Tuesday, January 10, 2012

Quick updates


1. London, the missing sheltie

London is still missing, but the good news is that she has been sighted several times by several people in the same area, and yesterday even entered her crate (which was set up in the yard of a place she had visited) but then spooked and bolted again before she could be enclosed. A system has now been rigged up to close her in from a distance if she returns.

For those helping in the search, the breeder emailed tonight to say she seems to be going up and down between the waterfall area of the park and a few homes on the bank, where they back onto the park (mostly off Knudsen Road and in behind the storage units).

She is a very scared dog right now, but will be getting hungry so hopefully she will soon come out for some tasty treat like warm BBQ chicken.

Please keep her in your thoughts and send positive vibes for her safe return.

Eddie helps in the search


2. Eddie, my new family member

Eddie's leg is much better, so hopefully his lameness was just from either too much walking or some twisting during his prancing around. I rested it for a day or two, did a couple of very short walks, and today took him to the park to help search for London - I figured it was time he got used to travelling in my vehicle (to fun places instead of scary new homes or the vet's office!) and the soft trails of the park would be good walking territory.
But that black box in front of your face still makes me nervous!

While somewhat anxious, overall he seemed to enjoy himself and was amply rewarded with treats. We didn't walk a long way; though we were at the park for about an hour, we spent much of that time just watching from vantage points or talking to other dog walkers. Tonight he is favouring his leg a little, so we'll see how he is tomorrow.

3. Petey, foster dog extraordinaire

Petey is doing well. He objects to my leaving him when he is awake, but he's settled in well and "Il Divo" knows how to wrap me around his little paws. On Monday, I'll be taking him down to Victoria to meet with another vet about his eyes. Please send "NO SNOW" vibes, because I don't want to be driving the Malahat in adverse conditions, and d*mn it's cold out there tonight!


Ah likes mah foster-mama pillow!


4. Sad starving Sadie

 Sadie's test results aren't back yet - at least not the ones we are most interested in - but she is holding her own as long as she is fed every three hours or so, and only taken on very short, very gentle walks.

As I've mentioned before, Sadie has episodes where she suddenly starts staggering like a drunk and then collapses in a heap on the ground. The first episode occured last May, with tests and chest xrays in May and June revealing nothing; however, in August the episodes began again, and have been getting more severe and more frequent since then.

In a stroke of luck, if one can call it that, she collapsed five minutes before the vet arrived for a scheduled appointment last week, and so the vet was able to check her heart and blood pressure while she was having an episode, and both were completely normal - we are now able to rule out a cardiac or circulatory problem. Her blood sugar, however, was dangerously low (1.2), and was still well below the appropriate minimum level a half hour after being fed corn syrup and carbs.

We are waiting for tests that will tell us if she has an insulinoma (tumor on the pancreas which causes overproduction of insulin) or possibly Addison's disease. Please keep her in your thoughts too.

Yeah, an' look how skinny I is despite all those extra meals!

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

I am sure a thyroid test has been done for Sadie; but will mention just incase it hasn't.

My spaniel had a slow thyriod; periodic collapse was one of her symptoms.
Good Luck!

Unknown said...

Glad to hear that Eddie's leg is back to normal. We will keep Sadie in our thoughts & prayers. Good luck Petey, on your eye visit & hoping London is back home safe & sound soon!

Jean said...

Anon, Sadie was diagnosed with thyroid problems when she came to me in 2008, and has had her levels checked frequently - including advanced diagnostics by Hemopet (Dr Jean Dodd) which is one of the most thorough in North America. Her recent blood tests show it to be well within the normal range, as are most of her other scores. Her ALT is mildly elevated, showing some liver problems for which she is now on milk thistle and SAMe. The high ALT would be consistant with an insulinoma. Now we just await the insulin scores.

Jean said...

Oh, I should mention that she is on meds for thyroid, and has been since 2008, and the dosage is appropriate according to the tests.

Anonymous said...

Thank you Jean and Eddie for helping in the search for London. (And is Eddie photogenic or what, even if the camera makes him nervous!)

I hope for Petey's sake it doesn't snow on Monday, but unfortunately I did hear the "s" word in the forecast here for Sunday.....

Sadie, we're thinking of you.

Sharon & Taleah

georgia little pea said...

dear Jean, it looks like your plate is really full at the moment.

poor Sadie. she looks tired. poor London [though maybe by now, he's been found?] at least it's good news about Eddie and sort of good news about Petey.

*NO SNOW* wishes coming your way, and a big hug too x

Anonymous said...

Say no to snow! At least till after Petey's appointment. And by then you should have received a little package from me containing some gently used bad weather gear for both Eddie and Petey. I'm glad Eddie's leg is improving. Now we just need a good diagnosis and treatment plan for Sadie. Fingers and paws crossed!

Deb S.

Laura Carson said...

I'm just now catching up - so many stressful things happening. Crossing my fingers for London's safe return, good results for your new foster, and crossing my fingers for some answers for Sadie!

That Eddie is cute as a bug's ear!!