Author Topic: I just realized last night. . .  (Read 1781 times)

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Offline DeeDee

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I just realized last night. . .
« on: September 12, 2015, 11:13:18 AM »
I didn't realize how much/long Vlad was actually sick. On January 15, I ordered their coconut oil and all of my flours. I haven't ordered a single thing again until last night. I honestly hadn't realized how long it had been. I haven't made a ton of bread or anything because of all that had been going on, so that didn't compute in my brain either.

This whole year, they've only used 3 containers of coconut oil with all the times I've had to take everything but meat away from Vlad when he was recovering from stomach upsets. Usually they go through a 54 oz container every 6 weeks (not including the amount I use for making their cookies).

With cookies, they should have already been through at least 6 containers by now and almost ready to open an 7th one. But no. Just three.
"In order to really enjoy a dog, one doesn't merely try to train him to be semihuman. The point of it is to open oneself to the possibility of becoming partly a dog." Edward Hoagland
"Thorns may hurt you, men desert you, sunlight turn to fog; but you're never friendless ever, if you have a dog."

Offline Pookie

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Re: I just realized last night. . .
« Reply #1 on: September 12, 2015, 03:27:52 PM »
grouphug

How's Vlad doing lately?
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Offline DeeDee

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Re: I just realized last night. . .
« Reply #2 on: September 12, 2015, 05:45:23 PM »
He's doing a lot better with this latest reduction. His sodium was a bit high at 162, but his K had gone up too to 4.7 which is still midline, and it makes the ratio at 34 which is better.

We only lowered him to 3.0ml from 3.15 because it's so close to that 31-32 ratio I'm looking for, and we really have to be careful now that his K keeps on going up little by little.

I really hope his blood is still good on day 28, because this dose makes him back to the old Vlad. Personality-wise, he's been no different since this last shot from where he was at day 27--and that's NICE. We've been having to watch him really closely for a few days after his injection because he was getting a bit too aggressive during play with Barkly.

He's nowhere near that "low dose" plan for a dog his size, but with his K continuing to go up every decrease since his first shot that was 3.75, we really can't go down a lot more.

His vet said that if it goes up again, he wants to go back to 3.15 with him, but if it doesn't go up over 4.9, I'm going to ask that it remain at 3.0 for at least one more round and see again the next 28-day period. It's just too nice to not have him turn into Mr Hyde right after the shot no matter how short of a time-period it is.

If he has to remain at this high dose, it will never pay for me to give him his shots. There are 4.0 mls in a vial. A vial is $170.00 from mail-order. He's getting in the 3's, so I'd only get one and a part of a shot out per vial.

But at the vet, I'm paying $58 for a shot for a dog that's 80-100#. He's not charging me by amount of Percorten like most vets do. So, there's no way it would pay for me to do his shots myself--especially when he said that if we want to go somewhere and the shot was due during that time-period, he'd just give me the medicine and I'd take it with me--after he teaches me how to give shots IM.

I know sub-q, but the thing is, I've seen statements about "the only time the Percorten didn't work when given sub-q is when the dog wasn't hydrated enough."

Ummm. . .on a trip? When you never know how they're going to act and might not drink "enough."  (What's enough anyway?) No. Just no, and that's what I told his vet.

I'll probably start working on lowering his Prednisone in October or November.
"In order to really enjoy a dog, one doesn't merely try to train him to be semihuman. The point of it is to open oneself to the possibility of becoming partly a dog." Edward Hoagland
"Thorns may hurt you, men desert you, sunlight turn to fog; but you're never friendless ever, if you have a dog."

Offline Lola

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Re: I just realized last night. . .
« Reply #3 on: September 12, 2015, 06:58:39 PM »
 grouphug

Everything you NEED to know about caring for your feline. www.catinfo.org

Offline Pookie

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Re: I just realized last night. . .
« Reply #4 on: September 12, 2015, 08:31:07 PM »
I'm glad he's doing so much better!  He's so lucky to have you!   DrLisaPiersonWorthy DrLisaPiersonWorthy DrLisaPiersonWorthy
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"Pass on what you have learned."  -- Yoda, Star Wars:  Return of the Jedi

Offline Middle Child

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Re: I just realized last night. . .
« Reply #5 on: September 12, 2015, 09:13:35 PM »
I can't pretend to understand what I am reading here, but there is no doubt in my mind that our Vlad is in the best of hands under your loving care.

Thanks for the update.  It's funny how time passes isn't it, and you look back and think "wow we've been through all that and here it is 9 months later, how did that happen?  how did we ever get through it?"  And yet, you do, and you manage and you give your beloved boy the absolute best quality of life he can have.   :-* :-*

Offline DeeDee

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Re: I just realized last night. . .
« Reply #6 on: September 12, 2015, 10:01:34 PM »
Thank you all! I'm just so relieved to have the old Vlad back. He's standing like a strong BRT again, and he gets more and more playful every day. He's no longer clinging like static. He's not showing those odd tendencies that fearful dogs show. His constant smile is back. I'm so thankful they found out what was wrong with him before he died like so many of the dogs I've heard about in the Addison's groups.

It's distressing really to think about how awful this disease can be if untreated. I've seen photo after photo the past couple of months of dogs that have died b/c they weren't diagnosed soon enough and their whole systems started breaking down. Though it's obvious that we apparently aren't going to be able to treat Vlad with the low-dose-Percorten regimen that most use, he seems to be doing exactly like a dog on low-dose is supposed to do. He's himself and nothing seems wrong anymore.

We're lucky. We're REALLY lucky.
"In order to really enjoy a dog, one doesn't merely try to train him to be semihuman. The point of it is to open oneself to the possibility of becoming partly a dog." Edward Hoagland
"Thorns may hurt you, men desert you, sunlight turn to fog; but you're never friendless ever, if you have a dog."

Offline Lola

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Re: I just realized last night. . .
« Reply #7 on: September 13, 2015, 03:38:51 PM »
I can't pretend to understand what I am reading here, but there is no doubt in my mind that our Vlad is in the best of hands under your loving care.


I am SO glad I wasn't the only one!!!!  :)

I agree about Vlad being very fortunate to have you.  He wouldn't have a chance, if I was his mom! 
Everything you NEED to know about caring for your feline. www.catinfo.org

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