To add to my woes, I got a call from the vet this morning. Pearl's coat has been a little off lately. A little dry skin, a little thinning of the fur. She also had some sagginess around her belly. When I took her for her annual check-up the other day, we did extra blood work. Turns out one of her liver enzymes and her thyroid numbers are low. This would explain some of her symptoms. None of this would be a tremendous issue but it is in addition to another chronic ailment we manage with her. New meds will require something of a balancing act. She's no spring chicken either. I'm afraid we have reached that time in her life where more and more small things will start adding up. I'll have to remember to give her an extra kiss every day. She's a good dog.
On top of it all, at some point during this conversation with the vet I realized that today is the one year anniversary of the day we put Hank to sleep. Wasn't he handsome? I still miss him. I guess I will have to give Pearl his share of kisses too. The upside of the less than stellar news about Pearl was that it made me forget all about the fussy customer. Somehow I even started to wonder if something had been going terribly wrong in her life that made her react the way she had. Maybe she needs a kiss on the nose too.
I just spent $1400 on tests because my Doxie's liver enzymes were elevated. The specialist finally recommended Denamarin (an herbal supplement which boosts liver function). After two weeks and another blood panel, her numbers are normal. Ask your vet about them. You can buy them on 1800PetMeds (no prescription required). I lost my Cocker Spaniel last year. She had Cushings Disease. It's an ugly disease and my heart broke when she was gone. I have two Dachshunds now. They are a handful but I love them. Big hug to you. I've been feeling very crabby lately too. I recommend a Dairy Queen treat. And some knitting.
ReplyDeleteWe lost our 13 yr old shih tzu to cushings disease last year we were devistated..Max had a tumor in her adrenal gland and there was nothing they could do for her because she also had kidney disease,,so when she got to weak to eat and grew sicker we had to put her to sleep. I did get another shih tzu puppy and he rname is Ruby Tuesday...
ReplyDeleteMany kisses and head pats to Pearl! She is a sweetie of a dog, definitely. She can have the kisses and pets that would have gone to my boy Jake as well, gone just over a year ago. Doggie love just rolls from one dog to the next; different forms, but still love.
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