Rusty-Dawg Pet Products has attended a few events to support local rescue groups this past summer. On July 23rd we attended Take the Plunge with Birch Haven Rescue & Rehabilitation Services, donating a portion of our sales that day to BHRR! It was a great day, wonderful to spend it with such a caring group of people and the rescue dogs that BHRR brought with them for the day were so well behaved.
On Sept 18th we attended the Ottawa Westie Walk & Fun Day. The weather was perfect, they had more Westies in attendance this year than they did last year and the day was a huge success! Jingles, my 20 yr old Beagle, came with us that day as an honorary Westie & he was so well behaved! I was very impressed with how good my ole boy was :)
Coming up this weekend, Oct 1st, we're going to be at the International Greyhound Planet day! It promises to be a fun filled day! We'll be selling a variety of items ranging from collars and leashes, to dehydrated treats, to deer antler chews and more! My prices at these events are always discounted and they include HST as well!
The last event for this year is being hosted by Under My Wing Pug Rescue & it's their 6th Annual Howl-O-Ween PugStock! I can't wait! I'll have special deals that day as well and I'll be bringing Jingles with me. He's going to dress up, but I'm not sure as what yet! It has to be something "bad" because the older he gets, the badder he gets :)
I really hope to see some of Rusty-Dawg's supporters at Greyhound Planet Day & PugStock!
Thursday, September 29, 2011
Monday, June 20, 2011
Always Get a 2nd Opinion!
Jingles has had a few bad episodes this month. When it happens he can barely lift his head, his right side gets very weak and he has a really hard time walking, he doesn't wag his tail and he doesn't eat because he's in so much pain. His first episode was earlier this month and I took him to my regular vet but she didn't really know what the problem was, gave the typical suspects for neck pain and sent us on our way with a very low dosage of Tramadol. That episode lasted 4-5 days and then he seemed ok. Not perfect because if I touched near his head when he wasn't expecting it he'd yelp but other than that he was back to his ole Beagley self! That lasted for about 10 days and then he had another bad episode.
During this recent bad episode I took him back to my regular vet and she said to put him back on the Tramadol that he was prescribed during his first episode but other than that she didn't have anything else to offer. His pain kept up, the Tramadol was not helping & he was not eating & could barely move. My poor ole boy, I was so upset, I really thought we were nearing the end (for those who don't know, Jingles is 19 yrs old but he's a very active senior!). I took him to an emergency vet that weekend and again she had very little to offer. My heart was breaking thinking that I may have to euthanize my boy because he had absolutely no quality of life, he was in so much pain, and the two vets I saw did not have anything to offer me to help Jingles.
This is a video of Jingles taken during his first bad episode and he was worse off during his second one:
Determined to do something to try to help Jingles, I took him to another vet who specializes in rehabilitation and physical therapy for animals, the same vet I wrote about previously in regards to Tiki's rehab, Dr Gumley at Cedarview Animal Hospital. OMG, I wish I had of taken Jingles there from day one! He did not twist Jingles head all around trying to make him scream as the other vets did (and likely causing more damage), he could tell where Jingles was hurting simply by gently feeling his neck and spine, checking his reflexes, etc. The vet could feel the heat radiating from Jingles' neck and he could feel the muscles twitching (which you could also visibly see) and he was able to pinpoint the specific vertebrae that were causing Jingles so much pain.
Now, only a week after seeing Dr Gumley, I have my Beagle back! He's able to hold his head up properly, he's rolling in the grass again, he's trying to steal the cats' food, he's able to get up on my bed and the couch, he's eating well, he's energetic and wants to go for walks and he's wagging his tail! Jingles is my silly Beagle once again!
Without an MRI we will not know for sure what's really going on with Jingles but based on his findings, Dr Gumley is fairly certain it's a bulging disc in Jingles' neck which is extremely painful and debilitating. He increased Jingles' Tramadol dosage four fold, and also added in another pain reliever that works with the Tramadol to increase it's effectiveness. Jingles has Chronic Renal Failure (which is under control) and a Grade 5 heart murmur so we're limited with what we can give him but the pain meds he's on are kidney and heart safe. I've been icing Jingles neck and we've also been doing the Cold Laser Therapy every other day for the past week and I think that's really helping to reduce the inflammation but we won't know for sure what's actually helping until we start to decrease the pain meds.
Here's a video of Jingles taken today, June 20th, 2011. Such an improvement!!:
Jingles goes back to see Dr Gumley on Wednesday and if he determines that we now have the pain sufficiently under control than we can start some gentle physical therapy exercises for his neck. I know we aren't out of the woods yet and it could easily recur, but I'm so thankful for Dr Gumley! He's given me hope, he's given me my silly Beagle back and most importantly he's given Jingles his quality of life back!
