new from europe (arthritis and vetoryl?) - Ian, Flynn and Enya have passed

Tipper has shown improvement at nite. She is sleeping better, but I am afraid she developed a habit of 4:30 and 5:00 waking up for the day. I think because of lack of exercise and she is laying around too much then does not need as much sleep. There is something called pill wrap they sell on Amazon that a lot of people use. I have never used it so maybe you could check out the reviews on it. Tipper gets hers inside a small piece of chicken, she wants the chicken so she does well with that. I am hoping you finally get rid of this flu, you must have really had it bad. Hoping you are good as new soon. Blessings
Patti

yes i think tipper is missing her walks and her exercise. they need the distraction. laying around does not satisfy them.
can't you walk for 5 min. a few times a day as a distraction for her if it is not possible to really walk her? or let her roam in the backyard for a while before going to bed?
i am going to walk the dogs for the last time [it is midnight right now] they like roaming the neigborhood in the dark.
sleep well!

hmm, I've tried the pill wrap with molly, didn't work at all. She ate part of the wrap and spit the pill out. Now I use wet food and form it into a tight ball around the pill, then I have the next small ball in my hand ready to go, so she downs the first one without thinking about it. :) That has been working. It only took a couple tries to figure out what she liked best and what size ball she wouldn't figure out there was a pill inside of.

Get plenty of rest.
hugs,
Sharlene and molly muffin

Sharlene,
maybe a clump of peanut butter?

I do use the same method as Sharlene, when Tipper see I have other balls of food ready in my hand she gulps down the first one fast and so on. I use chicken and actually squeeze it real tight into a ball in my hand with the pill inside. I am hoping today you are feeling better and getting rid of this bug. It must be really nasty and hard on you to have this for 2 weeks. Take care. Blessings
Patti

ian knows what size to avoid. he will eat a ball from pea-size-marble size. but if it is a bit bigger.....no way! or maybe he smells the capsule inside? [those vetoryl capsules are pretty big i think!] i have used the peanut butter trick and it sometimes works.
and i do the same thing as you all do......have the next ball in my hand, but he was never an eager eater, so it remains difficult.
i now use "'el cheapo"' catfood. it smells awful, but he likes it so far. the only thing is; it is so soft ian sort of sucks the food off the pill and voila
pill is on the floor. so round 2 or 3 is necessary.
he once bit into a fish oil capsule, which i hid this way, and he is very suspicious since. luckily the painpills are tasty ones.

Daisy has learned that she needs to take her pill before she gets dinner :-)
Dachshunds are so smart. It amazes me.

aha, i am glad this works for daisy. we have to outsmart our dogs!
today i managed to feed him the vetoryl and the fish oil capsule without too much trouble. sleep well everybody!

Do you have like a cream cheese over there? Some people use that as it is sticky and easy to roll in a ball. Yes it takes a lot of work to research things happening to Tipper, but as long a s she is with me I don't mind doing it all. She is acting better on the thyroid meds so they are working. More snow last nite and cold wind today. Hope you find a new way to trick Ian he is as mart cookie and not easily fooled. He is probably laughing to himself thinking how silly is my mom trying all this stuff on me!

yes i think he is laughing to himself too. i can try cream cheese, i like it myself too. i have to buy it on monday. today was a disaster with the pills......too much stress! [for both of us]
i did not feed him his painkillers for 2 days now, but he seems a bit off.
the weather is stormy and wet, so i will feed him half a pill before bedtime. they are not good for his kidney's, but he is feeling better with them. and so we will keep worrying about our doggies health.
well you know all about it patti.

Maybe the cream cheese will at least full Ian for a while. I saw on tv a crime lab in the Netherlands that is so sophisticated that a sheriff here sent things over there to be analyzed for a murder case. Are you anywhere near it? We are waiting on more snow this morning then it warms up in the 40-50 degree range next week. Tipper was happy as she walked some yesterday. The thyroid meds are definitely making a difference in her. Blessings
Patti

do you know what place the crime lab was in? ok i found it ;in den haag is the biggest one. pretty famous indeed. it is an hour drive from here.
glad that tipper is feeling better and that the weather is improving next week! finally!
it is still stormy weather out here. and about 7 degrees celcius.
ian's pills went down really easy today, so that was a relief.
it is 4. 22 am now, but i only have to work monday afternoon, so i can try to sleep in.
hope you and tipper will have a quiet night.

Was it the cream cheese you gave him the pills with? Hope it works for at least a while. Yes I saw the crime lab on tv, it was very interesting. Hope you get some rest, I am glad you are finally feeling better. Is Ian's hair all grown in on the spot? Blessings
Patti

i forgot to buy the cream cheese today...gggrrr!!! i hid it [veroryl] in a spoonful of tripe and he ate it. not the fish oil pill. i will try that tomorrow again.
you can hardly see the hot spot anymore, but his whole coat structure has changed overall after the shedding. it is not as thick and soft anymore. but that is due to the cushing i quess. his cushing belly is almost gone. so not to bad for this old guy! we walked for about an hour in the forest today and he was doing fine! march 4 he will be 13.
maybe tipper can come over for his birthday-party? ha, ha!

