A little snow-type fun! Saffi apparently LOVES snow. She's an odd little lab - normally it takes me a heck of a lot of messing around and bum-smacking (her favourite thing) to get her excited enough to do zoomies. But no, not yesterday - one foot in the snow and off she zoomed!
Sunday, 28 November 2010
Saturday, 27 November 2010
More fun at Liverpool
This seems to be becoming a regular slot in my life now. Not 6 weeks since we were last there, me and Soli have been back to Liverpool, this time with Remy in tow (well, with everyone, but Remy was off to the vet as well).
Soli was in to have her 'orrible lump removed; good thing too. Turns out, it had dropped from its normal position as it had outgrown its blood supply; once fallen, it had squished into a ball and was going necrotic. Still, all gone now; as is the smaller lump it had fallen on top of. Now we just have to endure a week of lead-walks only - not fun with such a stressy dog as Soli; because she can't run, she can't release as much stress as usual so gets gradually more wound up as the walk progresses.
Remy finally, finally had his referral for his lethargy/lung problems.
So far, we're none the wiser; we are waiting on the result of his lung wash to look for nasties. He does have significant inflammation, but the cause as yet is not known. He also has some intriguing nodules, but these appear to be normal tissue, if abnormally shaped: the ordinarily horseshoe-shaped tracheal rings in his windpipe appear to be sticking in at the ends on one or two rings.
Blood tests were all normal though, which is good in a way - although we are no nearer to solving the lethargy, if it traspires that his lungs aren't to blame, his liver enzyme count is normal (when I first took him to my vet it was triple the normal value). So that's something.
For now, he's on a long, strong course of wormer granules to rule out longworm or other parasites; if that doesn't work we'll try steroids.
Given that it's taken me 4 years to get 8kg off him - and he's still 3/4kgs overweight - I am not thrilled with the prospect of steroids. But, if they help him then so be it. Hopefully it won't become an issue.
One last thing to note: get your pets insured! Remy's issues have so far cost me £69 for his excess; had it not been for insurance, he would have so far cost me over £1400. His little 7-hour stay at the specialist on Tuesday accounts for over £1000 of that! Likewise Soli and her many issues would have cost me many thousands by now. Just the 15-minute operation on wednesday cost £707 - granted, it is high due to being done by a specialist, but given her heart condition that was a necessity.
well, nothing else to report from this trip: we are there again for Soli's next heart check in January. Hopefully not again before then!
Soli was in to have her 'orrible lump removed; good thing too. Turns out, it had dropped from its normal position as it had outgrown its blood supply; once fallen, it had squished into a ball and was going necrotic. Still, all gone now; as is the smaller lump it had fallen on top of. Now we just have to endure a week of lead-walks only - not fun with such a stressy dog as Soli; because she can't run, she can't release as much stress as usual so gets gradually more wound up as the walk progresses.
Remy finally, finally had his referral for his lethargy/lung problems.
So far, we're none the wiser; we are waiting on the result of his lung wash to look for nasties. He does have significant inflammation, but the cause as yet is not known. He also has some intriguing nodules, but these appear to be normal tissue, if abnormally shaped: the ordinarily horseshoe-shaped tracheal rings in his windpipe appear to be sticking in at the ends on one or two rings.
Blood tests were all normal though, which is good in a way - although we are no nearer to solving the lethargy, if it traspires that his lungs aren't to blame, his liver enzyme count is normal (when I first took him to my vet it was triple the normal value). So that's something.
For now, he's on a long, strong course of wormer granules to rule out longworm or other parasites; if that doesn't work we'll try steroids.
Given that it's taken me 4 years to get 8kg off him - and he's still 3/4kgs overweight - I am not thrilled with the prospect of steroids. But, if they help him then so be it. Hopefully it won't become an issue.
