-
IMPORTANT // Please look after your loved ones, yourself and be kind to others. If you are feeling that the world is too hard to handle there is always help - I implore you not to hesitate in contacting one of these wonderful organisations Lifeline and Beyond Blue ... and I'm sure reaching out to our PRE community we will find a way to help. T.
What sort of dog you got?
- Thread starter tigertim
- Start date
We hide treats all over the house when we go out, but he’s well and truly cotton on to it now.
I would really love to find something to keep him distracted while we are out. He has never been into dog toys.
Yeah, done that but they just get lazy and they CBF working to get what’s inside it.
Billy Update - follow up from my post 18 month ago (refer to update #45 on page 3 of this thread).
Over the past few weeks, Billy has taken a turn for the worse. He has had arthritis in his legs for months and taking medication for it. He went for a blood test a few weeks ago and was diagnosed with stage 2 kidney disease. His breathing has been getting worse. His stomach was bloated. He probably has mild dementia as well.
It all came to a head on Xmas day. For the first time he refused to eat and lay in his bed all day. He looked like he was in a lot of pain and his breathing was terrible. We hosted Xmas lunch, and when everyone left, we took him to the emergency vet hospital at Essendon Fields.
A blood test said his kidney numbers had spiked. The vet said if we took him home, he’d die. So, they put him on a drip overnight and pumped him full of painkillers and hydration. On boxing day morning, they called and asked us to run some tests (X-Ray, ultrasound and urine test), and we went in that morning thinking we would be putting him to sleep.
The X-Ray showed us he had pneumonia and the urine test showed he had a bacterial infection. They also suspected pancreatitis. Normally, this would be bad news, but an infection diagnosis gave us hope that he can recover. We agreed to put him on a course of antibiotics via drip.
The ultrasound also found a potential growth (ie. Cancer) in his chest. They suggested a CT scan (cost was $5,000). We said no. We’re already paying over $500 every 12 hours to keep him in hospital on top of the tests and medication.
We went back on boxing day night for the crucial follow up blood test. We were told that if his kidney numbers didn’t improve, there was nothing further they could do.
Thankfully, his kidneys numbers had dropped to the level of a few weeks ago (borderline stage 1/2 kidney disease and something that can be treated). Again, this gave us hope, so we decided to continue with the antibiotics for another 24 hours.
Yesterday morning we went back in to visit. By then they had started weening him off the painkillers and he was more lucid. He didn’t seem to be in any pain, just tired. His bloating had subsided, and his breathing had improved. We took him outside to try to get him walking. He did a little bit. We tried to feed him, but he refused.
We returned to the hospital and told the vet we want them to continue the antibiotics course for the rest of the day, but we are taking him home tonight. They protested and said he hasn’t recovered. But we were adamant. Yes, costs were a bit of a factor, but we believe he would recover better at home instead of being cooped up in a cage in an unfamiliar place and not moving.
When we returned later for the discharge, Billy looked terrible. His breathing was bad again and he looked exhausted. To me, it looked like he had relapsed or something. But the vet (a different vet) assured us that Billy was OK and handed over the antibiotics he needed. He also understood our need to take him home and he agreed the home environment could help him. He also stressed that we needed to look at this potential growth problem… But we told hm that’s an issue for a later date and we would discuss it with his regular vet.
So, we took him home and after about 5 minutes, he got up and started walking. He was drinking, going to the toilet. He didn’t look like he was in any pain or discomfort. It was the best he’d looked in weeks. The only negative is that he wasn’t interested in eating. They gave us medication to encourage him to eat, but it’ll take time.
So anyway, it’s been a roller coaster. I’ve gone from feelings of heartbreak to hope to emptiness to pride in the space of 48 hours. My little boy is a fighter, and it makes me love him even more.
Edit: I'm at work as i type this, but I got word from home that he ate a little dog food an hour ago... baby steps.
Over the past few weeks, Billy has taken a turn for the worse. He has had arthritis in his legs for months and taking medication for it. He went for a blood test a few weeks ago and was diagnosed with stage 2 kidney disease. His breathing has been getting worse. His stomach was bloated. He probably has mild dementia as well.
