how my babies are doing, and also equally dying to see some pictures of them NOT peeing or pooping. There is nothing much to report, but here you are.
Georgia is doing OK. I had a big scare when I took her to the vet for checkup in May when the vet diagnosed her as having level 2 heart murmur. Since she did not have it last fall, we were alarmed when 2 months later even I could hear the swishing noise by just putting my ear on her side. After echocardiogram and EKG, it was determined that the murmur is at the beginning stage brought on by old age, and even though by sound it has become level 3 murmur, the sound is loud because the dent on her heart valve was small compared to the high velocity of the blood circulation. The cardiologist’s suggestion is to do nothing.
Summer in New York doesn’t agree with Brooklyn very well because of the moisture on the ground even when it hasn’t rained. She’s been pooping only once every 3 or 4 days out of absolute necessity. She was absolutely miserable during June when we had maybe 3 or 4 days without rain. She was also diagnosed with heart murmur during her checkup, but the vet could only hear very slight noises. I had not known old age can bring on heart murmur until then.
Brandy’s been doing fine, considering… I hate to acknowledge the fact but I have to admit the side effect of megaesophagus is getting worse slowly over the years. And there is nothing I can do about it. Other than that, she was given a clean bill of health during her checkup.
Foster has not bitten himself and punctured himself this summer! Yet. *knocks on wood* Not only that, I haven’t had to rush him to an emergency vet. *knocks on wood harder* He was also given a clean bill of health.
Now please leave some love for my babies!
Three days ago, Brandy was coughing a bit more than usual, the usual being water or yogurt not going down well owing to her megaesophagus. The next day, I noticed Brandy’s breathing was making a strange noise as if her lungs were congested. Her coughs possessed the quality of coughs of people with a flu trying to cough up phlegm. Alarmed, I dug out the nebulizer and saline solution, purchased last year when Brandy had her first bout of aspiration pneumonia, and treated her. Her temperature was 102.5F, the absolute high end of the normal for a dog.
Yesterday, I made an appointment with Dr. L for today even though Brandy’s cough and breathing sounded better in the morning. Good thing that I did because when I came home from work, I really didn’t like the sound of her breathing and the cough, not to mention that her temperature was 103.2F. Most definitely NOT normal. I could even feel something gurgling in her lungs when I put my hand on her side. I treated her with nebulizer a little longer than the day before.
When the vet was examining Brandy, her breathing wasn’t making any sound and she didn’t cough even once of course. Isn’t it strange it’s always like that? I tell you, my dogs try their best to embarrass me and make me look like a fool. Brandy even lowered her temperature down to 102.4F!!!
But Brandy’s ploy did not work this time. She does have pneumonia. But because it was caught early and she was treated with nebulizer at once, it has not advanced much. I was given Genticin, an antibiotic, and Albuterol, a bronchodilator which helps to increase air movement by relaxing the muscles in airways. Both medications are added to the saline solution in the nebulizer to be used twice a day for at least 10 minutes each.
Last year, I found oxygen masks made for dogs, through megaesophagus Yahoo group, to be used with nebulizer. But the connector of the mask is made to be inserted in a tube, not the opening of the nebulizer cup. So instead of using the mask, I used the mouthpiece that came with the nebulizer, holding it an inch or so way from Brandy’s nose, which obviously is not very effective.
Dr. L told me an easier and more effective way to use nebulizer: put Brandy in a crate, tape the nebulizer cup on the door and cover the crate with a blanket. She assured me that this is much more effective than the oxygen mask because masks usually scare the dogs since they prevent the dogs’ use of the mouth, which in turn prevents dogs from breathing in with ease (but she gave me a T-connector for the nebulizer anyway to be used with the mask).
So I would appreciate it if you can cross your fingers again for Brandy. We have to go back in 2 weeks for a recheck. I’d also appreciate it if you can cross your fingers for me as well so that I don’t forget to treat her with nebulizer in the morning. Mornings are so very tough for me…
Last Saturday was a day that called for celebration, and I completely forgot even though I marked my organizer. That’s what happens when you carry an organizer to write shit down but there is nothing to remind you to consult the organizer.
