Squirt - my Queen has crossed The Bridge

Well isn't that something to just disappear like that. That is a good thing! I'm sure it probably felt a bit weird to her.
Hoping for stable poops going forward!!
hugs
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

Aliens took it:)
(I'm glad that the lump disappeared.)

Quote:

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Originally Posted by doxiesrock912

Aliens took it:)

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OOOOO! I wonder if they also took my left tennis shoe?! I can't find it anywhere either! :p

Nah, I'd have to blame Squirt for the missing shoe :)
Maybe she traded it with the aliens to make them leave?

What great news to hear about the lump disappearing. Wish I knew Squirt's secret. I could certainly due with a few lumps myself disappearing, however I believe they call it exercise I'd have to do.

It's nice to come on and read good things here.

So glad to hear the pooping is much better, I feel so sorry for them when their rear ends get sore. Good luck with the food changes.

Excellent, vanishing lumps!! I like it :D:D Send those aliens over here, Flynn has a few that can take a hike too! :D xx

Leslie:
The case of the missing lump and the left tennis shoe. Maybe there are some ghosts moving about at nite when you are all sleeping? I hope all are still doing well with the diet change and that Squirty is still ok and no more runs. Blessings
Patti

Well, within a couple of days of finishing the Metronizadole, her stool were soft again. Not cow patty soft, not soft enough to require butt wiping/cleaning, but not nice and firm either. The color is all off due to the change in feed (I used to know her poop from the color and content) which makes me catch my breath for a second til I remember the feed change. I've added a couple of things to her tea day before yesterday to see if that will help or if we need to see Doc again. I added Plantain and Echinacea. The stools haven't worsened as of this morning, thankfully.

From time to time I see things that make me think her cortisol is on the rise but then I can attribute everything I am seeing to something else as well. The increase in water intake is hard to deal with mentally - I KNOW it is due to eating more dry food now but it still causes me to pause when she goes to the water bowl. She requires water several times after going to bed now but isn't peeing more or more frequently, no more accidents than usual (when Mom has her head up her own butt and forgets to let them out as often as needed! :rolleyes:). She is back to reminding me when it's meal time *most* days - some days I have to wake her to eat. She is very excited while I'm preparing her food and then when it's on the floor ready to eat, she looks up at me like, "Are you kidding?! Where's my GOOD food?!" The disappointment is evident in her eyes. :( She does not wolf her food down and has been known to leave some in the bowl. HOWEVER, she's begging for more treats, but I think this is because I started giving them to her more often when she was off her feed because she was more apt to eat a treat than anything else. So I'm thinking this is just simply being spoiled. :D The massive hair loss has stopped when the diarrhea stopped being so bad; Doc and I both believe that was a stress response because it was from head to toe, not symmetrical or only in certain areas. Since the Proin has left her system, her panting is much less. She is more interactive and involved in things around her, coming out to greet visitors most of the time now. She is often playful these days, too, which just thrills my Soul. So while some of these things could mean the cortisol is on the rise, they can also be explained by other factors. Meaning, I will still hold off on restarting the Lyso for now.

Because her poop has changed, I decided last nite I was going to just stand on the porch and watch her poop to see how that function was - straining, several stops to finish, etc. - but little Miss Huzzy decided to be shy about it and trotted around the end of the house where I couldn't watch without going in and putting shoes on so I could follow her. By that time, she was through and headed back to the door. :rolleyes: But her "offering" had not changed from the morning poop so I was glad to see that.

Funny - she didn't want me to watch her but let me try to use the bathroom and the whole gang is literally under foot. My commode is in its own little closet, 4' wide, so four dogs milling around rubbing on and licking my legs makes it an interesting adventure to say the least! :D If I close the door for a bit of privacy, Squirt is the ring leader in scratching at the door, whining, growling and barking...but SHE is gonna have privacy. :p

Hugs,
Leslie and the gang

Hey Leslie,

I was wondering what would happen once the Metronidazole was stopped. Since Squirt is also dealing with a food change, would you consider tapering her off the metronidazole rather than just stopping it? In the early days, it was the one trick that helped Zoe. You can either go every other day for a week, then every two days, every three days then stop or just keep reducing the dose.

