Monday, April 1, 2024

MondayMoanday

 We told Mom that our blog needs a new secretary.  We keep saying we are going to do beter and that just doesn't happen.  So today we, Misty and Timber, put our paws down and told HER that we needed to do a post because our big teddy bear brother needs all his pals to send him some good vibes.



 LIghtning's almost 13 years ( May 4th birthday) are taking their toll.  The past few months have brought rapidly increasing difficulty in walking, getting up and down,  and doing stairs.  He has been on a variety of medications for pain, ranging from tramadol, gabapentin, Rimadyl, and those new promising Librela injections.  After four months of the Librela shots, the vet said they were not working for Lightning. Librela is a monoclonal antibody treatment that is supposed to direct the nerve sensors to send a message to the body that there is no pain.  Unfortunately that message doesn't seem to get through to Lightning's joints.  The vet thinks his body may be developing antibodies to the medication.  So he switched Lightning to some anantadine which is supposed to do the same thing as Librela but maybe in a way his body would accept.  It is also used in humans and is one of those drugs that either works or doesn't work. It is still early to tell if it is helping Lightning because other behaviors with him have brought additional changes in his meds.


Because Mom was waking almost every morning to puddles on the kitchen floor where we are confined at night, she decided to put a Ring camera in that area to figure out who the culprit was.  It only took one night of filming to see that it was clearly Lightning.  He was checked for a UTi and had an ultrasound of his bladder and kidneys to see if he had stones or a tumor or something that would explain the urination issue.  He had also previously been tested for Cushing's.  All results were negative.  The camera also revealed another situation.  Lightning does NOT sleep at night.  He is up roaming around (and occasionally peeing) literally every half hour from midnight until 5:30 a.m.  He never barks or cries out; he is just totally unable to settle.  So how to explain THAT!!!


Another vet consultation yielded two possibilities.  One could be a side effect of the gabapentin, which in some cases causes confusion in dogs that mimics doggy dementia or cognitive dysfunction.  The other is the early stage of that dementia.  So Mom stopped the gabapentin last Wednesday.  It may take a week or more to determine if the gabapentin causes the wakefulness.  If it slows down significantly or simply stops, then it is likely the medication.  If it doesn't, then it is likely cognitive dysfunction.  In the latter case, he could go back on the gabapentin and an additional med for the dementia.



Meanwhile our wonderful vet is married to another wonderful vet who has been working in veterinary research for a few years and who has just recently acquired her certification in physical therapy for dogs.  She started working one day a week at our vet's clinic last Friday and guess who her first patient was?  Yep, Lightning!!!  He has a very hard time easing himself down to the floor or to his bed and even more difficulty getting back up.  Stairs are a huge problem.  He has to go down 7 steps to get to the yard.  About 50% of the time he does OK, but then he may start down just fine with his front paws, but his back legs give and he just drags his back end down the stairs. Coming back up the stairs are a challenge as he doesn't have the muscles in his back end to pull himself up.  





Sorry this is getting very long. At his PT visit Friday which lasted about an hour and a half with Mom there, and then another two hours where Mom left him with the vet  to do some more work, Dr. Sarah put him through a thorough neurological exam and determined that his issues are not neurologically related - that is the good news.  But his problems are all muscle and orthopedic issues. She proceeded with the orthopedic exam and made her prediction for where the issues were.  She then proceeded to a full range of x-rays.  We were expecting to find issues with his knees and hips.  You might remember that he had torn both CCLs in 2018 and 2019.  One knee was surgically repaired but his recovery was long and difficult.  That knee never really fully returned to normal.  The decision was made NOT to repair the second tear and let the joint heal as best as possible on its own.  We knew that both knees were highly likely to develop arthritis.  The surprise was that the worst of his pain is coming from his back.  He has severe arthritic indications the entire length of his spine.  No wonder the poor guy is struggling with his mobility. And he NEVER complains.  You can see how important it is going to be to get his pain meds under control





The physical exam also revealed that his front shoulder and upper leg muscles are very tight because he is relying on them for most of his body support.  The hip muscles are also very tight and his range of motion in all four legs is limited.  So Mom came home with a myriad of exercises to do with him daily.  She has videos from the vet to guide her.  Lightning was fairly cooperative today for his therapy session with Mom; she is taking it slow and steady with him.  The hope is to try to get his muscles moving more freely and hope that will help his mobility.  


Between the pain, mobility issues, possible dementia, and general aging, our gentle giant is not doing so well.  He could use a little POTP from his friends.  We know that our peeps will continue to do all they can to help him, but the main goal is getting him to be comfortable.  That is only fair to him.



