Celebrating a Milestone

"Which pressie is my fa-fur-it?"

"H'mmm. I really like this one."

"Yep, the green chewie pup fits my mouth just right!"

"Thanks for the pressie, Mom!"

Yesterday was Indy's 11th birthday, and for many reasons, it was quite a milestone.

Only four months ago, his vet gave me a dire diagnosis. After days of vomiting, diahrrea, and major lethargy, she ran tests and then showed me his X-ray. Indy's liver had shrunk to less than half its normal size. He had developed cirrhosis of the liver, more than likely caused by repeated bouts of gastrointestinal problems. She said he could have days, or at best, a couple of months left to live, and even made "final decision" suggestions.

Once I was able to process the message, I decided to get busy and do some research. I found information on care for dogs with liver disease and followed the suggestions. After all, what did we have to lose? Indy went on a strict diet regimen of lean, high quality home cooked food. Only wholesome organic treats were allowed. Daily meds to control vomiting and diahhrea became part of the regimen. We added the supplements Vitamin E and Denosyl daily, along with a multi-vitamin intended for senior dogs.

Things aren't perfect. Indy still has a few vomiting episodes from time to time, and has developed some minor obsessive habits, but for the most part he's doing well. After receiving such a negative prognosis, I wasn't sure he'd even be around for his next birthday. And here we are, celebrating number 11.

I suppose this serves as a lesson. It's a good idea to check into alternative remedies if you have a critter with chronic health problems. Whether a vet or a human doctor, the official medical world doesn't know everything there is to know about healing. It never hurts to look at all the options.

With no guarantees, each extra day is a blessing. Indy seems to be happy and enjoying life.

And that's exactly how I want it to be for my little old guy.

So happy birthday, Indy!!!! Here's hoping we celebrate many more milestones together!

Looking Good...

What's this? A dog that I thought was at death's door a few short weeks ago is happy, playing with his toys, and aggravating his pal, Bogey. He even got a new haircut that did not result in any major negative after-effects.

I don't know if it's the regime he's on now (his regular homemade chicken, rice, and carrot diet; 400 IU of vitamin E daily, a large tablespoon of low fat cottage cheese daily, a daily teaspoon of high protein low fat yogurt, one quarter tablet of Metoclopramide before each meal, and one 225 mg tablet of Denosyl one hour before his evening meal), or sheer will to live, but he sure seems to be perkier and feeling fine. Better yet, he's maintained this improvement over several weeks.

Not to say that he doesn't have times when it's apparent he's not up to par, but then again, so do I.

I'm not foolish enough to believe he's cured, and I know that at some point his impaired liver function will catch up with him. But until then, I'm grateful for each extra joyful day my little old guy gets.

And isn't that all any of us can ask for in life?

Update Number 2

Thanks so much to all of you for extending get well wishes to Indy. We have such wonderful blogger pals!

As best I can tell, Indy's doing pretty well. He appears to feel fine and has regained his appetite. No more vomiting or diaharrea (knocking wood superstitiously). While not 100% his old self, I'm pleased. He continues to get his homemade diet of chicken, rice, and carrots. I've added cottage cheese and extra vitamin E, as I've read that these are helpful for dogs with liver disease. He's still on antibiotics, and I'm also giving him Denosyl (a type of the supplement, SAM-E) once daily. This supplement is also reported to help dogs with impaired liver function. Apparently nothing will restore what he's lost, we're simply trying to maintain what he has left. And so far, so good!

In regard to NaNo, I'm not nearly as far along as last year at this time. My goal is 2,000 words per day, and right now I'm only at just over 20,000. If I was on top of my game I'd be at 28,000 before today ended. Of course, today hasn't ended yet so, who knows? : )

Hope all of you are doing well! I feel very out of the loop, so I'm looking forward to visiting your blogs soon!

A Few Updates

Over the last month or so, Indy has had three bouts of vomiting and diahhrea. The first two incidents resolved quickly. The third created one very sick little pup last week, so it was back to the vet's office. Bloodwork indicated liver problems (jaundice) and dehydration. An X-ray was ordered.

This information allowed the vet to diagnose him with liver cirrhosis. You can see on his X-Ray that his liver is shrunken and shows evidence of scar tissue. The vet speculates the damage is a result of his years of inflammatory bowel disease flare-ups. He's now on antibiotics and something to calm his tummy. The doc also gave him fluids to help him feel better.

Unfortunately, there's no way to fix a liver. We're continuing him on the meds and adding a special homemade diet for dogs with liver problems. I did some internet research and found that vitamin E and the supplement, Denosyl (SAM-E), are helpful for dogs with liver issues, so now in addition to the special diet, he's getting them, too. The research also told me something that I didn't realize before. Liver disease is one of the major culprits in the death of senior dogs.

Since his diagnosis, Indy has had good days and bad days, which I suppose is not too different from any of us. The vet can't give us any type of time frame on how long he will be able to maintain what liver function remains. It could be months...we simply don't know. He has done pretty well most of the weekend, is eating, and is "almost" his old self.

Our main goal, of course, is to keep him comfortable, and when that's no longer possible, we'll say good-bye. It's a simple wait and see situation.

In addition to all of that, yesterday we moved my aunt, who has dementia, into an assisted living facility. Not a fun-filled day either, but it's where she needs to be...though SHE certainly doesn't think so. She made certain that we were aware of her feelings about the entire situation and gave us her opinion about our part in it, in no uncertain terms.

With all that being said, I am still hoping to finish NaNo this month. It makes a good diversion, though I'm not nearly as far along as I might have hoped. I have 8,000 words as of today, and 6,000 of them were knocked out on November 1 (I took the day off work), just before Indy's diagnosis. Soooo, as you can see, I've slowed down considerably.

I'll try and post an update in a week or so on how my Indy-boy is doing, and whether I can get back into the NaNo groove.

Miss all of you, and hope you're doing well!