Jasper (12 yr old Mini Schnauzer) is now at peace

Hi Tina, I hope that things are going well for you and Jasper and Kirby.

I can't believe it has been so long since we've been posting on your thread. Time sure does fly.

Happy New Year!

Yes Tina, I miss you. :o So glad that Sharlene bumped up your thread.

Post when you can. I hope things have settled down for you and that Jasper in hanging in there okay.

Hugs to you and gently scratches to Jasper and Shelby

Hi Tina

Hope all OK for you, Jasper and Shelby, I read on beautiful Dakota's thread about some worrying Jasper blood results... hope they just little worries, not big worries!! We so overdue for a catchup, sending you some hugs xxxxxx

Hi Everyone,
I can't believe it has been so long since I have posted an update on Jasper. He always has so much going on, it feels daunting to try to get everything organized to post. And the more I put it off, the more difficult it gets. I have several sets of labwork that I need to get posted for his record. On the last couple of chem profiles, his liver enzymes have been horrible. His ALP was 6000 something on one of them, I about fainted. His ALT has been very high also, which is even more concerning.

There are some new contributing factors that I haven't had a chance to post about. It just seems that everything is a vicious circle with him, and more and more things keep happening to add to the circle and we can't get a good handle on most of it for any length of time. Very frustrating and disheartening. In spite of all of this, he had seemed to be feeling pretty good overall until about two weeks ago when he suddenly started not wanting to eat again. So I have been struggling to get him to eat since then. And I mean struggling. Every meal is a challenge, sometimes it takes him hours to eat, but so far he hasn't completely refused. He doesn't always finish but he will at least eat something.

I decided mid week last week to take him in for my vet to take a look at him, and discovered that she is out of town until Monday, so we have an appt then. I have just been praying that he doesn't get worse before then. I don't know what she will say. I'm so sorry to be such a downer. A bunch of other not so good stuff going on with me too, mostly work related. It all just gets to be a bit much. I am hoping for some sort of positive shift in everything soon.

Well, I got off topic, but I came to post that today is my boy's 12th birthday!! Even though he isn't feeling the best right now, I am grateful that it is Saturday and I was able to be home with him. He pretty much slept most of the day, but again, I am thankful that he is able to rest comfortably for the most part. Just wish he would eat. I admit that I'm a little sad that he wasn't feeling better for his birthday.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO MY SWEET BOY!!!

Thanks so much for listening everyone, I know you all understand and I appreciate it so much. Unfortunately I don't really have anyone else to talk to about him. I think even my two closest friends don't quite understand so I don't say a whole lot anymore.

I haven't been able to be on the forum very much lately but think about all of you and your babes so much. Thank you for checking in on us and keeping us in your thoughts.

Hugs,
Tina and Jasper xo

Awww Tina, Happy Birthday indeed!!!! I've taken the liberty of editing Jasper's thread in honor of his birthday celebration! ;) :)

I'm so sorry, though, that you have so many worries to shoulder right now. We are always here for you, and yes, absolutely we understand. So anytime you want to come and talk, we will be eager to listen.

Thanks so much for taking the time to give us this update, and to give us the chance to send our own greetings to your precious birthday boy. Sending my hugs and warmest thoughts to you both!

Marianne

Happy 12th Birthday, Jasper!

Happy Birthday smoochies to your boy!!!!
Terry

Lots of birthday hugs and kisses sent out to Jasper! I'm sure he enjoyed spending his special day with you as much as you did.

Happy Birthday to our dear Jasper.

Tina I am sorry that Jasper and you are going through such tough times.
We are always here for you both. Day or night.

I hope Shelby is doing well.
Big hugs

Hi Tina, it is so good to hear from you. So sorry to hear that you and our boy Jasper are continuing to have such a tough time. :p However, today is a cause for celebration!:p

happy birthday Jasper boy! You go get em tiger!:)

I haven't been posting much, but I have been reading. I have been pretty sick with the stomach flu and have a lot going on, but I wanted to take a few minutes to send you both my best wishes.

