Recently in pet health Category

Remember this post from a few days ago? I guess posting stuff here really works! But that's why I love doing it. I emailed the url to some friends. They in turn forwarded it and so on and so on. While both dogs were already taken out of the bad situation they were in about two weeks ago, a splendid friendship developed because of it.

Connie J. Mackie of Dream Dogs Training Company saw the email and immediately contacted Linda wanting to help. Here is her initial email:

Hi Linda,

~Connie

Here is Linda's response:

Hi Connie!

Linda

So even though the dogs' wonderful fate had nothing to do with the post, it caused two animal lovers to become friends through this thing we call the internet and email. :) As soon as I find out more about the Chihuahua's progress, you'll read it right here! Stay tuned...

First of all! I discovered the best toy ever to get Marcie moving as much as I can. I have no idea how it got in my apartment. It was just there. I have a feeling it came with the medication that was ordered through the mail from the vet. Either that or God may be playing a nice trick on me. The hubby opened up the package for me and I wondered why the box was significantly larger than the tiny bottle of liquid medication (btw...it's Tegeserod, which is used for Irritable Bowel Syndrome).

Anyway...onto the toy. For the longest time I have not seen Marcie stalk anything (lasers, toy mice, my hand under the covers etc...) and I was pleasantly surprised to see her go ballistic over this simple toy. I mean all it is is little cardboard pieces tied to the end of a hooping wire. I seriously could just take some of my own twine and make it myself from a remnants of a cardboard box. The minute she sees me take that thing out she gets ready for action. And last night I had both cats going bonkers. They were literally arguing over who gets to play with it. So yeah...this toy is a keeper. It seems like most cats absolutely love simple toys like this rather than fancy schmancy fru-fru toys with all the bells and whistles. Give marcie a crumpled up piece of paper and she goes ballistic...give her an expensive feather toy and she turns her nose up...LOL!!!

Anyway...I gave her the first dose of the Tegaserod. It's TUNA flavored I might add. The special pharmacy called to ask what her favorite flavor is...LOL!!! I will keep you informed as to how it works. If any of you have had experience with this drug for your pet, please let me know. I'd love to get some testimonials. I haven't really seen any online regarding cats (humans but not cats). But according to information from my veterinarian, it's supposed to work good. We shall see. I'm supposed to give it to her twice a day for 2 months.

It's been awhile since I've updated you on the old girl and her condition. This photo was taken a few weeks before IT happened.

As you know...for the last few weeks she's had to get enema after enema because she either would not poop or she'd strain until she finally pooped out one big hard piece of poop. It got to the point where I had to take her to the emergency yet again only for the enema not to work. Two days later I took her to my regular vet to see what he could do. He gave her another enema, which expelled almost everything except for one big piece that was stuck a the top of her colon. She had to be sedated so that he could extract that last piece of poop manually. That caused her to stay overnight. Yes it was not healthy for my pocket book but it sure as heck made her feel better and gave me piece of mind at the fact that she felt better. I could tell the minute she came home that things were much better...at least for awhile. She ate like crazy (something she didn't do while she was uncomfortable from lots of dry poop stuck in her colon) and drank allot...probably from the multiple enemas she got.

Following this episode the doctor suggested that I keep trying the canned pumpkin approach because it may work after several times giving it to her. I think it is working in some way although she's not pooping as often as I'd like. Every couple of days I see one or two pieces of what looks like her poop although it's much smaller than it was before she got sick. Heheh!! Yes I've learned to decipher the difference between Hershey's and Marcie's poop. I guess it's a good thing because I'm not always home to "witness the event!" LOL!!! It has gotten to the point where the minute I come home I check both litter boxes and if nothing is in there I get really nervous...as I have been in the last couple of days. I mean she hadn't pooped in almost three days and the last time I checked it was a couple of very small pellets instead of the large chunk that she normally spews out. But the doctor reassured me that she didn't have Megacolon, something that I hope she never has. So he told me to continue with the pumpkin and give her as much exercise as possible to stimulate movement in her bowels. And if she still doesn't produce a satisfactory bowel movement then he'd prescribe a medication designed to stimulate nerve function in that...ahem...area. He was a bit concerned that when he administered the enema last time she didn't growl and hiss. That indicated that she may have lost some feeling in that area. It's not a good sign because it could mean that part of her colon isn't...you know...giving her the sensation that she needs to relieve herself. And when your colon is too weak to push things through then you're in deep doodoo!! Yes I'm trying to make light of this situation although it's not really funny if things don't get moving!!

