Just a quick post to say that it does look like Elvis' infection is responding to the antibiotics. The swelling in his face isn't gone entirely, but it is going down. I was going to call the clinic today, but I decided to wait until Monday when he's been on the meds for 7 days. I suspect by then I'll really know more.
I'll post again on Monday.
Friday, October 29, 2010
Monday, October 25, 2010
Elvis and the tooth
Poor little guy.
Elvis has two teeth left in his head. Both on the left, and this Saturday, an infection set in. I was hoping against hope the swelling in his face was an insect bite, but when it didn't go down by yesterday morning, I had a pretty good idea it was a tooth.
So off to the clinic this morning we went. When I'd tried to look at it Saturday afternoon, Elvis wasn't a happy camper, so before we left the house, he got 1/4 of a Valium to help ward off some stress. When we got to the clinic, I had to make a pit stop first off the bat, and while I was doing that, Dr. Walthall came out and took a quick look at him. Sure enough. Bad tooth.
She also got a chance to see the mass in his groin, and the verdict there was hernia. Which is good, provided it doesn't strangulate, and considering his physical condition, we're going to rely on pumpkin to keep him regulated so he doesn't strain when he potties. It's also easy to keep an eye on since he's in my lap every morning in preparation for his morning Oats (4 Cheerios that he feels very entitled to). So I can feel it daily to make sure it's not getting larger.
Anyway, back to the tooth. There were a couple of options available. Antibiotics first while delaying surgery. Surgery first and then antibiotics. I made the decision to go with the first option because I'm going to be in Dallas the first part of November, and the schedule between now and then is terribly full even without an extraction. Also, there are reservations about putting him under, and I want to think some about that before we go that route. Also, I'd like that infection cleared up first because my thinking is he's going to have enough to deal with without his body fighting that as well.
So, we'll put off the surgery until after I get back in town. I told Dr. Walthall that I suspect he would do better waking up from surgery with me there, so we'll have to figure out a way to work that in, too. My status as Foodlady means I'm his security blanket, and he tends to panic less if he can get to me. So we'll have to figure out those arrangements.
That's where we are. He's on liquid clindamycin for the infection, and he's got 10 days of that. He'll be done with that before I leave for Dallas, and Randall knows to monitor that situation, and he'll call the clinic if the swelling shows back up.
Oh. And while we were talking about the shape he is in, she did say how good he looks. And he does. His weight is the RIGHT kind of weight, and particularly for a dog on daily steriods things are where they should be. Like she said, it's sort of like he's aging backwards. A truly wonderful thing when you remember the shape he was in when he came in here in July 2009. With his medical conditions well managed, he just looks and acts like a different dog.
Elvis has two teeth left in his head. Both on the left, and this Saturday, an infection set in. I was hoping against hope the swelling in his face was an insect bite, but when it didn't go down by yesterday morning, I had a pretty good idea it was a tooth.
So off to the clinic this morning we went. When I'd tried to look at it Saturday afternoon, Elvis wasn't a happy camper, so before we left the house, he got 1/4 of a Valium to help ward off some stress. When we got to the clinic, I had to make a pit stop first off the bat, and while I was doing that, Dr. Walthall came out and took a quick look at him. Sure enough. Bad tooth.
She also got a chance to see the mass in his groin, and the verdict there was hernia. Which is good, provided it doesn't strangulate, and considering his physical condition, we're going to rely on pumpkin to keep him regulated so he doesn't strain when he potties. It's also easy to keep an eye on since he's in my lap every morning in preparation for his morning Oats (4 Cheerios that he feels very entitled to). So I can feel it daily to make sure it's not getting larger.
Anyway, back to the tooth. There were a couple of options available. Antibiotics first while delaying surgery. Surgery first and then antibiotics. I made the decision to go with the first option because I'm going to be in Dallas the first part of November, and the schedule between now and then is terribly full even without an extraction. Also, there are reservations about putting him under, and I want to think some about that before we go that route. Also, I'd like that infection cleared up first because my thinking is he's going to have enough to deal with without his body fighting that as well.
So, we'll put off the surgery until after I get back in town. I told Dr. Walthall that I suspect he would do better waking up from surgery with me there, so we'll have to figure out a way to work that in, too. My status as Foodlady means I'm his security blanket, and he tends to panic less if he can get to me. So we'll have to figure out those arrangements.
