Dog problems again

Laura, I'm so sorry you & Cosmo are going through this again. Like you said, hopefully it will just be arthritis and maybe a larger dose or different med will help. As for the dry food, will she eat it if you soak it in water. My mom has always added to water to her dry dog food. Just add warm water and let it sit a couple of minutes. It gets mushy so it won't be hard on her gums, but will still be the flavor she likes. Sending hugs your way to help you through this (just cyber hugs, because I read the Hugs, Kisses or Hand Shake thread LOL) and a big belly rub for Cosmo.

Jean
 
You guys are the best, thanks.

Shannon, Cosmo has always been really nervous b/c she never had teeth. She's what they call a "special needs" dog. That's why I always freak when I have to leave her somewhere (I guess I'm a little nervous too ;-) ), I'm just afraid of how it would affect her.

Marie, I have wrapped Cosmo's meds in everything I can think of. Somehow she always manages to eat the cheese (or lunchmeat, or meatball, or whatever) & spit out the pill.

Jean, you crack me up! Thanks for the cyberhug! }( My problem is Cosmo wants the same food Max has. Max wants the same food Cosmo has. Being a pug, Max gets the small bites kibble so Cosmo can eat it--inhale it?--without any problem. If I wet her food, I have to wet Max's food. I swear, they're worse than a couple of kids.

And strangely enough, they'd both been eating their own food without problems for 5 years. Ironically, this literally started the day after I took Cosmo to the vet two months ago. I'm sure there's some kind of connection there, I'm just not sure what.
 
Laura,

So sorry to hear about Cosmo's recent troubles. A couple of things I think of.....

1. Could be just worsening arthritis/pain and perhaps she needs either different or more meds to help with that.

2. If there is perhaps a "mystery" tumor in her abdomen, sometimes those can bleed, thus making the dog weak and unable to get around. Did you notice if she was breathing really hard? Did you notice if her gums were pink or pale?

3. Could be just her getting old, and unfortunately there's not much anyone can do about that.

Best of luck with with everything! Hope she's feeling better!
 
Laura - I'm sorry - I meant "nervous system" disorder. My shepherd lost control of her hind legs because of that, and it gradually worked its way up her spine. There was no cure, so we had to put her to sleep. It's an age-related thing in shepherds.

I thought of it, because she started out like Cosmo - unable to push her hind legs up, so she could stand.

Poor Cosmo with no teeth! I can see how she would be nervous, for sure.

I have to stuff meds down my dog's throat, too, by the way. I sweet talk her and pet her while I hold her nose in the air until she swallows. Then I give her a treat and tell her how wonderful she is, so maybe it's not a totally bad experience for her. Nothing else works. I've even tried grinding smaller pills up and mixing them with milk. She won't drink the milk. Thank heavens she's not on anything now.
 
Oooooh crap, yes I have definitely noticed she's been panting quite a bit more lately. When I went home for lunch she was drooling a lot too, & it's not hot here at all, plus my a/c is going full blast so it's actually a little chilly in my house.

Checking her gums is kind of hard since she has no teeth, they've always been kind of messed up, plus she's part chow so they're all spotty.

The vet told me the same thing you did--that if she did have a tumor it would grow until it just burst inside her.

Lordy I hope it's the arthritis. This is gonna be a really long weekend........
 
Oh Laura - I so hope it all works out with Cosmo. Sending you great big dog slobber hugs to get you both through this weekend. Hang in there!

Lorrie

Pain is temporary - quitting lasts forever
Candace Grasso, CC-V-6
 
I am so sorry to hear about Cosmo's trouble, Laura! I have been thinking about you and Cosmo. Just hang in there, she may have just had a few bad days.

You mentioned that she always gets stressed going to the vet. Do you guys have a vet in your area that comes to the house? This maybe much better for her well-being than hauling her to the vet's office.

Big hugs to you and doggie slobbers from my dogs to Cosmo, let me know if you need anything, feel free to email me directly.

Keep us posted.

Carola
 
Laura,

I give my dog the vitamin glucosamine/chondroitin for hip pain. I put peanut butter around the pill. Simba is a big dog she weighs 75-80lb (she doesn't turn down too much food). I have found as she's getting older the vitamin isn't helping as much but the pb works but is messy.

Debbie
 
Laura,

How did the vet visit go today? Did you get any answers? I've thought about your situation a time or two this weekend since I have elderly dogs of my own.

Teresa
 
Oh thank you for asking & remembering. I dropped her off this morning at 9:00 & they're supposed to call me as soon as she's done w/the Xrays & bloodwork.

