Squirt - my Queen has crossed The Bridge

Wow, good news re the alt levels. Woo hoo

Typical she didn't fancy a chat at first, that made me smile little madam. Fascinating stuff though when you did get going. How reassuring that she knows she has bad days but they don't get her down much apart from pain, let's hope those new herbs you found help with that

Maybe you should start the good things that happen on her thread each day or "Squirtisms" for us to chuckle at. I love hearing about all the pups antics. Wouldnt like it so much if they were mine mind you :eek:

Big hug and belly rubs for Madam Squirt

Mel
Xxxx

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Squirt's Mom

Just got a call from the vet tech and they were able to use her blood finally. So no more draws for now! :cool: Even better, the ALT has come WAY down to 119 from over 600 last time! :cool::):cool::):cool: ALP still high at 1132, glucose and T4 are low. They are mailing a copy of the results to me and when I get them I will post them here. Doc said absolutely no more NSAIDS and I passed on the info on Proin. So, for the second time in less than 24 hours, I have been given hope.

The first came from her communicator. Squirt didn't want to talk to her at first - always the regal Queen, she kept wanting to know why she should talk to the communicator and simply wanted the Reiki. ;) But she finally consented to a chat. The bottom line is that she doesn't feel as if her time is now and doesn't understand why I have been so sad and anxious. She feels this is simply the time in her life when she will require more help. She hasn't lost hope nor the will to live. In my angst, my selfishness, I have made her feel bad and confused. Squirt recognizes that she has bad days but offered no complaints other than the pain associated with musculoskeletal issues. It also seems that the issue she has been having with her mouth is related to hypersalivating, tho I haven't seen any drooling, etc. I have noticed her smacking her mouth more especially at night but this excess salivation seems to be part of her eating issue. She told the communicator she didn't know what happened when she collapsed a few weeks ago - she has no memory other than it seemed she was looking into a "pitch black hole"- not falling into the hole, just looking into it. Squirt said she has a more "content" face the last few days, which is true, and sees that my face is happier and more hopeful.

So I have a lot of work to do on ME in order to be the best mom I can be to her. I have somehow got to get control of my emotions and find the strength she needs me to have. I have got to be fully Present in the now.

Hugs,
Leslie and Squirty

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That is GREAT news about the significant drop in the ALT!!! So glad our Squirt decided to talk with the communicator and Thank you for sharing what was said. You and Squirt are an inspiration to us all.

Love and hugs, Lori

Oh Leslie,

I am glad she is feeling better. Dont beat yourself up about the Proin
Phenylpropanolamine is some nasty stuff. They used to give it to me years ago when I was first diagnosed with asthma.

We always have hope sweetie, I know how hard this has all been for you. Heck, I gave Zoe a bath yesterday and she got so mad she tried to bit me then Koko. I laughed with joy that she still had her Baby Kujo side.:D:D

Live in the now, Leslie, we have no other choice.

Keep up the great work:D:cool:

I went back to PetCo today and they took back all the things I had purchased the other day as well as a bag of food that Brick has been eating that I got weeks ago. :cool: I got the next size up washable diaper for Squirt. This size isn't as tight around her legs and she would move them but as you will see in the video below, not quite as she normally would. LOL

http://s752.photobucket.com/user/gir...a9110.mp4.html

I tried so hard not to laugh at her but finally lost it. :p

ha! oh my gosh.. priceless.. She looks like a little wind up toy. so sweet. I think Boriss would have just sat down & not moved until I took them off.
She is a sweet girl..

Bless her, she has such a sweet face

I wouldn't have been able to not laugh either with the performance

Good news about the Petco stuff, money back in the pot for the babies x

Hi Leslie,

I am so glad that Petco took back everything! :D

I love the video. Thanks so much for sharing!:D. Squirt was so cute! She moved as if she had a load in her pants! Ha,ha,ha! She had a priceless look on her face, as if to say, "Are you kidding me?"