Always, ALWAYS, get a 2nd opinion and if you still are not satisfied, get a 3rd opinion and a 4th! We have to be the voice of the animals we care for and we know them best. Don't be afarid to speak up for them! I often hear people say "but my vet is so nice" as a reason not to go elsewhere. Your vet may be the nicest person in the world but that doesn't mean they have the experience to deal with the problem at hand. I really like my regular vet and she's very nice as well but from now on if any of my animals has any mobility issues I am going directly to Dr Gumley.
During this recent bad episode I took him back to my regular vet and she said to put him back on the Tramadol that he was prescribed during his first episode but other than that she didn't have anything else to offer. His pain kept up, the Tramadol was not helping & he was not eating & could barely move. My poor ole boy, I was so upset, I really thought we were nearing the end (for those who don't know, Jingles is 19 yrs old but he's a very active senior!). I took him to an emergency vet that weekend and again she had very little to offer. My heart was breaking thinking that I may have to euthanize my boy because he had absolutely no quality of life, he was in so much pain, and the two vets I saw did not have anything to offer me to help Jingles.
This is a video of Jingles taken during his first bad episode and he was worse off during his second one:
Determined to do something to try to help Jingles, I took him to another vet who specializes in rehabilitation and physical therapy for animals, the same vet I wrote about previously in regards to Tiki's rehab, Dr Gumley at Cedarview Animal Hospital. OMG, I wish I had of taken Jingles there from day one! He did not twist Jingles head all around trying to make him scream as the other vets did (and likely causing more damage), he could tell where Jingles was hurting simply by gently feeling his neck and spine, checking his reflexes, etc. The vet could feel the heat radiating from Jingles' neck and he could feel the muscles twitching (which you could also visibly see) and he was able to pinpoint the specific vertebrae that were causing Jingles so much pain.
Now, only a week after seeing Dr Gumley, I have my Beagle back! He's able to hold his head up properly, he's rolling in the grass again, he's trying to steal the cats' food, he's able to get up on my bed and the couch, he's eating well, he's energetic and wants to go for walks and he's wagging his tail! Jingles is my silly Beagle once again!
Without an MRI we will not know for sure what's really going on with Jingles but based on his findings, Dr Gumley is fairly certain it's a bulging disc in Jingles' neck which is extremely painful and debilitating. He increased Jingles' Tramadol dosage four fold, and also added in another pain reliever that works with the Tramadol to increase it's effectiveness. Jingles has Chronic Renal Failure (which is under control) and a Grade 5 heart murmur so we're limited with what we can give him but the pain meds he's on are kidney and heart safe. I've been icing Jingles neck and we've also been doing the Cold Laser Therapy every other day for the past week and I think that's really helping to reduce the inflammation but we won't know for sure what's actually helping until we start to decrease the pain meds.
Here's a video of Jingles taken today, June 20th, 2011. Such an improvement!!:
Jingles goes back to see Dr Gumley on Wednesday and if he determines that we now have the pain sufficiently under control than we can start some gentle physical therapy exercises for his neck. I know we aren't out of the woods yet and it could easily recur, but I'm so thankful for Dr Gumley! He's given me hope, he's given me my silly Beagle back and most importantly he's given Jingles his quality of life back!
Always, ALWAYS, get a 2nd opinion and if you still are not satisfied, get a 3rd opinion and a 4th! We have to be the voice of the animals we care for and we know them best. Don't be afarid to speak up for them! I often hear people say "but my vet is so nice" as a reason not to go elsewhere. Your vet may be the nicest person in the world but that doesn't mean they have the experience to deal with the problem at hand. I really like my regular vet and she's very nice as well but from now on if any of my animals has any mobility issues I am going directly to Dr Gumley.
Friday, January 28, 2011
If you missed my previous post about my cat Max and the issues I had in getting a true diagnosis of HyperThyroidism, please read it here: T3 Suppresion Test For My Cat Max.
Maxxy had his follow up bloodwork and checkup 6 weeks after he was finally diagnosed with HyperThyroidism and started on the Tapazole and almost everything looked good! We were concerned that treating his thyroid might exasberate his kidney issues but one of kidney levels stayed the same and one actually decreased. So that was really good news! We also retested his thyroid using the T4 and it was within normal ranges. Although it was within normal range before when he was definitely HyperThyroid, but the reason we checked it was to make sure he wasn’t going HypoThyroid due to the meds but he seems to be on a good dosage. One of his liver values were quite high, higher than it has been in the past, so that’s a bit worrisome but I’m keeping an eye on him and so far I don’t see any signs of liver problems.