Needless to say, I'm a complete basket case & can't get any work done until I hear from them. We had a VERY bad morning (I was up at 6 to work out & she couldn't stand up, she cried every time I left her line of vision, so I brought her water bowl upstairs & just sat with her for about 2 hours until she could stand & make her way to teh backyard--I think part of the crying thing was b/c she had to go to the bathroom & couldn't move).

This has all affected poor little Max too. He hasn't eaten in like 2 days & he seemed so worried this morning. It was almost as hard to leave him in his crate while I left with Cosmo as it was to leave Cosmo at the vet's.
 
{{{Laura}}}
{{{{{Cosmo}}}}}

No advice other than what you've gotten here already. I hope you get good news, but you should probably prepare for bad news.

I know how you feel about not wanting to lose a pet/friend. My oldest cat is getting to the point where he is now at "end of life" care, so any day, I may have to make the decision that he's too weak to go on.
 
I am so sorry this is happening to all of you! My heart goes out to you and the pups. Keep us updated if and when you can.

Teresa
 
Hi Laura

I had this same problem with my dog, who was a German Sheperd. He had hip problems thats genetic in that breed. He would yelp so loud until he finally stood up. It got so bad we had to pick him up, which was not an easy task. He is now in a much better place, and very much pain free!
I hope and PRAY that everything turns out for the very best for dear ole Cosmo.
Thanks again for the advice on my dog situation. '
Good Luck and God Bless!!
Angie
 
>{{{Laura}}}
>{{{{{Cosmo}}}}}
>
>No advice other than what you've gotten here already. I hope
>you get good news, but you should probably prepare for bad
>news.
>
>I know how you feel about not wanting to lose a pet/friend. My
>oldest cat is getting to the point where he is now at "end of
>life" care, so any day, I may have to make the decision that
>he's too weak to go on.
>
>


{{{{{Laura}}}}}
{{{{{Cosmo}}}}}
{{{{{Kathryn}}}}}
 
>Oooooh crap, yes I have definitely noticed she's been panting
>quite a bit more lately. When I went home for lunch she was
>drooling a lot too, & it's not hot here at all, plus my a/c is
>going full blast so it's actually a little chilly in my
>house.

That's definitely a sign of pain in dogs (and since animals usually try to hide pain as best they can, if it shows, she's probably hurting pretty bad. :-( )
 
Laura,

Sorry to hear of the doggie. I did not get to read all the replies so someone may have suggested this already.

If she won't eat canned food, soak her kibbles in water. Warmish water about 5-10 minutes. That way it softens and she may still eat it. My dogs will. Then you can stick the pill in there and hopefully she'll eat it too.

I wish you both the best of luck. :)
 
Oh Laura,

My heart is just aching for you. :-(

Like I told you before, I have a chow chow who is in the same place with her hips. She has been my baby for so many years. Some days I just wish she would go peacefully in her sleep. My husband reminds me that I saved her and allowed her to live the rest of her days happy and safe. It still breaks my heart to see her struggle. It has now gotten so bad that she can only go a few feet before she lays down. She tries like a mad person to follow me from room to room. I think she is also senile because she can't remember where I am and spends her time looking.

I commend you for your courage and caring nature. It is so hard to remain tough during this sad time isn't it? The one thing you have going for you is that there are so many caring ladies on this board who will send you all of the cyber hugs you need...me included.

Take Care!

Melissa
Paragonah,UT
 
So sorry to hear about this .. I will say a prayer for you and Cosmo ..

.. My "babies" .. are just that MY BABIES .. they are my children .. and I love them with all of my heart .. they are family .. I can sympathize w/your pain ..

keep thinking positive!

I had a pit bull that had hip problems when he got older .. he would get down .. then we put him on arthritis medication and he got much better .. sometimes we had to up it to get him over the hump .. he lived to be 13 .. lived a good long life .. and I still miss him so!

My big baby now takes thyroid medicine .. yes they are very smart about eating the treat part and spitting out the pill... I have to shove the pill down his throat too .. but every morning .. he hears his pill bottle open ..he comes running .. b/c he knows afterwards he gets his treat ..

and my babies do the same thing w/the food .. they eat the exact same food .. but have gotten to where they refuse to eat until I turn my back .. he eats her bowl and she eats his .. GO FIGURE?? LOL

do let us know what the vet finds out!!

hugs to both of you!!!
 
Laura, I'm sorry to hear that things are getting worse for Cosmo. This must be very difficult to deal with.
I could feel your pain when you mentioned that she cried every time you got out of her line of view this morning.
Good Luck with everything!

Kathy
 
Laura,

Ask your vet about adding Tramadol to her pain regime in addition to the Deramaxx. I think that is what you said she is on. The combo of Tramadol and Metacam did wonders for my 14 year old lab in the last year of her life.

Colleen
 
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