Happy (?) Tuesday

We are both a lot happier today than yesterday, so that sort of explains the ?.  The Momster tricked us into getting in the car, and THEN took us to the V.E.T.  Don't get us wrong, we do love our vet, but we got stabbed while we were there!!!  Yeah, yeah, yeah, Mom - all for our own good, but we didn't see you stepping up for a needle prick.

So Timber was there mainly to get his 6 month ProHeart injection for heartworm prevention.  But the vet also wanted to know how he is doing now that he is getting a special kibble for his tummy issues.  The good news is that since he started it in June, the frequency of vomiting and tummy pain has decreased substantially.  We also shared with him Timber's difficulty in dealing with the loss of Lightning.  Everything Mom shared with Dr. B. was very normal, per Dr. B., except that it lasted a lot longer than it does for most pets.  We are finally seeing a lot more of the real Timber and less of the sadness.  He still has his quirky behaviors but he is loved all the more because of them.

Misty was there for her annual exam.   She got her ProHeart injection too after her heartworm needle prick test, her rabies shot, and her DHHP vaccine.  She still needs a couple more vaccinations, but we usually spread hers out over a period of time because she has had bad reactions in the past if she gets too many at one time.  She will still need her Lepto, bordetella, and Canine Influenza vaccine which will be administered in December.

As for her inflammatory bowel disease (not to be confused with irritable bowel syndrome), she will never be cured of this evil disease.  She has had every possible treatment available, and either they don't work or they make matters worse. Her case is referred to as "refractory" or unresponsive to treatment.   At least now with her special diet of Ultamino, she is having firm stools with no diarrhea, and she is maintaining her weight.  She has significant blood in her stools every day and that will never change.  She had a big flare-up a week or so ago which is what we posted about recently.  With time it settles back down to her normal bloody output.  Dr. B. said we could try her with some NSAIDs for her back leg issue, but her GI tract is so damaged from the IBD that any medication targeting pain is just going to cause more damage.  So for now, we just take it day by day, and as long as she is happy and not complaining about pain, that's the way it has to be.  We are going to try adding back in the Dasuquin chews for joint health that we took away when her IBD was being diagnosed. They may help with the legs, but if the IBD worsens, then we will have to stop again.  Poor girl has a tough life but she is a sweetheart and rarely complains.

OK, enough of all that medical jibber jabber, Mom.  How about some of those new hydrolyzed treats that Dr. B. said we could try?  

Thank you to everyone for your concern and good thoughts for Misty.  Even though we don't have good answers for her, they are very much appreciated.

Woos - Misty and Timber

Being happy is always a good thing.  So let's be happy and see who else is sharing their happiness on the Happy Tuesday Blog Hop sponsored by Comedy Plus.