One last thing to note: get your pets insured! Remy's issues have so far cost me £69 for his excess; had it not been for insurance, he would have so far cost me over £1400. His little 7-hour stay at the specialist on Tuesday accounts for over £1000 of that! Likewise Soli and her many issues would have cost me many thousands by now. Just the 15-minute operation on wednesday cost £707 - granted, it is high due to being done by a specialist, but given her heart condition that was a necessity.
well, nothing else to report from this trip: we are there again for Soli's next heart check in January. Hopefully not again before then!
Sunday, 21 November 2010
Off we go again!
Yes, it's that time yet again - Liverpool here we come!
After months of Soli-problems, which are of course still ongoing, my Remy-problem is finally getting some attention.
Remy, as I think I mentioned in his little blog post, has mild bronchial disease. Around 3 or 4 months ago, he was supposed to get a referral for a bronchoscopy, to identify the little nasties at work, and a large plate x-ray - the size of a dobermann chest (long and deep) means that regular vets' x-rays can't always capture everything they need to.
As soon as I requested a referral, the excuses began from my vets: 'we've been trying to call you on both phone to find out where you wanted to go', 'liverpool aren't sending us the forms', 'we can't do it till Remy's balance is cleared by the insurance' - then 'we can't do it until every penny of your balance is paid for all the dogs'.
Now, I've had no missed calls and no messages; I can understand them wanting to ask me where as normally, they would use Cambridge but they know Remy has seen the referral vet at Liverpool for his free heart scan (it was the lovely Jo who picked up on his lung issues); a 5 minute phonecall got the forms faxed straight through, but it then took 3 days to get my vets to get off their arse (and speaking to a new vet who is actually helpful) to get them to fax them back; Remy's balance was cleared in full but in the following month they didn't sort the forms, so some built up again (hence the other balance issue); cleared that sharpish then the forms issue started up again. That was when the 5 minute phonecall happened, and half a dozen between the two vets to get mine doing something and keep liverpool informed.
All in all, what took my vets nearly 3 months to acheive nothing, I got sorted out in about 30 minutes on the phone. Sigh. A lot of it was helped by the new vet, she's fab! And southern like me - she talks so fast she runs out of breath!
Still, all sorted now. Remy's in at 9.30, and Soli's in at 11.30 to have a lump looked at.
The lump in question first appeared in summer 2008 - it's been steadily growing, but stable, since then. A coulpe of weeks ago, it rather randomly 'fell off' - it has been in situ behind her left shoulder all the time but is now a full 6" below that, sitting on top of another smaller lump she's had most of her life. I am going for surgery - I don't particularly want to, given her age, stress levels and heart condition, but it really is hurting her, it's starting to stay in the malformed shape it is now which is making it worse, it'll be a 10-minute surgery and if liverpool are doing it, I should be able to get an update on her DCM.
That's all copable-with. It's just the 4am rise on Wednesday to walk the others that's going to kill me.
After months of Soli-problems, which are of course still ongoing, my Remy-problem is finally getting some attention.
Remy, as I think I mentioned in his little blog post, has mild bronchial disease. Around 3 or 4 months ago, he was supposed to get a referral for a bronchoscopy, to identify the little nasties at work, and a large plate x-ray - the size of a dobermann chest (long and deep) means that regular vets' x-rays can't always capture everything they need to.
As soon as I requested a referral, the excuses began from my vets: 'we've been trying to call you on both phone to find out where you wanted to go', 'liverpool aren't sending us the forms', 'we can't do it till Remy's balance is cleared by the insurance' - then 'we can't do it until every penny of your balance is paid for all the dogs'.
Now, I've had no missed calls and no messages; I can understand them wanting to ask me where as normally, they would use Cambridge but they know Remy has seen the referral vet at Liverpool for his free heart scan (it was the lovely Jo who picked up on his lung issues); a 5 minute phonecall got the forms faxed straight through, but it then took 3 days to get my vets to get off their arse (and speaking to a new vet who is actually helpful) to get them to fax them back; Remy's balance was cleared in full but in the following month they didn't sort the forms, so some built up again (hence the other balance issue); cleared that sharpish then the forms issue started up again. That was when the 5 minute phonecall happened, and half a dozen between the two vets to get mine doing something and keep liverpool informed.