Hugs,
Kathy an Buddy:)

Ohhh Leslie, someone is NOT very impressed with the whole diaper experience. I would have died laughing too!!
The looks she must give you when you put that on her!
Very happy about the ALT coming down so much. That is great.
You know Squirt, she beats to her own drum, chatty only when she feels like being so.

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

Aw, what a sweetie, glad Squirt is improving, loved the video!!!

Awesome news on all fronts!
Daisy would've ripped them off and given me the stink eye for sure :)

Awesome news, Leslie! I am so happy to hear this! And I LOVE the video! It reminds me of my little Bailey when I put a sweater on him. He got all stiff and just sort of fell over. That little Squirt sure is a cutie!

I so wish I had an animal communicator...it would make things soooo much easier!

Julie & Hannah

Leslie,
Thanks for putting a smile on my face this morning. Funny, I bought Bo the same brand of diaper from Petco in his last days and he did the same exact dance Squirt was doing. Maybe the manufacturer should have put out an offer to submit videos of dogs in the products....sure would have put a smile on a lot more faces.:D
Give Squirt some belly rubs for us.

That video is too cute! Your laughing cracked me up too :D:D Have a good day you guys! xx

Ohhh I meant to tell you I watched the Hobbit on my flight last week, it was great! I think it was you that said you loved those stories a while back, scenery is so beautiful! Hope you get to see it xx

Leslie;
I will be out today. Tipper has some serious issues going on with her throat please pray for her and ask the lady we talked about to help her. Blessings
Patti

Leslie: Squirt is so beautiful and that was hilarious. She did not like the diaper at all. Hope you have a good day with the Queen and all the pups. Love, JoAnne

I'm so glad ya'll enjoyed the show! :D Squirt is real good at giving the stink eye, let me tell you!

I did goof up with using the diaper, tho. I should have left it on her and let her get used to it before bedtime. She is not as steady as she used to be and has a harder time moving about on the bed these days. With the diaper on, she was really awkward and I was concerned she would hurt her back legs so she didn't wear to bed last nite. But, with taking her out often she didn't have an accident. So today we will practice with the diaper on while she is on the carpet so she has better traction until she is more at ease walking in it. Of course, the Queen may decide as long as she displays the "fact" that she just can't walk in it Mom won't make her wear it. ;) We have more storms rolling in and I got to thinking I need to get her an ACE bandage with colors and patterns that compliments the denim diaper so she can be stylin' during bad weather. :p Talk about the stink eye! :rolleyes::p

If anyone is interested in talking to our communicator to see if this is something you would be interested in, PM me and I will be happy to give you her contact info. Marcela is a member here who lost her sweet Truffa a few years ago but she still pops in from time to time. This type work is distance healing / communicating and she does not have to be with your pup to help.

Thanks for the compliments on my Sweet Bebe. I think she is the most beautiful creature to ever grace this old Earth. ;)

Hugs,
Leslie and Squirt

I got Squirt's test results in the mail today. Here are the abnormals -

ALP 1132 U/L 20 - 150
ALT 119 U/L 10 - 118
AMY 1443 U/L 200 - 1200
BUN 31 MG/DL 7 - 25
PHOS 9.5 MG/DL 2.9 - 8.8
GLU 21 MG/DL 60 - 110
K+ 8.0 MMOL/L 3.7 - 5.8
TP 8.6 G/DL 5.4 - 8.2
T4 0.9 UG/DL 1.1 - 4.0

HEM 1+
LIP 3+
ICT 0

Why is her glucose so low Leslie? That won't be making her feel too good?

I know...that was a shock to see as was the T4. But I can't remember if she had eaten much that day or not. The GLU was fine the day she had the labs when she had the seizure. She had been eating better when this blood was drawn but had been off her feed for a while following the seizure and what she's willing to eat since is no where near the nutrient composition she's been eating for years so I'm hoping that is the reason for this - not eating and not eating right when she will eat. She's slowly acting better but still not eating worth a crap. The only thing she wants is one particular PetCo treat.