Yes Tipper likes parties especially where there are balloons to break. She said if she can't make it to send her a piece of cake her favorite is yellow. She did ok last nite. Her leg has improved so much, I hope she does not reinjure it as she plays like a Mack Truck. I think this Cushings does do something to their coats. Tipper's is real sparse and brittle, but it could be the thyroid too. We had a snow storm last nite and it is still going on and the wind is unbelievable. Blessings
Patti

ok, so tippers coat did change too after the cushing diagnosis. i hope his mane around his neck will grow back. and his tail is not as bushy anymore.
yeh balloons are favorite too overhere. o and sorry tipper i am a lazy doggy-mom; i do not bake a cake for ian. he is a picky eater and i think he would not eat it. his sister would, but she is already a bit overweight.
i hope the weather will finally improve after this blizzard. we still have the plus temp., some rain and wind.
hope you 2 will have another quiet night. and catch up with some sleep.

Tipper said oh come on now just bake a cake!!! We are now in for storms tomorrow so I am already worried about Tipper's reaction as she gets crazy. Herblood pressure was high tO'Day so she does not need this. Ian's fur may get better. I think Tipper's is part Cushings and part thyroid so maybe that's why hers is still not like it was. I hope you celebrate many more birthdays with In. Blessings
Patti

hi patti, is tipper afraid of thunderstorms or does she get excited from it? [as in wanting to hunt/chase the wind]
high blood pressure and a storm is not a good match for tipper i quess?
so the weather is not improving after all in your area?
today we had a sunny afternoon, the rest of the week they forecast rain and wind again.
i ordered some natural treats for the birthday boy and his sister.
so tipper, no cake but i can send you some treats as well........

Tipper is scared to death of thunder and heavy rain. Last summer in August we had the worst storm and it actually ruptured the blood vessels in her eyes from her pressure being so high. I do not want any problems like that again. My vet never even called me still and I was going to ask for a mild tranquilizer for her as the melatonin may not be enough and it is to be real bad to day with high wind and pounding rain and thunder. Every day it is something else to battle! Since her pressure was up Wednesday I do not want her getting it up any higher. I am hoping you are not having rain and wind today so you and Ian can walk by the river, it sounds so beautiful there. Are you feeling up to par yet? A friend of mine had the flu for 3 weeks so it must be a bad bug this time around. Blessings
patti

how is tipper doing with the thunderstorm coming in? a mild tranquilizer sounds good. your vet should understand tipper needs it.
it is awful to see your pet panicking.
we had a cold drizzle today and [some] rain the rest of the week. about sunday the weather forecast says; dry and some sun.
the flu is not over yet, but i am very tired also. too much to worry.
have not paid for all the vet bills yet.
look what i found....they really do exist; http://homeguides.sfgate.com/care-in...ant-50174.html
we could give it a try.........................
hope you and tipper will get some sleep despite of the thunderstorm.

there is a dutch saying that says; no news is good news, and in ian's case it is right. he is doing very well so no complaints on my behalf.
2 dry days in a row! but the rest of the week they forecast rain and wind again.
the flower bulbs are blooming all over the garden overhere. it is spring already.

Wow, flowers blooming. Nothing around here blooming yet that's for sure. We still have snow on the ground and below freezing temps. I think our high temp for wed is suppose to be -11C. brrrrr

Glad to hear that Ian is doing well and you're getting some good walks in.

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

Wow that is a record lately, two dry days! I am glad Ian seems to be doing well, you do not need any new problems or vet bills. We had more snow last nite.
My pussywillow bush does have buds on it though. We are to get that polar vortex coming again tonite. Tipper walked about 5 minutes today as it was too cold. She is fed up with the weather. I miss Grace terribly. Blessings
Patti

sharlene and patti, i hope spring will come your way soon!
but there are still flees, ticks and mosquito's etc. around because of the hot winter temp.
there was even a fly in my car buzzing against the window.
i hope you can have longer walks outside with your dogs again. they need it so much.
sleep well everybody!

