
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"Obey my dog!" - Mugatu "Who can believe that there is no soul behind those luminous eyes!" ~ Theophile Gautier "Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole" - Ok... whoever said this has never had a sick or special needs baby. They ARE our whole life! R.I.P. my sweet, handsome Thorin. You are missed dearly Dec. 25, 1999 - Mar. 4, 2012 |
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Hey guys
Just an update on Nookie Monster. We saw Dr. Milan today (Dr. Marsdens colleague). I had taken some videos of some "episodes" he has been having for a few weeks now. He seems to get huge energy bursts that escalate into him lunging, growling and snapping at us. It's really hard to tell with Mals if they're just trying to play, or being aggressive. I also took video of him chasing and biting his tail. She commented on something that I thought was pretty interesting and had not even noticed, when he chases his tail, he always chases it clockwise She said that fact in itself makes her think neurological and possibly focal seizures. If that's the case, he has been having a few daily. But... when he is doing this, if we talk to him or touch him he will stop and look at us like "what?" and then get up, walk away and go find something else to do. The same with the escalation to possible aggression when he's playing, if I say sit (sometimes I have to push his bum and help a little!), he will stop biting/growling, sit and just look at me like "ok... what now?" After I told her that she said it could still be neurological/seizure activity, but more unlikely because if it were a seizure, we would most likely not get him to respond to anything, or it could be OCD behavior . She said it's really tough to tell the difference between the 2. She also thinks it may just be that he was never really a puppy because of all the illness and drugs and is now feeling good, having a lot of energy and being a "delayed" puppy... who knows! She said to try and give him things to do like puzzles to make him mentally tired, making obstacles in the house like figure 8's and making him walk them etc to see if that quells the weird episodes at all. So... I guess we have some work cut out for us trying to figure out if he is actually having seizures, suffering a bit of brain damage, being a puppy (finally!) or is just extremely bored One thing I will say is this... I never knew having a furry companion could be this tough, both mentally and physically , but I wouldn't give him up for anything Now for the medical issues... I kinda freaked out a bit the other night because I pulled his sweater off and it was just covered with hair, his undercoat. Shedding or blowing a coat is not normal this time of the year, but not unheard of either. What worried me is that he is only 10 months old. He shouldn't blow his coat until he is between 18-24 months and his fur is a bit frizzy and a little brittle on his rear end. He has also been acting like he is on pred again... drinking a lot of water, peeing a lot (a few times in the house even though he's now potty trained), panting a lot more and breathing more rapidly. Dr. Milan thinks he may have immune-mediated thyroidism so she took blood and has sent it to Dr. Dodds. We should know in about 10 days. She said Malamutes are pre-disposed to it, and with what he's already been through, it isn't unlikely. The good news is that would explain some things (even the possible aggression) and it's treatable I'll update once we have the results!
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"Obey my dog!" - Mugatu "Who can believe that there is no soul behind those luminous eyes!" ~ Theophile Gautier "Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole" - Ok... whoever said this has never had a sick or special needs baby. They ARE our whole life! R.I.P. my sweet, handsome Thorin. You are missed dearly Dec. 25, 1999 - Mar. 4, 2012 Last edited by Rgeurts; January 15th, 2011 at 02:02 PM. Reason: meant to say clockwise, not counter clockwise! |
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We appreciate the update, Rgeurts. I think of your guys often. You may get the results by Monday and I'll keep my that it will show something that's easily treatable. You guys deserve a break
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"Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance." -Will Durant |
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Thanks for the update,Rgeurts! I was just wondering how things were going!
Setters are prone to immune-mediated hypothyroidism, too. I hope that's all it is and treating it takes care of his new symptoms. We have three currently on thyroid replacement and the treatment seems easy and effective. Give your boys a couple of hugs from hazel, k?
__________________
"We are--each of us--dying; it's how we live in the meantime that makes the difference." "It's not what you gather, but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you have lived!" "Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle." |
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Robyn,I think Nookie came to you,because"someone"knew,you would never give up on him.
I am not religious,but sometimes,I wonder.. I justyou will get a correct diagnosis and that it can be easily treated
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"The cruelest animal is the Human animal" 3 kitties,Rocky(r.i.p my boy),Chico,Vinnie |
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Hugs given, and they thank you! Thank you very much, chico! I'm not "religious", per say... but I do believe in God/Jesus, I believe in the power of prayer and I know without the prayers we have said and have had sent our way, our monster would not be with us. He really is a miracle
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"Obey my dog!" - Mugatu "Who can believe that there is no soul behind those luminous eyes!" ~ Theophile Gautier "Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole" - Ok... whoever said this has never had a sick or special needs baby. They ARE our whole life! R.I.P. my sweet, handsome Thorin. You are missed dearly Dec. 25, 1999 - Mar. 4, 2012 |
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__________________
"We are--each of us--dying; it's how we live in the meantime that makes the difference." "It's not what you gather, but what you scatter that tells what kind of life you have lived!" "Be kinder than necessary, for everyone you meet is fighting some kind of battle." |
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Thank you Hazel!! I really do hope that's what's causing Nookie to lose his coat and that it will come back!!
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"Obey my dog!" - Mugatu "Who can believe that there is no soul behind those luminous eyes!" ~ Theophile Gautier "Dogs are not our whole life, but they make our lives whole" - Ok... whoever said this has never had a sick or special needs baby. They ARE our whole life! R.I.P. my sweet, handsome Thorin. You are missed dearly Dec. 25, 1999 - Mar. 4, 2012 |
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