Two more new foods, more kibbles this time because she's flat refusing all canned or wet foods period, and she turned up her nose at both. I've added sardines, tripe, and mixed all sorts of flavors but, nope, doesn't want it. She's hungry but doesn't want anything I have offered other than those treats. Maybe five times since the seizure has she eaten her meal without coaxing or waiting for an hour or so, then she still leaves food. I got some ground Bison and some Parmesan cheese today. I'm going to make some meatballs with the Bison tomorrow as well as bake some of the FreshPet wet food she liked for a bit and see if that helps. Oddly, even with all the food changes over the last few weeks, her bowel movements are good.

Her refusal to take any wet foods has made giving meds to her impossible. She was due another Lyso dose today but refused her breakfast so I haven't given it. She's only getting 1/8 of a tablet at a time and I'm spacing that out so that her cortisol can rise just a bit to hopefully help with the pain and appetite. She should have been hungry for just about anything this morning but wasn't. I'm seriously considering stopping the lignans and melatonin as much as I hate to but I'm not sure they are worth the fight that is going would happen getting them down her.

Even if she is not eating though that is still very low, I wondering if it is an error as that low would make her pretty spacey. Could the vet do a simple glucose test to just confirm it has come up. Also potassium a worry so high, is she getting anything to put that up?

No meds that would raise the potassium or PHOS...but she had just started taking the Proin again when this test was done. And I suppose it's possible the sample is off because this is the one that was frozen to separate the lipids and it took some time to get enough serum. I hope she is eating better by the time I get paid again so we can run another lab to see how things are then. I want the Proin out of her system 30 days then do the labs again; it'll be 2 weeks Mon. since she's had any Proin.

Hmmm this might explain things!

7.3 Specimen storage
Serum or plasma should be physically separated from the red blood cells as soon as possible. A maximum of 2 hours from the time of collection to separation of serum/plasma from cells by centrifugation is recommended. After 2 hours, certain test analytes will not be accurately represented in the specimen – the most susceptible analytes are potassium, glucose, and ionized calcium. Glucose levels are significantly decreased, while potassium is significantly increased due to cellular metabolism. By eight hours, tests such as iron are also significantly decreased. Some other analytes are more stable and are not affected as readily.
Although refrigeration helps inhibit or slow blood cell metabolism thereby stabilizing analytes that may be affected by changes in temperature, it is recommended that serum or plasma be removed from the red cells before samples are refrigerated. However, this is not always possible. General lab practice involves refrigeration of whole blood samples as well as separated serum and plasma samples until such time as they are further processed.
Potassium levels will be further falsely elevated in refrigerated specimens due to inhibition of the sodium-potassium-ATPase pump causing cells to
leak potassium into the plasma or serum that will be used for testing. Cells contain 25 times the level of potassium as serum/plasma. Refrigeration can lead to falsely elevated potassium levels in serum/plasma in a relatively short time period.

Ah...certainly sounds plausible!

That makes complete sense Trish. I wouldn't worry too much until you can have another lab test done. Make sure they draw enough that they can spin it down. Strange, you'd think they would be able to ge enough, after all we do with baby's blood all the time. You just usually end up moving it from the small tube to the big tube and then spin it.
Anyway, the point was (boy I digress) is that I agree with Trish and wouldn't worry too much about those specific results right now and wait till the next one. In Fact I'd print out what Trish wrote, take it to your vet and maybe he wont charge you for the redo. :)
I like to live optimistically. LOL
So what does those treats Squirt really like have in them that makes her like them?
hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

I can't remember what's in those treats, Sharlene. They are joint support treats shaped like hearts from their bulk treats. I want to say peanut butter but I'm not sure and they don't list this particular treat on their site that I found. I'll have to write it down next trip there. For a while she like the little ginger cookies from the bulk treats but now it's the hearts. Both are quite crunchy and she needs them broken into pieces first.