I know you prefer not to use it, just a thought:):):)

Thanks, Addy! The Metonizadole was prescribed to use til gone so that's what we did. Her last dose wasn't a full dose tho, more like half. And you're right, this is a drug that bothers me when used for more than a short time. If her stools do get worse again and this is what Doc wants to use, I'm willing to go another short round with it. But I am really hoping this is mostly due to the diet change now, that the bacteria has been taken care of, and she will adjust with help from the herbs. ;) For at least five years now, her little body has been flooded with chemicals of one kind or the other and giving it a break would sure be nice!

Leslie: CoCo has problems with diarrhea also. I stopped the Metronidazole, Vetoryl, vitamiins and every thing except the Hill's ID and he has had good poops for about two weeks. I have not iced when he drinks more water than usual his poops are a little softer. He has gained a little weight and looks better. Don't know how long it will last. I am going to try to add one thing back at a time and see how that goes. Runny poops are not fun for anyone. Luckily CoCo is not particular about what he eats. He is a typical dachshund and will eat anything. I guess if he has to stay on this regimen forever it will be ok, the Hill's has lots of vitamins. Maybe he won't have to have the Cushings medicine again, one can hope and pray. So glad Squirt is better. I am sure you will find out what is causing the soft poops. Love, JoAnne

Leslie:
That is so cute about Squirt wanting her privacy. My little yorkie will let me slip a shovel under his butt so all I have to do is bag it when he goes. Tipper does not want anything near her back end. I know what you mean about going in the bathroom. Tipper follows me right in and sits there putting her legs on me for me to pet her. She will usually sit there and stare at me. I guess the dogs are missing their cooked food. Everything is so expensive now that I don't know how people that are on fixed incomes are making it. I am really stretching funds for Tipper, I just don't know how we are going to make it. I had to order some more of that chicken for Tipper as it takes a long time to get it to the store and we are running low. When the butcher found out it was for my dog, he said "Most of the people I know won't even spend the money on it for themselves." I told him I did not have a choice. Are you and the doggies doing anything for labor day weekend? We are just staying home, that is all we can afford with all these vet bills. As long as I can see my sweet Tipper I don't care if I go anywhere. You'll have to put one of those little action cams on Squirty so you can look at it and see how she goes!! Blessings and God Bless you for all you do for the animals.
Patti

Leslie, Squirt is so funny. She just cracks me up on a regular basis. :) Funny how they want their privacy but don't think we should have any. Gosh, something wonderful could be happening behind that closed door and they wouldn't know about it!!! :D

Really hope those poops firm up as she becomes more use to the kibbles and that nasty bacteria is gone. It sure can take awhile to get rid of some of them. Molly's was persistent and took about a month to clear up and she still needed the Flora for awhile longer. I'd think after this second round though that Squirts should be cleared out by now. So hope that is true.

Enjoy the long weekend!

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

:D:D They so funny with the privacy thing, I know if Flynny goes off into the bushes then usually tummy a bit upset. I wonder if they go hide it if there tummy is a bit off. Like how they would be in the wild where it is survival of the fittest and they do not want anyone to see if it is a bit loose indicating they are not at their best?? Who knows, but he will not come in my bathroom as it is tiled and does not like those cold slippery things underfoot, so he places himself in the doorway watching with his big brown eyes :eek::eek: a little offputting :D:D

A medication holiday can be great, if the drugs are not absolutely essential ones of course. Sometimes the lists of medications I see make my head spin and people, especially the elderly, often do very well cutting them down. I was asked to contribute to an elderly continence clinic with one of our geriatricians, it works so well with me assessing and advising on the continence issues and her looking at all the other things our elderly patients have going on, she often takes her big red pen and stops a lot of meds that have been added to their treatment plans one after the other over the years. We have seen very good results for these people :D but obviously it needs to have ongoing monitoring and evaluate as we go!