Anyway...I took the girl to the vet again today for another followup on her overall condition...especially to address the poop situation. Once again the doc stuck his finger up Marcie's butt and boy was I happy to hear her growl in pain. It sounds horrible but it made me and everyone in the room feel better that she showed signs of sensation down there. In this case...pain is a good thing. He could feel that she had small pieces waiting to be expelled but they weren't big enough to warrant another enema. So he prescribed the medication he told me about before. It's on order at the moment and I should receive it at my house any day now. For the life of me I cannot remember what it's called. All I know is that I'm supposed to squirt the medicine in her mouth with a syringe....a much better option than giving a cat a pill (read that...it's hilarious!!). The good thing is I did not need to leave her at the vet for the day.

And another good thing is....drum roll!! SHE POOPED this evening and I witnessed the event! hah!! One decent size chunk and a very small one. She still strains a bit but something is better than nothing.

There are other issues going on with her but I'll save that for another post. Thanks for all of your thoughts and prayers. Please keep them coming!! Marcie has proved that she is not one to give up easily when it comes to living.

Check out this article written by Daily Breeze Staff Writer Melissa Heckscher in today's Daily News! I wonder if they'd be able to help me with Marcie in her road to recovery...although, according to my vet, she's not feeling any pain. She just needs to get her strength up more.

Anway...I thought I'd type the sidebar to this article that was published in the print edition since I can't find it anywhere online. Here's some useful pet rehab information that was provided to Melissa by Veterinarian Jessica Waldman:

WARM UP: Warm up your pet before strenuous activity. Start with a brisk, 10-minute walk, and cool down for the same amount of time afterward.

LIMIT EXPLOSIVE EXERCISE AND TAKE BREAKS: Any strenuous activity, such as rough play, should be limited to intervals, ideally 10 to 15 minutes at a time. Force your dog to take a break. "A dog in a dog park will push itself beyond what its body can do," said veterinarian Jessica Waldman, founder of California Animal Rehabilitation. "Dogs don't say, 'No, I need a break.'"

BUILD CONTROLLED ENDURANCE: The majority of exercise should be controlled (on a leash, or just no running, jumping or rough play) so that when your pet does strenuous exercise, he is better prepared, similar to how people train for competitions.

BE CAREFUL NOT TO OVERDO IT: Your pet should end a walk at the same pace he begins the walk. If your pet sits down or lags behind on a walk, you are pushing him too far.

SENIOR PETS: As your pet ages, he won't be able to do the same activity he did when he was younger. (Think of a 10-year-old Labrador as a human senior citizen.)

STRETCH YOUR PET: You stretch before and after exercise; why shouldn't your dog? Try these simple stretches after your pet is warm, and after exercise, to prevent injuries:

Shoulder extension: With your pet lying all the way on its side, keep the front leg straight and progress the whole limb forward until the leg reaches your pet's face. Stop progressing the leg when your pet seems uncomfortable or it is tight. Hold for 15 seconds and repeat three times, once a day.

Hip extension: With your pet lying all the way on its side, keep the hind leg straight and progress the whole limb backward, keeping the leg parallel to the ground. Stop and hold at the point your pet seems uncomfortable or it is tight. Hold for 15 seconds and repeat three times, once a day.

I was right! The vet started Marcie on Thiamine treatments as well as a tiny amount of insulin. She's going to have to stay there for about three more days. If it's what we think it is, then she probably has Thiamine Deficiency as a result of the diabetes, which causes the Cervical Ventroflexion (man! try to remember how to pronounce that! It took me many tries...heheh). So yeah...that's where we're at right now.