That's where we are. He's on liquid clindamycin for the infection, and he's got 10 days of that. He'll be done with that before I leave for Dallas, and Randall knows to monitor that situation, and he'll call the clinic if the swelling shows back up.
Oh. And while we were talking about the shape he is in, she did say how good he looks. And he does. His weight is the RIGHT kind of weight, and particularly for a dog on daily steriods things are where they should be. Like she said, it's sort of like he's aging backwards. A truly wonderful thing when you remember the shape he was in when he came in here in July 2009. With his medical conditions well managed, he just looks and acts like a different dog.
Thursday, October 21, 2010
Monday, October 18, 2010
Update October 18, 2010
Elvis had me worried this weekend. Saturday he started with the coughing/hacking that sounded just like when he had an infection. Granted, the Torbutrol stopped it, but I had to give him 1/2 a pill and then another 1/2 about an hour later. Still, the sound and frequency of the coughing made me decide to email Dr. Walthall to let her know what was up and that I'd call the clinic this morning.
And just about as soon as she replied, it became obvious Elvis had stopped coughing. Which is good, but still, I felt like an idiot. Dr. Walthall and I had a couple back and forth emails that ended yesterday when she said it sounded like he might need to be checked. So I said I'd call Melody this morning.
So no more coughing. Really. Just the usual coughing from excitement, but none of that "hacking up a lung" cough that he was giving me Saturday. So I called Melody and told her I wanted to hold off bringing him in.
One thing that I've forgotten to mention is that he has a growth on the left groin area. It's about the size of the tip of my index finger. Not big, and it hasn't grown, but I meant to mention it to them when I was in with him last time and totally forgot since I was so focused on his coughing. This is something that I am going to want Dr. Walthall to look at next time he's in.
That said, I told Melody that I was going to Dallas for a couple of weeks in early November. I'd like to bring him in early next week for another checkup unless he starts hacking again. I probably should do it this week, but I am so swamped here that I just can't leave the house (painting).
If there are any changes this week, I'll post another update.
And just about as soon as she replied, it became obvious Elvis had stopped coughing. Which is good, but still, I felt like an idiot. Dr. Walthall and I had a couple back and forth emails that ended yesterday when she said it sounded like he might need to be checked. So I said I'd call Melody this morning.
So no more coughing. Really. Just the usual coughing from excitement, but none of that "hacking up a lung" cough that he was giving me Saturday. So I called Melody and told her I wanted to hold off bringing him in.
One thing that I've forgotten to mention is that he has a growth on the left groin area. It's about the size of the tip of my index finger. Not big, and it hasn't grown, but I meant to mention it to them when I was in with him last time and totally forgot since I was so focused on his coughing. This is something that I am going to want Dr. Walthall to look at next time he's in.
That said, I told Melody that I was going to Dallas for a couple of weeks in early November. I'd like to bring him in early next week for another checkup unless he starts hacking again. I probably should do it this week, but I am so swamped here that I just can't leave the house (painting).
If there are any changes this week, I'll post another update.
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
Update, October 12, 2010
Just a quick update on Elvis' Pred dosage.
Heard from the clinic yesterday, and Elvis can move from 1/4 of a 5 mg Prednisone tablet once a day to 1/4 twice a day. Before I settle on that, I'm going to try it every other day. I suspect he'll end up needing it more frequently, but like with most medicines, trying the least amount first is the best way to go.
I gave him the extra Pred last night, and I noticed this morning that he was less wheezy. I'll skip the extra dose tonight and see how he is in the morning. If he seems fine, then I'll stick to adding a 1/4 tablet every other day. If he isn't, then he'll get it every day.
Heard from the clinic yesterday, and Elvis can move from 1/4 of a 5 mg Prednisone tablet once a day to 1/4 twice a day. Before I settle on that, I'm going to try it every other day. I suspect he'll end up needing it more frequently, but like with most medicines, trying the least amount first is the best way to go.
I gave him the extra Pred last night, and I noticed this morning that he was less wheezy. I'll skip the extra dose tonight and see how he is in the morning. If he seems fine, then I'll stick to adding a 1/4 tablet every other day. If he isn't, then he'll get it every day.
Saturday, October 09, 2010
Update, October 9, 2010
Just a quick note that I'm still waiting to hear about whether or not to increase Elvis' Prednisone. He's still just a tad wheezy, but not bad, so I'm not worried.