All in all, what took my vets nearly 3 months to acheive nothing, I got sorted out in about 30 minutes on the phone. Sigh. A lot of it was helped by the new vet, she's fab! And southern like me - she talks so fast she runs out of breath!
Still, all sorted now. Remy's in at 9.30, and Soli's in at 11.30 to have a lump looked at.
The lump in question first appeared in summer 2008 - it's been steadily growing, but stable, since then. A coulpe of weeks ago, it rather randomly 'fell off' - it has been in situ behind her left shoulder all the time but is now a full 6" below that, sitting on top of another smaller lump she's had most of her life. I am going for surgery - I don't particularly want to, given her age, stress levels and heart condition, but it really is hurting her, it's starting to stay in the malformed shape it is now which is making it worse, it'll be a 10-minute surgery and if liverpool are doing it, I should be able to get an update on her DCM.
That's all copable-with. It's just the 4am rise on Wednesday to walk the others that's going to kill me.
Monday, 1 November 2010
Fleabag & Fishface: The Shop Years!
Coming soon!
I am overjoyed to announce that within the next few weeks, my new online pet shop will be going live - selling only high-quality, high-welfare items, such as:
Cages that are actually big enough for hamsters!
Collars that don't harm your dog!
Training aids that don't frighten your dog!
Phobia aids!
Tanks that are actually big enough for the fish they hold!
Spotted the theme yet? Yep, that's right: only the good stuff. So, so many shops sell anything and everything to make a quick quid; I will only be selling good-welfare items. So you won't find any of these:
Choke chains (they have that name for a reason!)
Pet corrector sprays/spray collars
Shock collars
Anti-bark collars (seriously, all you have to do is work out why the dog barks and you can stop it humanely)
Teeny-tiny hamster/mouse/gerbil cages
Dog foods jam-packed with e-numbers that send the dogs loopy!
So on and so forth.
Any cages will be sold according to guidelines from the relevant pet societies/rescues. An example:
The Southern Hamster Club states that a syrian hamster (the big one) should have a minimum of 75cm x 40cm x 40cm (29.5" x 15.75" x 15.75"). So, any cages that fall below this size (or equivalent, going by volume) will not be sold by f&f for syrian hamsters.
Likewise I'll be doing pages for the non-sold items so that if someone looks for them, they'll find an explanation detailing exactly why these things should be avoided.
f&f should be live in the next 2-3 weeks.
Here goes nothing!
I am overjoyed to announce that within the next few weeks, my new online pet shop will be going live - selling only high-quality, high-welfare items, such as:
Cages that are actually big enough for hamsters!
Collars that don't harm your dog!
Training aids that don't frighten your dog!
Phobia aids!
Tanks that are actually big enough for the fish they hold!
Spotted the theme yet? Yep, that's right: only the good stuff. So, so many shops sell anything and everything to make a quick quid; I will only be selling good-welfare items. So you won't find any of these:
Choke chains (they have that name for a reason!)
Pet corrector sprays/spray collars
Shock collars
Anti-bark collars (seriously, all you have to do is work out why the dog barks and you can stop it humanely)
Teeny-tiny hamster/mouse/gerbil cages
Dog foods jam-packed with e-numbers that send the dogs loopy!
So on and so forth.
Any cages will be sold according to guidelines from the relevant pet societies/rescues. An example:
The Southern Hamster Club states that a syrian hamster (the big one) should have a minimum of 75cm x 40cm x 40cm (29.5" x 15.75" x 15.75"). So, any cages that fall below this size (or equivalent, going by volume) will not be sold by f&f for syrian hamsters.
Likewise I'll be doing pages for the non-sold items so that if someone looks for them, they'll find an explanation detailing exactly why these things should be avoided.
f&f should be live in the next 2-3 weeks.
Here goes nothing!
Soli: An Update
I have realised how horrendously behind I am in my updates!