Wow, woke up to more snow! Going down to 3 degrees tonite. I am taking Tippermto the vets this morning and the roads are really icy. It will be nice to see spring, but then the dreaded thunder will start and I don't know ifmTipper can handle it this year. I am so glad for you that Ian is in a good place now. Tipper is having so many ups and downs lately. This has become a full time job caring for her and taking her to appointments. That is ok though, I need her to be with me and have a good quality of life so it is all necessary. Hope you are having good weather. Blessings
Patti

hi patti, i am sorry about the weather continuing bad in your area!
we do have the thunder in summer when there was a hot humid day , seldom in spring.
did the vet give you some tranquilizers today so you can give them to tipper in case she needs them? panicking is not ok for a cushing dog.
i hope ian continues to be ok. today he was playing with some driftwood floating in the river. he has not done that for a long time.
his online whippet cushing friend [female 10] was put to sleep today. she had little calcium balls floating trough her body and her bones were weak because of that. she was losing lots of protein via her urine. that is what i underderstand of it. her adrenal tumor was 1,3 cm.
i know her from her blog and we shared the vetoryl i bought from the internet. $%^&**disease it is!!

Oh I am so sorry that your little whippet is gone. I am sure you are all sad today. Yes Cushing can do a bad thing with the calcium.
So very sorry
Hugs
Sharlene and Molly muffin

That is a positive thing that In is doing things that he used to, I am happy he continues on with no problems. That iantoo bad about the whippet, this disease has claimed so many babies in the year. The mortality of your own dog sinks in with each passing baby, and is an very scary thing. We have really cold weather and another snow storm coming. This year it seems never ending. The vet said no tranquilizers for Tipper. I am going to see what else I can research. I need to get this done now before all the storms start. I don't think Tipper can handle it this year, and I am really worried about her blood pressure going up and causing eye problems. Blessings
Patti

another snowstorm? i can understand you and the dogs must be fed up with this weather! it never stops. we had a cold day with rain and wind today.
i really hope you will find anything that helps tipper with her anxiety attacks during thunderstorms.
ian looks a bit off today. i think all the activities yesterday made him tired. he does not want his pills. i will try it later.
he has got a new comforter and he likes it very much.
sleep well everybody.

Oh yes it is storm after storm this winter. I have never seen anything like it. Tipper has really suffered not being able to walk. Tipper was so upset when I got home last nite, she was crying. I think since she has gotten sick and I never leave her and she knows it, that if I have to go out she gets very upset. In think since she is not feeling well, it scares her when she cannot find me, as she knows whatever is wrong with her I always help her. I am taking another easy day today as I am not feeling great. Hope you have decent weather to walk Ian. I hope he just over did himself and that there is noting going to start up with him. Blessings
Patti

i can imagine tipper suffering from not being able to walk outside. they need it and we need it too. to clear the head and to exercise the body.
and especially for our cush-dogs to stay in shape.
i have to walk one more time in the drizzle before going to bed.
take your rest because we can not afford to get sick.

Yeah!!! Today it is supposed to go up to 40. Tipper will be able to walk if it does.It really changes her attitude after she walks. She was hungry last nite and moving around the bed early this morning so her cortisol is on the rise. I am trying to catch up on all my things for myself. I never have time to do things for myself. I am usually doing something for the critters, the house, or cooking. I need some time for a pedicure and soak in the tub. Hope I an is still well and got over his tiredness. Blessings
Patti

hi patti, so glad that you were able to walk twice with your dogs. it makes them happy, and us too!
but we need to take care for our selves too!
so, no housekeeping tomorrow, but patti-time!
ian is still a bit tired, but that can also be due to his new comforter which he likes very much.
today it is already 2 months since flynn died. i am so busy with work and my other animals, that i haven't had the time to really grieve.
the breeder of flynn's mom has a new litter coming up [this summer] . family of flynn.
but a] i don't have the money, b] two golden oldies at home and 3] i am not so much of a puppy person. but if she wants to keep one of them, she is looking for a foster home..........

It doesn't seem possible that your dear Flynn has been gone 2 months now. That is not good that you have not had time to grieve. He was beautiful, and I know how you must miss him. I always wish our companion animals had lives as long as ours. They are family members and in our case all the family we have.
It can be more traumatic losing them then a person. Tipper is miffed as she thought she would be walking, and it is too cold for her. I hope for an early spring, but dread the thought of storms. Blessings
Patti

yes, our pets are our family, but they leave us way too soon.
poor tipper, no walks today.
i have to walk my dogs now before going to bed.
it is almost freezing with a cold wind, but they do nothing in the garden, so i have to go...brrrr!!

yes it is 1 am overhere and it is ian's 13th birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!i am still in contact with the owners of one sister and a brother.
his brother was diagnosed with intestinal cancer. they did operate , and he came out fine! as far as the specialist could see, it did not spread.
one brother died at age 9 from prostate cancer and one brother was run over by a car.
they still know me when i visit them although they left at 8 weeks of age.
no pills yet, i don't know which trick to use anymore. after being on vetoryl, he is more picky than ever.......

Happy Birthday Ian!
I hope you guys can have a nice walk today for his birthday.
So glad his brother came though his surgery okay and the girl is doing fine too.

hugs,
Sharlene and Molly Muffin

Happy Birthday, Ian!!

thank you!!

Happy Birthday Ian!