October 19th 2011 3:36 pm
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FINALLY... mom found me a new squeaky ball that I LOVE!!!!
(I chewed a hole in the one I had, and it wasn't as much fun anymore. Cuz, you know, the loud squeaking is the best part! It was still my favorite toy tho, hole and all.)
The store mom got my ball at stopped carrying it, so she looked online. Well, she couldnt find it there either:( She ordered one that looked similar, and it came one day in the mail, but I wouldn't have anything to do with it. But, she didn't give up. She ordered another one online, it came, and this one is even better than the one I used to have!! It is LOUD and the perfect consistency and size for my mouth! Here are some pics:
OLD BALL
NEW BALL
Mom's been spending so much quality time with me here at our new place. I mean, its "ALL ABOUT SUNNY" here!
We used to play this little game with my ball when we lived at our old place, and now we are playing it here too. I just gotta tell you how much fun it is:
When mom gets ready to nap, I bring her my ball. Sometimes, she hides it under the covers and I scratch and go under the covers trying to find it. Gosh, I just love that!
But, this next game is my favorite! Mom slowly pushes the ball to the edge of the bed... until it falls off. When it does, mom screams, "Whoooaaaaa" really loud and it gets me all excited! I run down my puppy steps off the bed to get it. When I get it, I shake it in my mouth so it squeaks and squeaks! Then, mom calls me back to the bed and we start all over again! (I dont know if our upstairs neighbor loves the ball too much tho! As, our walls are very thin! BOL!)
The other day, mom was soo tired and just wanted to nap. I wanted to play tho! So, I took matters into my own hands. I was using my nose to push the ball right to the edge of the bed.... then, I would push it over. And of course, even tho mom was tired, she let out a pretty pathetic, "Whooooaaaa" for me. (She was just too happy that I am playing like that!) And down the puppy steps I'd go to get it, shake it, and squeak it.
That day, I think I carried things a bit too far tho! I wouldnt stop! I kept going up and down, on and off the bed!! Mom had to yell at me to stop and hold me next to her to get me to lay down!!! Hee hee heee!!!
You guys should try that game if you have a squeaky ball - its a TON of fun!!!
Obviously, I'm feeling really well! I am playful and happy. I am licking more often lately... but it doesnt seem to be affecting my behavior. Maybe we need to tweak my meds a bit. I go back for a recheck next week. I did have bloodwork a few weeks ago and it was normal:)
September 27th 2011 6:01 am
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I just wanted to share some info that my sweet friend BUTTERCUP shared with me, and that I learned by doing with Suns the past few days. (I always have to learn by doing! That can be rough!)
The day before yesterday, I fed Sun ONLY WET FOOD. And then yesterday, he had a good day. Well, yesterday, I fed wet AND DRY. Now, today, he is not himself again. He seems to have a belly ache, is lethargic, and he burped soon after getting up.
SO - this totally tells me that the DRY is NOT agreeing with him. And it confirms what Buttercup told me. She said that if you add water to dry food and let it sit, it expands several times its size. So, imagine that in a little dogs stomach!
The reason I kept on with the dry is that at one time, it HELPED Sunny a great deal. Before he diagnosed with IBD, I used to feed only wet. Then, when he was diagnosed with IBD, I tried adding dry. And at that time, it made a HUGE difference! It really HELPED!
But now, I see that it is not helping. And what I did the other day confirms it. Like what I wrote yesterday, you really don't know the effects of something until you try it. It's trial and error. What may work at one time or for one dog, may not work at another time or for another dog. So, FITZ, keep those suggestions coming, my friend!
It stinks cuz he loves his "crunchies":( And he gets NOTHING else to eat. But, I know... I have to weigh what is most important here.
I just wanted to share this with whomever takes the time to read this, as it may at some point be helpful:)
September 25th 2011 12:41 pm
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The past 2-3 days, Sunny has been getting more and more tired – more and more like he was at my parent’s house. He is just wanting to lay on the bed or floor on his blanket, (I just bought him a new blanket-style bed and he doesn’t like it), and sleep almost all the time. As the past few days have gone by, his initiating play has gone down to zero. I tried to get him to play with his ball today, and it was like he wanted to, but didn’t have the energy. He still barks most of the time at neighbors when he hears them or when he sees them thru the doors, but he doesn’t always want to come outside with me when I go out anymore He still wants to go for walks, but doesn’t seem to be able to go for very long. This all started when I started giving him crackers for his nausea, which I’ve since stopped – yesterday afternoon.