She seems to have found a solution to the incontinence issue on her own. Not that she's found a way to stop it but she's found a way to make things easier. The diaper changed her conformity, spreading out her back legs; her back feet have been very close together her whole life. She got a handle on walking in it and had stopped the high stepping and side kicks but still had trouble walking and displayed more pain when she did walk. Once I realized what it was doing to her back legs, I took the diaper off. She was still in some discomfort for a bit afterwards. Last night and the night before, she got up in the bed for a little while then wanted back down. She went into the bathroom and went to sleep. I left a light on so I could see her if I had to come in there during the night and closed the door to remind me she was there. ;) I checked on her several times both nights and she was sound asleep. She's had a few instances of leaking but none of the flooding like she did the first time we stopped the Proin.

She still sleeps a lot and is still in pain, sometimes quite badly, but she is improved. Her tail is help up more often, her eyes are brighter, and she's more interactive. And Mom is doing her best to stay focused on this minute and no other. ;)

Hugs,
Leslie and Squirty

Les, what did the vet have to say about the results of Squirt's bloodwork? Did the vet do an xray or manipulate Squirt to determine if her leg problems are due to arthritis/joint pain, neuro issue or muscle weakness? When is the last time Squirt had an abdominal ultrasound to check her internal organs?

I haven't gotten to talk to doc yet about the labs, just the tech who didn't know. She hasn't had an ultrasound in a few years and that isn't in the budget now. Her last xrays were those following the knee surgery 2 years ago. There is no question she has arthritis - she was diagnosed with that in her knees when she was young. Doc has manipulated her but not sure if he has done so the last few visits - I have to leave the room now when they work on Squirt or she fights the whole time worse than usual. If he has, he hasn't mentioned anything. I know he checked her shoulder when Tank landed on her that time and again when she started limping recently so I would assume the answer is yes.

After nearly a month of fretting over finding something Squirt will eat, tonite she decides she wants Trinket's home cooked. So I got 2 packages of Trink's food out, warmed it up, gave it to Squirt and she ate it all with obvious pleasure! She ate two meals of the baked FreshPet so I stunk up the house this afternoon baking a bunch more and she turned her nose up at it. :rolleyes: I think I'll double Trink's recipe this week and see if Squirt will keep eating that. If she does, I can maybe tweak it enough to bring it in line with her recipe - they are similar. I tried the Bison - a disaster! We all had a bite, we all had diarrhea. :eek:

Unless the desire to eat Trink's food was a sign, she has shown none and has had only 62.5mg of Lyso on Mon of this week. No lignans, no melatonin. I forced one of the Get Up and Gos down her throat and I won't do that again for anything other than the Lyso. I've been looking at the pill guns / shooters and am not sure I could use that with her any easier - all the reviews say it works well with TWO people. If I can't dissolve it, I don't know that she will get it. I'm looking into a liquid Lyso, too. She is moving a bit better and for that I am grateful! And, oddly, she has had very little leaking this week - once or twice she was a tad wet on her teetee but no where else. She pees fine outside - I've been getting the stink eye for squatting to watch lately! :p

Last nite, she wanted in the bed for a while then asked to get down and away she went to the bathroom again. The mattress may be too soft for her to move comfortably on now and she moves around during the nite. The floor gives her more support.

Squirt is slowly improving. Her eyes are brighter and she is more content. Once this Proin is out of her system for 30 days, I will breath a bit easier. I haven't fallen to my knees by her thinking she'd stopped breathing this week but I have stood over her watching intently several times. :o Compared to four weeks ago, we are both better, tho. ;) Thanks in large part to our family here.

Hugs,
Leslie and Squirt

Quote:

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Originally Posted by Squirt's Mom

I've been looking at the pill guns / shooters and am not sure I could use that with her any easier - all the reviews say it works well with TWO people.

Squirt is slowly improving. Her eyes are brighter and she is more content.

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I am so glad that our sweet Squirt is feeling better! Oh, I did try those pill gun/shooter thingys and boy was that a waste of money. :eek: It could very well be that I am just not coordinated enough to use them but I really do think that 2 people are needed, and may be they should have 4 sets of hands! :o:D

Sending big hugs to you both, Lori

Great news about Squirt.:). "Brighter eyes and more content" love it!
Ate 2 servings, and leaking less, AWESOME!!:)

Leslie,she is doing well because of you! You make these moments possible. You truly are her angel and are an inspiration to us all!

