great checkup, ma!

i took pup in for her annual re-check, and all her values are right where they should be. dr. m said that since her immune system is compromised by her Addison's, she should wait for her next vaccination until 2007. if pup were at a higher risk to contract anything - playing with puppies, showing, in lots of contact with unknown dogs - she should have them, but since she's not high-risk, we can wait a few years.

so many things to balance, so many things to consider. i'm glad dr. m is now her primary vet, since she is an Addison's specialist, she can factor in everything that otherwise would be overlooked. and it was really nice to see dr. m in person. we do most of our communication over voicemail, and that lack of human contact can be frustrating. i doubt that human contact can ever be replaced by technology - augmented, but not replaced.

and my back went out the day after the vet visit. i think because pup was freaked by our entrance to the vets - i don't know what happened, but it seemed like someone had screamed just as we walked in, but all was quiet. after a second, it calmed a little and i looked around and everyone else was fine, waiting for their doc or to get checked in. pup forgot all of her manners and was yanking on the leash, pulling to get to the exit. once we got to the exam room, she was ok, but wow, what an entrance. i'm wondering if maybe we had a psychic dog moment and that the fear and anxiety (it was like static pouring over me, i couldn't see or hear for a few seconds) was what pup was feeling. poor dear, if that's what she's feeling when we go to the vet! i so wish i could take that anxiety away from her. but can you imagine? for me to be a dogpsychic...would that be cool or what?!? i could get my own show, sorta like Ms. Troy on Star Trek NG - "i'm sensing fear, captain..."

except that it only happened that once. *sigh*

anyway, my back is out, i'm hopped up on muscle relaxants, and i missed a day and a half of work. bleh.

xxoo

addison dog

so that was our first year as Addisonian. every dog is unique, so please realize that this is only our story, one of thousands. my account is not meant to substitue a veterinarian's guidance! as i wrote in an earlier post, ALWAYS check with your vet if you have any concerns about your dog's behavior!

the internets are a wonderful thing - do your research. watch your dog. WRITE EVERYTHING DOWN! keep a journal of everything they do that's unusual - vomiting, diarrhea, when meds are given, eating habits, sleeping habits - because patterns may emerge that you otherwise wouldn't see. ask questions - a good vet won't mind. make sure you understand what they're saying, don't pretend like you do, because it means the health of your dog or cat. they depend on you to get it right.

ok, my pup is nibbling my armpit, so i'd better go attend to her pupness.
xxoo

how to give regular baths to a really big dog

Her incontinence and occasional diarrhea made washing her rear a regular necessity. I had always given her baths in my bathtub, which was not an easy process. The slippery tub(even with a towell in the bottom and no-slip pads), the tall sides, the closed space, made it a stressful event. i had to find something easier.

I have an unfinished basement, with my washer and dryer, concrete floors, and a large double sink. The faucet of the sink has a screw nozzle so I twisted on a length of hose. I took a hard plastic wading pool and cut a small hole in the base to let the water flow into the drain. I put a small pup blanket under the pool to keep it from skittering around and limit noise. I took an old leash and attached it to the stronger of the pipes so I could hook her up and have both hands free to wash her. I keep a good pile of old towels near for drying, and a bottle of watered-down dog shampoo for easy distribution.

The pool is easy for her to step into and out of, the bottom has a texture to it so it isn’t slippery. The water drains out easily, so she’s not wading in water, which pyrs don’t really like, at least mine doesn't. I can get her in and out in 5 minutes if i'm just doing her posterior.

Before a full bath, she gets a little pred, 2 mg. After the bath, lots of rest and a few treats, and lots of love.

Canine Incontinence

All through this, as a secondary (or would that be tertiary?) condition, she was occasionally incontinent, always in her sleep, and usually when she was really pooped. I hadn’t said anything to Dr, M because everything else was so much more important to her survival. What’s a little pee when her kidneys could blow up at any second?! The threat of her getting sick again was like walking the razors edge. One false move….

