Loving my Oldies

Thank you, ladies. Yes the improvement is significant. He is eating voraciously most of the time, but I am still restricting the amount he has at any one time. I'm not sure that my experience with SASH is just a hiccup, sadly. I've written it all down and will ask my vet to read it and ask if I am making too much of it al. He even had a small bleeding scrape wound in his eyebrow/eyelid area which I noticed only when I saw some blood on my fingers. I don't see how this could have happened either on the way home in the car or when we arrived home, because he was barely capable of standing. Anyway, the main thing is that he is so much better, wants to eat and what he eats, he is keeping down.

I had a few bad moments this morning when he took ages to eat his food with his meds in it and his demeanour was pretty down. And then he threw up a little. Undaunted ( :D ) I scraped it up, mixed in some honey and gave it to him via syringe. Since then he has had a two more little meals, the last one just the i/d without being made into a slurry, just little pieces. He loved it. He is obviously hungry and was even sniffing around the waste bin when the undersink cupboard door was open :laugh: , but I am resisting feeding him too much at any one time. So, I think we are in the best shape possible at this stage. Two and a half days before he goes back to SASH, so hopefully by then, he will be ready and able to cope with the next stage, a Fluroscopy. Luckily that doesn't require an anaesthetic.

Yonjuro and LG, I can tell you I am pretty damned chuffed. From a horror day yesterday to quite a turn around. He is eating his Hills Diet mush ( :D ) really well, and I have just given him his other medication in some Lactose Free Yoghurt which he lapped up like a starving boy :thumbsup: . I am far from impressed with SASH at this stage though. When he was discharged on Wednesday, his vet was too busy to see me. It took ages for someone to find/print out his discharge papers for me. Then his medications weren't available. Few other problems with his discharge, but I won't go into details. When he was so sick yesterday, I phoned to find that his treating vet was away until Tuesday, but I eventually spoke to another vet who was very helpful. The medications have to be compounded, although they did give me bottle of one which I thought was something always on hand. I thought only the other one had to be compounded. So the receptionist eventually came out with them: one has been made up in tablet form which I specifically said to the vet he wouldn't take and it would have to be liquid. The one I already had had been repeated. I asked if the tablet could be broken open and given to him in food and was told that would be okay. So because I'd already waited two days for that decided to keep it like that. The receptionist then said, I'll just prepared the account. Wait for it: $400.00!!! I nearly died. Now I am prepared to spend anything, do anything if the outcome is good for Danny, but you'd think I could have been warned. So, I am not impressed at the moment.

Thanks stellnme. IMy local Woollies didn't have Liddells or Vaalia lactos free so I will go down to Westfield today. Next appt at SASH on Tuesday, dougal, when they will do a Fluoroscopy to see what state his oesophagus is in and whether he would be helped by fixing the hernia. Frankly seeing how knocked he was by the anaesthetic for the scope, I am very worried about how he will cope with a serious operation. Now I hope I don't jinx Danny ............ but, drum roll, no vomits or regurgitations for nearly 9 hours. Obviously most of that was spent lying in bed, but I generally get up to a couple or more vomits and the consequent loads of washing. He had his last little snack at 11.15pm last night and has had his morning Ranitidine and a small bowl of Hills Diet slurry at 8am. :crossfingers:

Thank you, coogie. Danny says: thanks, but I would prefer a big raw meaty bone. And then of course, I'd throw it all back up. I am starting to see a slight improvement in his demeanour and he is not nearly as wobbly as he was. He really was knocked for a six poor little fellow. I have kept a running chart since bringing him home and it isn't good in terms of his regurgitation (10 since just after midnight), but he is keeping more down than bringing up and the last two little helpings of his slurry have been eaten eagerly. Keeping them down is the problem, although the one at 4.30pm was about 80mls and kept down. I gave him some more just now with his Ranitidine in it and he lapped it down like there was no tomorrow. He has licked clean the other dogs' bowls - after I'd made sure there was actually nothing in them :). I have to race down to Woollies as the specialist said he could have lactose free yoghurt (if there is such a things - soy I suppose) and a small amount of cottage cheese and eggs.

It doesn't have to be and it shouldn't be. If you don't have the staff or the time and energy to manage when staff aren't available DON'T DO IT. And as T says below, don't store X animals in your kennels. Well there were definitely more than 25 animals on the couple of days I went there and the person tried to tell me they had 300. I won't go on with the details of that conversation, which I can remember almost verbatim I was so shocked.

I think he needs a big black and tan momma to snuggle into and get comfort.

Thanks LG. He has thrown up about 5-6 times since we got up this morning I think he is keeping down more than he throws up and he has just had another little bowl of his Hills Diet slurry. His tongue and gums are a lovely rosey colour, so I don't think he is getting dehydrated.

This is what the internet says. It still seems a high fat content; I seem to recall that fat content should be below 8.0 ?? Protein 27.8 Fat 14.3 Carbohydrate (NFE) 48.0 Crude Fiber 2.8 Total Dietary Fiber 4.8 Soluble Fiber 0.4 Insoluble Fiber 4.4 Calcium 1.31 Phosphorus 1.0 Sodium 0.40 Potassium 0.87 Magnesium 0.099 I've just checked Hills Prescription Diet a/d which I've been told to use if the other doesn't work and it is 30.4% fat!!!!