Last Saturday was Brandy’s gotcha day. I first laid eyes on Brandy 4 years ago on 5/10 around 2 or 3am. I was involved in a transport of dogs in death row from a shelter in Indiana to NE area where the rescues and adopters were waiting. We started the transport early in the morning the day before, but the schedule delayed repeatedly by unforeseen problems from the very beginning: the first leg’s car breaking down, the leg right before me dropping a wrong dog off, not to mention the last leg, me, getting totally lost finding the meeting place in the middle of the night. Oh and did I mention one of the dogs got loose while hand-off? Thankfully we got her back after running around for about half an hour or so – we were extremely lucky. Because a wrong dog was dropped off and because the one who ran that leg basically drove all day from Ohio to New York, I had to go back to the border of NJ and PA to exchange the dogs. That was when I first met Brandy. She was the wrong dog, meaning that she was one of the two that I pulled to foster and find homes for. I wasn’t looking for another dog myself, you see.
Within a week, the other dog I pulled, Bella, already had a great family who wanted to adopt her and was adopted in 2 weeks. However, nobody was interested in Brandy. She was an odd looking puppy with disproportionately short legs and a tail which looked like it belonged to another dog that somebody jokingly attached to her body somehow. She was one of those all too common Shepherd mix, nothing but a dime a dozen mutt, a strange looking one at that. I wasn’t in a hurry to adopt her out though since she seemed to be “throwing up” a whole lot, and I wanted to find out what’s wrong with her and get it taken care of first.
After three visits to the vet, we found out that Brandy has congenital megaesophagus. Her esophagus has zero motility and whatever goes into her mouth just sits in her esophagus and comes back out when she lowers her head, jumps down from sofa or even just lying down. She wasn’t throwing up, she was regurgitating her food. There’s no treatment but an operation, the failure of which results in a much worse condition than before and the success rate too low to consider. The vet told me that she needed to be held upright to get her body perpendicular to the ground so that the gravity pulls the food down to her stomach every time she eats or drinks.
I stopped my effort to adopt her out and decided to keep her. I gave myself an excuse that nobody would adopt her anyway and even if somebody did, they’d get sick of her ruining the couch or carpet with her regurgitation and she’d be dumped again. But the truth is that I was already so deeply in love with Brandy. She’s the embodiment of gratefulness, appreciation and loyalty. I could always feel it looking into her eyes looking back at me with such devotion.
Sometime last week, I was talking to my friend who used to pet-sit for me and also lived in my livingroom for a month to help me take care of Brandy when I had my shoulder surgery. It was about Brandy’s current problem having soft stool, and I said, “It’s so fucking unfair! She’s the most loyal, most grateful one and she has to suffer so damn much.” And his reply drove me to tears. “Yeah, I know. She would die for you in a heartbeat.”
Yes, I know she would.
Happy belated gotcha day, Brandy! I suck moose’ ass for forgetting.
The vet called me around 10am to let me know that Grizzley ate some dry food over night. He also pooped and peed. The vet is hoping he would eat more during the day and hopefully I could take him home tomorrow. So that’s the good news.
Not so good news, I wouldn’t call it particularly bad news, is that Brandy’s fecal came back normal – no parasites, which we were hoping for. I say it’s not particularly bad because after giving her a dose of med that makes her stool firmer (and fights bacteria and giardia if she picks it up) , her stool already firmed up a bit this morning. If her stool remains firm after finishing the med, it could just mean bacterial over growth. Otherwise, we’ll go from there. I need to give her yogurt with her food to provide her with good bacteria. At this point, I have to weigh the pros and cons of giving her raw diet any more because clearly, raw diet is not recommended for dogs with compromised immune system since obviously raw meat contains higher bacterial count. We’ll see…
Serious Stuff. Seriously
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