[caption id="attachment_1263" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Mysterious Max"]
[/caption]Overall Max seems to be feeling better since being put on the Tapazole but I was hoping for even more positive changes. The positive changes I have noticed are that he’s seeking attention and coming upstairs once again, which he had stopped doing when he was feeling really crappy. That in itself is a big change but I guess I was hoping for more, such as gaining some weight back etc. I did recently start Max on a Standard Process supplement called Thytrophin PMG just to help support his thyroid and to hopefully make him feel a bit better. It’s a safe supplement to use in conjuction with the Tapazole medication.
What I think Max really needs now in order to feel even better is some relief from his arthritic pain. He’s a very sore and stiff boy. He’s been taking Tramadol for pain for a while now but I know he could use more than that. Tramadol doesn’t do anything for inflammation so the condition is still active and progressing even though I’m trying to control his pain. With cats, you have to be extremely careful when it comes to non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and I try to avoid them at all costs for my cats and even for my dogs. And with Max’s elevated kidney and liver numbers, NSAIDs are contraindicated anyway.
[caption id="attachment_1192" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Beautiful Tiki-Belle"]
[/caption]I just started my 15 year old cat, Tiki, on Cartrophen Vet to help her with her arthritic pain. Do not confuse this drug with Carprofen (Rimadyl) which is an NSAID and one that I would never use for any of my animals! Cartrophen is a safe alternative to NSAIDs for both dogs and cats. It is in the class of Chondroprotective Drugs. It has great anti inflammatory properties and it actually works to stop the progression of arthritis. I am going to start Max on Cartrophen as well! I’ll write more about Cartrophen in a few days when I post about Tiki and her rehabilitation protocol thus far.
Even though Maxxy is 19 years old, he’s still very active and alert and he deserves to be as pain free as possible. I will do whatever I can to help him so his golden years can be happy years!
Maxxy had his follow up bloodwork and checkup 6 weeks after he was finally diagnosed with HyperThyroidism and started on the Tapazole and almost everything looked good! We were concerned that treating his thyroid might exasberate his kidney issues but one of kidney levels stayed the same and one actually decreased. So that was really good news! We also retested his thyroid using the T4 and it was within normal ranges. Although it was within normal range before when he was definitely HyperThyroid, but the reason we checked it was to make sure he wasn’t going HypoThyroid due to the meds but he seems to be on a good dosage. One of his liver values were quite high, higher than it has been in the past, so that’s a bit worrisome but I’m keeping an eye on him and so far I don’t see any signs of liver problems.
[caption id="attachment_1263" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="Mysterious Max"]
[/caption]Overall Max seems to be feeling better since being put on the Tapazole but I was hoping for even more positive changes. The positive changes I have noticed are that he’s seeking attention and coming upstairs once again, which he had stopped doing when he was feeling really crappy. That in itself is a big change but I guess I was hoping for more, such as gaining some weight back etc. I did recently start Max on a Standard Process supplement called Thytrophin PMG just to help support his thyroid and to hopefully make him feel a bit better. It’s a safe supplement to use in conjuction with the Tapazole medication.What I think Max really needs now in order to feel even better is some relief from his arthritic pain. He’s a very sore and stiff boy. He’s been taking Tramadol for pain for a while now but I know he could use more than that. Tramadol doesn’t do anything for inflammation so the condition is still active and progressing even though I’m trying to control his pain. With cats, you have to be extremely careful when it comes to non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) and I try to avoid them at all costs for my cats and even for my dogs. And with Max’s elevated kidney and liver numbers, NSAIDs are contraindicated anyway.
[caption id="attachment_1192" align="alignright" width="150" caption="Beautiful Tiki-Belle"]
[/caption]I just started my 15 year old cat, Tiki, on Cartrophen Vet to help her with her arthritic pain. Do not confuse this drug with Carprofen (Rimadyl) which is an NSAID and one that I would never use for any of my animals! Cartrophen is a safe alternative to NSAIDs for both dogs and cats. It is in the class of Chondroprotective Drugs. It has great anti inflammatory properties and it actually works to stop the progression of arthritis. I am going to start Max on Cartrophen as well! I’ll write more about Cartrophen in a few days when I post about Tiki and her rehabilitation protocol thus far.Even though Maxxy is 19 years old, he’s still very active and alert and he deserves to be as pain free as possible. I will do whatever I can to help him so his golden years can be happy years!
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