Charlie Pants Health Update

As I posted earlier, Charlie has been really sick for the past two days.  I have been woken both days to diarrhea and vomit all over my carpet. Poor guy.

Well after running blood tests on his kidneys, liver, pancreas, and thyroid it turns out that Charlie has pancreatitis and a possible hypothyroid. He was given a large dose of antibiotics and some medicine to help stop his severe diarrhea and vomiting.  He was also quite dehydrated and we discussed admitting him to administer fluids, but they gave me some ideas to get him to drink some water and if that doesn't work he will be admitted to the vet tomorrow.

I thought I would pass the vet's lovely tips of how to get a sick pup to drink water when they are dehydrated onto my readers.

If your dog wont drink water try buying low sodium chicken broth and mixing about 2 Tablespoons of the broth with about 1/3 cup of water.  Sick dogs might not want to drink water but they love to drink broth water.

It worked brilliantly. Charlie drank the whole bowl and so far has kept it down for 2 hours.

They also suggested that some dogs love Gatorade. So you could try that as well.  I pray Charlie keeps his food down.

Tips for bland food for when pup is sick:

rice
boiled chicken
egg cooked
pasta (no sauce)
pumpkin mash(good for fiber and to harden stool)
plain yogurt

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Charlie is Soooo Sick

I don't know what is wrong with him, he is vomiting and has severe diarrhea and is acting so lethargic. We have a vet appointment today and I will let you know what is going on.

I can't handle him being sick. It breaks my heart.  Fingers crossed it is nothing. 

What do you do when when your dog is sick with diarrhea and vomit?

Charlie Pants's health update HERE.

Stainless Steel Dog Bowls---Did you Know?

While at the vet a couple of weeks ago, the vet looked at Jack's chin and said that he had an infection on it and asked "what kind of bowls does he eat and drink out of?" I told her we use porcelain bowls and she told me that we needed to switch to stainless steel. I guess bacteria can grow on the dog bowls and so when they are drinking water they make scrape the side with their chin and can get an infection, or if they already had an infection it will keep getting bacteria inside and wont heal.

So all you dog lovers out there, switch your dog water dish to stainless steel and if you want it to match maybe switch the food dish over too.

Stainless steel surface will not absorb smells, does not stain, and is easy to clean and disinfect. Most dogs won't pick up or try to chew on stainless steel so the bowls stay shiny, clean, and new. They're also heavier so they're less likely to tip over and they are dishwasher safe.

I want this one...too bad Jack and Charlie are boys. Maybe I can find one with red polka dots.

Dog Potty for Patio: Build Your Own

Well as mentioned in the previous post Jack had emergency surgery.  He can't do stairs for the next 2 weeks while he recovers.  We live in a 3 floor townhouse so this poses quite a problem.  We went to the hardware store and bought supplies to make our own potty spot on our back deck. I had blogged about other patio potties I had seen online, but ours was much cheaper to make and uses real grass.

This is what you need

 1 4'x4' peg board  (about $13)                       

2   2"x4"x96" ($2.12 a piece)
plastic sheeting (we used durable plastic leaf bags)
2 bags of potting soil ($2 a bag)
2 rolls of sod ($5 a roll)


Here is what you do.  

Lay the peg board down on the deck and cover it with the plastic sheeting or bags. Staple gun it or secure it under the peg board so the sheeting doesn't slip.  Create a trim around the board using the 2x4's and secure in place.  Empty the two bags of potting soil on top of the plastic cover peg board.

Roll the 2 strips of sod down. You will have a little extra that you will need to cut off.

Since Jack is a boy dog we bought a little plant for him to aim at to ensure he will pee on the grass.  We also bought a hose attachment for our sink so we can spray off the grass and water it daily to make sure it doesn't die.

Jack Emergency: Blocked Intestines

So 3 days ago we went to this great Natural Pet Food Store called Whole Pets in Broomfield, CO because we got a free dog wash coupon in the mail.  While we were there I was discussing Charlie's horrible teeth and the plaque buildup and they recommended a bone for him to chew on as it helps get rid of plaque.  We figured since we were buying Charlie a bone we had to buy Jack a bone.  We left the store with a small bone for Charlie and a big knuckle bone for Jack.  The bone really helped to get Charlie's teeth clean.

Fast forward to the next day.  Jack is acting lethargic, vomiting up bile, and is stretching a lot.  We were worried that maybe he ate some of the bone we had given him.  We found the bone and about half of the thing was missing.  We took him to an Animal Hospital around the corner from us called Arrowhead Animal Hospital. Since we have just moved to the Denver/Boulder area, we didn't have a vet and were a bit tentative to go just anywhere.  We couldn't have been happier with Arrowhead Vets.  It turned out Jack had a major blockage in his intestines and need emergency surgery to remove it.  The vet was going to have to open him up, cut into his intestines, remove the blockage, sew up the intestines, and the recovery was going to be intense not to mention the procedure quite expensive (about $2600).  But what do you do when you love your dog like a child and it is either this or risk his intestines exploding and him dying.

