Hey Tina, hope Jasper and you have had a good weekend and ready for another working week :D... any surgery date yet?? xx
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Hey Tina, hope Jasper and you have had a good weekend and ready for another working week :D... any surgery date yet?? xx
Happy birthday Tina I hope you had a good day :)
I can sympathise with the MRI I have to have one every 3 years and I still hate them but we get music played into it to keep you calm ... Doesn't work lol.
I can relate to the MRI so often I have to take Tipper in every three months for an Ultra Sound and it really gets my nerves going sitting there and waiting. I can imagine having to do the MRI so often is really hard on all of you. Blessings
Patti
How are things going with you Tina and Jasper and Shelby? Heard there was some nasty storms recently over your way. Hope that is all passed and you guys are good.
hugs
Sharlene and molly muffin
Hi Tina! I missed your birthday!! Hope it was a good one and Jasper and Shelby gave you big doggie kisses :D Plus you get to share it with one of my favourite pups Woody!! Don't think that wild boy would share his cake though :D:D Hope all going well with you xxxxxxx
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TINA XXXXXXXX
What is this!!! I missed your birthday too!!! I think not! You'll have to go out and celebrate all over again!!! :) :)
Happy Birthday Tina!!!!!!
hugs
Sharlene and molly muffin
Hi All,
Thanks for the birthday wishes girls! I usually keep my birthday on the down low, I just mentioned it this year because I learned that I share it with the gorgeous Woody dog! :) ;)
We are doing ok here. I decided to stay home today rather than going to a friends house for a get together all day and then fireworks. The fireworks in my neighborhood have been relentless for the past week. :mad: They've been going off every night, and most of the day today so far. Jasper is handling it ok I think. He is a bit anxious at times, but so far no full on panic. He does a lot better when I'm home with him, so I just decided to stay here. Shelby doesn't seem to be scared, she gets startled with the really loud ones, but doesn't seem to be afraid. Yay for that!
I had a tough past week at work with it being end of month time, so I am very grateful for the holiday today! The MRI on my wrist confirmed that I need surgery. :( It is scheduled for 7/16. My brother will be in town for a high school reunion that week and is coming a couple days early, so he can help me out for a few days if needed. Hopefully that will be all I need.
I'm afraid to even mention it, but Jasper seems to be feeling pretty good for the most part. He's eating good again finally. *whisper* He is still drinking a little bit more than usual, but that has decreased some again. Addy, thanks for your input about the drinking. I really don't think it had anything to do with the little bit of canned food he was getting. I was really only adding a tablespoon with each meal, so I wouldn't think that would make a big difference. He still seems to be peeing quite a lot during the day while I'm at work, and of course not always on the pooch pads. So I am still having to do a lot of cleanup. :(
I am in for the night, bracing for the nighttime fireworks attack. It's pretty active right now, but I'm sure it will be worse later. I haven't given Jasper the Xanax yet, I'm using the wait-and-see approach since he hasn't seemed too rattled all day so far. I am really extra careful about giving it now, since he has the kidney issues. He is laying on the couch right now, so that's a good thing.
Better go and get their dinner, and think I'll grill a hotdog for myself! :) :D Will probably be back a little later.
Happy Fourth everyone!
Hugs,
Tina and Jasper xo
Happy Fourth Tina!!!
We stayed in with Molly on Canada Day too, as that is our fireworks day and now we have some who set of some of the really big ones close by. Big booms! Makes me jump!
I'm glad you're brother will be able to be with you for a few days at least with your surgery. You won't have to worry as much about Jasper and Shelby being taken care of too.
I hope this is the turn around to a good long spell for Jasper on the upswing side of things. He certainly has been having a rough go for awhile this time around.
Hope the fireworks aren't too bad tonight.
hugs
Sharlene and molly muffin
Happy to read your post, it is full of good news! Hopefully your work is all sorted for you to have a decent amount of time off to heal without the stress of thinking about work. Only a couple of weeks to wait, hope it is not too painful right now.
