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Messages - schelmischekitty

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1
Medical Conditions & Diseases / Re: Axle's taken a turn *update*
« on: April 07, 2008, 12:00:40 am »
SO we didn't get any answers.  they gave him a pain shot and they said his HD doesn't look bad enough to cause the problems he's having.  basically, they're clueless.  the newby vet told me about something he had read and said i should look into it more.  he read an article by a man and gave me a print off of it and it sounds EXACTLY what axle is going through.  it also has a link for those of you interested (can i post it on here?)  according to the the newby vet's theory, axle *sounds like* he has subluxation of the of the sacrum (??? lower back alignment in human talk).  all of his symptoms go along with the new vets theory, now if i can just find someone who specializes in things like that it *might* be able to be fixed relatively cheaply WITHOUT surgery...  if that's even what it is?  i'm relieved, but not.  i know it's not as bad as it seemed but at the same time i wish i would know for certain if this is what is causing 5 years worth of problems.  with axle being diagnosed at 6 months with HD, it makes sense since this is something that causes a lot of the same problems but is caused at birth if a puppy has a mother with hips that are too narrow.

2
right now he can't make it up the stairs to my bedroom, he can't put enough weight on his rear to even get on the couch, which is usually where he lives when he hurts.  i do have the worlds BEST dog bed (papason chair cushion) though, and i'm sure i could fit on there with him...  somewhere.  thanks for the info on the rice pack i'd have never thought of that!

now that you mention the weather, it has been fairly mild here and yesterday was the first time since we've been here that it got fairly warm (90).  maybe that's what's caused this.

3
i hope that's all it is.  i've been home with him every second the past week, so i don't think he has though.  maybe it's just having achille's here is making him tense and the muscles are starting to feel it.  that doesn't really make sense, but i hope whoever has a dog with HP knows what i'm trying to say.

i do have a heating pad for him, and a soft bed.  he'd prefer to sleep on the cold tile though.  or on the concrete outside.  he won't even sit down in the grass.  well, actually he hasn't sat at all since yesterday, just either stood there with his head down or laid down real sad.

with the rice pads, how do you get yours to lay on them or keep them on?  axle thinks i'm crazy and forgot where to put the laundry and nicely gets up and walks off after a few minutes.  if i try to put something under him he lays his head on it instead of his butt.

4
thanks for the well wishes.  i sure hope to get some answers today, too.  it kills me when he isn't feeling well.  maybe it'll be something stupid, that can be fixed real easy *wishful thinking*

5
thanks for your help, you have no idea how much better it made me feel that this can be fixed!  axle has never been so bad that supplements and aspirin haven't been able to make him comfortable. 

i'm so confused.  this morning he's fine again, no limping, and he's hiking his leg to pee.  no crying, i can even touch his rear end again, though right between his hips is sore i can tell b/c he starts panting and puts his ears at a weird angle.  i couldn't get in touch with my new vet last night, so i just sat up and watched him and it got better as the night went by.  i am starting to wonder if it is HD this time.  last night he couldn't stand up (had a friend have to help me get him up) and today he's fine, in just a 5 hour gap literally.  he's never done that, when he's sore (as long as it's not b/c of a car ride) it's been for days.  not hours??  we have a doctors appt. this afternoon, i guess we'll find out more then.

6
Medical Conditions & Diseases / Axle's taken a turn *update*
« on: April 05, 2008, 10:37:07 pm »
axle has been symptom free for over a year now as far as his hip dysplasia goes.  it's been great.  no running, or long walks but he's good enough he can go up the stairs to sleep at the foot of my bed at night and back down in the morning.  today, all of a sudden he just starts screaming in the middle of the floor and can't stand.  no kids around him, achilles (the dog i'm working with from home) hasn't had any contact with him, nothing.  he's been limping and using his tail overly for balance and whining / screaming with every step (his tail goes everywhere when he walks) ever since.  he has a pathetic look in his eyes that just screams "make it stop mom."  it brings tears to my eye every time i think about it or even look at him.  he's stopped hiking his leg to potty again, and just lays there all day.  he's still eating, and drinking, but it still upsets me, as he's just as important as my skin kids to me.  we're bringing him to the vet asap.  i've given him aspirin, and trying to get him to sleep on his firm but fluffy poppason (sp?) cushion "bed" (he prefers sleeping on the cold tile???) but i am still worried.  are the chances of them successfully doing surgery on him good?  he's over 5 years of age now, but is still good on his weight.  i think he's about 135-140 right now, and 32" at the shoulder so he is weight / size proportionate.  i'm so upset and i can't even think about having to put him to sleep ever, much less while brandon is deployed and unable to help support me  :'(  our old vet always told me i'd be lucky to have him around for 5 years with his health and i can't imagine that it would be over now, with no indication that it was getting worst (my vet said they'd have a hard time w the surgery on him)