I eventually asked Dr. M about it, and she said that the Addison’s disease paired with her being spade gave her a hormone deficiency that could cause the incontinence – there’s a hormone that keeps the urethral sphincter tight, and without it, when she’s very relaxed, it gets loose and leakage occurs. Happens to humans too, especially after menopause and /or childbirth. The bladder infection certainly didn’t help, and I thought that hopefully, after that was cured, the accidents would stop. At the time, she didn’t suggest any medication, and I was too busy with the Addison’s and bladder infection to think about yet another condition to correct, so I let it slide, and hoped it would improve.

Her first accident happened the first week of suspected kidney infection, before diagnosis. She was on the couch in her usual spot, and suddenly got up. There was a wet spot, but no smell – her urine was so dilute because of all of the IV fluids and lack of kidney function. The next accidents were about every other week, that I’d notice, anyway – I think her fluffy rear section soaked up and hid the smaller ones. She was getting butt baths because she as also having diarrhea, so there was no smell to indicate any frequency.

As we continued through the next few months, I noticed more accidents, probably because she was beginning to lose her fur to the prednisone. We could see her pink skin beneath a fuzz of fur along her back – not completely bald, but close. There was no resistance when I’d brush her. She lost all the fur on her belly and the long hair on the backs of her legs. Her tail was no longer a long plume, but more like a lab’s tail. I had to be sure to keep her out of the sun, and the mosquitos loved her! One evening we were out for an hour or so, enjoying the yard, and her poor belly got covered in bites - she was miserable. Ice packs, once again, helped the itching, and we kept her inside during the buggy parts of the day the rest of the summer. Once she was off the prednisone, her fur started coming back in, and she looked more and more like the fluffy pyr she used to be.

I thought I could reduce the incontinence by limiting her water after 7pm or so. I work an 8 to 5 job, and she had learned not to drink too much so she wouldn’t get uncomfortable. Between her limiting herself, and my limiting her during the week, she was slowly getting dehydrated, and the incontinence actually became more frequent.

Here’s the bottom line: Addison’s + being spade + imbalanced electrolytes = perfect condition for incontinence. Her electrolytes can get imbalanced by being dehydrated. To help prevent incontinence, she needs to drink lots of water. Ironical.

during the days when she has little spots, she gets a diaper every night, a break while I’m getting ready for work, and another during the day, and a big break from dinner to bedtime. I’ve converted (warning: product plug) Goodnights™ for boys into rather lovely puppy lingere – I cut the legs up a bit for her legs, and a slit up the back to accommodate her tail – a safety pin holds it in place at the base of tail on her back. Can I just say, amazing technology!! Those things can really hold liquid! I experimented after a dry night – I poured a whole glass of water, maybe 6 ounces, and it sucked it right up. Wow. She was beginning to get a rash, and that has cleared up nicely. She also sleeps better, because if she does have an accident, she doesn’t wake up in a puddle all confused wondering who the hell poured the water dish on her. I sleep better because she sleeps better, because she’s not coming to get me to let her out after every accident. And less laundry, and less cleaning of carpets. I also have more confidence letting her sleep on my bed with me.The diapers rock.

the stones

She began to lose more energy, and soon had a small crash – really lethargic, cold, diarrhea, no interest in food. I called Dr. M, and she said to give her pred regularly – 10 mg immediately, then 5 a day while she’s low and more as needed. I know now that being sick with the stones and then the infection is Stress and needed regular pred. Lesson learned. probably because she wasn’t eating and still being given the antibiotic (along with her levels being off), her stomach was pretty upset and vomited about every other day. I started putting a little baking soda and sugar in her ice and water dish, and this seemed to help a little – about an hour after drinking it, she’d eat a little something, usually a biscuit. She also had some saltines one day, then a little kibble – whatever it took to help her keep down her pills.