Jasper sounds fab Tina!! Love how he has picked up now he is off the antibiotics and is eating better! xxx
Thinking of you and Jasper. I am sure surgery will be a breeze:):)
We used to have a neighbor setting off firecrackers every 4th. One landed on our roof!!!!! Hubby was so mad. Then the neighbors finally moved:D:D:D:D:D:D
Enjoy your long weekend!!! I am so happy Jasper is eating better!!!:D
Good grief you slid down to page 3!!!! That is a sign it is time for an update Tina!! Hopefully see you over the weekend sometime. Hoping still good news for Jasper and Shelby good too! xx
TINA!!! How did the surgery go??? Hope it was no problem and you are back home and your brother was able to stay and look after things for you all. Bet you won't be able to type so hope your voice thingamy is able to work to let us know you are OK :) Least you have some time off work and can spend it with our beautiful boy Jasper. Be nice to hear all going well when you feel up to it!! Pats for Jasper and Shelby too! xxxx
Yikes, thanks for paying attention to the surgery date, Trish! Absolutely, Tina, here's hoping that all went well!!!!!!!
Sending many healing hugs,
Marianne
Oh goodness! I missed it too. Good catch Trish!!
Hope all is going well Tina and that you are on the recovery fast track lane!
Hugs!
Sharlene and molly muffin
Hi Tina
Something to read when you are up and about again!! It is from Dr Mark Peterson's endocrine blog about the top abstracts for 2014. This study is on incidence of Addisons caused by Trilostane.
Schrage A, Appleman E, Langston C. Iatrogenic Hypoadrenocorticism Following Trilostane Therapy for Pituitary-Dependent Hyperadrenocorticism in Dogs. J Vet Intern Med 2014;28:1035.
http://endocrinevet.blogspot.co.nz/2...edium=facebook
Dr Peterson has put his comments on this study and also his recommendations for treatment of PDH and how to avoid this happening. I thought a very good summary and pretty much what we are saying on the forum when guiding new people. Admins/mods may like to add it to the helpful resources section with this 2014 current research??
Hope your weekend goes well Tina and talk soon. xx
Thank you Trish for posting that as it is rally timely that I have a couple pups in overdose status currently and ongoing on the Facebook page. I just copied it to them. Definitely is informative although Jasper's case involved lysodren it is certainly a relevant and informative article for our members.
Hugs
Sharlene and Molly muffin
Oh yep, wee Jasper was lysodren. I thought it was interesting how Dr Peterson was saying he thought the dogs in the study were having highish doses of trilostane and that is why they had so many drop too low despite them dosing within the dechra guidelines. Just goes to show, low is the way to go!!!
Big hugs and healing energy headed your way. I hope both you and Jasper are doing well. Xxxxx
Hope you are ok, Tina and that Jasper and Shelby are giving you lots of loving.
Thinking of you.
Hope all going well Tina, getting bit worried about you but you're probably not up to typing with that sore wrist, hopefully you are reading so sending you a big hug and a super duper box of chocolates to munch on AND big cuddles for Jasper and Shelby! xx
Thanks so much everyone for checking in on me. I apologize for not posting some sort of update sooner, I sure didn't want to worry anybody. :o I've had some issues separate from the wrist and haven't been feeling the best. I've been kind of wiped out and just resting the wrist.
I'm pleased to say that the surgery went very well. The first two or three days afterwards were a little rough, but doing pretty good now. I got the stitches out this morning, and the doctor thought the incision looked good and was healing well. It just has Steri-Strips on it now. I have some exercises to do to improve the mobility and strength. There is still a good amount of pain, as expected, and limited range of motion right now, but the exercises should improve that. The Dr said that it will be about 4 to 6 weeks before I regain full mobility and strength, and for the pain to fully go away.
My little man has just been a champ through the whole thing. So relieved he didn't have any issues going on. He loves snoozing while I rest. My snuggly little baby. Shelby has been a good girl also for the most part. She had a few episodes where she was a handful, she can be very naughty out in the yard. Thankfully my brother was here to help for a couple of days after the surgery. Yes, they have both loved me being home with them for a few days!
