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I'm very glad the face was nothing worse and hope the new meds get the digestive track straightened. I have Squirt's and did have Tasha's meds all over the counter sorted into times to be given. That way I could look and see what was needed when and be sure I had given them then...most of the time. There are always those days my brain is on the fritz and anything is possible on those days! :D
oh my you are going to be busy for awhile with Hannah's timetables.
I'm glad this wasn't anything more serious and that it is able to be treated without adding something else to her medicine wise. Although hmm, managed to do that anyway. Still, knowing Hannah, it would have resulted in another bout of the runs for her. Poor thing.
Oh hmm, we never thought of an ulcer before did we? Those are treatable and can clear up at least. It would be good if you didn't have to worry about her going anemic all the time, so really hope works out and clears it up completely.
You are awesome with Hannah, julie!
hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin
Hi Guys,
I wanted to give an update on Hannah. Her skin fold infection looks a little better from what I can tell, but it's hard to see it well, as it's covered by her fur. Her stool has resumed a normal color, so I'm encouraged by that. I'm concerned, though, that her other meds may not be getting absorbed because of the sucralfate and famotidine. With everything else she takes and the directions for those drugs, it makes it really difficult to get everything in.
She's been really itchy the past couple of days and I think it's could be because the Atopica and Hydroxyzine are too close to the Sucralfate. So I'm going to try to spread it out the last few days (we go until Tues. morning). That means I'll probably be getting up at 3:00 to give Denamarin, 4:00 to give Atopica and Hydroxyzine, and 6:00 to give Sucralfate. Then I can feed her at 7:00. Right now, she has been getting Sucralfate and then getting the Atopica and Hydroxyzine an hour later. I think it's preventing absorption.
The Denamarin has to be on an empty stomach, so that is tough too. And the Atopica is better with food, but not necessary. I feel like I can't win.
She has also been drinking/urinating a bit more the past couple of days. Hannah can easily hold her urine for 8-12 hours, and sometimes doesn't even want to go out to pee more than 3 times per day. The last couple of days she has urinated at 3:45, 6:30, and 10:00 p.m. And last night she barked at me to go out at 6:30 and 10:00, which is unusual for her. She held it from 10:00 last night to 8:00 this morning. But then went out again at 12:00.
I realize this may not be that abnormal for some dogs, but it is different for Hannah. She has had quite a few drinks today too. 6:00 a.m., 7:00 a.m., 8:30 a.m., and probably three more drinks between 9:00 and 1:00. She's also been barking at me more often after her supper, which usually means she wants more food.
I'm sure you're guessing that this has led me to wonder if Cushing's (if she has it) is getting worse. Maybe her cortisol is rising? Does that fluctuate in dogs who are not medicated for Cushing's? I've never even had Hannah's measured because no vet has thought it was worth it considering her lack of strong symptoms.
I've also wondered if something is going on with her kidneys. Her BUN was slightly elevated the last time she had blood work (early March), but my vet said it could be due to her being a little dehydrated. It was in the morning and she really hadn't had much water. The other values were normal. He seems more concerned with BUN/Creatinine ratio, and that was fine and always has been.
I'd like to get some blood work done, just for my own knowledge and peace of mind, but I don't know if this is the best time, considering all the meds she's been on. But maybe it doesn't really matter. I'm sure my vet can tell me. I'm thinking the Denamarin has probably been absorbed because it has usually been two hours before the Sucralfate.
I searched to see if Famotidine or Sucralfate could increase drinking and urinating and found nothing. Do you guys have any thoughts? It's hard for me to know what "normal" is, as Izzy doesn't drink much at all. Some days I don't even see her get a drink. I thought Hannah's drinking had decreased after going off of the Urinary SO and being on the ID. But it seems to be increasing.
We've had snow again for the last several days, and I have been able to see her urine is usually yellow, but this morning it was very pale yellow, so it was obviously more dilute. But then at noon it was more yellow, but she'd still been getting drinks.
What do you think I should do? Blood work? Urine sample? Watch and wait?
It seems like we just go from issue to issue these days, as I know many of you do too. We fix one thing, just to start worrying about another.
Julie & Hannah
That is a lot to cope with Julie, the med schedule is hard. How long does she have to take the Sulcrafate?
I wondered about the Atopica. I did a cursery look and found a study, not 100% sure of the source though. It does mention increased drinking and urinating as a side effect but since every thing a dog experiences durring a trial is reported, I am not 100% sure.
http://www.drugs.com/sfx/atopica-side-effects.html
Zoe was on a skin antibiotic 3 times, I forget the name , a senior moment:rolleyes: at any rate, all 3 times she bloated up, drank more water and peed more but it was not a known side effect:confused::confused:
Guess who is licking her paw whom has not licked her paw since last what, October?:eek::eek::eek::eek::rolleyes: And while we have not had the snow you have had, we have had cold and wet which is to continue all next week. Welcome Spring:(:(:(
I guess, Julie, we do take it one day at a time, post our one good thing a day, and we all hold on to each other really tight. Zoe and I started this journey here, 3 years ago. I am blessed to have kept her going these 3 years despite all the bumps in the road. You have kept Hannah going as well, sweetie, with all her bumps in the road, our little Hannah keeps on going.
