A Millie update and Di, how is Minnie

[debih]

Just wondering how she was doing.

Millie is pretty much back to normal. I haven't weighed her for a while - last time I did she was just under 15 kg which is where Dan wanted her to be. She has lost that skeletal look and although you can still see her hip bones I think we probably always will be able to as she is just that sort of dog!!!

Food wise we have now found the perfect one. Pedigree Chum Loaf. It smears round the bowl well, the dietician at the vet says that it is giving her all the protiens, etc that she needs. It isn't the cheapest - its around £3.60 for 6 tins and she has at least two a day. A bit of a difference to a bag of dried food that cost £10 and lasted two months!!!!

Her coat is lovely and glossy and she just looks really healthy. She is still skittish over load noises, but then she was before. October will be hellish as we are in illuminations season here in Matlock Bath and there is a cliff top firework display every Saturday night during October. Fifteen minutes of loud, echoey fireworks. I am going to talk to the vet about some sedatives to see if they help.

She is still sick occasionally but we always know why - she will never be able to eat like a proper dog and anything larger than a grape gets stuck and up it comes. But we now have doggy chocolate drops for treats. We were getting a little concerned about her teeth - her breathe was very smelly and she was getting quite a lot of tartar on her back teeth but a neighbour bought her a hard plastic bone that tastes of beef (I think) and she gnaws away on that. Within days we noticed that the bad breathe had gone and the tartar was much better - and she can't actually bite anything off this bone thing.

So all in all, pretty good at the moment. We know that there is a possibility that the stricture could close up more and we have already made the decision that if it does we won't put her through any more operations but for the time being she is back to being her normal fit, healthy, manic, annoying self. It has taken almost 10 months to get here there though, its been a long hard slog and an emotional rollercoaster!

[Kaz]

That's really good to hear Debih, well done Millie!!!

[miasmum]

Debih you have worked so hard on Millie, as Di has on Minnie. I am so so pleased to read this.

Well done Millie girl xxx

[debih]

Not sure if you saw this Di - how is Minnie?

[Diflower]

I've seen it now Hadn't had time to go through all the boards till now.
That's so good to hear about Millie, it's a question of hitting on the right regime isn't it; as you say she'll probably always be on the skinny side, she's a lurcher or lurcher cross isn't she?

Minnie is 'ok'. Some of it's really good; the best thing really is that she hasn't had any episodes of the runs or anything for weeks now, and her ears and tongue are lovely and pink. The vet said on Monday that her tummy didn't feel any worse, which is good, since a tumour would have been making itself more obvious by now.

She's now on 5mg of the steroid every other day, down from 6.25, and is staying on that for about 4 weeks, then if she's still ok we decide whether to put it down to 2.5 every other day, or 3 times a week, or something like that.
She's still terribly hungry (steroids), which is hard but we don't give her more - all the same she's put on another kilo. She used to be so very fit, and now she's not.

Her morning walk is mostly just that, a walk on the lead, and she's funny about where she goes, she gets very anxious, often about things we can't see. Yesterday she happily went to the field and all round it, but today she wouldn't even go down the lane that leads to it. She's like that about any route you take. And I do mean 'wouldn't', I tried talking, cajoling, pulling, but she just would not go, she more or less dragged me back home - and yet when you leave the house she's so excited

We do go to the marshes and sea wall still sometimes, and she enjoys it, but can't do anything like as much as she used to so we do worry about how much swimming she does, things like that.

Physically she's improved though, which is lovely, you remember we think she probably had a stroke? Well, when I brush her, she always lifts her front legs up in turn, but she couldn't do the left one, she'd lift it then immediately put it down again as she was unbalanced. Just last week she lifted it and kept it lifted, she was so chuffed she kept doing it

And she can now give me a hug too, I kneel in front of her and she puts her paws on my shoulders, her face on my neck - she'd kept trying but again, just in the last 10 days or so she can do it
You look at those photos of her on holiday and she looks so well, which she is, kind of, but not quite the dog she was. She still might improve

[miasmum]

Oh Di that is so lovely to read. The bit about the hugs brought tears to my eyes.

You four, Deb and Millie and Di and Minnie, should be so very proud of yourselves xxx

[Diflower]

MM I think back to when I looked up IMHA, that first day, and read 70-80% mortality rate in the first two weeks...there aren't many dogs who make it this far.
And Millie too, against all odds - you're right, us and Debih should be proud of it

[Kaz]

You really should xx

[debih]

Thats really good news Di.

They are both real little fighters aren't they.

[Ally]

That is just so lovely to read about Minnie and Millie.

And well done to both Di and Debih for all the love, care and attention that's been lavished on these two precious dogs. xx