I talked with the vet today to determine what's going on and what kind of treatment we're looking at for Marcie. He determined that she may have signs of Cervical Ventroflexion. I'm not sure but I think the doctor suggested the Thiamine treatment. He ordered the medicine and it should get there by tomorrow (crosses fingers and toes). He asked if I'd rather take her to an internist that has the medication readily available but I just decided to keep her there. Why bring her all the way to a new place again?

So that's what's happening with my girl at the moment. It's a much better prognosis than the possible explosion in the head or a blood clot in the artery like the doctor originally envisioned. I guess he had to go over all the possiblities.

The emergency hospital did a battery of tests from kidney function to heart function. There were some normal outcomes and some not so normal (but that was expected with the diabetes). But still it was inconclusive as to why she went limp. They also took x-rays because they heard a minor heart gallop. He also thinks it could either be an embolism in the brain or the neck. But she seems so alert in the brain and that really puzzles me. I will find out more tomorrow. Please keep her in your thoughts and prayers for a speedy recovery.

I'm in the process of updating some other stuff (i.e. local pet services and such), but as of this moment that is just going to have to wait. This morning I woke up at about 2 a.m. to Marcie meowing incessantly as she was slumped over on my bed. When I'd pick her up and try to stand her up she'd slump over like a ragdoll. She could barely walk. So my husband and I immediately drove her to the emergency hospital. They're not sure if it's the diabetes or her kidneys or what. Please pray that everything will be okay. She was totally fine last night. I cannot stand the thought of losing her. She is virtually my baby!!!

I just got home and that means I just got the chance to check various websites. Our sister blog Southbay Pets just posted a breaking news story about yet another pet food recall by Pedigree. The link on the blog entry doesn't seem to be working for me (I think I've got a problem with firefox) so I found another link to a news article here! Those that shop at Albertsons in Southern California and Las Vegas are affected. Pedigree has conducted a voluntary recall of PEDIGREE® Complete Nutrition Small Crunchy Bites in the 20 pound bag due to a possible Salmonella contamination.

This article says that...

Complete Nutrition Small Crunchy Bites is a multi-component dry pet food. Last week, a component that should have been on hold due to positive testing results was inadvertently shipped to our Tracy, California facility and used in the production of 100 bags of PEDIGREE(R) Complete Nutrition Small Crunchy Bites with best buy dates of 07/2009.

Here is a rundown of the affected food:

Product: PEDIGREE® Complete Nutrition Small Crunchy Bites
Size: 20-pound bags
UPC Code: 23100 14719
Lot Code: 830BFCAT02
Best Buy Date: 07/2009
Best Buy Date Location: Back of bag
Affected Stores: Albertsons locations in Southern California and Las Vegas.

For your reference, here's a some safe pet food handling tips from the Food and Drug Administration.

If you have any questions, please call (877) 568-4463 or visit www.petcare.mars.com.

It's the worst case of demodectic mange they have ever seen, according to the New Leash On Life dog rescue organization. Maggie, a six-month-old Lab/Staffordshire terrier mix was found abandoned, dehydrated and hungry near the Hansen Dam area. The group of lifeguards that found her dropped her off at the nearby East Valley Shelter where they deemed her too sick for the costly veterinary care that the shelter would have to provide. She was scheduled to be euthanized when a shelter worker decided to give Maggie a chance by calling local rescue organizations. NLOL came to the rescue.

Above right: an NLOL caretaker tends to Maggie. The right photo shows just how severe the mange is.

Check out Maggie's full story here! And check out this video!

Here's current news on Maggie according to the website:

• 90% of Maggie's mites are dead, which is good news
• It could take 6 months before we see a real improvement in her coat and up to 1-2 years for it to completely fill in. And actually chances are that some hair will not come back in certain areas. She could also be left with some permanent scarring.
• Maggie is currently on antibiotics for infection, Ivemectin for the mange, and will need weekly baths and possibly skin scrapings.
• We plan to find her booties for her feet so her toenails don't re-open her wounds if she tries to scratch them.

To make a donation towards Maggie's treatment go here! So far, approximately $1,500 has been raised towards Maggie's treatment and more funds are needed to keep her long-term treatment going.

And check out Maggie's story at The Signal.