Three weeks ago Soli was booked in quickly at the Liverpool hospital. I rang them on the Wednesday to tell them that she'd started to breath a little heavier in the evenings; Jo called me back to tell me they wanted to see her on Thursday!
Luckily it was doable so we were very soon back with our friends over there. They are always happy to see Soli, even if she doesn't feel the same... but we are always welcomed, and Jo knows me well enough now to know she can tell me every detail of the procedures and results, complete with medical jargon. Which is just how I like it, no matter the emotional implications of it.
Anyhoo, Soli is not - as yet - in heart failure as Jo had feared. Her heart is only marginally worse than last time; she is having more premature beats (like a sutter or hiccup in the heartbeat; on the ECG it looks like a double-beat or a beat-and-a-bit. Well, a bit-and-a-beat, technically). Based on that Jo wasn't worried.
However, she called me again on the following Monday to tell me that although Soli's other blood results were fine (in all she had an ECG; echo (ultrasound); blood tests; and full chest x-ray, side and above, which was clear), one - a hormone which indicates damage to the heart muscle cells - was exceptionally high. I cannot recall what the hormone is, or the units (it did shock me a bit), but I can tell you that where a normal, undamaged heart would have a value of around 900, Soli's was at the time 2900.
To translate: heart failure is now imminent. And given that, unlike other breeds with the same disease, dobes are affected much worse by DCM, that means that when she does go into heart failure, my time left with her will be limited: other breeds can have 6 months, even up to 2 years, in heart failure; dobes have, on average, 6 weeks.
On top of that, her right elbow has swollen in the last few days; I noticed this after she started favouring that leg. Now, Soli does have raging osteoarthritis in most of her limb joints, and the worst in her right elbow; but the swelling starts at the bottom of the joint and goes down the long bones 3-4". This is, potentially, a sign of osteosarcoma, an absolutely vicious bone cancer which dobes are very prone to.
With luck it's just the arthritis - hers is always spreading, and quickly - if not, this could be the 4th OS scare I've had with this dog. Sigh.
Three weeks ago Soli was booked in quickly at the Liverpool hospital. I rang them on the Wednesday to tell them that she'd started to breath a little heavier in the evenings; Jo called me back to tell me they wanted to see her on Thursday!
Luckily it was doable so we were very soon back with our friends over there. They are always happy to see Soli, even if she doesn't feel the same... but we are always welcomed, and Jo knows me well enough now to know she can tell me every detail of the procedures and results, complete with medical jargon. Which is just how I like it, no matter the emotional implications of it.
Anyhoo, Soli is not - as yet - in heart failure as Jo had feared. Her heart is only marginally worse than last time; she is having more premature beats (like a sutter or hiccup in the heartbeat; on the ECG it looks like a double-beat or a beat-and-a-bit. Well, a bit-and-a-beat, technically). Based on that Jo wasn't worried.
However, she called me again on the following Monday to tell me that although Soli's other blood results were fine (in all she had an ECG; echo (ultrasound); blood tests; and full chest x-ray, side and above, which was clear), one - a hormone which indicates damage to the heart muscle cells - was exceptionally high. I cannot recall what the hormone is, or the units (it did shock me a bit), but I can tell you that where a normal, undamaged heart would have a value of around 900, Soli's was at the time 2900.
To translate: heart failure is now imminent. And given that, unlike other breeds with the same disease, dobes are affected much worse by DCM, that means that when she does go into heart failure, my time left with her will be limited: other breeds can have 6 months, even up to 2 years, in heart failure; dobes have, on average, 6 weeks.
On top of that, her right elbow has swollen in the last few days; I noticed this after she started favouring that leg. Now, Soli does have raging osteoarthritis in most of her limb joints, and the worst in her right elbow; but the swelling starts at the bottom of the joint and goes down the long bones 3-4". This is, potentially, a sign of osteosarcoma, an absolutely vicious bone cancer which dobes are very prone to.
With luck it's just the arthritis - hers is always spreading, and quickly - if not, this could be the 4th OS scare I've had with this dog. Sigh.
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