Squirt - my Queen has crossed The Bridge

Ha! Yeah, Squirt has gotten wise to all the tricks of med giving in her old age! She will no longer take human food treats period for fear there is something in there, she will only take treats that crunch. :rolleyes: Ever seen a dog pucker up and spew liquid? Squirt has mastered that! :p I tried giving her something in PB a while back thinking it would stick to her mouth and eventually go in - nope. She just drug her tongue on the carpet and now refuses PB. :D She is too smart for her own good! I bit the bullet and bought a pill pusher this morning. :(

The clinic made a suspension with their beef flavored stuff for compounding meds. I gave it to her in her lunch and she ate most of her meal on her own and finished when I hand-fed the last few bites. It still tastes bad but not as bad as the pill on its own so hopefully this will work for the next several days.

I'm sorry Leslie. I hate those pill pushers too! :o Squirt is wise to your tricks. I don't blame her at all but it does make it harder on you. As long as she's fighting you, she hasn't given up and that's AWESOME!! Xxxxx

Oh Leslie, Hope they figure out how to get the meds to Squirt, thats a tough one...sending hugs!!

Leslie, I think I read Metronidazole has a bitter taste and it is better to give with a bit of food or shortly after a meal so it does not upset their tummy. Hope the liquid works better, but it may have been the bitter taste of the pills.

HUGS

Leslie:
I hope Squirt is still taking her meds and getting better. I am wondering how day 2 of the liquid is going? God Bless Squirty she still keeps on trying. Blessings
Patti

Metronidazole tastes disgusting, I know because I had a course once! Hope she is feeling better Leslie, poor baby xx

I don't know if this will help you at all, but it's worth a try. Keesh wouldn't take anything from my hand at all. I am his caregiver and all food used to come from me. He figured out the hand treats had something distasteful in them. I tried the pill pusher, shoving it down his throat, putting it way back on the outside of his last tooth but nothing worked. He hates PB too. I don't give him his pills anymore, someone else does. He hasn't figured that out yet, but so far it's working albeit with very expensive white old cheddar cheese pieces. Once he has that figured out, I'm not sure where to go from there.
I understand perfectly about dosing errors. I almost took his Trilostane and gave him my Rimadyl.
Hope the suspension works better for you.

Leslie:
Wondering how Squirt is and if the antibiotic is still working? Are you using the pill shooter? I hope she is getting better. Blessings
Patti

Hi ya'll,

Thanks for asking about my Sweet Bebe. I wish I could say this new round of meds wass working but that isn't so. The Endosorb is supposed to given only until the stool is forming normally then you stop it. I can't stop it and the stool stay normal even with the Metronidazole on board. It doesn't seem to be working as well as the Baytril did. I can get the suspension in her so it isn't that she isn't getting the dose she is supposed to of that - it just isn't working without the Endoscope. And there is no money left this month for another vet visit. The two that have already occurred meant my utility bill didn't get paid fully so I'm starting out next month in the hole. I have enough of the meds to get her through til Doc B comes back and I hope he will simply give her some more Baytril without having to see her. If not.....I sure hope the temps cool off next month 'cause it's gonna get HOT in here without power! :rolleyes:

Leslie

Sorry to hear that the meds aren't working for squirt, I hope you can get the Baytril.

I know where your coming from I only just made the rent this month didn't need an overnight stay in the emergency vet this week it's pretty much cleaned me out, but I,ll survive as will you, things we do for our babies :)

Hey Leslie: So sorry Squirt cannot get over the diarrhea. I know the feeling, CoCo had it for three months or more I think, got so skinny, dewormed him twice. Started on Hill's ID. He is better. He is bad to dig around in the dirt and grab somethiing before I can stop him. These little dogs are so fast at getting things in their mouth and we have squirrels and rabbits and all kinds of critters around. His stool never shows worms when the vet checks it, but I saw one and always suspected that was it. I still check every stool, not fun. You might do that. They don't always show up on stool checks at the vets. Love, JoAnne

Leslie:
I know what you mean about the financial struggles you are going thru in order to help your babies. This will be a bad month for me to as now I have an added expense with my cat. I do what I have to also. If it means not paying something else for the month then that is what I do to. I sure hope your Dr. will just give you the Baytril over the phone. If you go to a vet a lot and he knows you and the dog why not? I hope this gets straightened out for Squirt she has been such a trooper with everything that goes on with her. Blessings
Patti

Oh drat, was hoping that this would work. Hoping doc gets back and soon and you can pick up some med for her. You just do what you can Leslie. One day, one lightbulb at a time.

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

Dear Sweet Leslie,
I know the Frustration over the $$$$$ thing. I am so sorry.:o I am still paying vet bills from several different places for Buddy.:o Why does everything have to be so dang expensive?

Oh Squirty. It's no fun with the runs!:o How is she feeling otherwise? Is she behaving like her usual queenly self or is she a little subdued?