7
Games & Jokes / why own a dog...?
« on: April 05, 2008, 12:33:18 am »
Why own a dog? There's a danger you know,
You can't own just one, for the craving will grow.
There's no doubt they're addictive, wherein lies the danger.
While living with lots, you'll grow poorer and stranger.

One dog is no trouble, and two are so funny.
The third one is easy, the fourth one's a honey.
The fifth one's delightful, the sixth one's a breeze,
You find you can live with a houseful of ease.

So how 'bout another? Would you really dare?
They're really quite easy but, oh, Lord the hair!
With dogs on the sofa and dogs on the bed,
And crates in the kitchen, it's no bother, you've said.

They're really no trouble, their manners are great.
What's one more dog and just one more crate?
The sofa is hairy, the windows are crusty,
The floor is all footprints, the furniture dusty.

The housekeeping suffers, but what do you care?
Who minds a few noseprints and a little more hair?
So let's keep a puppy, you can always find room,
And a little more time for the dust cloth and broom.

There's hardly a limit to the dogs you can add,
The thought of a cutback sure makes you sad.
Each one is so special, so useful, so funny.
The vet and food bills grows larger, you owe BIG money.

Your folks never visit, few friends come to stay,
Except other "dog folks" who live the same way.
Your lawn has now died, and your shrubs are dead too,
But your weekends are busy, you're off with your crew.

There's dog food and vitamins, training and shots.
And entries and travel and motels which cost lots.
Is it worth it you wonder? Are you caught in a trap?
Then that favorite one comes and climbs in your lap.

His look says you're special and you know that you will
Keep all of the critters in spite of the bill.
Some just for showing and some just to breed.
And some just for loving, they all fill a need.

God, winter's a hassle, the dogs hate it too.
But they must have their walks though they're numb and your blue.
Late evening is awful, you scream and you shout
At the dogs on the sofa who refuse to go out.

The dogs and the dog shows, the travel, the thrills,
The work and the worry, the pressure, the bills.
The whole thing seems worth it, the dogs are your life.
They're charming and funny and offset the strife.

Your life-style has changed. Things won't be the same.
Yes, those dogs are addictive and so is the dog game.

Unknown Poet

8
Groans, Gripes, Brags & Boasts / Re: I had to turn off Oprah
« on: April 03, 2008, 05:35:52 pm »
i like to foster dogs when i get a chance.  that way i help and i can actually see the difference i'm making.  most times, they supply the food and i've always had them supply the vet costs.  that way i'm volunteering but i don't have to worry about the scheduling.  some dogs just either don't do well in a shelter, or the older ones stress too much.  it makes me feel all warm inside :)

9
from what the others are saying, my guess would be they got too much dog for themselves.  i agree, most dogs can be rehabed, but some can't.  i wish they'd let the dog go to a breed specific rescue, as it sounds like they want the problem fixed but have someone do it for them (due to the fact someone said they hadn't socialized them, done training, etc).  i do wonder, though, they said they went to doggy classes and had trainers and all but told jaz and titan's mom they hadn't done any formal training.  they contradict themselves...?

10
sadly, quoted from the ad.  i wish that were true, it would probably be easier to fix if it was a short lived problem.

"I have thought about giving her up to a shelter, but the truth is I got her from probably the most reputable no-kill shelter in the area. They adopted her to me knowing she aggressive, but at the time I was better off financially, and looked into her sad brown eyes and thought "This is nothing stability, love and training can't cure"."