Hugs,
Kathy and Buddy:cool:

I have a what the vet called pill popper for molly. You put the pill in the end of it, it looks sort of like a small syringe and then you put it in their mouth and I guess shoot it down their throat. I have terrible luck with it, but the vet tech uses it with molly. The only one who can really get a pill down her is the office manager at the vets office. She rolls wet dog food into a ball around the pill, gives it to molly and molly Takes it! Not a chance she'll do that for me though. Is that the same thing as a pill gun?
I'm so glad Squirt ate and twice even. That must be a record in the last couple weeks. :) Good for her. That is one dog that knows what she wants And what she Doesn't. Mind of her own. :)

Hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

Leslie:
I am curious about the Trinkets Home Cooked. I have never heard of this. Where do you get it and what is it exactly? I am so glad Squirt ate and has the brightness back in her eyes. I think due to Marcela help it gave me good judgement into not letting this Dr. touch my Tipper. I am grateful for all she has done for her. Hope you and Squirt enjoy a peaceful weekend. God Bless You Both
Patti

Yep, my Sweet Bebe definitely has a mind of her own! :D Usually set in concrete! :rolleyes::p

I tried giving her some of her food this morning and it was a no go - but she wanted Trink's again. Theirs have the same ingredients except Squirt's has salmon and Trink's doesn't - so I am making Squirt's without the salmon today. We will see....

Patti - a nutritional consultant, Catherine Lane, has formulated recipes for my babies. Squirt's and Trink's both have dark chicken, beef liver, quinoa, white rice and the supplements calcium carbonate, zinc, taurine, and manganese mixed in plus fish oil and Vit E added to each meal. Squirt's also includes the salmon. Brick also has recipe but he can't eat soft foods - his coordination is not good due to the hydrocephalus so he gets some of his recipe baked into chewy cookies along with kibble and he can handle this just fine.

Squirt wanted in the bed again last nite but stayed the whole nite this time...and she rested well. Still no leaking. Weird but I'm not complaining! I noticed something else odd - we have been having some mild storms since yesterday afternoon. Squirt has had 62.5mg of Lyso and no melatonin at all this week - but she has been MUCH less anxious with these storms coming through. I did get some Passionflower and Skullcap in her via syringe last nite but that has never been enough on its own - even with the added melatonin she would still shake pretty badly. No shaking at all yesterday, last nite, or this morning. I expected her to be more nervous with no melatonin and very little Lyso on board. :confused: But again - I'm not complaining! :)

BTW, hope is a wonderful thing to have.
Hugs,
Leslie and Squirty

Leslie,

more improvements...yeah!!!!!

Hi Leslie,

How is our Squirt this morning? Give her hugs and kisses for me

hugs and kisses to you as well:):):)

Leslie:
I hope your precious Squirt continues to improve, she is sounding like she is on the upswing thank God. Blessings
Patti

Thanks! Squirt slept in the bed again last night and slept well. She has been eating her food, mushed up instead of chunky like she used to want it. Her mouth is still not right and may never be but she is having an easier time eating and drinking. With the storms expected to continue through the night last nite, I gave her some melatonin in her supper - and she ate only a little over half of it. Dumb move on my part. :rolleyes: I was a bit concerned that would have put her off the food again but she ate breakfast just fine. :)

My youngest grandson is here with us this weekend and it was obvious she is still off because she didn't run to greet him or spend any time with him. She has always been very protective of both grandsons and loves them dearly, always excited to see either of them - but not this time. Her greeting was very late and quite reserved, and she has basically ignored him since. But I am ever so grateful for the improvements she has made so far.

Hugs,
Leslie and Squirt

Hi Leslie,
Yay for Squirt and for you! I am so glad that she is eating and had a good night.:) I hope you were able to get some rest too! :)

Hugs,
Kathy and Buddy

Hi Leslie, I do hope that eventually Squirt will greet the grandsons the way she usually does. I'm sure it is something that she and the boys both enjoy. I guess everything just takes time.
Sleeping well though is a good start and eating, even if not as much as she might have at one time.

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly muffin