For Those Who Were Wondering...

If any of you were wondering what ever happened with Suffolk County Legislator Jon Cooper's "Puppy and Dog Protection Rating Program" - it had been put off and reworded, but the final vote was held today and I just found out that it passed. This rating program is the first of its kind in the nation, and you can read more about it HERE. I'm thrilled to say that many of my ideas for possible rating criteria are still in there, and I'm hopeful that my contributions may one day help to stop a puppy mill sale. 

In other news, Dr. Jean Dodds was correct in having me hold off on a hormone trial for Toby's low-normal thyroid results last June. As per her instructions, I stopped giving him Deramaxx, and I had his thyroid levels retested during his annual exam this month (along with having a complete blood profile done) - and everything came back well within normal ranges. His thyroid numbers actually all increased from last time and are now at mid-range, which is pretty much as good as they are going to get. I guess that's why she's the specialist. This also proves that although Toby is incredibly smart sometimes (like when figuring out how to obtain food), he is also just plain weird at times, and Nick was probably right when he dubbed him our "Rain Dog."

Unfortunately, another worrisome issue cropped up during Toby's annual exam, which was that he had developed a heart murmur. I didn't mention it here on my blog because I didn't want to worry anyone until I knew more, and I'm glad I waited, because I'm happy to announce that after an echocardiogram and a chest x-ray, my vet informed me that Toby has no signs of cardiomyopathy or congestive heart failure, which were the main reasons he ordered the tests. Toby did develop a moderate heart murmur this past year, which falls somewhere between a grade 3 and 4 on a scale of 1 - 6, thanks to a mild case of cardiac valve disease, but neither issue is anything to worry about as per his vet. No diet or activity changes are necessary, no meds or supplements are needed, and he feels Toby is currently at a good weight. We will just need to follow up with an echo and x-ray each year to make sure everything is still status quo. Of course, I'll probably still worry about him, even though I was told not to, because this is just another reminder that my Toby is officially a senior citizen, and not the energetic eleven month old dog I adopted so long ago.

As for my other senior, you might remember that when I returned from my vacation, my mom reported that Leah had stopped making "the noise" and we thought she was better. But a few days after we picked Leah up, I heard her make "the noise" again. Since she had stopped burping and drooling, I decided to take a wait and see attitude - but about a week later she made the sound again. Back to the vet for a follow up chest x-ray, I also asked her to x-ray Leah's throat, since to me, it sort of sounded like she was trying to bring something up.

Her throat x-ray came back negative, and the chest x-ray came back identical to the last time - her stomach was overly rounded, and they didn't have any explanation as to why. But it also hadn't gotten any worse. In fact, Nick pointed out that Leah had never had a chest x-ray in all of her eight years with us, and maybe, that's just how her stomach is shaped. Who knows - he might be right. As a next step, the vet recommended a two week trial of pepcid, and a few days into the trial, Leah - the dog who never eats anything she's not supposed to - made "the noise" and then promptly vomited up a chunk of nylabone about the size of a soda cap! When I phoned her vet and asked the obvious, "Could this have caused Leah's issues?" - the doctor responded with "Absolutely." She then went on to explain to me that Leah's stomach was probably producing bile from having the plastic sitting in it, (which would not show up on x-rays or an ultrasound), and the bile was probably backing up her throat and making her retch.

Relieved that I had finally gotten to the bottom of Leah's issues, I put it out of my mind, until about a week later, when she made the noise yet again.

When she was quiet after that for another week, I figured her throat may have just been scratchy from the nylabone, but then, just tonight, I heard her make "the noise." At this point, I am not too concerned. Leah has undergone two sets of chest x-rays, a throat x-ray, a complete blood profile, and an abdominal ultrasound - all of which came back normal (aside from her weird shaped stomach). She only makes "the noise" about once a week, and always right after I pronounce her as "well." Other than that, my old girl is eating, drinking, eliminating, and playing quite normally - so I'm not going to pursue further testing unless one of those items changes. It is a puzzle as to why she is making "the noise" from time to time, but it's going to have to go on the back burner for now, while we deal with the more pressing matter of Meadow's upcoming surgery and recovery. 

So that's pretty much how the dogs are faring - while my two seniors aren't perfect, for the most part they are healthy and happy. I can't say much either way about Little Miss Meadow until after her surgery is done and her biopsies come back. Until then, all I can do is to wait, try not to worry (like that's possible), and hope for good news.

And as for myself, I recently listed for you all of the things that I wanted to do to try to help shelter dogs during the holidays, but unfortunately, I have already had to downgrade two of them. I had nearly filled two large plastic party cups with coins over the past year, which I had planned to donate to an animal related charity, but as you can imagine, our doggie emergency funds are dwindling thanks to all three dogs' various vet visits over the past few months - so I've decided to put the money towards Meadow's surgery. I do still plan on donating whatever change I manage to stash during the month of December, but it won't be nearly as much as I had originally hoped.  

I also planned to volunteer my time by walking dogs at Kent Animal Shelter in Calverton, and I sent out an application just before I found out Meadow was sick. I'm pleased to say that when I told Nick what I had done, he immediately filled out a volunteer application too, making me proud that I inspired at least one other person to help shelter dogs this year. You may be thinking, well sure, he's your husband - but I really hadn't expected him to volunteer, mainly because he is always so pressed for time. But he appears to be looking forward to it as much as I am, and our orientation is scheduled for early next week. Originally, Nick and I were planning to go once a week and walk the dogs together, but now we will need to alternate weeks, so that one of us can stay home and tend to Meadow.

So even though I can't do as much as I wanted, I'm doing what I can, and I still plan to accomplish everything on that list between now and the New Year, as well as finally finishing up that first draft of my novel, which is approximately 80% complete. I'm sure I'll have plenty of time to work on it while I'm home making sure Meadow doesn't rip out her stitches...and who knows, if one day my book makes it to the market, maybe I can make up for this year's featherweight donations...and replenish my doggie emergency fund before it's needed again! In the meantime, I hope all of you have a Healthy and Happy Thanksgiving, and I'll update when Meadow gets out of surgery on December first to let you know how she fares.