11
i just wanted to put that i'm not as cold hearted as i sound in what i said.  i'm all for pitbulls, and i completely agree with the statement "punish the owner not the breed," but this is an individual dog, not the breed.  i actually am helping a couple recondition their pitbull right now, which is dog aggressive and gets way too rough when he gets excited, so don't think i'm a breed nazi or anything please  :-\

12
with just keeping her inside, it really is a liability.  this isn't a grandma's little 5lb chihuahua who even at their most vicious moments everyone laughs because of their pitiful attempt to maul someone.  this is a powerful breed, with the size to back them up.  there are so many what if's.  what if she gets out the yard, what if she squeezes out the door when someone walks in.  i can what if all day, but the big thing would be *what if* she got out into society by accident.  even axle, who is 99.9% predictable, never runs off and never climbs the fence (he's too lazy and stupid)has accidentally escaped.  what dog hasn't gotten loose?  the point is, though, who would she go after?  a child perhaps in a boy/girl scout outfit?  or maybe a child who's walking their dog?  or maybe a child who's simply in the wrong place at the wrong time.  the possibilities are endless.  yes, it's obvious they love their dog.  but is it fair to the dog to make it live it's life in a cage (even just keeping them inside 24/7 would be caging it because it would never feel freedom), never to be trusted?  what about your responsibility as a pet owner to protect not only your pet, but also the people around your pet.  what if one day she / he can't stop the dog from going after someone and the dog turns on the owner out of anger?  dog aggression is one thing that can be avoided easily enough, but people aggression is a complete different thing.  the two of them together in a single dog just isn't safe for anyone no matter how you toss the coin.

sorry, it's been a long day.  anyways, i agree that they care for their pet, but possibly it would be best for the dog to go to a breed specific rescue who is willing to work with the animal, and the pet would have more financial availabilities .  it just seems if they've had it this long the problem would be resolved (or at least a little bit better if they were so committed to helping the dog) already or they would have realized that this may be a problem that could never be fixed and she just isn't an animal to be trusted.  and why on god's green earth would a shelter adopt her out KNOWING what kind of temperament she has....???  perhaps the people adopted her thinking she would be like that little mutt they had when they were a kid.  everyone knows the kind.  the one that sits there and lets anyone do anything.  perhaps they didn't realize what kind of commitment this would be and how hard it is to recondition a dog from a problem they've had for years.  dogs are like babies, they're made to be cute so that people feel sorry and relate to them through a past experience the person has gone through.  the cold truth of it is, though, that sometimes there just isn't enough help or love in the world to take away the pain and hate a soul has stored up inside.  sometimes it's better to just admit defeat and give an animal release from the torture of being penned up for the next 15+ years simply because of something that cannot be changed, to only then be too old and tired to be able to enjoy life as it was meant to be enjoyed.

13
Anything Non-Dog Related / Re: NDR - where i've been
« on: November 17, 2007, 03:02:22 am »
sorry i haven't called!  i asked hubby to when i went in but he forgot.  i have a follow up thos week or monday so i'll be able to tell you when i can drive over again after that.  give axle a hug!

14
Anything Non-Dog Related / Re: NDR - where i've been
« on: November 14, 2007, 03:37:30 pm »
i can't help but laugh about it.  i ended up having a reaction to the steri strips (the tape they put over my "holes" post surgery) and now have huge blisters on my belly everywhere it touches me.  they hurt like h*ll-o, and look horrendous, but it so figures.  anywho, hubby has the boys so i just have to handle maya (who can be a hand full herself with her being so crabby lately).  that makes life so much easier!  i'll stay with mom until next week, to give me time to heal up and rest some, before going to battle with the boys and hubby's family again.

15
Anything Non-Dog Related / NDR - where i've been
« on: November 14, 2007, 07:56:44 am »
ok, so everyone knows i'm in the process of moving, and am staying in ms for a bit until we go to texas.  navarre is being great and watching axle for me, and my mom has peanut.  well, my luck has proven true and rotten to say the least.  i think i mentioned stomach pain all the time (at least to mama2many i think maybe to everyone) and problems getting sick, etc.  well, i got super sick the week before i left GA, and again the night before we went to MS.  then, i kept getting sick over and over every time i ate.  well, long story short when i was in the hospital the week before we left GA they thought i had galstones, but couldn't do surgery b/c i also had pancreatitus.  when i got to ms, it got worst and worst, and i went back into the hosp this past tuesday, and had surgery yesterday, and just got out of the hospital.  i was so lucky (for once) because my gallbladder was about twice it's normal size and they had to chop it up to get it out laproscoptical ly, and almost had to do the big ole gash *wipes forehead being thankful that didn't happen*.  instead, they had to put extra holes in me, so i now have 4 big holes (big enough to stick my pinky finger in) and 5 small holes (about two ink pen tips big) in my tummy.  anywho, that's what's going on here, just though i'd give an update.  elsewise everyone is great :)

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