So they will keep going on together and we both will take it one day at a time. Sending so much love Julie, to you and Hannah. And where is our bad girl Izzy?:D Just kidding, she is not a bad girl at all. I hope her training is coming along. I have total faith in you that she will be a brilliant student. I'll bet when all is said and done, she will be in possession of her Canine Good Citizen Award:):):):):):)
Today Koko had to deal with a running, snarling dog (it was attached to a leash, thank goodness). I crouched down and let Koko try to chew on a treat, I would not give it to him, just let him chew on it, try to get. He never even barked or pulled, just looked at the other mad dog and came back to chew on his treat:D:D:D
love you sweetie
Hi there,
So, I have had to take pictures of Hannah's poop each day to see if things are getting better. Talk about poop patrol!!! :eek:
Anyway, things were improving, and now today, we've taken a big step backwards. It was about 50% dark again. I'm not sure why. Yesterday morning there was a two hour break between the Sucralfate and food and the directions say "1 hour before food or 2 hours after," so I'm not sure if that did something? She did have it 1 hour before last night's and this morning's meals though.
I have a wonderful friend who has been emailing me the pics I text her because my phone is refusing to email them to me. This morning she made me a "poop collage" of sorts to keep track and to email my vet. She was laughing about it, but I thanked her profusely. I'm going to attach the picture so you can take a look. There is such a huge difference from Mon.(really dark) to Sat. (normal). Then today's looks bad again. I don't get it. :confused:
And now I start worrying again...:(
Julie & Hannah
So Thursday, she looks a bit constipated then Friday there is mucus or fat, I would venture to guess mucus in that stool and then Saturday it is dark again then Sunday it is better.
Did she have any different food at all? This might be coming from the large intestine, not sure why a stomach ulcer would cause mucus in the stool and Friday that sure looks like mucus.
Did they run a stool sample?
Hi Addy,
Thanks for looking. Friday there was a lot of snow on the ground and I had to carry the poop home in a bag before dumped it out to take the picture. So it isn't mucus; it's wet from the snow. Saturday it looked good-that's more her normal color. Sunday (today) is when it is darker again, after gradually improving all week.
She's only been eating ID food for about 8 weeks. That's what she gets for treats too. They did not run a fecal on her when I brought in her stool last week, but they have been run on both dogs within the last couple of months because of their issues. They were normal.
The vet said the only way to check for blood is to put the dogs on a totally vegetarian diet for three days before testing. She just assumed there could be blood in it and wanted to treat for a possible ulcer, considering her upset stomach issues (she thinks maybe irritable bowel).
I texted her today and she wrote back, which was nice. She didn't think the way I've given the meds would do anything. She said there could be a possible flare up in her GI tract and wants to see what it looks like tomorrow. I'm supposed to call if it's dark. She mentioned that I could start metronidazole if I needed to. I'm not sure how I'd know, as we've only used it for diarrhea. I decided to wait to see what happens tomorrow. It just makes me worried there is something worse going on...
Julie & Hannah
Okay, it sure does look like mucus:o:confused::confused:
Hard for me to have opinon about starting metronidazole since you have never seen this color stool before. With Zoe, I journaled everyday for over 2 years so I knew the pattern prior to a flare up.
Koko will get that color stool when he eats a twig or piece of mulch but I know what it is from and then it clears up.
I see that color with the office dogs stool here and there but they are always eating stuff they should not.:rolleyes::rolleyes:
Maybe give the ulcer medication a bit longer to work and wait to see what vet has to say.
Hi Julie,
I looked, and you're right the color has gone back and forth a couple times, but I think what I would do is take one of the dark stools in and just have them check it for blood, or anything else they might find, so you'll know what you need to actually be treating for.
Could this also have anything to do with her water intake? If less water is taken in some days are they darker or lighter, that kind of thing. :)
hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin
Hi Julie,
Since I have been on constant poop patrol for Jasper for months now, I thought I would take a look. :rolleyes: Jasper's poop consistency and color has varied and fluctuated also. He has had poops that look EXACTLY like all of your pics. I re-read your posts, and you said that Saturday was normal for Hannah in both color and consistency, right?
For me, I always feel that the darker poops seem like things are improving for Jasper, as when they are lighter, a lot of times the next one comes out soft, or diarrhea with mucous. Did your vet say that the darker poops were a concern for Hannah? I realize that what they eat has a lot to do with the color, but Jasper's poops vary from day to day in color also. I didn't know that this was necessarily a concern. :o
Hugs,
Tina