Squirt - my Queen has crossed The Bridge

Squirt ate her lunch, tho she wasn't real interested in it - not her at all but the ABs could be to blame there so I'm not going to worry just yet. I called Doc to tell him she is better today and had kept her breakfast in, and eaten her lunch. He was very glad to hear she is better!

I have a list of about 25 herbs to study and hope to have something worked out for her by tomorrow so I can order what I don't have and put to use the ones I do have. I worry about alcohol in the tinctures since she will probably need several so that will mean using teas, infusions, or sprinkling powders over the food. Glycerites are something I really need to learn how to make for them and that is on the agenda....I just can't seem to get to it! :D

Now to get her through a stormy afternoon and nite!

Just called Doc back. Don't know if dogs are like humans when they feel bad, but as the day has progressed, she has regressed. She has no appetite again, is listless, limping worse as the day went on - she stands willingly waiting for me to pick her up, and I've been syringing water the last hour as she is a bit dehydrated. :( But she's not shivering or trembling and hasn't gotten sick. She has to eat something to get the AB in....she's not so far down that I could easily squirt that in her mouth! ;)

I know she is in pain - it's been over 24 hours since she had any medicine for that - and that could be the cause of some of this. I haven't taken her temp yet but her tongue and gums aren't as red now as they were yesterday - they were flaming red yesterday. Now whether that actually means anything or not, I have no idea but it's something I've noticed. She will be so mad at me for taking her temp! :(

It is so hard to see her like this. She should still be young and strong, always young and strong.

Yay sounds like the antibiotics are kicking in to get rid of whatever is bothering Squirt. They can make them feel yucky though, still I think if they are needed then a few days a little off colour with them are worth it to get rid of any infection. Hope things continue to improve for Squirt, be interested in the herbs you decide upon.

The green lip mussels someone mentioned (maybe you?) recently in a post come from New Zealand, in the past Flynn has been on a supplement that includes them, shark cartilage and deer velvet. With his recent kidney problems I stopped everything non essential, i think I will ask vet about restarting them once he has next UPC checkup as I think they did help.

Hope she is back to being her pekey wee self soon Leslie xxxxx

Still here Leslie sending positive vibes, good thoughts and prayers for our little Squirty.

Eek our posts must have crossed! Sorry to see she is back to feeling a little more off, still it is only one day since treatment started. So if you are getting the fluids in and some food down I would give the antibiotic. When Flynny was feeling yuck on his antibiotic treatment (it was Clavamox too) at Christmas his vet recommended trying him on a little milk with a raw beaten egg and he lapped it up. Maybe worth a try if those two ingredients are able to be taken by Squirt?

Did your vet recommend anything else for pain relief in the interrim to get her over this hump? As you say I bet she is sore and would be make her feel yuck too. Hope she settles down this afternoon. xx

maybe the antibiotics are making her feel yucky, they sure make me feel yucky .

just give her extra kisses after you take her temperature, she wont be mad.

it is so hard to see them age and it seems like it happens overnight:(

still praying for Squirt, my olympic swimmer:):):)

holding you close, Leslie

Me again, I just thought of something else, maybe a shot of Cerenia would help if it's available there. Anti-nausea plus my vet also told me it can help somewhat with pain and it lasts 24hrs. It helped Flynn in this situation.

come on squirt we are all cheering for you to feel better !!! i am so sorry your baby isn't feeling well.i hope you two have a restful peaceful evening.... sending you healing thoughts and prayers...patty(milo)meka xoxox

Oh dear, poor little squirt. Well, antibiotics can make them feel yucky and then not having had any pain med for the inflammation may be doing a number too. Hope that is all it is. Trish has some good ideas too. Maybe one of them will work.
Still keeping an eye on your guys and sending lots of love and hugs

Sharlene

So sorry Squirt is still feeling bad. Hoping for a peaceful and restful evening and she is bouncing back to normal soon. Please keep us posted.

Sending a healing hug to Squirt and a encouraging hug to you!!!

we are sending love and hugs to you Leslie, and your precious baby Squirt..Lynda and Nika...xx

I'll bet it's the antibiotics. All natural canned pumpkin helps Daisy.

I too am on the team cheering for dear Squirt.

I have to admit when you said you gave lysodren this a.m. I winced.... because you never give it to a sick dog. I don't know when the last acth test was or what the levels were but just skip it until you know what is going on. A few days won't hurt him.

I might be overly cautious but this is our dear Squirt. By the way I used Cerenia with Haley and it is a marvelous drug for stopping vomiting.

Continued prayers and love sent to you both. Kim

how is our sweet baby this morning?

thought about you guys all night.

Thanks, ya'll! She slept pretty well and is better this morning again, eating her breakfast fine. But she woke up limping pretty badly. :( Something odd, tho - at breakfast, she ran Trink away from her bowl, tried to run Sophie away from hers, all while guarding her bowl from them. :confused: She hasn't done anything like this in ages - since starting the Lyso that I recall. I wondered if the antibiotics taste so bad she wanted their food instead but she was eating hers at the same time she was trying to keep them out of their own food. So while I was happy to see her appetite back this morning, her behavior was a bit surprising to say the least.