Sorry for the long and sad post, but maybe it will help explain why we don't get to post much.  Mom says it is hard to find happy moments to share.  It's been a rough few years with lots of family medical issues, both human and canine. We think she just needs to change her mindset:).  


We don't want to make any promises, but we WILL try to find something cheery to tell you about soon.


Woos - Lightning, Misty, and Timber


Let's join the Awww Mondays Blog Hop sponsored by Comedy Plus.

38 comments:

  1. I am so sorry Lightning is having so many troubles. I will definitely be praying for him. XO

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  2. Prayers for Lightning. He's such a handsome pup and he needs to be happy and as pain free as possible. You're doing your part making his life as good as it can be.

    Thank you for joining the Awww Mondays Blog Hop.

    Have a fabulous Awww Monday and week. Scritches all around, healing hugs to Lightning and a big hug to you. ♥

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  3. Oh, our dear, beautiful and handsome boy, we so feel and share your pain, getting old is not easy, is it. Your Mom is working hard (and it sound like you, and your new "lady vet" are doing that too) to make you as whole and as better as you can possibly be ... and our paws are together that this will happen with a little more time. Your heart and your soul deserve it ... we want your body to feel it too.

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  4. We have our paws crossed that some of these things can bring Lightning some relief. It's okay to tell us about the difficult times so we can be there to try to support as best we can from afar. Your mom deserves a huge Mother's day gift this year for all she does for everyone in your family, both human and canine.

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  5. Librela can cause polyuria and urinary incontinence. (Both are listed in the Canadian product monograph, and the latter in the US prescribing information.) Clients have also anecdotally reported pacing/inability of their dogs to settle. Hopefully the discontinuation of Librela will lead to resolution of these issues, and the new medicine will help Lightning's arthritis pain. Best wishes to that handsome boy!

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    1. That is interesting because my vet and i did discuss that as a possible link to the urination issue. But that problem actually started before the Librela began. I will look into the prescribing information too. So many other dogs that are taking it have had great success so we were pretty disappointed.

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  6. Lightning dear boy, we're all sending our most powerful purrs and POTP to you. We're glad the Docs may have figure out where the problem is and hopeful the PT and pain meds will help. We love you handsome dude.

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  7. You are such a handsome boy and life is just not playing fair with you. We send you TONS of AireZen and positive vibes and we are praying that the new med will help you out, Lightning♥

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  8. Dear Lightning my Wooful friend and Family...I send you lots gentle hugs,
    I sure do wish I could be closer to help Mom...'cause I would. I will keep you all close to my heart and my prayers. And I send lots of pawsitive vibes to your devoted vets
    Here is your name with words/pharases that describe your gentle Woo personality

    Loyal
    Incredibly soft white furs
    Gentleman
    His Mom's best boy
    Tender heart
    Near and dear to us all
    I love those Woo Eyes
    Nice to Misty and Timber his pack
    Grand(bipeds) love him
    Hugs
    Cecilia

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  9. Lightning, we are all rooting for you that things will be under control and you can remain with your loving family a bit longer...
    This is the hardest part of our LOVE for fur babies as they all end up with problems equal to human aging problems.
    Big hugs,
    Mariette + Kitties

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  10. You need us most when times are harder. Please let us all help with comforting words or ideas and a pep talk every once in awhile. We can take the good, the bad and the ugly along with brighter days.
    You have a plethora of good people around you in your vets. Hope you get him into a better place in the pain department. It surely isn't for the lack of trying everything under the sun. Hugs to all.

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  11. Oh Lightning, I'm so sorry you're going through this horrible phase. I'm sending you (and your Mom) lots of love and hugs and also prayers and the good ole' POTP. Hope you feel better soon and your DOGters find a solution.

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  12. We add our best POTP and soft arroos for Lightning, that his therapy will help, and that all his issues can be figured out and eased, so that his pain will greatly lessen.

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  13. Oh dear, poor old Lightning. To try to keep him as comfortable is clearly the priority.
    Sending love and hugs from across the Pond.
    Gail and Nobby.

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  15. Poor Lightning! I am sorry he is having so many problems and send my best wishes for him.

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  16. We are so sorry to read that Lightning is having all these problems (and we cannot believe he is 13. How can that be?). You are clearly do all you can to find solutions. Do you have an osteopath anywhere close who would work on animals? They can do a lot to relieve aches and pains. As for all that peeing, has he been tested for diabetes? We are crossing all paws and hooves for him here.

