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Fri May 08, 2026 [ Login ] [ Contact Forum Admin ] [ Main index ] [ Post a new message ] [ Search | Check update time | Archives: 1, [2] ]

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Date Posted: 14:21:36 02/22/07 Thu
Author: Gary
Author Host/IP: adsl-68-89-113-230.dsl.rcsntx.swbell.net / 68.89.113.230
Subject: My buddy................
In reply to: Gary 's message, "Update on my Zack.........." on 14:20:08 02/22/07 Thu

.... is a fighter. He fights to get up off the floor, he fights to stand, he fights to walk, he fights to go outside.

He appeared to be having a problem with the prednisone in that his pant increased to a point where he was taking two breaths every second. yeah, very fast, all the time... and his heart rate was just racing. (The one vet, the one we don't like, told me to increase his pred to 4 times his dose !!!!! BULLCRAP! I had the receptionist have the good vet call me the next day and he and I worked out a weaning schedule instead. So we have been backing him down off the pred and his breathing episodes have likewise calmed down....

He also experienced a seizure type of event over a week ago. His legs and body just tightened up in a stretch position and went rock solid. His mouth clamped down, solid and had caught his tongue. I had real trouble getting his mouth open as he was having trouble breathing. The episode finally subsided after a few minutes. I called the vet and they told me that the Tramadol, a synthetic opiate, can push seizure prone dogs over the edge. So they substituted torbugesic for 5 days. (tramadol is $8 bucks for about a months worth of meds, torbugesic was $130 bucks for 5 days of meds....) He has since finished the torb., and is back on 1/4 the dose of tramadol. We are trying to judge when he is in pain before we give the tramadol.

We are slowly starting to work his Rimadyl back into his system for the inflammation in his spine as we wean him off of the prednisone. Gotta be really careful in blending steroid based anti-inflammatorys with non-steroid based anti-inflammatorys.

When I get home from work, he wants to walk. I mean... DAD, WE ARE GOING FOR A WALK NOW... YA HEAR ME???? Ok, so we walk around our yard and the neighbor's yard combined.... at his pace, HE LEADS the way, in the grass which helps his rear legs/feet grip and hold him up. The walk takes us about 3 laps around, about 1200 feet distance. We have slowly built up to this over the last week. Yesterday was the best. Only stumbling with the rear legs every 6th step or so. He stops every 70 feet or so along the way, he looks, sniffs, listens.... then moves on.

I still get up at 2 am to carry him out to the yard so he doesn't have an accident in the house. Will probably continue to do this until he is off of the prednisone. He wolfs water while on the pred... and I just don't trust his lower end to wake him, tell him to go outside, then slide off the couch and walk outside on his own....

We figure, we will continue to support him in any way we can, as long as all the rest of him is healthy and clean (except for the rear legs) and his attitude is to fight his way through.

Hug your kids.....

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