A Day In The Life Of Kiki Love

I am very sick

On Tuesday morning Mom tried to give me my pill and I yelped in pain. Later that day I came crawling out from under the bed yelping in pain and spinning around in circles. Mom took me to the vet and after many visits and x-ray, they finally found that I have Spondylitis which is an inflamation of the spine.

Spondylosis in dogs

I have had many more episodes of pain since then and my back is all hunched up.

The dogtor gave me pain medicine but it does not seem to help very much. They cannot give me non-steroid anti-inflamation drugs because of my liver condition. We have to rely on supplements and vitamins which will take a while to be effective. I refuse to eat so mom has to feed me by blending my food into baby food like and use her fingers to put it in the roof of my mouth.

Yesterday was the first day since mom got me 7 years ago that I did not run out to greet her when she came home. Pawlease pray for me. I am in so much pain. :(

Update 09/13/09

I am so much better today. Mom has not heard me yelped in pain for about 2 days now. I have been on some supplements so they probably started to work. The dogtor gave me Cosequin (glucosamine & chondroitin) and some pain med Tramadol to use as needed. Dr. Dodds told mom to try Dog Pain Away and Mom also bought Joint Strong at Petco, Krill Oil (similar to fish oil) and Vitamin E at Costco. Hopefully, these painful flare ups won't come around any more or at least few and far between.

Thank you every one for your kind words, well wishes, rosettes and prayers. We have made so many wonderful furiends here on dogster, we are blessed to have all of you who love me so much.

Update 10/02

I am much better now and the pain seems to have gone away. We don't know if it is one of the supplement I am taking that is working or a combination of all of them. As long as I am not in pain, that all that matters. Hopefully, those pesky flare ups won't come back any more.

My Momma - Mother's Day 2009

My momma says
I am her reason fur livin’

My momma says
She can’t live without me kissin’

She cooks fur me
Chicken with carrots and peas

She plays with me
and swings with me on her knees

My momma, my momma
I love her, she loves me

Together we shall be
Furever momma and me….

Back to being ET

I used to like to go to the back yard at night and just sit outside looking up at the sky for hours. Sometimes I would stay outside and not come to bed until midnight or so. Just sitting there staring at the stars and the moon.

Last year, I stopped doing that when I started having liver problems. I was staying in bed more and not as active as I was. For the last 2 weeks or so, I started staying outside at night again so I am back to my old strange self. Mom says that I am ET who is waitin' for the mother ship to come. He he....

p.s. It is my 9th birthday tomorrow April 1, 2009. It is bittersweet for mom that I am turning 9 because she is so worry about me. She adopted me when I was 2 and I have been her girl ever since. She said that Kobe and me are the best thing that has ever happened to her. The last 7 years have been nothing but joy and she loves having us in her life. She cannot imagine going back to living without us.

I am getting better

I went back to the Vet for a blood test on February 26 and my enzymes improved a little bit but not much. My cholesterol is down to normal though. The good news is this week I am eating better and my appetite seems to be back so mom is hopeful that that is a good sign. I am due for another blood test Mid April so we will bark again to let you all know how I am doing.

Thank you all for your love and support. Dogster has brought us so many good furiends we wouldn't know what to do without you.

Hugs, love, wags & woofs from Kiki and Mama (without the wags and woofs :) )

I am on the Road to Recovery

We went to see Dr. Dodd on my liver problems last Wednesday and boy, was she wonderful! She was so informative and thorough in her consultation and knows sooo much about liver problems in dogs. It was the best $75 mom ever spent. Sure beats the $1,000 that so called Specialist wanted to charge.

Here are Dr. Dodd's advice to us:

The liver can be cleanse in a period of around 6 weeks so with proper diet, you can rejuvenate the liver in about 6 weeks. The dog needs to be on a "pure" diet to clean the liver. Since I do not like fish, she told mom that she can use chicken meat for me.

I was put on the Liver Cleansing Diet (GARD) using about 30-40% of protein of fish (best) or chicken meat (dark or white, no skin). Boiled or scrambled eggs once ot twice a week count as part of the protein portion.