Hugs,
Kathy

Hi darl, Happy Birthday to the wee man xxx if their is a corner to turn our Jasper is the one to find it, hope his appetite returns soon. Big hugs xx

Happy 12th Birthday, Jasper!!!

Tina, good luck at Jasper's vet appointment today. I know you are feeling worried about heading in, so please just imagine us all walking through the door right alongside you. We are definitely there with you in spirit! And we'll be anxious to hear the actual report just as soon as you have the time to let us know.

Hi Tina,

Happy Birthday to our dear boy, Jasper. Good luck at the vets and let us know when you can.

We are always thinking of the two of you and need our Tina and Jasper updates:):)

I am sure you are worried so lots of hugs and as Marianne said, we will all be with you.

Thank you all so much for the birthday wishes and kind words!! :)

And thank you for the support posts regarding the vet appt. I got all teary eyed when I saw them this morning, you girls know me so well. Yes, very worried, but I know you will all be with me in spirit. Will be leaving in just a few minutes, appt at 1:15 CDT. I have a vacation day scheduled today, so at least that worked out!

Will post an update after we get back.

Big hugs from me and Jasper. xo

I'm here too! Will be semi-patiently awaiting that update.:o

Hang in there Jasper boy! Holding you hand, Tina.

Kathy

So what did the vet say? ? ?

Dropping in to check for that update.....

Yo Tiiiiiiiiiiina!!!!! We are waiting. Tap, tap, tap, tap.......

Oh my gosh, what a long day. Sorry, I had another appt and then an eye dr appt for myself after Jasper's vet visit. I over booked myself since I had the day off work. I have something going on with one of my eyes, a lump on the inside of the upper lid. Was hoping it would just go away, but apparently it is more of an issue than I thought so glad I went in. I have some daily treatments to do, no contacts and no makeup :eek: :mad: for at least a week and a half in the hopes that it will resolve on its own. My blood pressure was a little on the high side too. I guess I need more to worry about.

My vet examined Jasper thoroughly. The good news is that his heart murmur sounded the same, lungs clear, abdomen large but soft, liver enlarged but she felt it was about the same. :) He continues with the nasal/sinus congestion issue, some days worse than others, so I was super relieved that his lungs sounded clear.

She is not sure why he won't eat, but from everything I described, she said it sounds like severe nausea. The big question is the cause. We had blood drawn for a chemistry panel just to make sure there are no big changes with the kidney or liver values from last time, although his liver enzymes were not good then. We also got a UA. That showed a trace of blood, a few wbc's which she wasn't concerned with because the sample was obtained by catheter. Sp gr 1.008, and lots of protein, which is usual for him. But this time she said there were tons of crystals. :( He hasn't had crystals before. The ph was ok, so she is concerned about an infection of course. It has been sent off for culture. I know that a UTI can cause loss of appetite or nausea. He hasn't shown any change in urination habits, still peeing several times a day while I am at work, mostly on pee pads, and up at least once during the night to go out. Water intake has been about the same. So I don't know how I would know for sure that something was wrong there. Trying not to worry about the crystals, but schnauzers are very prone to bladder stones, so I've always felt relieved that he never had them.

He ate this afternoon when we got back, half and half Royal Canin GI lowfat dry kibble and canned version. He was hungry due to being fasted since last night, so he finished it! She wants me to continue half and half mix in the hopes that we will get over the hump and we'll get him back on track with the eating. In the past this worked for a few days, then he turned his nose up but I will think positive.

She ran an in house CBC and nothing remarkable there, she also checked a PCV and it was ok, so he is not dehydrated.

So we wait for the lab results and urine culture to come back. Mostly good news for now I think. I feel like I over worry about things sometimes, but the vet assured me that he needed to be seen with the eating issue going on as long as it has, and his low energy. I wish I could have taken him last week.

You guys, sometimes I think I have developed anxiety issues since his illness started. I have always tended to be a bit of a worrier, but nothing like I am now. I feel like I will never be how I was before, like I am permanently changed because of all I have been through with him. Like I will never be able to be a normal dog mom again. I know that my friends think I am a freak about my dogs, that is why I don't say much anymore. Thank goodness for all of you.

So that is where we are at.