I am here for you Leslie, like you remain for me. Big hugs,

Her behavior is great! Her appetite has been good all week so she doesn't act as if this is bothering her at all - until we have to wash her butt! :p

Well, I don't blame Squirt? I don't like to have to get my butt washed either! :D LOL Glad to hear that she's doing well otherwise. :) That is a blessing.:p xxxx

ROFL. That cracked me up about "wash her butt". I have on soooo many occasions, walked in the door and said, Molly dirty bum, and off she goes to the bathroom. She's not thrilled but she knows what a dirty bum means. Thank goodness she is small I can just pick her up and put her bum right under the faucet. LOL

Isn't life with animals always an adventure?!

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

Leslie:
Darn that old butt washing!! If I say Tipper you need your butt washed she immediately sits down as she knows what it means. I never say it any more, I just pick her up and put her under the faucet. If she has time to think it over you are in trouble! There seems to be a thing with feet, and butts that they do not want them touched. Glad to hear she is eating and doing well otherwise. Did the vet give you the antibiotics after you called? I hope so, and hope this all gets straightened out for Miss Squirty. Blessings
Patti

Leslie,
How is Squirty doing today? Xxxxx

I've just been getting updated on poor Squirt - hope she's doing better today.

Also wanted to mention that when Hamish had an upset stomach from some Blue Buffalo that was part of a recall (before we discovered the recall info) that the vet suggested that he might have developed an allergy to his food. He had 3 courses of metronizadole, and was ill as soon as we stopped each course. When I said it wasn't new food, although the bag was new, she said that it was possible for dogs to just develop a food allergy overnight just like humans (I can relate to that as I suddenly developed an allergy to garlic about 15 years ago). Just thought it might help?

Trixie is also not a fan of the butt wash either!

We had very good luck with Tylan powder to get rid of a very stubborn intestinal bug last year. We had so many visits to the vet for the same thing..it was crazy. They kept sending out the stool sample and the results would show nothing.

Finally the vet used her own microscope instead of sending out the sample and she was able to pinpoint the chlostridium bacteria which causes colitis type symptoms. The Tylan was the only thing that finally put an end to a long bout of diarrhea.
Hope Squirt gets rid of whatever is causing hers. So frustrating when these things don't go away...some of these little buggers are hard to get rid of!

Barbara

Trixie,
we had the same scenario as Barbara happen recently and the Tylan has been working wonders for Daisy.

Leslie:
just checking in to see how Squirty is today? Hope the runs are a thing of the past. I feel so bad when they have the runs, it seems like it drains their energy sometimes, maybe the electrolytes getting out of whack a little. Hope you and she have a good weekend with no storms. We are not due for any until tomorrow and Wednesday. Blessings
Patti

She has one more dose of the Endosorb then we will see if the Metronizadole is going to work on its own. I've kept giving it even after the stools were formed in the hopes it would give the Metronizadole time to take hold. If it is only the Endosorb that is controlling the diarrhea, I should know by tomorrow and if that seems to be the case, I will call and ask for more Baytril.

She continues to act just fine so this isn't bothering her at all apparently. She isn't losing any more weight that I can tell, in fact, seems to have gained a tad so she isn't getting debilitated from this so far.

I've been pondering this and have come up with some ideas that may be playing a role - primarily the loss of fiber and salmon oil that she had been on for years. After the seizure when she wouldn't eat she lost all that fiber that is in her cooked menus and she flat refuses anything salmon, including the oil which can act as an anti-inflammatory in the gut. In addition, the lignans provided fiber that she is no longer getting. So I am wondering if these changes could have caused this and are making it difficult to get control of, allowing bacteria to form. She has been eating her home cooked again pretty good most of the time so some of that fiber is getting added back...or has been anyway.

Hugs,
Leslie and the gang

That's great that Squirt feels well and hasn't lost any weight. Fingers, toes and paws crossed that the diarrhea stops on it's own. Xxxxx

Leslie:
Hope Squirt is still doing well today. I hope when the medicine is done that she does not get the runs back, as I am sure she has had enough of it. Are you going to wait or go straight into the Baytril? That is one thing I have not had a problem with is Tipper having the runs thank goodness. I am taking the cat and her both at the same time to the vets tomorrow so that should be fun. I need to get both their issues straightened out and get a break form problems for a while. I am sure you know the feeling. Blessings
Patti

Hi Leslie,

Just stopping by to give you a hug and to see how Squirt is doing. I hope the metronidazole kicked in.

Her poop has been ok! There was a little shine this morning but still formed and no mucous areas seen! :):cool::) I started putting a cloth soaked in cool Calendula tea on her butt and it was no longer red after about 24 hours so I know it has to feel better...and she doesn't have to get in the tub! :p She still has a few days of the Metronizadole left and then she's through with meds for a bit - I hope! Her shedding is not NEAR as bad as it was and that tells me she isn't feeling as stressed as she was. She got brushed so often that she's actually stopped fighting it so much. She will get up and try to walk away after a minute, tho! :D Now if she's just get mellower about her nails. :rolleyes::p

Great news all around for Squirt!

So happy Squirt is better Leslie and so happy for you, always a worry when our babies are not well. Love, JoAnne

Im praying everythings stays good after you stop the metronidazole.
If it doesn't maybe try weaning her off of it.