We scheduled the procedure for early January – hyropulsion, where they put a catheter up into her bladder, fill it with water, and squish her bladder to flush out the stones. To squish her bladder, they have to stand her up while she’s anethsetized, to make the stones get down to her urethra. 110 pounds of sleeping pup weight – I felt sorry for them, I have to say. If pup doesn’t want to go somewhere, she “llamas” – just lays down and flops onto her side, smart little girl, and she is heavy. I hoped they had some football players doing workstudy to help out. along with this, they were also prepared to do a lithotripsy – a new study being done on dogs, and would be free if used, where they zap the stones with a laser and flush out the pulverized pieces.

The day finally came, and she was in pretty good shape, with 2 days of almost normal eating. She got 20mg pred the day of the procedure, and in at 7am. Dr. E was in charge of the procedure, so he called once they were through – the stones were indeed calcium oxylate, and some were attached to her bladder wall! They are shaped like little ninja-stars, and I can only imagine how painful that must have been, attached to her bladder wall! Yes, Attached To Her Bladder Wall. Poor sweet puppy!

She had one more week on the antibiotic, and her appetite was returning to normal. She was on pred for a few days after the procedure, then didn’t need the daily dose. She did seem more sensitive to stress, and I became proactive with her pred needs.

She started the Urinary SO Waltham diet to prevent further stones. Since the ultrasounds last year didn’t show any stones, they formed this last year. The stones were probably from the big doses of pred in the first phase of Addison’s, which causes calcium to shed. She’ll be on the diet for the rest of her life, since sometimes Addison's can cause pups to "click over" and shed calcium. it's just not worth the risk, and dr. m sez that since the diet is nutritionally sound, it's better than taking the chance, having her form stones again, and go through the procedure again. it's prescription, it's expensive, but not as expensive as another procedure (plus the cost to her health), that's for sure.

She’s on a twice a week dose of DES, and all the water she wants, and the incontinence has become rare.

She’s regained the real sparkle in her eyes, she defends our territory furiously from the evil bunnies and squirrels, and barks most of the day like a great pyr should. She has a beautiful bounce in her trot, and romps with gusto. My baby is doing really well.

Cautious optimism.

but wait. there's more...

In August, she had another kidney profile before her DOCP shot, and everything looked good – I was to keep her at 4cc’s per month. Her urinalysis showed good concentration, and good levels – her kidneys probably had very little damage from the infection. Good news all ‘round and again I breathed a little easier.

I had a dog camp in September with the husky boys, and the 2nd night in, pup had an accident - incontinence when she sleeps. I know now she should have had some pred before the boys came, because of the increased activity. She had a small barf the 3rd day..

She barfed a couple of weeks later, right before the shot, and again a few days later. I was told that this is actually a common sign in the first year or so of being on DOCP, so long as it’s not every day and seems to get better after a bit. Always, ALWAYS check with your vet if you have ANY concerns at all about your dog’s behavior. ALWAYS.

In October, her incontinence accidents were more frequent, maybe every 10 days or so. I called Dr. M and she gave me a prescription of PPA. These came in “delicious chewable tablets” that pup refused to eat, so I had to shove them down her throat. A few weeks later, she was also put on DES, which is an estrogen replacement.

The first week of November, she had an evening of multi-squatting, so to the vet again, and when they ultrasounded to find her bladder, they found stones. That familiar anxiety came back, that “ what is she going to have to endure to fix it this time?” worry cloaked me. X-rays were scheduled, and they seemed to be of struvite. A special diet for pup, and back in 4 weeks.

The S/D diet can dissolve struvite stones, so that other procedures wouldn’t be necessary. As they dissolve, it’s possible that bacteria from earlier infections, trapped in the layers of stone, can be released and cause another infection. This froze my heart – I was terrified she would get re-infected with the tenacious strain, and the Amikasen wouldn’t work, and I would lose her. I cried a lot.