    Woofs, Purrs, Neighs and Hugs,
    Rveryone at The Poupounette

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  17. Hari OM
    ๐Ÿ™๐Ÿ’–๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ๐Ÿพ... hugs and wags, YAM-aunty xxx

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  18. My heart is hurting for Lightning, and dear sweet boy, prayers are going up for you. We will all be waiting to hear the results of going off the gabapentin and prayers for a solution to your pain. love you lots Lightning

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  19. so sorry Misty and Timber, I love you too.. sorry I forgot to say so...

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  20. have you tried meloxicam for pain? dee mum takes gabapentin on and off for nerve pain but she hates the side effects which is why she does not take it all the time

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    1. We are trying to make changes one at a time so we can figure out what is causing issues and what is working. Meloxicam is one the vet has mentioned to try next. Thanks for your help.

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  21. Lulu: "Aww, we're very sorry to hear that Lightning has been feeling achy and unsettled."
    Java Bean: "Sรญ, for sure!"
    Lulu: "We send lots of fluffy tail wags your way for them to find a combination of therapy and meds that make him feel better."
    Chaplin: "And we cats send lots of purrs!"

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  22. Can Lightning really be 13?? Unbelievable. Where does the time go? Oh, I'm so sorry. to hear of his mobility issues. We had the same issues with Zappa with his back and hips. We did laser treatment for him. It was the only thing that kept him walking. My heart goes out to you and your family. I know how difficult this is to go through. Sending love and POTP. ♥

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  23. We're sending our loudest, rumbly purrs and prayers to Lightning. We hope you can get a good plan for his meds soon.

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  24. We are sending tons of POTP Lightning's way! We sure hope better days are on the horizon for both Peeps and Pups!
    Big Hugs from Mama and
    xoxo,
    Sunny & Rosy

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  25. We send Lightning purrayers and Power of the Paw and some Moose Magic (which helps Elkhounds). We hope some of the hard work the vets and your Mom are doing finds some way to help him. Our huMom has some of the same problems,

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  26. We're sorry to hear Lightning is having these issues. We're sending lots of prayers for him and my mom sends snooter kisses. Gabapentin made me loopy when I took it as a puppy so I think that stuff is no bueno! Sending him lots of POTP and love. xo, Lexi

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  27. I'll be praying for him. It's so hard to grow old.

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  28. It looks as if I can comment here now! I wrote you an email, but I'll say it again. I'm so sorry about Lightning and thank you for the update. Please don't worry about making your posts cheerful, blogging is about sharing our lives, being authentic. We wish we could do something to help.

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  29. Dear Lightning.....even though we haven't been able to get your posts, we saw this one on 15andMeowing and follows the link here to bring you BIG HUGS and POTP because we know you're having a hard time dear boy. We sure hope that something can help you feel better because we love you and all the Woos! Consider yourself well and truly hugged.....OK?

    Love, Pam and Teddy

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  30. Hi Kathie, I'm so sorry to learn of Lightning's health issues. For some reason, I haven't received any post notices and had no idea. Please know we're sending loads of 'pawsitive' healing thoughts his vet team can make improvements to his quality of life. Hugs and tail wags to you and the whole pack, but especially for your sweet Lightning. ๐Ÿ’™

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  31. So sorry, sweet Lightening. Will send Healing Pawkisses and Purrayers to feel better soon๐Ÿพ๐Ÿ˜ฝ๐Ÿ’ž

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  32. Poor baby. What a gorgeous trio. Like Pam and Teddy, I found this post thanks to Ellen at 15andMeowing. Blessings, hugs, and prayers.

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  33. Thank you for sharing what is going on with Lighning, you are the best for trying so hard to ease his discomfort as he ages. It is so hard to see them struggle as time goes by but you are doing all the right things. And it sounds like the support from your vet is amazing. Prayers and pets for you sweet pup and a hug for you across the wires.

    Rosie , Redford and their Mom

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  34. Oh, sweet Lightning...I am so sorry he is having such health issues. I was thinking of you guys just the other day...I remember when you first brought Lightning home, is it really 13 years ago???! He reminds me so much of my boy Wolfie. I hope the new PT helps him, and that the Gabapentin maybe was the cause...Our Harley did that up all night and pee thing, too. She did have a UTI though. This is so hard to see their joints and muscles deteriorate...I am reaching out and sending you big, big hugs...and sending all good thoughts, POTP, and prayers Lightning's way... xoxo

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