November 13, 2009

(Just a quick update here, since I'm still using my husband's PC.)

Elvis is doing well. Occasionally he has to have another cough tablet added to his two 1/2 pills he gets a day, but at this point, he's not on any special heart medicine like the Vetmedin. He's still getting his Lasix, and with the cough tablets, that seems to be enough.

I have added 1/2 CC once a day of olive oil. The Lasix seems to really dry out his skin and coat (which is understandable since it's a diuretic), and that seems to be helping. I'm also brushing him daily with a slicker brush (to pull out the dead hair) and then following up with a bristle brush to work out the dander. Takes all of five minutes (he's a small dog! LOL), and it does seem to relieve a lot of his itching and has improved the feel/appearance of his coat and skin.

Also, he seems to be having a bit more trouble with anxiety. Nothing huge; nothing unmanageable; nothing consistent, but I have some cholodin here that I had when we had my senior dachshund, Brenna, who suffered from dementia in the last stages of her life. Cholodin is something that actually seems to work (to varying degrees) to help alleviate a lot of senior dog "moments" and physical problems associated with that. He's getting 1/4 tablet, and I just started him on that three or four days ago. It takes a week to 10 days to kick in, so by the end of next week, I hope to see some stabilizing. If I don't see improvements within 2-3 weeks, I'll take him off it. No point in over-medicating the little fella.

And, as I think I've mentioned before, he's massively obsessed with finding soft spots to lay on. Preferably between someones legs so he can be "protected." He's been spending a lot of time on the ottoman in the living room, and you can see him circling it and staring lovingly at it when he can't get up there. I guess it's safe to say that's his obsession. Every animal in this house has something to obsess about, and soft spots (the ottoman in particular) are his. LOL

On a personal note, I've got a CT scan scheduled for this afternoon (being a cancer survivor, I get these), and once I get the results (hopefully by the end of next week), I'll want to make an appointment for his vet to see him around the first of December. Nothing special at this point, but she wanted to check him out, and I want her to see him and talk to her about treating the unhatched heartworms. I don't know enough about that to say grace over, so I'd like to find out more about what's involved and what he'd go through.