It was time for her follow-up x-ray to see if the diet had dissolved anything. There was no change, therefore the stones weren’t struvite and they had to be calcium oxylate. She got to go back on her regular diet, and we waited for the procedure in a few weeks.

We watched her every move while she was outside – any indication of blockage would mean an ER visit. She didn’t have her usual energy, and moved gingerly. Soon she started having blood on her rear leg fur after her potty breaks. Sometimes the DES can make the dog go into estrus, and I thought it was just that. Then I realized that she no longer has a uterus, so she couldn’t have estrus! I took her in for a UC and yep, another bladder infection. I was so frightened that it would be the old vicious bug. Luckily, this one reacted to a broad-spectrum antibiotic. She was on a super dose, two tablets 3 times a day, so I had to get creative with giving pills. I learned to encase them with cheese, with a quick follow-up of more cheese. She’d gulp the first pill/cheese to get to the second pill-free bit.

I knew that she was not to have any dairy, since the stones were probably of calcium, but I figured the risk was negligible at this point. i just wanted her to get her pills.

finally, a break

I continued to watch her like a hawk, ready to pack her up and fly to the ER at any variant sign. It was impossible for me to leave her outside for more than 5 minutes unattended. I woke at the slighted noise in the night – she got into the habit of a 3am potty break, and I didn’t mind at all, because it gave me a chance to check on her, make sure she was ok. but I needed to break that cycle so i could be a better mom.

Once I was confident she was stable, M and I took a weekend north so I could try to interrupt this hyper-alert pattern I’d developed. I think M needed the break as much as I did. He would call every day for a pupdate – how she was feeling, what she ate, treats, poop (it’s all about the poop). Anytime I called him, he answered in a panic, sure that I was at the ER with a new development. We were in mama and papa overdrive. We took along photos of her and had multiple daily pupfixes, which took the edge off. There was something really wonderful about being out of my house and not worrying about when I’d need to get back to care for her. Pup stayed with her auntie and uncle and cousins (2 fantastic huskie boys!) so she was in great hands. 2 days away and I was refreshed, but missed pup something fierce. I was glad to be back home.

She hadn’t eaten much while I was away, so the little bit of pred she as on at this point, just 1.25mg, really affected her. She had some dinner when we got back home, and evened out. That’s still something I need to work on – getting her to eat when I’m not around.

In June she was healthy enough to get her vaccinations. No Lyme shot, though, since it compromises the immune system, and hers is already compromised. Used frontline instead.

In July, we started walks around the lake to help with her weight loss. Usually during the walks, she’d have 2 poops; one normal, one slightly soft-serve. I began giving her a bit of pred, about 1 mg, before going, and that kept her happy.

Once she was off the daily pred, and because there were side effects of having more than she needed, I was usually reactive – I’d wait until she seemed low-pred (lethargic, droopy, glazed eyes, sometimes diarrhea)) and then give her a small dose. Now I’m more proactive, giving her a small dose before playdates, before vet visits, before walks and baths. The reactive approach did give me an idea of what activities would make her low-pred, but I don’t think it’s the best way to keep her level in the long run.

and now, a lovely infection for the pup

Day 6 after ICU and Diagnosis, and she started to looking pretty lethargic. Day 7, and she was squatting multiple times, and getting me up every hour through the night to go out. I called the ER, and they said she could be blocked, could have an infection. 3am and I’m zooming with pup to the ER. They ultrasounded her, no blockage found, took a urine sample and did a UA and UC. A preliminary spin showed blood and white cells – infection, so given broad-spectrum antibiotics. They did more cultures to determine which bug it is and what will kill it.