I hope Squirt gets used to her new food soon and this all settles down xxxx

Well, poops had been good until yesterday then she and Sophie both had loose stools. They are both eating the Solid Gold. They did fine on the first bag but when I opened the second one, the disks were smaller around but thicker and lighter in color. I went ahead and fed it. When I saw the stools yesterday, I tried to call Solid Gold to see if the formula changed but their phone system is circular - it asks for info then sends you back around the loop again. So I wrote. No reply so far. After a doc appt. this morning I was exhausted so I stopped and got some Natural Balance Duck formula and we'll try that for now. Normally, I would add the new to the old but since I'm not sure the Solid Gold is good, they are gonna have to chance a straight switch tonite to the new feed. Tomorrow should be FUN! :D I just hope Squirt waits until tomorrow and isn't hit with an uncontrollable urge in the wee hours while in bed! :p

Leslie:
I don't blame you for being cautious about the Solid Gold with all the recalls etc. it is scary. Hope they do well on the new variety, and that Squirt has no problems during the nite. It is hard getting a good food now days. Blessings
Patti

OMG when the food looks different:eek::eek::eek::eek:

I hope everything is ok tomorrow

I sometimes wonder when Molly goes off a bag of food like she doesn't like it but has been eating it just fine, if there is something wrong with that batch of food. You never know.
Good instincts! This really is poop patrol week for many of us. LOL

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

They know right away if something in their food has changed! :eek: Fingers, toes and paws crossed for a smooth as possible transition to the new food. There is likely to be more poop reports tomorrow!;) xxxx

Hi Leslie:
I am hoping that all went well with the new bag of food and Squirt had a good nite. Blessings
Patti

Well??? How was the night? Any accidents?

:D Nope, nice clean bed this morning and nice clean butts today - both of them. :cool: And they both seem to like the Natural Balance better than the Solid Gold....tho I'd like them on something different for long-term just not sure yet what. :rolleyes: I think my thyroid is not functioning as well as it should 'cause I get much too tired for the little activity I do and the brain cells have gone on vacation 20 out of 24 hours a day it seems. Looking at dog foods is exhausting! :p I had decided I wanted to try a Taste of the Wild but PetCo doesn't carry TOTW....it's carried at a store on the other side of town. So I guess I'll be checking that out soon. I gotta say, it's very strange at meal times. What used to take about 30min. now takes about 5! I keep standing, staring at their bowls, wondering what I've forgotten! :p

LOL Leslie, Yea, just putting the food in the bowl, doesn't take nearly as much time as when you are cooking and separating and all that for each one.
Sort of confusing isn't it. :)


hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

Yay for clean butts, and for good poos too, simple joys!!!

Hi Leslie,
One of my friend's vet told her not to feed her little one Taste of the Wild because of a higher protein level. The vet said that it was a high quality food and highly recommended, but better for bigger dogs. He said it was great as a supplement for the little guys, but not as a main staple. I don't remember all of the details because this was a while ago. Please read the label carefully before you decide to switch again. Xxxxx

One additional caution about TOTW as well as most of the other higher end grainfree kibbles is that they tend to have a higher fat content. For "normal" dogs, this is no issue. But if fat is an issue for your kids, they may not be the best choice. :o

Marianne

Thanks, ya'll! I had been looking at ingredients only, not the analysis. :o I know better.

Poop report from our house - solid stools and LOTS of them! :eek: I had forgotten that using commercial feed will mean more poops and boy has it. They have gone from 1 or 2 poops a day to 5 or 6. Which means they are not able to use as much of the commercial feed as they were the home cooked. Mom walks around with a shovel eat up with guilt. :( The plus side of this is supposed to be the fact that I got $60 worth of food for myself this month but I find I am choking on it. :rolleyes:

Squirt is doing good overall. Her appetite is good, moods good, she's often playful especially on the cooler mornings, and is enjoying staying out in the yard when it's not so hot. She still sleeps a lot during the day and is awake for a long time at bedtime, getting on and off the bed for hours. She makes me very nervous moving around on the bed and I have put her in the bathroom for the nite a few times just to protect her wobbly legs when she's so active in the bed. Her leaking is minor and infrequent, especially if I will take her out about every 2 hours to pee...and make her stay out there til she does. ;) Her sight and hearing are getting less and less but she's still interactive and happy, and that's what counts most of all.

Hugs,
Leslie and the Queen

Well good poo reports on this side of the poo band wagon, hurrah!!!!!!