Gosh you guys, I had no idea I would be this tired during my time off. I had all of these lofty goals to get a few things done around here and sure didn't get much done. And now it's back to work tomorrow already. :( Apparently I was a lot more rundown than I thought, and I still feel somewhat tired. Just getting old I guess!
I appreciate you all so much, and all of your kind words. Hopefully I am on the mend now and will be getting my energy back soon!
Hugs,
Tina and Jasper xo
Tina!!! So glad to hear from you and that the surgery went well.
What!! Already back to work! Where does the time go? You are on limited activity until you get full mobility back though right????
That's great that Jasper didn't have anything going on while you were laid up. Well, Shelby is shelby and she is just a baby. Love that naughtiness side of her, she has character. We love that around here. :)
Shhhhhh, I did not hear you say you had plan to do work around the place while you were off!! Didn't you get the memo, surgery is the absolute Best reason to not do a darn thing but snuggle with the gang and rest up. Rest equals healing remember, so the more you do the better off you'll be. Plus you don't want to over do anything with that wrist. Make sure it is fully healed. House stuff will still be there sometime in the distant future. !!
hugs, so great to hear form you!
Sharlene and molly muffin
Call in the favors Tina! Don't mess with your wrist please. Snuggles are the BEST medicine
Whewww, Tina, good to hear from you. My, we can all be nervous nelly hens:o:o:o:o:D:D:D:D:D:D:D The bond is a tight one!!!!;)
I am glad things have gone well and you are healing. I am really happy that the projects are still on your to do list. You needed to allow your body to rest and get lots of loving from Jasper and Shelby.
Good to hear Jasper is behaving and not worrying mama during recovery. What a good boy. Good girl Shelby too!!!
If work is a bit much, can you miss a day or two?
I second that Addy. I'm very relived to hear from you too. What good babies you have and your brother is okay too.:D
Quote:
Originally Posted by addy
Hey Tina, hope work was not too stressful going back after time off! Would have been nice to have longer off, but work waits for no one eh! Those two pups sound like they were real well behaved while you were recovering :) Fantastic news all round, now you have a weekend for least couple more days to take it easy! Hopefully see you over the weekend sometime! x
Hi Tina
Doing my weekend checkin and hoping for an update on you and Jasper! Hope the week was kind to you and your both feeling fit! Just checking my weather app and 28 deg, phew hot and a little cloudy.. weeked officially there for you so hopefully you can get out to enjoy it! xx
Thanks so much for the kind words everyone, I sure appreciate it. We are hanging in there. My wrist continues to do okay and seems to be healing pretty well. I still have a pretty significant amount of pain at times, but I'm able to manage it, and am back into the swing of things at work. :( :rolleyes: I had to be very careful this past week and try to pace myself, with it being end of month time and being crazy busy. I did work quite a lot of overtime since I have to go at a slower pace, and it takes me a bit longer to get things done. I'm very happy that the weekend is here!
As a lot of you know, Jasper is overdue for his rabies vaccination this year. It was due in April, and he wasn't feeling well at the time so he wasn't able to receive it, and then we had the whole issue with the ongoing UTI and other things happening throughout the summer. It is a state law here in Nebraska that the rabies vaccination be current, so right now we are breaking the law. (The Judas Priest song is coming to mind here, LOL ). Thankfully our yearly licenses are due in March, so I renewed that just prior to his vaccination expiring, or I wouldn't be able to have him licensed right now. I have done a lot of reading, and have been fretting over him getting this vaccination, but my vet is firm that he needs it and she will not authorize any type of exemption.
So since he has been feeling pretty well for the past several weeks to a month, I called and talk to the vet earlier this week about getting his vaccination. He has a few minor things going on right now that I want her to check out, I'll post more about that later. But anyway, we have our appointment in the morning, I guess now it's in just a few hours, at 9 AM. He will be getting his rabies vaccination at that time, and I have to admit that I'm scared. I have voiced my fears to our vet repeatedly, and as I said, she is firm that he needs this vaccination. A big concern is that he gets groomed every six weeks, and if he would bite the groomer and not be vaccinated, we would be up a creek. Jasper has never been snippy or shown any inclination to bite, but as with any dog, it can always happen. The law here is that if a dog bites somebody and their vaccinations are not up-to-date, they are quarantined at our local Humane Society for 30 days. :eek: If their vaccinations are current they can be quarantined at home. There have been a couple of cases of dog bites on the local news lately which has brought this to the forefront of my mind.