It was an E Coli, super resistant, and they were pretty sure she caught it from the ICU. After 4 weeks of several cultures and tests, the one that would definitely wipe the bug out was Amikasen. This has the possible side effect of Kidney failure, is injected, and feels like a bee sting when given. Since her system had been so recently compromised, Dr. M also wanted her to get 1 liter of subcutaneous fluids every day. Timing was important – pup need the amikasen to stay in her system as long as possible to kill as many bugs as possible. The fluid needs to be given when I will be able to let her out to pee every hour or so. I finally figured out that the shot should given over lunch when I would bring M with me to massage pup’s ears while I stung her back end with antibiotic – subcutaneous, so it didn’t hurt as badly as it might if I had to inject straight into a muscle. Then every evening, I had pup lay next to me, and I gave her the fluids. I used my floor lamp as an IV stand, and discovered that if I insert the needle into the loose skin around her neck, I can get the whole liter into her in about 20 minutes.

And every other day, she had to go in to get a urine draw to check her kidney function. If her values changed at all, we would have to take her off the Amikasen and figure out something else. Every day, every night, I actually prayed to whatever is out there, to my sister, my grandmothers, my friends, anyone, to keep her kidneys strong, to let her get better, to kill the bugs, because if this didn’t work, what were the options? Were there any options? It took them 4 weeks to find Amikasen, so how long to find something else that worked? To get her through the Addison crisis only to have her die from a bladder infection seemed terribly cruel. 2 weeks of this, and it seemed interminable, made worse since I was getting little sleep, letting her out to pee through the night, and still so sick with worry about the unknown.

Side note: these were the visits that made her so wary of going to the vet's– each draw, they had her lay on her back (so vulnerable) while they took urine with a needle. Now whenever she sees a tech coming toward her, she crawls up onto my chair and hides behind me, sometimes she shakes with stress. I make sure she gets a little pred before each visit, no matter what they’re going to do.

Meanwhile, I was still easing her down off the pred. She started at 20mg a day, then to 10, then to 7.5, week by creeping week. She would bark crazily, and to say that about a pyr, the barking champion of all dogs, is saying a lot. But the memory of her being so sick and still and quiet tempered that, and I knew she wouldn’t be so loud forever. She’d also pant at a crazy rate, like she was having a hot flash. We started putting cold packs on her belly when they seemed particularly bad, and M even bought an especially designed bed with pockets for coldpacks. These helped quite a bit, but the bottom line was to get her off the pred as quickly and safely as possible.

Pup was eating with gusto, and at first I let her eat all she wanted to gain back some weight. I’m particularly sensitive to being underweight – I was sick for several years and became “scary-skinny”, made especially frightening because I couldn’t control it. I’m fine now, but old fears die hard. So pup gained her pounds back in a few weeks, plus a few – up to 113! Some was pred weight – it can puff one up. Dr. M wanted her to get back down to 105 or so, so the limits were made. This was new – a pup who really REALLY wanted more food but couldn’t have it! Luckily, one of her favorite treats is a bowl if ice, so she has several bowls a day, which is also really good for her kidneys.

A few more weeks, and a few more cultures, and she was clear of the infection. I could breathe a little better, but only with guarded optimism. Breathing became a hobby of those other people, those relaxed ones.

journal: Addison diagnosis

History pre-diagnosis

Pup: born October 4, 2000; Great Pyrenees, mostly white with some gold and a little gray on her rear, and usually about 110 pounds. Has a little gold spot on her head, which I took for a smudge and cleaned it for a good 15 minutes before realizing it was just part of her face. Although I had done extensive research on the breed prior to adopting, I missed the 2-dewclaw part, and when I brought her home, was convinced she was a beautiful mutant puppy, perfect in every way and especially because of her extra toes! In my continued education, I discovered it’s part of the breed, with a few theories – the one I like is the snowshoe theory, that it helps them stay up on top of the snow. That two little toes can help support over 100 pounds on a few feet of new powder doesn’t really fly with me, but I like the idea. She’s still the most wonderful pup in the universe, even if there are other pups with extra toes. Currently happy, healthy and barky like a good pyr should be.

