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.