Well, with all of his issues, I don't think my sweet boy could survive a 30 day quarantine somewhere. So I have had that fear in the back of my mind ever since April. When I really start thinking about it, it is terrifying. So I'm going to bite the bullet and he's getting his vaccination. I am just praying that he doesn't have any reaction to it, or any ongoing adverse effects. (Concerned about his kidneys here, not to mention the Addison's).
I'm also bringing in a urine sample for a follow-up UPC. So I'm worried about that also. Please keep him in your thoughts. I'll be back on the forum later today. I've been reading to try to get caught up on everyone and have quite a lot of posting to do. Thanks so much everyone. I wish I didn't feel so scared in my gut about this. :(
Hugs,
Tina and Jasper xo
Tina, we were able to get a rabies waiver which Zoe' vet signed and here in Wisconsin the municipalities accept the waivers when you license a dog or cat. It did make me worry though, since Zoe was prone to biting strangers. I always muzzled her.
I hope everything goes well with the shot and the UPC is good.
My friend does the waiver with her cat after I mentioned to her I have a waiver for Zoe. You can find he forms on line.
Tina, does Nebraska authorize 3-year rabies vaccinations? If so, that would definitely be preferable over a single-year vaccine. From what I understand, it is basically the same dose, it is just that they are labelled differently (and, of course, the 3-year costs more!).
Fortunately, I am able to get my girls 3-year vaccinations here in Georgia. I do worry about vaccinations with Peg, too, given all her problems. So I am now titer-testing for the core vaccines other than rabies since she has been fully vaccinated in the past. I do vaccinate for leptospirosis, though, because there is no way to titer for that, the disease is common here in the southeast, and my dogs' lifestyle places them at risk. And I do vaccinate for rabies due to risk factors, too. Rabies is sadly quite common among certain wildlife here, my dogs are out in the yard which is near an undeveloped wooded area, and every year there are accounts of dogs nearby me being bitten in their own yards by rabid foxes, raccoons, or bats (another incident just a month ago).
So I know my reason for vaccinating is different from yours, but just wanted you to know that I understand your dilemma as to weighing the risks. I have never done this myself because none of my dogs have ever had an acute allergic reaction to any vaccine, but I think vets sometimes administer an antihistamine at the same time as the injection in order to minimize that immediate risk? Maybe somebody here has had that done and can speak to that.
I'm so glad you've checked back in with us, and I'll surely hope that all goes well with you guys!
Marianne
We do the 3 year rabies vaccine too. I think Molly is due this year. We have raccoons and other wild animals just enough that I worry if I don't vaccinate her. But only as much as necessary. Kennel cough is one I get too as she has had it before and that was awful.
Hopefully jasper will be just fine. Molly has never had a reaction to any of her shots. Knock on wood.
Glad to hear that wrist is healing up very well. 6 weeks. Take it easy Wonder Woman. Lol.
Good to hear from you
Hugs
Sharlene and Molly muffin
Hi Tina,
I so hate the vaccination thing. I begged for an exemption for Buddy when he was dying from 3 vets. I could not get one. Long story. Buddy did not get his shot.
I always pretreat with Benadryl before any vaccinations or flea treatment. Buddy went down after receiving a combination shot yearly booster. He almost died. He never received any more vaccinations other than rabies. I chose to safeguard him instead. That means no dog parks, leash only and exposure to vaccinated dogs only. Friends dogs that I know are vaccinated and healthy. I am now treating Rosie the same way because she has allergies too. As it is, she scratched like crazy for over two weeks following her Rabies shot. :eek: She'll need another one after I year, then every 3 years.:eek: Rabies vaccinations have caused me nothing but grief!:o
Hugs,
Kathy
Awww poor Jasper getting a jab. I guess the thing is we have to remember that most dogs DON'T have a reaction and it is unlikely he will if he has been fine up to now. So I hope Jasper is just fine, you do not want to have that worry about quarantine not that I can imagine Jasper biting anyone, the sweet boy! It would not work for me as I take Flynn every where I go and we like to go out a lot. But then, we do not have rabies here in NZ so do not have to vaccinate for it.
