Getting Old Stinks!

Friday was a busy day for the Portie Pack. Early in the morning Noah went to spend the day with Dr B and the nice ladies who pamper him. Noah had a major colitis flareup on Wednesday ad I thought we were going to lose him. He's been showing some signs of distress over the past week. His stool has been getting worse and he's walking hunched up, telltale signs that his intestinal tract is painful.

On Wednesday at 3AM he woke me to go out, but before I could get the door open he had a major poop explosion. I shut him on the porch while I cleaned up the floor, then went outside to see the porch was also covered. Once I got him settled, I mopped the hall and cleaned the porch. Then I took him back to bed but an hour later he needed to go out again.

Wednesday was a horrible day. When he wasn't racing to the door, about every hour, he was lying very still in the corner of the room. He wouldn't eat and looked very sick. I called the vet and he suggested bringing him in on Friday morning and leaving him for observation.

On Thursday Noah looked slightly better and ate a little rice cooked with pumpkin. I poured some bone broth over it and he seemed to like it. He didn't poop all day but I think Wednesday he had cleaned out his entire system. Friday came and Noah was actually dancing around the exam room greeting his favorite nurse. He didn't look sick at all. I left him and ran some errands.

Friday afternoon we took Lola and Tess in for their rabies vaccinations. Then Dr B and I had a long (2 hour) discussion on the state of everyone's health. The news isn't as good as I'd like, but not as bad as it could be.

First Noah. Yes he had a major colitis flare. He's also running a fever. One back leg isn't tracking properly and his bad eye is red and dry. So, he's now taking an antibiotic and a steroid for his colitis and we're doubling up on his eye medication. He's eating rice, pumpkin, a little salmon and some bone broth. I'll start gradually adding in some kibble till I get him back to normal meals. He's feeling much better and is having normal stools. His eye is less red. and I'm keeping an eye on the back leg though there isn't really anything we can do about that. It's a nerve problem but doesn't seem to bother him.

Next is Lola. She has a lot going on. First of all, she has masticatory muscle myositis. You may remember that Samba also had that. It's a situation where the body attacks the jaw muscles and eventually will prevent the dog from opening it's mouth. Samba had the acute version which comes with sudden extreme pain. Lola has the chronic version, same disease but more gradual and a little less pain. I've noticed that in the morning Lola can't open her mouth very wide and is slow eating her breakfast. By evening, however, she has worked the muscles enough so that she can open her mouth almost normally. Dr B says she's lost 10 to 15% of her muscle so far and instead of giving her steroids, we're going to try physical therapy.

Lola has something else going on too that we're not sure about. Her coat isn't growing and is quite thin. She's also lame in all four legs. For now we're treating her with melatonin for her coat and Rimadyl for her legs.  Lola has also developed a lick granuloma since Bailey's death. She used to suck on Bailey's ear flap but now she licks and chews on her own toe. It's red and sore so we're putting medicine on it to dry it up. I'm trying to interest her in a toy instead of her foot.

Tess is doing great. She's a big, happy, dumb dog. Even with her crooked front legs, she loves to run and climb. She had her vaccination and was happy to get her treat afterwards.

Then we discussed the others. Mackey is having seizures again after a 14 month seizure free period. The doc gave her a prescription for valium to calm her after her seizures. She'll be visiting him in two weeks for a checkup.

Sydney is also going in two weeks for a thyroid test. It may explain her stubborn weight gain.

We discussed Sebastian's headaches. Dr B has been doing some research on them and says they're like migraines. He suggested increasing Sebastian's daily intake of fish oil and giving him a daily Rimadyl. Sebastian will go in two weeks for a checkup. He needs a dental cleaning and also has a cyst on his eyelid that may need removal.

Then I asked about Norma Jean. She was in to see Dr B a couple weeks ago. Something strange is happening to her face. It's hard to describe but one side of her face is shifting to the side. It looks very strange though it doesn't seem to bother her. Dr B told me that he has no idea what is wrong with Norma Jean's face. He said that in 30 years of practice he's never seen anything like it and doesn't expect to ever see it again. He thinks it's a nerve problem in one side of the face but doesn't know where or why. As long as it doesn't bother her we're just watching it and putting drops in her eyes.

So there you are. I have a house full of geriatric dogs, each with a different health issue. If I thought a house full of puppies was a lot of work, this is much tougher. Fortunately, my dogs are all really good about taking meds and I don't have to fight with them. There's just a lot to keep track of.