Pup was always a finicky eater, which I found really strange. I grew up with labs, setters and mixes and none of them ever turned down anything edible or inedible for that matter, ever. Pup would nibble her food , graze all day and sometimes not even finish. At the vets she never took treats offered (still doesn’t), and took forever to accept the new food when I made the transition from puppy food to adult. She was a gangly pup, no extra weight at all, usually 95 to 98 pounds.

After play dates, she would be really pooped – not necessarily a warning sign by itself, but part of the Addison’s package. When we’d travel, an 8 hour road trip to visit her grandparents, she wouldn’t want anything to eat for a day or two. If I had to leave her behind when I’d have to travel to non-dog-friendly places, she would barely eat with her dog camp counselors. Some of this is separation anxiety from some not-so-great initial training, which we’ve since mostly overcome, but some is surely stress response.


At the end of February 2004, her appetite got worse, only half of what she usually ate. I thought maybe it was a bad tooth, because she ate a little soft food and still was drinking ok. On Sunday, she was very lethargic, like I hadn’t seen in her before. I took her to her vet the next day, where they did a urinalysis (UA) and blood draw, and her creatinine and BUN levels were off. They started a urine culture (UC) and scheduled her for IV fluid therapy. They suspected a kidney infection, and mentioned the slight possibility of a disease called Addison’s.

For 2 days I dropped her off in the morning and picked her up at 5 so they could give her IV fluids all day to help her kidneys out. She reacted well, and although the UC came back negative, we started her on antibiotics just in case. After 5 days, however, she started declining again, no appetite. Thinking the antibiotics might be bugging her gut, they had me give her Pepcid once a day, but it had no effect. Her breath started to have an ammonia smell to it, she had severe diarrhea, and ate nothing. She was going into kidney failure. I was really scared, and took her in to the vet again.

While we were waiting, pup’s back legs suddenly shuddered and she had to sit. I called the technician and she got the vet in. Another blood draw, and her creatinine and BUN levels were off even more - they sent me straight to the University Vet Hospital. I flew there like a bat out of hell – my baby was sick, get out of my way! I was really concerned about not being able to carry her if she couldn’t or wouldn’t walk in – I’ve since learned about the wonderful big-wheeled wagons they use. So I chirped and soothed as I walked her briskly in – no sitting, no time to sniff, let’s go! They’d been notified that we were coming, so they whisked her back to a room as soon as we came in the door. I waited in the lobby, and soon one of the vets came out and said, “she’s very shocky and her heart rate is at 150 – we need your permission to start treatment.” I said, ‘yes, do what ever you need, whatever she needs, do it, go!” The worry was shifting to panic.

A second vet came to get her history – we scrambled for a calendar, and I was so thankful I’d been paying attention to everything she did. “She stopped eating on this date. IV treatment these days, and bounced back. Antibiotics since this date. Diarrhea, lethargy, no appetite at all.” He took his notes and disappeared.

I waited in the exam room for a few minutes, then called M to give him an update. Promising to call as soon as I’d heard anything, I hung up, cried for a bit, then began the wait.

What seemed to be days later and probably only a half hour, the second vet came to say that I could go see her, that she was stable. My sweet pup was on the floor, hooked up to an IV – she lifted her head and wagged her tail a bit, and I just buried my face in her neck. Why was she so sick? What’s wrong? Can she be treated? Was I going to have to make the horrible decision? I couldn’t stand to see her feeling so terribly. They let me sit with her and hold her for a while, then said they had results from some bloodwork, so off to an exam room we went.

“We won’t be 100% sure until we do a stress test, but she’s presenting classically as if she has Addison’s disease.” Before he finished the sentence, I blurted out “ Can she be treated? Will she survive?” He then said that it’s very treatable; that most dogs return to a very normal life, and that of all possible diagnoses, Addison’s was the best one. She needed to go into ICU for further treatment and testing, and I could come visit her tomorrow.