Glad the wrist is coming along Tina, seems you went back to work so quickly and it would have been nice to have longer off. We get 4 weeks annual leave here, plus all the public holidays. Plus I have 3 weeks of long service leave up my sleeve that I have not used yet. Sick leave as needed, well within reason, but I did not even have to give a sick note from the GP when I had 6 days off sick last month. So we have it pretty good at work!! Look forward to hearing from you later and having a catchup! :):Dxxxxxx
Hi girls,
Thank you for all the comments. Yes, the rabies vaccination that Jasper gets is a three-year vaccine. He was due this year. Addy, my vet would not agree to a waiver or medical exemption for him, she felt he needed the injection. And yes Marianne, we always pre-medicate him with injectable Benadryl, we did that today also. (You're so smart! :) ) Today in addition she gave him a Cortisone injection also, to pre-medicate for the vaccine and to give him an additional boost for the Addison's. (So he actually got three jabs Trish :( ). So he has been drinking and peeing like a big dog all day and night. As if he didn't do enough of that before!
I live right near a farm, small wooded area and a creek, so I do have wildlife here as well to be concerned with. My yard is fenced, but that doesn't keep out the occasional possum, bat or other critter that can find its way in. It's not often, but it does happen. Anymore, Jasper is completely supervised when he is outside, even in the yard, and Shelby is as well due to her naughty behavior at the fence with neighbor dogs. But I guess wild critters are also a concern for me regarding having him vaccinated, in addition to the groomer issue.
He has never had a reaction the rabies vaccine before, however in the past has had an acute type of reaction to the leptospirosis injection, and that is what started us pre-medicating him for everything. He doesn't get that one anymore. Shelby also gets pre-medicated as she had a reaction to her first leptospirosis also. As far as the rabies vaccine, I was more concerned and I guess still am about longer term effects that could happen due to his kidney issues, and since his immune system is suppressed due to the Addison's.
I brought in the urine sample for the UPC. It was checked in the office and didn't show any any blood or sediment, so it will be sent out for the UPC. Should have results Monday or Tuesday she said. The specific gravity was 1.015. :( So I am hoping for the best for that.
He did just fine after the vaccine, we ended up being at the vets for over an hour, so had plenty of time to monitor as it turns out. And he has been fine all day and night so far other than seeming more tired than normal. I am keeping a very close eye on him, and am very relieved.
Now for the bad news, and I'm not going to say a lot about it now because I'm pretty upset. The vet gave him a check over of course, and said he now has a mitral valve heart murmur. :( :mad: :( She had never mentioned any type of murmur before, and confirmed to me that she had never detected one before. So it apparently has developed since his last thorough check over, which was in May. She said it is grade 3, on a scale of 1 to 5. One is the least severe and five the most severe. So his is at the middle level.
I'll post later about the chest x-ray results and her comments there, and what the plan is for all of this. I didn't really ask a lot of questions, because I just couldn't think. I felt like I had been kicked in the gut. I guess I was just blindsided. Here I was so happy that he had what I thought was a good month, and that he was doing pretty well, haven't needed anything at the vet, etc. And now this.
So kind of had a rough afternoon and evening, but I'm trying to pull myself up by the bootstraps once again. I haven't done a lot of reading yet on heart murmurs in dogs, I just couldn't bring myself to do it. I'm so worried and scared about this additional issue on top of everything else that my little boy has going on. Every time I look at him I just get choked up and the tears well up. I am trying so hard not to cry in front of him.
So if anyone here has experience with heart murmurs and wants to comment, I would welcome it and be very appreciative.