The other portions consist of grain or starch such as white long grain rice or brown rice (no basmati rice), potatoes, and sweet potatoes and cooked vegetables. Vegetables can be green beans, celery, peas, carrots, squash, spinach, zucchini, yellow squash, and kale as other liver sparing foods. We are also to add Italian Flat Leaf Parsley to the veggie because it has some cleansing agent. Mom usually cooks zuchini, celery, frozen peas, carrots and green beans. Then she puree them in the blender with the parsley.

FISH OR CHICKEN MEAT ONLY. NO OTHER MEAT. NO BEEF, LIVER (CHICKEN OR BEEF), GIZZARD, TURKEY OR ANY OTHER KIND OF MEAT. NO WHEAT, SOY, CORN OR NUT. Wheat contains glutamate-aspartate which is a no no. The Liver Cleansing Diet is called GARD which stands for Glutamate-Aspartate Restricted Diet.

Mom is to feed me 3 times a day with this diet. One portion in the morning, one portion in the evening and 1/2 a portion before bed. The Liver cannot work too much so it is not good to give just one large meal a day.

As for Calcium, Mom makes a frozen frosty paws by mixing a large container of Vanilla Yogurt with 1/2 canned pumpkin (no sugar, not the pie filing) and freeze them in small paper cups or ice cube trays. Dr. Dodd told her she can continue to give them to me but watch the portions because a little to human is a large portion to us. (I am a 10 lbs Pom). Finely ground egg shells can also be used for calcium.

I also have hair loss problem and my hair is dry and lifeless so we are to add olive oil, coconut oil or coconut milk to my food. Mom added a small spoon of coconut milk to my food today and I like it.

Vitamins Supplement - she recommended Infant Liquid Multi Vitamins but find one without wheat, soy or corn.

A friend of ours sells Juice Plus for Dogs which is a food enzyme supplement. We asked Dr. Dodd if we can continue to use Juice Plus and she said yes.

Denamarin (combo of Marin and Denosyl) - once a day 1/2 hr. before breakfast.

My thyroid is also low so Dr. Dodd added Thyroxine twice a day.

Hopefully, with Dr. Dodd's help, my liver enzyme will improve in a few weeks.

I've been tagged by Shelby and Baby Cosmo!

Hey. I've been tagged by my adorable furiends Shelby and Baby Cosmo. The rules are I am to name 7 things about myself and tag 7 furiends. Here are 7 facts about me:

1. I am very attached to mom and have separation anxiety whenever she leaves me even fur a minute

2. I have been shaved so many times, I have 2 bald spots on the sides of my butts now :)

3. I love the frosty paws mom makes for me with Vanilla yogurt and canned pumpkin

4. I love running off leash in the park

5. I love to chase cats

6. I sleep with mom every night

7. I have liver problems but mom is determined to find a way to heal me. Hopefully, she will be able to do it.

Here are the 7 furiends I am tagging Wolf, Mindy, Yoda, Quincy, Digga, Dion, Baby Cobi and Kimmy.

I have liver problems!

This is a problem that has been going on for a while but Mom just never wrote it in my diary so she thought it is time we write about it. Back around February, I stopped eating and playing and just laying in bed so mom got worried and took me to the vet the end of March. They did blood test, ultra sound and urine test and found that I have high liver enzyme and urinary tract infection. The UTI went away with some antibiotic but the liver problems persists.

The dogtor put me on Marin and we went back for blood tests again in May, June and August but the liver counts were still high. The vet then added Denosyl and I have been taking that too since September. I also had some mild seizure episodes in August. They think I had some infections and gave me some antibiotic and the seizures seem to have gone away. I went back for another blood test on December 21 and the liver counts still did not improve.

Needless to say, mom is major worry about me. Although the vet never recommended any kind of special diet for me, mom has been giving me home cook diet since April. She usually cooks for me chicken or beef, peas, carrots, oatmeal and sweet potatoes. She also makes a frosty paws for me with Vanilla yogurt and canned pumpkin.

After seeing that my liver count did not improve, the vet referred me to a specialist. We went to see him December 31. He had no idea exactly what is wrong with my liver either and wanted to do another full blood test and ultrasound. The problem is he charges over $500 for the blood test and almost $400 for the ultrasound. Ouch! Mom said no thanks, paid the $90 consultation fee for nothing and left.