So we gave the ok for surgery and I was sobbing as we left the vet.  Turns out when they started the surgery and opened up Jack's stomach, the lodged substance had enough room to move through the intestines and into his colon so the vet didn't have to do surgery on his intestines.  The vet tech slept the night with Jack and I guess Jack whined the whole night so the tech ended up sleeping on the floor cuddled up next to Jack.  When we went back yesterday to pick him up, the whole vet hospital was in love with Jack and said they had to take turns petting him because he was lonely and demanding attention.  If Jack only knew he was a dog and not a human I think he would be crushed.  Turns out the final bill was much lower due to the less extensive surgery ($1450 instead of $2600).  It turns out that 3 pieces of bone were lodged in his intestines and he pooped them out later.  One was about the size of a silver dollar. That was one expensive bone.  I guess we have learned our lesson, no bones for our dogs.

Thanks Arrowhead Animal Hospital for taking such good care of our Jack and for the vet Kristin Hrenchir, DVM for being so sweet, kind and great at her job.  Dr. Hrenchir even came in on her day off to update us on Jack. What great service. Jack's very own snuggle buddy at night and a loving and caring staff and vet.

If you live in the Denver/Boulder area, I highly recommend you bring your pet here. They truly love animals and take the extra special step to ensure the animal is healthy and the owners are happy.

Jack is doing well. He has 28 staples in his stomach and about a 6 to 7 inch cut in his abdomen. Poor Jack. He can't do stairs and we live in a 3 floor townhouse so we created a patio potty for him. I will post that next.

Patrick the Pit Bull

Pit bull abandoned in NJ gains worldwide following

 
AP – A 1-year-old pit bull nicknamed Patrick sits Tuesday, April 5, 2011, near piles of gifts donated to him … 

 

By SAMANTHA HENRY, Associated Press Samantha Henry, Associated Press – Fri Apr 8, 3:50 pm ET

NEWARK, N.J. – When an emaciated pit bull found at the bottom of a trash chute in New Jersey was rushed to a veterinary emergency room last month, doctors there thought he would be dead within the hour.

Instead, the scrappy pup, nicknamed Patrick, has defied the odds and is getting stronger by the day.

"He is a tremendous fighter," said Dr. Thomas Scavelli, the director and founder of the Garden State Veterinary Specialists, the pet hospital in Tinton Falls where Patrick is being treated. "There are very few animals, or any life form, that could have gone through and survived what he has, and really never looked back."

Hospital staffers, who named the dog for his reddish fur and because he was found the day before St. Patrick's Day, have been chronicling his progress on their website and a Facebook page that has garnered fans from around the world. He's received hundreds of emails, donations, gifts and letters from those inspired by his tale of survival.

When Patrick was brought to the hospital after being rescued by officials at the Associated Humane Societies, he was so starved, emaciated and dehydrated he was curled into a ball, unable to walk or stand. His ribcage protruded, he weighed about 20 pounds — roughly 30 pounds less than average — and was covered in sores with parts of skin hanging off him, according to Patricia Smillie-Scavelli, Thomas Scavelli's wife and the administrator of the hospital.

"Everyone thought that, you bring in an animal like that, that looks like it's really just a corpse, you put it to sleep," Smillie-Scavelli said. "But of course, he looked up at you with those eyes, and you say: How can you give up on this dog? How can you, when he's not giving up on life? So, we gave him that second chance, and he has just run with it, and thrived."

Today, after weeks of emergency measures that included a transfusion of three pints of dog blood, a special diet, medicine and physical therapy, Patrick continues gaining weight — currently weighing just over 29 pounds — is finally eating solid food, and enjoys taking outdoor walks in the sun and playing with the many toys that well-wishers have sent him.

Click HERE to read full story

You Are Going to Put that Thermometer Where?

Help!

Today my mom took me and my little bro Jack to the vet cause we are getting ready to fly back home to Utah and need all our vaccines current before we go. I hate the vet. They think that I can't hear them when they talk about my weight and how I have gained yet another pound. (Honestly what is the big deal?) And don't they know it is rude to discuss someone's weight right in front of them? Doc, I saw you click the overweight box on my form, how would you like it if I told you that you needed to drop about 20 lbs? I think I look good and my mom doesn't know it but I love to steal her food when she isn't looking, which is why she tries so hard to help me lose weight and I keep staying round.

And let me say that it is impolite to put long metal tipped things up one's bum. It is uncomfortable and cold. So please don't ever make me go through that again. Overall, I am healthy, and now all my vaccines are current. Man did it cost my mom a ton of money. I think PetsMart may be overpriced, but what do I know right?

Is this the face of someone having a good time?

Jack and me waiting our fate.