I wonder if I still have my Whole Dog Journal from January. They usually review dog foods but sometimes they dont cover all the bases. I'll go look for it:):):):):)

Yeah for good poohs!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

May all doggies have good poops too. :)

Yes absolutely, quality of life, happiness, those are the important things. The rest is just...details. :)

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

So Taste of the Wild is manufactured by Diamond and is on Whole Dog Journals approved list of food. They only listed the Wild Sierra Mountain as an example which contained 25% protein 12% fat and is lamb based food.

So I did not get very far with WDJ for you:(:( Most of the sample foods listed for each manufacturer averaged about 24% protein and 12% fat, even the Blue Buffalo Basic Turkey and Potato was 22% protein and 12% fat. I'm not sure how low in fat you need to go.

But what is crazy to me is the Canidae Salmon and potato has 40% protein and 20% fat:confused::confused:

Leslie:
You could be right about the weather. Tipper seems miserable on this dosage though. I just wish tomorrow was over with already. I went to bed crying and woke up crying. I am trying not to get overwhelmed by all of this, I just break down at times. I could sure use my dad right now. He was a tremendous help to me. I can't help but worry about my girl, but I am holding it together, and will continue the fight for her. Even when my dad was sick, he could at least talk and tell me what was going on, Tipper can't and that is so much harder to take. I hope Squirt and all the babies are feeling better in the cooler weather, or don't you have any of that yet? How is the dry food going? Have you decided on one yet? Blessings
Patti

Leslie, with all your nutritional knowledge, you undoubtedly know this already, but this is a quote from a Dogaware article by Mary Strauss that talks about fat content:

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As a general rule, veterinarians consider diets with less than 10 percent fat on a dry matter basis (less than 17 percent of calories from fat) to be low fat, while diets with 10 to 15 percent fat (17 to 23 percent of calories) are considered moderate fat. Foods with more than 20 percent fat are considered high-fat. A few dogs may need a very low-fat diet, especially if they have hyperlipidemia, or if they react to foods with higher levels of fat.

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The "dry matter" analysis will reflect fat content that is even higher than what is typically listed on the package because it involves calculating the fat percentage once the moisture content is subtracted. I just took a quick look at TOTW's website, and I saw kibble fat content that varied between 15-18%, depending on the variety (including 15% for the Wild Sierra kibble). I didn't see the moisture content listed, but usually it's around 10% for kibble. So if you recalculate on the basis of "dry matter," those fat contents increase to approx. 17-20%. So that is verging on high protein content per Mary Strauss.

The figures listed for fat content isn't the whole story, because the calorie content also factors in as far as comparing one food to another. Mary talks about all this calculation in greater detail here:

http://www.dogaware.com/articles/wdjlowfatdiets.html

So once again, I don't know how careful you want (or need) to be about fat content. But if lower fat content is something you're looking for, Mary's article lists some commercial foods that you may want to consider.

Marianne

Thanks, Marianne! You reminded me to get the nutrient analysis from her home cooked to compare to. The turkey recipe worked out to this -

Distribution of calories:
Protein: 29.6 %
Fat: 15.3 %
Carbohydrate: 55.1 %


The chicken recipe worked out to this -

Distribution of calories:
Protein: 38.3 %
Fat: 26.8 %
Carbohydrate: 35 %


I think I'm gonna stick closer to the turkey nutrient analysis than the chicken in my searching. Lower fats and lower proteins...but not crazy about the carbs that high with her level of activity. hummmmmm....

We had a very bad night and all I could think of was Annie and Tipper, and the thought of a Pheo or other adrenal tumor came to mind. Squirt has been having what I've called the "sun downer syndrome" - getting restless around sunset and for several hours after. She pants a bit more, can't get settled or seem to get comfortable; she wants on the bed then moves from spot to spot and then wants down. She gets down, walks down the hall, back to the bedroom, around the bedroom, bathroom and closet, then starts bouncing on her front feet wanting back in the bed...where she starts all over. This goes on for 6-10 hours every night and has been for several months now. She is hyper-alert during this time, her ears pulled up as tight as she can get them, constantly moving as if she is hearing things, looking around as if she sees things. It reminds me of my mom after she developed Alzheimer's and at 15 1/2, Squirt certainly is eligible for such issues.