Do you mean the canned food is 25% fat? I've been looking at the cans and it isn't Science Diet it is Hills Prescription Diet and although I need a magnifying glass, I can't see anything about fat content. I'll go onto the internet.

Three throw ups since last post. Will definitely be calling SASH vet today and hopefully talk when I collect his Cisapride.

Thank you for all that information, Steve. Danny weighed 5.2kgs on Monday afternoon before the procedures at SASH. I am feeding him with his head elevated, either holding the bowl or having it on another bowl. I have also elevated the water bowls. The only chicken stock he ever has is made by me with no additives and the fat skimmed off and then strained through cloth to get the fat out. Until further notice his food is Science Diet l/d blended 1:1 with water. He seems to quite like that and so far he is keeping more down than bringing up although he is still bringing up. :( His medications are Ranitidine and Cisapride. I don't have the latter yet, as it is being compounded, but will collect today. My next appointment with SASH is for Tuesday at which time he will have a Fluoroscopy and, depending on whether the vets think he is a candidate, surgery to fix the hernia. Frankly, see how he has been affected by the anaesthetic for the scopes, I am very very concerned as to how he will handle all that. I really appreciate your input here, Steve. Thank you. ETA: Vet has said no raw meat as he is not coping with that. I had tried roast chicken, but he wouldn't eat that. Maybe it was too rich. I'll check about boiled chicken though.

Not really. :) They deserve all the help they can get, provided a good outcome is the prognosis Yes, I have actually just remember another very elderly dog who took two days to recover and on the other side another one who the vet told me to watch as he would probably be very groggy had no affects whatsoever. I hope the improvement continues, animallover99. It is just so so distressful to see them unhappy. He has been a tough little guy, SG, but this has sure knocked him for a six.

God, what an idiot, I'm posting over and over again the same thing. I thought my other posts had disappeared LOL. I'd better be better tomorrow or the dogs and Gussy Cat wll leave home !!! :eek:

I'm in the process of getting ready for bed and so poor boy is trying to follow me everywhere. I am sleeping on a mattress on the floor as I don't want him trying to jump off (or falling off) the bed. My bed is quite high and he could easily injure himself. The poor little fellow can't even walk properly yet nearly 12 hours after the procedure. Although I remember one of the anaesthetics I had a long time ago, I was sick for hours and one of the nurses told me I was yellow. His back legs are knock kneed and bent like some of the GSD bred today whose "back elbows" are practically on the ground. He also has a little gash over his left eye which he didn't have when he left home yesterday :( Tomorrow will be better.

I think it is going to be a struggle, coogie He is now on stronger medication which can be syringed, thank goodness. Ditto his food: Science Diet made into a slurry with water or chicken stock and syringed, but he has been able to lap this. Small but frequent amounts. He is totally miserable, but I am hoping that part of that is the hang over from the anaesthetic and once he starts being able to keep his special food down, he will start feeling better. Ed to correct: He is on Hills Prescription Diet i/d.

I've not had any experience of this, persephone. Each little dog decides to do things differently. I've given an update in my other thread in General.

I think it is going to be a struggle, coogie . I brought him home early this evening and he is really zonked out. I was quite shocked when I picked him up as from the vet's report, I thought he would be pretty well normal. He is totally miserable and to see him so unhappy is breaking my heart. He is now of different medication (more heavy duty apparently) which has been compounded so I can syringe that into him. He is on a special diet (Science Diet cans) mixed to slurry with same amount of water and either small amount syringed or given in a raised bowl. He is taking that quite well, but drinking a lot and throwing up a lot as well. I can mix the Science Diet with chicken stock, so I will make that tomorrow. He must be exhausted.

Thanks everyone. You have all confirmed my initial response (I left out the horror I felt at the time I was asked).

But that would have been done just to get them going so they could go on to lead happy and healthy lives ??

I have been asked if the worst came to the worst I would consider a feeding tube for my dog Danny. I have said no. But I wonder if I were presented that option as the only one, whether I would change my mind. Does anyony have any experiences??

Danny has come through the first hurdle with flying colours ..... an anaesthetic so he could be scoped and biopsies done. Being 15 and having a slight heart murmur we were all on tenter hooks for this. I figured he would be okay, though, as he has always been a sturdy little fellow. Unfortunately, I now have a 2-3 days wait for the biopsy reports. They did feed him last night, but that was regurgitated through the night .

Riches to rags --- never a dull moment. I should have said: heroes to villians very easily. :laugh: :laugh: :laugh:

Danny has been left at SASH for them to start their investigations. He will be there at least until tomorrow. Examination of previous xrays this afternoon and possible more xrays if SASH feels they are needed. Someone else will know but I've forgotten the name .... Fluso something .... xrays while he is seating up and given food with dye in it. Ultrasounds and scopes tomorrow. Poor little man. At least he will probably relax and just sleep because he doesn't spend his whole day following me, checking me if I leave the room, etc etc. Thanks for the good wishes.

Thanks Persephone. Don't worry - when I have very sick and/or old dogs to the vet, my first instructions are that my feelings are not for consideration, only what is best for the dog.