Three cheers for Squirt and good poo:):):)

So glad to hear that our sweet girl is feeling better, sending you both huge and loving hugs, Lori

Sending hugs and prayers, hope Squirt keeps feeling better each day!

Yay! When butt's aren't sore, it's a good day. I'm glad her diarrhea has stopped. ;)

Leslie..so glad things are clearing up!! Glad Squirt is feeling better!! :)

Barbara

Yay for good poops !!

Leslie:
We are keeping finger and paws crossed that Squirt continues to do well after this dose is done. You feel so bad wiping a sore butt, even the thought of touching it when it hurts them is hard. Squirt is the wonder dog and I am sure a bout with the runs will not stop her from improving. Blessings
Patti

This morning Squirt got the last few drops of the Metronizadole so now we see if this approach has worked. So far, her stools have been ok. Sometimes there is a tail and slight shine but no more mucous patches, cow patties, or watery stools for a bit now. :)

I've been chewing my nails to the bone because in the midst of all this, I've had to start transitioning them all to kibble, Squirt included. She's been completely off chicken for about a week and a half now, eating her turkey recipe instead, and that may have helped with the diarrhea as I've had a feeling the chicken was a reason for it in the first place. She gets half of the amount she should of the turkey meal for breakfast and supper, supplemented with Solid Gold Hund n Flocken kibble. At lunch she gets only the Solid Gold - same for Trinket except that she and Brick are eating Fromm at the moment (given to us otherwise I couldn't have afforded it! ;)). Brick is easy to transition as he has a cast iron digestive system. :D Over the next few weeks she and Trink will be slowly taken completely off home-cooked and on to kibble only - except when meds need to be given. I am making some bite sized goodies to keep in the freezer for those times...as well as for treats from time to time.

Something weird happened to Squirt sometime during the nite last nite. Not long after she started her cush journey, I noticed this bump on the top of her head. It was about the size of a Snow Pea and came up suddenly. Our vet in TN aspirated it and said it was just a fatty cyst, not to worry about it unless it started changing and growing. Well, this past year it started really growing and the color changed from flesh-colored to dark, like a blood-filled pocket. Doc has checked it and I had Dr. Stacy check it again when she saw Squirt for the diarrhea when Doc was on vacation recently. The lump has remained moveable all this time, not attached to anything, which is apparently a good sign. Dr. Stacy said she could drain it if it seemed to bother her but that the cyst would probably fill back up again. My concern was that a blood vessel was involved and if it ruptured she could experience some serious bleeding but Dr. Stacy said that was very unlikely...no blood vessels were involved. ~~whew~~ It hasn't seemed to bother Squirt other than when I would touch it, she would shake her head as if it felt funny to her. It had grown to the size of an American nickle and raised up almost 1/2" so I guess it did feel funny to have it touched, especially since it moved around when touched.

Wellll, this morning it's GONE. No blood, no gunk on her head, nothing I can find on the covers. When I examined it, there is a slight dampness as if fluids have come out and are still draining a little bit, but her hair isn't matted or stiff or anything around the area. It's almost as if it WAS drained by a syringe during the night! The pocket of the bump is very loose and flappy and I feel nothing of the cyst that was in it...in my mind, I SHOULD find a core somewhere, but I haven't. :confused: However, I cannot tell you the relief I felt when I realized it had drained and there was NO blood. I have been harboring this fear that she would bleed to death in spite of what the docs have said if that ruptured. :o She no longer shakes her head when that area is touched and her little Mohawk, what's left of it!, is standing up in a neat little row again. :D I've always loved her Mohawk. ;):p

The only med Squirt is getting now is a tea made with Turmeric, Devil's Claw, White Willow, Passionflower, Traumeel, and either Skullcap or Catnip. She gets 3ml of the tea 3x a day. She's been on this tea for almost a month now in the hopes it will help with her pain level as well as support her intestines. I have some herbs that have antibacterial and antimicrobial properties I can add and may add one of those now that she is through with the Metronizadole.

All in all, I am very happy with how she is doing today...and today is all that matters!
Hugs,
Leslie and the Queen, minus a lumpy head! :p

Hi Leslie,
The lump disappearing is truly a miracle!:D:):p It is obvious that Squirty still has many more lessons to teach us all.:p Love, love, love, to hear good news!;):) xxxxx

Leslie:
Tipper had a real small one on the top of her muzzle, like a black color. I had the Dr. examine it as she is white and I was scared of skin cancer. He said it was nothing- I really forget what he called it, but he said they tend to bleed like crazy, as Tipper has scratched it several times and it bled. It comes and goes, it was gone for the longest time, but is now back. I remember having my Yorkie on Solid Gold when he was a puppy. Never heard of the other brand. Hope all goes well in the transition with the food. I just had a complete stranger offer for Tipper and I to stay at her home if I have Tipper's surgery. She is 30 minutes away form the hospital, don't know if that is close enough for me, but what a wonderful person to try and help me out. I will never be able to afford a hotel on top of all this since I am not working. Blessings
Patti