Tomorrow?? Couldn’t I set up a cot next to her and stay? I could sleep in her crate with her; I wouldn’t take up any room at all, honest. I had to leave her?? I’d never been in my house without pup. I got her two weeks after closing on the house, so, ok, two weeks at the very beginning, but she was part of the woodwork, part of the air. It was hollow and lifeless when I got home. I called for updates every few hours. M came over, and we cried and tried to distract ourselves until we could visit the next day.

Visiting hours started at 1, so we were there at 10. I think they understood – there were other parents there already with their little ones, each with bandages or tubes of varying degree. They walked pup out to us and she was weak but happy to see us. She lay down between us and we stroked and scratched and let her nap. Dr. M came to see us after a while, and told us she’d be pup’s primary vet. She’s an Addison specialist and absolutely wonderful. At this point, we hadn’t done much research so most of the terminology flew over our heads. Mineralocorticoids, corticosteriods, adrenodeficiency, creatinine & BUN levels – thank the gods for the internet, which we dove into afterwards. Dr. M gave us the lowdown: monthly shots, daily prednisone, constant monitoring, lots of testing. Translation: this was going to be very expensive, especially for such a big dog (the injection is based on weight and her dose would be $200 a month), and are you willing and able to do it? I said I would figure out a way. Money had been more than tight since my divorce, but I had just received a bonus from work and my tax return, so I could take care of immediate needs. I’ll mortgage the house if I need to, I thought to myself.

The next day, after 3 days in ICU, she could come home! She hadn’t eaten anything while she was there, and they were Very Concerned about it. If she didn’t eat anything once she got home, she’d have to go back in and be given a feeding tube, so I was ready to give her anything. Previous to all of this, I kept her on strictly dog foods and treats. Rarely would she get a steak bone, and it would be washed of salt and all human flavorings. Now, however, the rules had changed – anything she wanted! Oreos! Potato chips! Pizza! Lucky for her, she only wanted more dog-appropriate foods, so she was safe from my zeal. The first few bites she took of the raw burger and rice that I hand fed her brought tears to my eyes – if she eats, she’s going to be ok. I took the first real breath I’d taken in 2 weeks.

After 2 weeks of not eating, Pup had dropped down to 91 pounds and was scrawny. She still had her fur, so it was only really apparent in her face, but under the fluff were ribs and spine, very little squish. Another part of Addison’s is stomach ulcers, which explains her picky and erratic eating patterns. She was put on Sucralfate to heal any ulcers she might have, and within a week, there was a difference. By day 2 home, she had a little kibble with her burger and rice, a small romp on day 3, and at day 5, she was in the yard barking - music to my ears!

She had been on large doses of Prednisone to get her stabilized, and now we had to ease her down to the smallest dose she needed. Too much pred has all sorts of bad side effects, and she had them – agitated, couldn’t sit still, barking at voices in her head, plus damage to her liver. It would take until July to take her off it completely.

and i'm back

i started this mostly to share my experience of the last year and some dealing with my pup's Addison's disease, in the hope that someone else just beginning the journey might find an easier path, or at least a path that has a few signposts. becoming a caretaker has given me so many gifts, like the ability to wake at 3am perfectly coherent and able to drive like a bat out of hell to the vet, safely. and a patience i never had on my own. and love, such love for my sweet pup and wanting to protect her from nasty bacteria and feeling crappy and getting messy. and knowing i will take. you. out. if you Try to hurt her. the ferocity of motherhood has manifested in my breast and I am Changed. i was not lucky enough to have my very own babes, but that enormous love is still there, and it slops out of the bucket sometimes on unsuspecting passers-by. I just hope it doesn’t stain.

i will post my journal of the last year. she's ok now, darned fine actually, with a few things still to be learned by her humans, but we're a stubborn lot and will hang in there until we've got things just so. she's just too freaking squooshy and adorable not to.

xxoo

is this thing on?

hi. first post. a little intimidated. ok, a lot. my tiny voice tossed into the cacophany of the universe, wondering if there's a Horton out there to hear. YOP!

xxoo