Mom then went on a quest to find a way to treat my liver without the vet's outrageous charges. Back in April, mom found a Liver Cleansing Diet on the internet by a Dr. Jean Dodd. It consists of cod fish cooked with many different vegetables. Mom made it for me but I would not eat it because I don't like fish and she ended up throwing it away.

Well, we joined a Yahoo Group called Canine Liver Support where all the members have dogs with liver problems. The admin there, a nice lady name Angela, recommended that we contact Dr. Dodd for consultation. Angela and her dog live in Florida but they pay to consult with Dr. Dodd all the time by telephone. Well, guess what? We discovered that Dr. Dodd has an office only 5 minutes from us and is just down the street. Mom sent Dr. Dodd an email attaching the results of all my blood tests and she responded right away full of advise. Dr. Dodd told mom not to spend any more money for diagnostic tests right now and substitute chicken for the Liver Cleansing Diet. Her consultation fee is only $75 so we made an appointment for me to see her next Wednesday.

We are very happy and excited to have found Dr. Dodd. All the people in the Canine Liver Support group LOVE Dr. Dodd and think that she is a GOD SEND. They cannot believe that we are so close to Dr. Dodd's office and told us how lucky we are. Dr. Dodd emphasizes treatments by diet and hopefully, will help mom heal my liver.

Mom discovered that she has probably been giving me too much fatty protein like beef and chicken livers which I love. I don't like chicken breast too much but she will have to be more strict with me from now on. It is for my own good. I am very picky so it is very hard for her to get me to eat. She will also have to add more vitamin supplements to my diet.

We can't wait to see Dr. Dodd next Wednesday and will woof again after my appointment.

Woo hoo! I am STAFU's Featured Pup of the Day!

OMD. I cannot believe it but I am STAFU's Featured Pup of the Day today. What an honor!

I saw that Momo Still Trucking was the FPOTD a few days ago and told him what a cute tush he has. Then I got a rosette with a smooch from him telling me how prilly I was. Before I was done with jumpin up and down, I found out that the little booger had kissed about 10 other girls that day. BOL.

Since I am FPOTD, does that mean I get to hump all the boyz today? He he.

Thankie so much STAFU for noticing little ole me. I am so happy to be featured in such a pawsome group. I'm gonna have to run to tell my pal Bella Paige about this.

Muahh to everyone at STAFU

Hugs, wags and woofs

I've been tagged by my pal Nikki!

BOL. Bear-bear tagged Kobe, Kobe tagged Foxy, Foxy tagged Nikki, and Nikki tagged me. :))

I am to write 7 facts about me and tag 7 more furiends.

Here are 7 facts about meself:

1. I am a big licker. French kiss all the way baby!

2. I like the pumpkin frosty paws that mommy makes for me

3. I have liver problems and have been on medications. We go back to the vet next month and hopefully, it has improved.

4. I hump Kobe sometimes :)

5. I love to go on car rides with my head sticking out the window

6. I follow mom everywhere she goes. Even to the bathroom.

7. Mom found me in the Recycle Magazine at 2 years old and paid $150.00 fur me. She said that is the best $150 she has ever spent. :))

I am tagging these pals: Skipper, Jordan Rivers, Brandy III, Vic, Mr. Chewbacca Chubbs, Kokey and Quincy.

I've Been Tagged For Valentine

I've been tagged for Valentine by my bestest furiend Penelope and Tinkie. Boy, this is the first time I've been tagged so I better write my first diary. I am to make 5 wishes and tag 5 furiends. Here are my wishes for Valentine:

1. For Mommy to take me with her everywhere she goes.

2. For many car trips with my head sticking out the window.

3. For many many chicken jerky treats.

4. For ending of all animal cruelty.

5. For all pets to find furever homes.

The friends I am tagging are:

1. Brandy III (509573)

2. Sonny (464037)

3. Lexi (697146)

4. Peppers (578495)

5. Cookie (480427)

xoxo
Happy Valentine to all my furiends