It all came to a head on Xmas day. For the first time he refused to eat and lay in his bed all day. He looked like he was in a lot of pain and his breathing was terrible. We hosted Xmas lunch, and when everyone left, we took him to the emergency vet hospital at Essendon Fields.
A blood test said his kidney numbers had spiked. The vet said if we took him home, he’d die. So, they put him on a drip overnight and pumped him full of painkillers and hydration. On boxing day morning, they called and asked us to run some tests (X-Ray, ultrasound and urine test), and we went in that morning thinking we would be putting him to sleep.
The X-Ray showed us he had pneumonia and the urine test showed he had a bacterial infection. They also suspected pancreatitis. Normally, this would be bad news, but an infection diagnosis gave us hope that he can recover. We agreed to put him on a course of antibiotics via drip.
The ultrasound also found a potential growth (ie. Cancer) in his chest. They suggested a CT scan (cost was $5,000). We said no. We’re already paying over $500 every 12 hours to keep him in hospital on top of the tests and medication.
We went back on boxing day night for the crucial follow up blood test. We were told that if his kidney numbers didn’t improve, there was nothing further they could do.
Thankfully, his kidneys numbers had dropped to the level of a few weeks ago (borderline stage 1/2 kidney disease and something that can be treated). Again, this gave us hope, so we decided to continue with the antibiotics for another 24 hours.
Yesterday morning we went back in to visit. By then they had started weening him off the painkillers and he was more lucid. He didn’t seem to be in any pain, just tired. His bloating had subsided, and his breathing had improved. We took him outside to try to get him walking. He did a little bit. We tried to feed him, but he refused.
We returned to the hospital and told the vet we want them to continue the antibiotics course for the rest of the day, but we are taking him home tonight. They protested and said he hasn’t recovered. But we were adamant. Yes, costs were a bit of a factor, but we believe he would recover better at home instead of being cooped up in a cage in an unfamiliar place and not moving.
When we returned later for the discharge, Billy looked terrible. His breathing was bad again and he looked exhausted. To me, it looked like he had relapsed or something. But the vet (a different vet) assured us that Billy was OK and handed over the antibiotics he needed. He also understood our need to take him home and he agreed the home environment could help him. He also stressed that we needed to look at this potential growth problem… But we told hm that’s an issue for a later date and we would discuss it with his regular vet.
So, we took him home and after about 5 minutes, he got up and started walking. He was drinking, going to the toilet. He didn’t look like he was in any pain or discomfort. It was the best he’d looked in weeks. The only negative is that he wasn’t interested in eating. They gave us medication to encourage him to eat, but it’ll take time.
So anyway, it’s been a roller coaster. I’ve gone from feelings of heartbreak to hope to emptiness to pride in the space of 48 hours. My little boy is a fighter, and it makes me love him even more.
Edit: I'm at work as i type this, but I got word from home that he ate a little dog food an hour ago... baby steps.
Good to read on Binmans story above.
Unfortunately my dog Foz, pictured above, died peacefully in his sleep 2 months ago. He would’ve turned 10 next week. 10 is a reasonable innings for the giant breed dog. He was a great dog.
Feel for you mate, in my 74 years I've had dogs in all but probably 5 of them. If my yard/s are dug up they'll believe I must of been a mass murder of dogs, bones everywhere.
I can't believe how better my family's life became since Basil the Jack Russell Terrier came into our life 15 months ago. The whole family is absolutely
besotted with him.
Added the little guy on the left a couple of months ago , we first viewed him on Cotchin and Jacks final game day , so he’s name is TR ACK he’s a Cane Corso ( Italian mastiff ) super character
That's the only drawback of dogs, they don't live longer than us unfortunately.
Tough for all of us to lose them.
We know our 13 yr old retriever is close & it's not a nice feeling knowing time is short. Just got to enjoy it.
I reckon Dusty looks the most like you Mr B.
, that's the middle one for those that don't know,
