3_31_10 Update

Elvis is still doing quite a bit of coughing.

When Randall came in to wake me this morning, he said he'd already given him 1/2 Torb at 7 am and there was some residual coughing going on.

Breakfast for Elvis at 8, and I upped his Lasix to 1 ml instead of the usual .75 ml (I'll leave it at that at dinner since he's sensitive). At 8:30ish, it seems to have done the trick. The coughing (and companion wheezing) has stopped. I still don't like that this has kicked in, but we're going to leave the house shut up today (and run the AC if necessary). The allergens may have nothing to do with this; we may be seeing a change in his body, but I want to try this before anything else. It's also quite humid and I know that can be a problem.

If tomorrow the coughing is still going on, I'll call the clinic. Dr. Walthall hasn't seen him since before Christmas, and I definitely want her to check him over before I go to Dallas in mid-April, so if this is the trip to the clinic, that's the way it is.

I'm also back to weighing him every day, and I am seeing some weight gain/loss. Nothing terribly significant - maybe 3 or 4 ounces a day - but still enough that with the coughing, I want to be sure I'm not looking at his congestive heart failure causing a problem. (I'm going to start tracking his weight on his calendar.)

So that's what's up with the stumpy fella. I'll update tomorrow morning.

Coughing 3_30_10

For the last three or four days, Elvis has been doing his soft coughing bit. Each time, he gets 1/2 a Torbutrol and that seems to kick it for the day.

I'm not sure what's going on, and I am getting ready to call the clinic to let them know, but it honestly seems to have started when oak made an appearance in the pollen count. I'll be blowing the patio off this morning (our live oak leaves have FINALLY stopped falling), and I suspect that will give him some relief.

One thing I can say about this, the wheezing isn't going on, so the Prednisone is still doing the job there. And like I said, the cough is soft, but it is persistent until he gets a Torb. And so far, 1/2 of a pill seems to do the trick for the day.

I'll update more if it look like there's something else going on.

Happy Feet!

At dinner. :)

Just in case anyone is wondering, his little treats are small pieces of white corn tortilla. Tonight he got a couple of cooked carrots as well. As you can tell, he lives for this.

3_25_10 Update

Like I'd hoped, with much of the oak leaf mess cleaned up off the back porch and the yard, Elvis' wheeze has been cut back to almost nothing. I still get a bit of it every now and then, but it's when he gets excited. The best way I can describe it was that it was similar to a slight asthma attack. Nothing bad, but the wheezing and soft cough was there at a level I didn't want to see get worse.

I've had to start watching his weight again over the last few days. He's up a bit over 8 pounds. It could be good pasture or it could be fluid, so I've bumped up his Lasix to a full ml yesterday and today. I'll give him another ml tomorrow morning and then see where his weight is after lunch. If it's not any higher, I'll dial the dosage back. Since he's got a sensitivity to Lasix, I'd rather only bump it up for a couple of days. More than that, and I'm afraid I'll see those weird behavior problems. Life is tough enough for the little fella without having him go all paranoid on me. :)

I was hoping to get a couple more pictures of him, but yesterday it was raining and last night as I was putting him in his crate, my right ankle gave way (it's weak from an old injury), and I went down pretty hard. I decided stepping up and down off the porch just wasn't a good idea today. If things are better tomorrow, I may see what I can do there.

If not, I definitely want to get another video of him at dinner. He definitely has the happy feet business down. Watching Elvis do the cha-cha is simply too funny for words.

So that's the update for now. All is going well with him which is just outstanding.

FOODLADY! It's lunchtime!

Elvis periodically comes and sits in the doorway to the den and stares at me until I realize it's time to go in the kitchen to make lunch (or dinner).

Bouncing Back (And a Bit of Elvis)

After losing Savoy on Saturday, I had to take a few days off from blogging and life in general to try to get things back in perspective. It's hell losing a cat so young and to something you thought you could fight only to find out you not only had one arm tied behind your back, but you were also wearing a blindfold.

Savoy was very much loved and will be very much missed. His ashes will come home later this week, so I'm sure I'll take that day off.