With any luck I'll hear something about this from Dr. Walthall on Monday or Tuesday. This isn't a critical situation, so I'll just wait until she has time.
With any luck I'll hear something about this from Dr. Walthall on Monday or Tuesday. This isn't a critical situation, so I'll just wait until she has time.
Tuesday, October 05, 2010
Update, October 5, 2010
(Real life is still hectic and interfering with regularly scheduled updates. *g*)
Elvis is definitely doing better. He's got tonight's dose of antibiotics and tomorrow's to go, and then he'll be finished with them.
I've called the clinic, however, to ask if Dr. Walthall might want to permanently increase his Pred from 1/4 of a 5 mg tablet once a day, to 1/4 of a 5 mg tablet TWICE a day. I'm still getting the wheezy breathing from him, and it may be time to do a permanent increase. I should hear back today about this.
Right now, I'm going on the assumption that his infection has cleared up. I don't hear the deep, hacking cough that I was hearing...more the normal raspy cough that will stop once he settles. Before once that cough started, I couldn't stop it for love nor money unless he got a full Torbutrol, and that was just too much to do as often as I would have had to.
So I'll wait to hear from Dr. Walthall and see what she wants to do about the Pred. Not sure is he'll need to go in for another blood test or not.
I'll post another update probably tomorrow or Thursday once I know more.
Elvis is definitely doing better. He's got tonight's dose of antibiotics and tomorrow's to go, and then he'll be finished with them.
I've called the clinic, however, to ask if Dr. Walthall might want to permanently increase his Pred from 1/4 of a 5 mg tablet once a day, to 1/4 of a 5 mg tablet TWICE a day. I'm still getting the wheezy breathing from him, and it may be time to do a permanent increase. I should hear back today about this.
Right now, I'm going on the assumption that his infection has cleared up. I don't hear the deep, hacking cough that I was hearing...more the normal raspy cough that will stop once he settles. Before once that cough started, I couldn't stop it for love nor money unless he got a full Torbutrol, and that was just too much to do as often as I would have had to.
So I'll wait to hear from Dr. Walthall and see what she wants to do about the Pred. Not sure is he'll need to go in for another blood test or not.
I'll post another update probably tomorrow or Thursday once I know more.
Friday, October 01, 2010
Update, Oct 1, 2010
Elvis is definitely on the mend. The wheezing and coughing are probably a quarter of what they were on Monday, and I suspect that by this time Monday, he'll be much more like his old self.
Right now he and Skeeter are bunking together. Elvis is sort of like a little kid in that he wants a security blanket at times...and when he's not feeling well is one of those times. We'll let the two boys sleep together probably through the weekend, and then move Skeeter back to his own crate on Monday. While Elvis appreciates the company, Skeeter really would like his own bed. Can't blame him, but this helps keep Elvis calm which translates to less coughing.
I did get his nails cut yesterday (they were so long I was really embarrassed for Dr. Walthall to see them, but cutting them is so hard on him that I didn't want to do it while he was feeling bad). He got a Valium right afterwards, but next time I'm going to give him one 20 minutes or so BEFORE I clip them and then another one afterwards if needed. They look much better. I won't do them again, probably until January. I'm not willing to put him through this more than three times a year. I didn't get his dew claws clipped, but there was nothing for it. He was in a full blown panic at that point, and I don't want to give him a heart attack just to clip two nails he doesn't walk on.
Anyway, I suspect I won't do another update until Monday unless things change.
Right now he and Skeeter are bunking together. Elvis is sort of like a little kid in that he wants a security blanket at times...and when he's not feeling well is one of those times. We'll let the two boys sleep together probably through the weekend, and then move Skeeter back to his own crate on Monday. While Elvis appreciates the company, Skeeter really would like his own bed. Can't blame him, but this helps keep Elvis calm which translates to less coughing.
I did get his nails cut yesterday (they were so long I was really embarrassed for Dr. Walthall to see them, but cutting them is so hard on him that I didn't want to do it while he was feeling bad). He got a Valium right afterwards, but next time I'm going to give him one 20 minutes or so BEFORE I clip them and then another one afterwards if needed. They look much better. I won't do them again, probably until January. I'm not willing to put him through this more than three times a year. I didn't get his dew claws clipped, but there was nothing for it. He was in a full blown panic at that point, and I don't want to give him a heart attack just to clip two nails he doesn't walk on.
Anyway, I suspect I won't do another update until Monday unless things change.
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