Once I get his lab results back, I am going to post the abnormals from the last 3 or 4 sets of results. I think I have an updated UPC that hasn't been posted too. I need to get his thread up to date with everything.

While I was sitting in the exam room waiting for the in house lab results, I was thinking about how you guys were there with me. I know he wasn't having surgery or anything super stressful like that, but it was so comforting knowing you were there. Thank you.

Big hugs,

Tina and Jasper xo

Sorry Kathy, thank you for your patience. :D

Big hugs. xo

Well, your hands are certainly full!:o

Our boy seems to be hanging in there okay considering all. He is a wonder! Thank goodness he ate today. That's a start. Rosie is the pickiest little eater I have ever encountered. Half the time she won't touch her food and she's not sick, just a pain in the butt. She's not interested in food at all. It makes it difficult to get medication down her when it has to be dosed with food. Half the time she doesn't get her allergy meds because of it. The thought of you struggling so hard to entice Jasper to eat a little something makes my heart hurt. No wonder you are exhausted and feel emotionally drained.

I think that this kind of constant stress does change you. It did change me. I am not the same person. I am on guard for every little thing with Rosie. Is she drinking enough or too much? When did she last pee? Is her poop too soft? Why is she lying around so much? The list is endless. I was not like that with Buddy before Cushings happened. I didn't watch him ALL the time. I did not worry about him and he was fine and healthy, until one day he wasn't.

So sorry to hear about your eyelid issue. Glad you got it checked out.

Please let us know when you get Jaspers results. I hope you didn't feel too crowded in that vet's office today. There was quite a mob of us there hanging out with you. Thankfully Marianne arrived with a big box of chocolate.;):p

Big hugs,
Kathy

I noticed you were seriously enjoying the chocolate, Kathy! Thank goodness I found a box with a chart so we didn't have to sneak little nibbles off the corners of everything. I can always find those caramels right off the bat, though, chart or no chart...:) :D :p

Tina, thanks so much for the report and in general, so far pretty good. Peg had a bunch of crystals last spring, too, alongside her UTI. But they cleared up once the infection was gone.

Let us know as soon as you find out about the rest. And being a born worrier myself, I can so relate. I guess the only difference is that I've always been this bad :o...

Hang in there, kiddo!

Thank goodness there was chocolate! I always appreciate those charts too Marianne, otherwise the box would look just as you described, with a small bite out of many of the pieces. Lol

I should have all of the lab results some time today and will post when I get them. He is eating the half and half canned and dry so far, hope it continues.

Hugs,
Tina and Jasper xo

One cannot underestimate the value of chocolate!!!!

So what was the lab results today?????

Oh my gosh you guys, I am so sorry I haven't posted an update on Jasper after his last vet visit. Between the two of us, it seems it has been one thing after another for the past few weeks. I have been meaning to post every day but have been so tired I just didn't get it done.

Well, my boy has had a raging UTI, in the words of my vet. The culture grew two bacteria, lots of E. coli and strep. So a double whammy. He didn't really show any of the usual symptoms, but with as much as he pees, there would be no way to know. We discussed the antibiotic choices at length, because of his history of not eating with abx in the past. And that was already a problem going in this time.

He has had lots of eating problems in the past with both Zeniquin and Clavamox which were both indicated. Baytril is also a good option for these bacteria. Since he has never had that one, we thought we would try it in the hopes that he wouldn't completely go off food this time. He has also been getting metoclopramide before meals to help head off nausea. I have been getting him to eat a 50/50 mix of dry and canned RC GI lowfat food thank God, as she said to not give the Baytril if he won't eat. So far so good, we have one more day of the abx. We tried it for 5 days initially and since he tolerated it, got a refill. She wants him on a full 14 day course, then re-culture 5 days after he finishes.

He seems to be feeling much better, and I am so thankful. Our big fear of course was that it would turn into a kidney infection like it did one other time. That was such a bugger to get rid of. I don't think that is happening this time.

I still need to get my bum in gear and post the abnormals from all of his labwork, but wanted to touch bases. As always, thank you all for all of the support and kind words.