But on to Elvis.

The Little Stumpy Fella is doing really, really well.

Very little wheezing or coughing, though what I am hearing may actually have more to do with allergies than his heartworms or congestive heart failure. The live oak trees are dropping their leaves like gangbusters, and his little coughs and such seemed to have started about that time. I'm hoping once they quit falling and the green hairies (or whatever those greenish stringy things are that come down right after the leaves fall) make their way to the ground, he'll get over the problems. We'll bag what we can and mulch the rest and most of the dog side of the yard escapes the yearly molt, so I'm hoping that once the patio is cleared off he'll straighten up.

For the past couple of months, I've not been sitting in the living room stitching (can't when it's cold because my hand gets cold and stiff), but the last couple of days have given me an opportunity to go in and start getting back in the habit. Funny. He didn't remember the words, "Ottoman boy", but he sure knew what the sound of the ottoman rolling across the floor meant. He was in there in a flash. There were a couple of false starts getting him up there (our remaining cat was on the back of the chair and he's scared to death of her), but once he was there, he flopped right down with a contented sigh.

He's also learning to automatically "kennel" into his crate at night. We're what? Eight months into his time with us and he's just started it this last week. Have to give credit to the soft dog treats we use to bribe him in, but even with them present over the last eight months, this week is the first time is scuttled in on his own. If his path is blocked or Haley is close he won't do it, but give him a clear path and he's in like a shot.

I'm hoping to get a few more pictures of him once the patio is cleared up. (Not only is the depth of the oak leaves embarrassing, but I'm very allergic to them, so no amount of wishing for pics will get me out there until it's cleared up.)

So that's where we are. His weight is good. His appetite is good. His meds seem to be doing what they should. Overall, he's just doing great, so I'll keep my fingers crossed things stay that way.

Unfortunate post (not Elvis related)

It's probably going to be a few days before I blog much in the way of an Elvis update.

We had to have my cat put down this afternoon after his kidneys failed. As you can imagine, I'm not much in the mood to blog.

(Elvis is doing well, though, so no fretting on that front.)

Elvis getting some fresh air

Out for a few minutes between naps. :)

Pictures of Elvis

Haley and Elvis 3/2/10











Haley and Elvis, 3/2/10

New feature and a quick Elvis update

First off, there's a new little feature on Elvis' blog. If you look down right below Useful Links on the right, you'll see a nifty little thing that Petfinder has available. You insert the code that places a picture (rotating if there are multiple animals) of available dogs at the shelter of your choice. In our case, since Elvis is a senior and since Randall and I have a soft spot for the older fur babies, the rotating picture is an available senior dog at the Waco Humane Society.

If I haven't plugged fostering lately, let me do that. Fostering is a marvelous way to give back to the disadvantaged animals in your community. Obviously the ideal solution is a loving, forever home for all dogs and cats at the local shelters/rescue groups, but if adoption isn't possible for you right now, please consider fostering. Local group are almost always in need of volunteers, and fostering available animals is a grand way to help out.

And for a quickie update on Elvis. He got his heartworm pill Sunday night, and he made it through the vast majority of yesterday without coughing. That's new with him. He did start coughing yesterday evening before his dinner, but it was really obvious to me that it was excitement that was triggering the coughing. I went ahead and gave him 1/2 of a Torbutrol and that brought it under control.

Today he hasn't coughed at all, so again it's safe to assume that the elevated coughing the day after his heartworm pill is because of the pill.

Other than that little hiccup, he's doing beautifully. He's still spooky as all get out, but there has been less interaction with him and Randall and me since Savoy got sick, so I suspect once things calm down with that and we're able to give him a bit more attention, he'll be fine. His spookiness isn't at all unusual, really, so it's nothing we're concerned about. He is still MILES better than he was when we brought him in last summer.

I've got a few pictures to post here, and if I've got the coding right, they should show up fine. If not, I'll have to tinker and I'll put them in a separate post.

March Vacation Canceled

Just an FYI, but the vacation that the blog was taking in March has been canceled. Instead it will be in mid-April through early May, so I'll post a heads up as we get closer to the date.