I am not sure what is going on. It doesn’t seem to be his stomach, although it could be. He WAS doing the licking-swallowing and lip smacking yesterday, which I thought was caused BY THE CRACKERS, but hasn’t at all today.
It could be his liver. He has a genetic liver condition called Microvascular Dysplasia. When his IBD flares, his liver values often go up, and he gets tired. He usually needs to be hospitalized when that happens. My regular vet, (the one I took Sunny to to have put down – where the vet tech works), called me on Friday and left a message. She asked how Sunny was doing and said she said she wanted to check his liver values. I didn’t call her back yet. I am not sure what to do. I don’t know if I will take him there for bloodwork or to Dr. Ron, his internal medicine specialist. I would like to take him to Dr. Ron for 2 reasons. Number one – he has FAR more knowledge about Sunny and his condition. He is a specialist! Plus, I hate to say this, but in the past, my regular vet has known NOTHING about Sunny’s condition and I have NO FAITH in them. (That’s another story. I was going to go another regular vet and talked to Dr. Ron about this already, but then all this happened.) Granted, I never saw this doc I am dealing with now, (the one wouldn’t put Sun down and helped get the vet tech to watch him), but I still have much more faith in Dr. Ron.) And number two – one time I had bloodwork done at my regular vet, and Dr. Ron specifically told me to please have all bloodwork done at his place. He said that they have the capabilities to read it on the spot and said its much easier for him than having it faxed over. So, I suppose I have to “take the bull by the horns”, so to speak, and tell Sun’s regular vet doc that I am going to Dr. Rons for the bloodwork. I just feel bad b/c she helped me so much with setting up the vet tech’s watching him and all…
It could be his kidneys. He’s had a high acid content in his urine for the past few months. We don’t know why. There is no infection and it is not due to his diet. Dr. Ron said we aren’t going to worry about it now, but could be liver or kidneys.
It could be that Sunny is just tired from the move and all the excitement. I am tired…
Also, it could be that this is just how Sunny will be. And that is okay if that is the case. I was thinking yesterday how “different” he is than all the other dogs around here. He is such a special boy. Yes, he is a “special needs” dog. And that is okay. I didn’t see that before, or even know that. It all was blurred living with my parents. And he wasn’t around other dogs so we couldn’t really compare. He is soo sooo sweet and loving! But, he is so scared and so meek. I need to make him feel safe and secure. And my plan that I had before we moved in, before I got him back from the vet tech, of treating him like a normal dog – that’s not going to work for him. Because he is NOT a normal dog! He needs special love and attention. Like a little boy with unique needs. Just like the kids I used to work with!
On a positive note, his leg seems to be good, and he is eating like a piggy! Since I saw what the effect of the crackers had on him, I am feeding him wet food only. I’ve fed him 2 small bowels of wet food so far today (its 3:30) and he hasn’t lip-smacked or licked once!! A man who was helping me at a pet store one time told me that dry food is harder to digest than wet. I took that with a grain of salt, b/c I think that what works for one dog may not work for another. But, he may have a point. So, I’m feeding all wet and going to see how it goes.
I suppose I will try to get him in for bloodwork this coming week. I’d also like to speak to him about taking Sunny on as a “charity case” for all future care. I think I mentioned that before in an entry.
After writing this, (and saving it in Word! LOL!), I feel better. I am hoping and praying for Sun. Its ok if he is tired and sleeps a lot. He isn’t in pain, like the doc said to me a few weeks ago. He still can enjoy walks and greeting people and dogs right outside his house. I guess I needed to move to this place that is perfect for him, and come to terms with him being “different”. (That brought tears to my eyes ) Different than he was, and different than other dogs. But, that is okay. Cuz he will always be perfect to me! (And hey, his mom is sure “different”! LOL! So, we can be different together!) Now, I’m bawling…)
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