I kept syringing water last nite and after a bit she got up and wanted down to drink from the water bowl in the bedroom - which was a huge relief to see. Then she wanted something to eat so I gave her about 1/2 of the usual amount, then about 2 hours later, gave her the rest of her supper. She got the antibiotics that way, for which I was very grateful. I would have hated to have to force that down her throat the way she was yesterday evening...but I would have, tears flowing I would have.

Kim, I hesitated yesterday with the Lyso but she was acting better, wanted to eat, so I gave it. And, no, she hasn't been tested in a while, sadly. Every time I get just about enough saved up for it, something like this happens and wipes me out again - it costs $3-400 every time we see the IMS for the UTK panel. The bill this week took just about all I had left for the month. My only comfort is that I really believe Doc would treat my babies if needed and work with me on payments....even if that meant cleaning cages the rest of my life! ;)

I do have some Cernia but she hasn't vomited again so I don't want to use that as long as she has an appetite and isn't vomiting. But thanks for the reminder of what is in my medicine cabinet! :p And, Sharlene, thanks for that link! Some good info there! For now, she is getting Nettle, Devil's Claw, White Willow, and Burdock with either Skullcap, Passionflower, and/or Chamomile. These I already had on hand and they should help some at least so this is where we will start while we continue to work out what will be best for her over the long run - and there will be a long run. There has to be. The hardest part about using herbs is the length of time it often takes to see benefits and I want her pain controlled NOW. :( The Willow and Passionflower both will help some right off but not with the oomph that pharmaceuticals can so I have to be patient and help her in other ways as much as possible meantime. It will take at least 30 days to start to see the effects. With the Cushing's and Lyso, it is a challenge to find things she can use but there are herbs that should help that she CAN have and we WILL find them. ;) I will say that the pharmacists with Drs Foster and Smith, where I get her Lyso, have been very helpful in this area. I have talked with them several times over the last few months trying to find an herb to help the liver and they have been prompt and thorough in their answers. Thanks to them, I now know that the initial metabolic pathway for Lysodren is via the P-450 enzyme so any herbs that use that pathway shouldn't be used with Lyso. ;)

I cannot say Thank You enough. Knowing our family is with us helps keep me strong enough to keep fighting. We would have never survived this long without you and you will never know how incredibly grateful I am to each and every one of you.

Hugs,
Leslie and Squirt

Hi Leslie,

Just checking in on you and Squirt this morning. I'm glad to hear she is eating and drinking on her own, and hope she will continue to improve. I'll continue to think about you both...

Julie & Hannah

Leslie, just getting caught up on Squirt and so glad to read she is better this morning. It is so scary when they won't eat, so happy her tummy seems to feel better! Thinking about you guys. Hugs from me and Jasper, and a belly rub for Squirt. :)

Hi Leslie, great that she is eating. Strange that she is guarding the others food bowls too. I did have a thought on that though, if she his having inflammation and a possible infection, then even with the Lyso, I think it is possible that Squirts cortisol could either have risen or be spiking in reaction to that. If so it's possible that the symptoms of cushings could show up during this time and once the infection and inflammation is taken care of, then that behavior might go away. Do you think that is a possibility?

Leslie, we absolutely couldn't be doing what we do on here without you! It's a two way street this family thing :)

Hugs and Love!!!
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

Isn't cushings really day by day? We really never know whats going to pop up and are so grateful for normal days...sending hugs your way and hoping Squirt gets back on track soon!!! Don't forget to take care of you too!!

This evening is better than yesterday but she's still not up to par. She ate her supper, slowly, slowly, and is drinking very slowly as well today. She about 3/4 of her supper then went to the other feeding stations to see what they had left. So I put what Squirt had remaining in Sophie's bowl and she gobbled it up! Guess she thought she was getting something over on Soph! :p

After supper, I took her out to pee; she squatted, did her business, shook herself then fell over on her side. I carried her in trying to hide the tears. She is just so unsteady. :(

I'll check in tomorrow and let you know how things are going!
As always, thanks a million.
Leslie and Squirty

Oh Leslie, I know it breaks your heart to see them fall. CoCo is so weak he falls if he rubs up against you, but he just gets up and goes about his business. I hope Squirt will be doing better tomorrow. Seems like she is doing a little better every day. Glad she is eating and still thinks she is the boss and eating the other guys food.
These little dogs are so funny. Sending heartfelt thoughts to you and hoping you have a good Easter. Be healthy Squirt. Love, JoAnne

Sending you and sweet Squirt tons and tons of huge and loving hugs...Lori

I agree with JoAnne, Squirt does seem to be getting a little better every day. Don't you think?
I'm so sorry, that is very scary when they fall over. Molly darn nears knocks herself over when she shakes and sometimes does land on her bum. She just shakes when she is really going strong so fast and hard that her feet don't stay on the ground. I imagine if she was weak from not being 100% strength, she'd land on the ground too. I refuse to think that there is anything that cannot be fixed is going with Squirt. Squirt will get better, because we are all willing it to be so darn it!

Hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

Thanks, ya'll!

We had a pretty good night - she slept most of it. This morning, tho, she doesn't want to eat. If she hasn't decided to eat by noon, I'll have to squirt the AB down her throat and I really don't want to do that. In the morning, I'm gonna call Doc and get some Clavamox in pill form as well so I have options as to which fight I want to take on. ;) For today, I'm gonna bathe us both in liquid Clavamox. :D

More later!
Hugs,
Leslie and Squirt

I sure hope she decides to eat, poor Squirt, an antibiotic bath does not sound like fun, I can picture her, throwing her head every which way to avoid the syringe:):)

Awww Squirt. Come on, have a bite for your mum so she doesn't worry so much.

Hope Squirt and you both have a good day.

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

Well, she is flat refusing to eat her food but does have an appetite. Soooo, we took a Clavamox bath and I fed a little bit of kibble after, which she ate most of. I have a feeling the addition of the antibiotics in the food has turned her off of it. We don't have enough of the Clavamox left now to get her full dose tonite and in the morning so I will call Doc for more in the morning when they open. She's got to eat to keep her strength up so whatever that takes, I'll do and get the AB in somehow.

Hugs,
Leslie and Squirt

Yes, could be the antibiotics are affecting her desire to eat. As you know I couldn't afford to risk putting meds in Annie's food and when she refused pill pockets I had to get creative. With the help of the vet they told me exactly how much of the med (sometimes a whole pill) to put into a specific amount of water. It created a liquid form that I then sucked into a syringe. There was a gap between her canine teeth that was perfect for my small syringe and I'd squirt it as hard as I could and she got those darn meds. Kim

Leslie, thinking of you and hoping that Squirt will eat for you! It is so stressful when you can't get them to eat. Hang in there!

Hugs from me and Jasper

Still thinking of you and little Squirt. Hoping she'll eat more later. Glad you got the Clavamox in. I'm sure it's stressful for both of you.

Julie & Hannah

Still here, more positive thoughts, prayers and good vibes....

I thought she was going to eat her supper but no. She would pick up a bite then drop in on the floor...bite after bite. I checked her mouth to see if something seemed off there and don't find anything obvious. She finally ate about half of it from my hand. I even tried feeding her some food with nothing in it as well as more kibble and she wasn't interested at all. :(

I'll let ya'll know what Doc has to say tomorrow and thank again for being here with us. You are my rocks and my shields.

Hugs,
Leslie and Squirt

Thinking about you and Squirt, hope the appetite comes back soon, sending hugs and prayers!

I know when Bo refused to eat, I offered him pinto bean juice mixed with his regular kibble. He seemed to enjoy that a lot and it worked for a while.
I do hope Squirt begins a turn for the better and is soon to her old self again. Many thoughts and prayers...

Mornin',

Last nite I managed to get her to eat some kibble by doing like I did with Trinket at first - putting 2-3 pieces on the bed at a time. She ate about a handful that way. This morning I made her regular food plain, no meds, just food - she would pick up a mouthful then drop it on the floor. I made some plain chicken and rice - no go, same thing, dropping it on the floor. I've watched her carefully as she tries to eat and as she drinks - it looks like something has changed with how her mouth works. It's almost like she has forgotten how to use her tongue correctly. I ran my finger around inside her mouth looking for loose teeth, sores, lumps, anything and didn't find anything that might account for this. After I did this is when I started the kibble in bed - thinking if she has a bad tooth it would be hard for her eat it but she did better with it than with her cooked food. So after the plain regular food and the plain chicken/rice failed, I made a soup out of her regular food, mashed up real well with lots of water, and added some kibble to soak - she ate that very slowly and very messily...but she ate it.

I am beginning to seriously wonder if she didn't have a seizure or stroke Thurs. morning when she threw up and was so shaky. She hasn't had another episode like Thurs. since. My youngest grandson is here for the day plus I have a friend coming this morning to hopefully finish a project we've been working on for months. I'm calling Doc to see if we can get in this afternoon and I'll let you know what he says.

She has lost more weight - I won't be surprised to find out she is under 13 lbs now. :(

Leslie,

I'm so sorry to hear Squirt is having trouble. I can imagine how worried you are. I wonder, too, if she had a seizure now that she is having trouble eating and acting strange. At least she is getting nutrients though, however you have to do it. I hope you'll be able to get into the vet this afternoon. I'll be thinking of you guys and sending positive vibes and prayers for Squirt to improve.

Julie & Hannah

Hi Leslie....I so love that she's interested in eating....she wants to keep fighting and stay with you....:)
(((HUGS)))
Jo-Ann

Doc sees her at 3:30 this afternoon and I'll let you know what he has to say.

You got the texas girls with you and squirt as well. Shysie, shaddix and me think if we all get on floor and act like were gonna eat squirts food maybe that will help...nom nom nom...what?? Oh....shysie and shaddix just told me i wasnt suppose to really start eating it...my bad. (Hoping you received a loving warm smile from us). I have put kibble in blender till it is fine powder then add water or other items mixed well and have had good results beforei have to work later but will stop back by. Love strength prayers being sent.