Hugs,
Tina and Jasper xo

Yay, finally an abx he isn't having bad non eating reaction too. Good call using the metoclopramide before meals and him taking it has probably headed off the dreaded kidney infection possibility.

It's really good to hear from you Tina. I'm sorry it has been so hectic for you lately. Seems to always be that way these days for many of us. Still we keep plugging along :)

Take care of yourself and Jasper and Shelby
Hugs!

Hey Tina, just sending you all some hugs... Miss ya xxxxx

Hi Everyone,

Well, this is not the general update that I desperately need to post (hope to work on that later), but I just want to ask for positive thoughts today for my boy.

Four days ago I suddenly noticed a pretty large hard fixed lump on the top of his head. It's about the size of a marble. I'm not sure exactly how long it has been there, but probably not real long. Normally I would have noticed it immediately but I have been avoiding petting him on the top of his head lately because he has a long standing wart type of growth on the other side that has been cracking open and bleeding recently. It seems like every time I would go to pet him I would accidentally bump that area and aggravate it. He has a few of these warts on his body, but the one on his head and another on his back periodically start cracking and bleeding. I have been keeping them clean and dry and treating with antibiotic ointment until they heal again.

I don't think the hard lump has been there very long. I am not sure if it was smaller at one time and then grew, or not. I was pretty shocked when I felt it. He will be getting groomed this morning, it is hidden by his long fur right now so not visible. It is not red or inflamed at all, and does not appear to be painful for him. It feels like it is part of his skull, like a boney prominence.

We have a vet appt this afternoon so I will let you know what I find out. Just not sure what it could be. It's definitely not like any of the many other lumps he has over his body, so I am feeling a little worried.

Hugs from me and Jasper xo

Tina, absolutely sending positive thoughts flying westward. I know senior dogs can sprout all kinds of weird but harmless growths, but I also surely understand why you're worried and we will be so anxious to hear what the vet has to say.

Huge hugs,
Marianne

Sending good thoughts your way Tina. Hope it's nothing! let us know what the vet says! Hugs

Positive thoughts headed East from me. Crossing fingers and saying prayers that you get some good news!

Shana

Tina -- as scary as it is to have the growth checked out, you are definitely doing the right thing by having the vet check it. Prayers sent your way that it is just a harmless bump!

Oh Tina, tons of healing vibes headed your way for our sweet Jasper.

Please keep us posted.

xxxxoooo
Kathy

Hey Tina, I'm here to waiting for news. Hope this new lumps is nothing to worry about. Flynny had a lot of those warty things too. Sometimes he a,so had quite hard sebaceous cysts that were fixed relatively easily. Hope we hear good news soon xxxx

I'm checking back in and waiting too....

Positive thoughts being sent from my house too.

Hugs, Lori

YOOOOOOO TINA!!!! What did the vet say?

Thanks for the support everyone, and so sorry for the delay getting back here! I ended up having a lot going on yesterday after we got back and the day got away from me. Kathy, a special apology to you, thanks for your vigilance! :)

The vet immediately agreed that this lump was something different than his numerous other lumps. An x-ray showed that it isn't the bone. It is some type of very firm soft tissue mass. She got a fine needle aspirate of some very odd looking extremely thick reddish fluid. She said it was the consistency of honey. :eek: The slide showed several different types of cells. It has been sent off for pathology/cytology, should have results near the end of the week. She said there were lots of sebaceous cells visible, but also several others. She is not super worried, but of course can't be sure. She said she has never seen anything exactly like this (great), so there is some concern. We both said, well this is Jasper after all, why would it be straight forward or uncomplicated. :rolleyes:

So I am now in waiting mode and hoping for the best. She said if the results show anything other than completely benign, it will have to be removed. Trying not to put the cart before the horse, but have to admit that I am worrying about this of course.

Jasper was wiped out when we got home. Between grooming and the vet visit, he was tuckered and slept the rest of the day. I'm sure the heat contributed also.

Thanks again for all the positive thoughts, I really believe they make a difference. Please keep them coming. :)

Hugs,

Tina and Jasper xo

Will wait with you for the results, sweetie, we are all right by your side, crying in the shower allowed if you get super worried. Waiting is so hard.

((( hugs))))