Last nite was really bad. She started the usual restlessness and on-off the bed routine but she got more and more and more anxious until she was shaking all over, panting very hard and loudly, drooling like mad, eyes bulging, startling at nothing I could hear or see. I took her out thinking maybe the diarrhea was coming back and she just felt really bad again. She acted absolutely terrified when we went out, did not want on the ground at all, and would not leave my feet. She would turn her head and look behind her around the yard then act as if she saw a monster coming for her, scrambling to get back up the ramp, tail tucked, mouth wide open, raspy, frantic panting, eyes huge and bugged out, little whimpering sounds escaping her, her little body racked with tremors. She actually peed all over my feet because she was so afraid to get out in the yard. :( Squirt was acting like she does when we have bad storms but there wasn't even a cloud in the sky, no wind, no rain, no thunder or fireworks - nothing that I could determine might be causing her such distress. At 2am I gave in and gave her half of one of the Diazepams, which was a fight because she refused all foods offered (and hadn't been overly interested in her supper), meaning I had to force the pills down her throat (btw, the pill pusher was useless :rolleyes:); after an hour she was no better so I gave her the other half along with 1/2ml of Skullcap via syringe. About an hour or so later, she was calming and able to settle down and sleep. She's still asleep, chasing rabbits in her dreams. :)

We have an appt. this morning to get everyone's nails trimmed and I'm gonna talk to Doc about this. I would hate to have to give her sedatives every night but I don't know that that would be any harder on her than episodes like this one last nite are. I was scared witless she was going to have a heart attack last nite. :(

She's starting to stretch so she will be waking soon to start our day. I'll let ya'll know what Doc has to say and what he offers as a solution, if anything.

Hugs,
a tired Mom and drowsy Queen

Leslie,
I do hope you get some answers to what was causing Squirt's distress. It is so hard watching our fur babies go through rough times and we are only there to comfort them when we can through it all. (((HUGS))) sent your way and let us know what doc says.

Zoe had a similar episode yesterday though not as extreme. We would turn down the air so it was cold in the house and give her a wee bit of snacks and then she would finally settle down. She was panting so and she does not usually pant unless her IBD is bothering her and if she was not sure where I was- she cant hear or see well- her ears go back and she has a frantic look in her eye.:(:(

I was slowly putting her back on her full Vetoryl dose since her stool issue last week.Finallylast night the evening dose kicked in and about 9pm she seemd more her self.


I'm sorry Leslie, I know how hard it is when we dont really know for sure what is wrong and bothering them.

Love and hugs

Leslie:
The behaviors you are describing about the shaking etc. I believe were things that Annie did. How long has it been since Squirt had an Ultra Sound? Tipper does some of the behavior you were describing, especially about thinking something is going to get her and hearing things. She does get the tremors, but has had them all along. I have never seen her shake, but she gets the rippling of skin over her ribs a lot. She had it last nite. Her only symptoms are the change in breathing pattern, the rippling and the muscle contractions. If I hold her leg in my hand I can feel the pulsing of running thru her legs that makes them jump. It is uncontrollable whatever is causing it. If I wake her it stops immediately. She still does a lot of pacing, and is restless at nite sometimes getting up a lot and moving around. Are you thinking that Squirt could have a pheo?? I pray to God that is not the case. When Tipper first started with this Vetoryl several people told me the muscle contractions were a side effect of it. I am hoping that is the case and not the adrenal tumor. As I think about it now if it is not the Vetoryl then she has had the adrenal tumor since this started because she had the jumpy legs etc. when she started on the Vetoryl over a year ago. I also get scared now since Tipper had this tumor that she could have a heart attack. It is a daily agony like I have never known. I hope your precious Squirt was just having a bad nite and nothing else, I don't know how much more Tipper can take of all this. Blessings
Patti

Oh Leslie, so sorry to hear that you both had such a restless night. :( Will be waiting anxiously with the others to hear what the Doc has to say.

Tons of loving and soothing hugs being sent, Lori

Based on the description of her behavior and the timing, he feels this is cognitive, probably CCD. He said he has used the Selegiline with some success but has results just as good with fewer side effects from the Valium given at nite. So that is what we are going to try first.

She BIT him when he trimmed her nails! :eek::( She's never done that! They had to muzzle my Sweet Bebe. :(