We are up now for our second pit stop of the night, he is peeing tons more than the usual tons due to the Cortisone injection. So I think we're going to head back to bed for a little bit. I am not sleeping well as you can guess. Well, I guess now I am thinking that I'm glad I took him in for the rabies vaccination, or who knows how long it would be until this was detected. Who would've thought. Sorry I wasn't on the forum earlier, I just couldn't bring myself to post until now.
Hugs,
Tina and Jasper
Tina
Woody had a grade 4 heart murmour so have plenty experience on that. I knew woody had a heart murmour grade 2 when I resecued him and I will admit to "wrapping him In cotton wool" for the first few months and not letting him run to much etc but then i spoke to a specialist who told me that he could have a happy long life I began to relax. Woody took meds for this everyday and in the 3 and a half yrs he was with me it did go up to a grade 4 but it caused him no problems.
Things to watch for are coughing sign of fluid around the heart, swollen abdomine as in rounded another sign of fluid, lethargy is another symptom but to be honest I don't think you will need to worry (hard I know) as dogs an live up to 2 years with complete heart failure and your sweet boy is no where near that :)
Things I did when Woodys heart got to grade 4 I didn't walk him in hot weather or severe wind, tried and failedto keep him calm lol as stress puts pressure on the heart and I just loved him, had the demon cancer not got him he would still be running around like mad man . It is a bit of a shock that it's a grade 3 I would have thought it may have been detected in his May exam, did they say if it was on the right side or left, Woodys was on left side, I don't know if the heart meds if you choose to go down that route would interfer with any other meds he is taken the vet would tell you that.
So big deep breaths although it's scary being told that it is treatable. If it is possible and puts you mind at rest I would suggest and ECG for him and that will tell you all you need to know, as this will give a true reading of what grade it is. I had two done on Woody one when he first came and one the week he died, he wasn't sedated and just had to stand for the test :). Sorry I've written an essay x
Oh Tina! I know this is a blow! I am so glad that Tracy responded though as she has been through this with her Woody. It is treatable and the main thing is to make sure that the treatment is one that is consistent with his other medications.
I like the idea of having an EKG done, that is definitely the next step and then of course, working out a plan of action for it.
Hang in there Tina! I'm sure the others will be along soon to give their input. I don't personally know anything about it but I know others here have had it going on with them too.
hugs,
Sharlene and molly muffin
i owned a top agility dog with 2/3 heart murmour.
she was a very active dog and i let her do whatever she wanted to do.
she could not stand the heat very well, that was the only thing i noticed.
no meds, no real limitations, and she reached the age of 14 when she died.
[kidney failure, not her heart].
like woodydog said, a dog wants to be a dog, so hot days, stormy days, and stress will be a bit of a concern, but when he is feeling fine, just let him lead a happy doggy life.
there are good meds these days to help the heart.
but the strange thing is that nobody ever noticed it before with jasper.
from 0-3 murmour in just 2 months?
i think i want him checked over again for a second or even a third opinion to be sure this is what he really has.
hope our stories will give you some relief.
I cant tell you how many times we went back and forth with Zoe- she has a heart murmur, no she doesn't, back and forth for I cant remember how long. The IMS finally stopped talking about it. I had other vets listen to check if they heard anything and they did not so I never pursued it and when they did xrays before her vulva surgery and the surgeon checked her over, I asked again and was told no, she did not have a heart murmur.
So, maybe you should have it checked again.
Big hugs, Tina.
Tina, I'm so glad to hear Jasper didn't have any problems with his vaccination and I hope things will be just fine with the heart murmur.
I just read about everyone's concerns about vaccinations.
Kathy, I so agree with you!
Just wondering, has anyone ever done titer testing for rabies?
Archie will need his first booster in Oct. but since he had that seizure the day after he had his first rabies vaccination and then with the other issues after that I am so concerned about him getting any more. His immune system is not right and it scares me that things will get worse if he gets any more.
I have read that holistic vets feel one vaccination will last many years.
Hi Vicki, just wanted to let you know that I have posted a reply to your question about rabies titer testing on Archie's thread:
http://www.k9cushings.com/forum/show...834#post158834
Marianne