Squeaky and KT (GA)
Member Since 2011
Good Morning World! Welcome to our home!
DAKOTA
AMPS 548
+3 - 419
Altho' sweet Doc's bouncing off a low 136 last night, he's doing well. We're walking back up the dosing ladder again. I've given up sleeping thru the night anymore so usually get in at least 1 test nightly. His numbers suddenly began going up again with no signs of what might be causing it. That meant a trip to the vet for bloodwork. Unfortunately the bloodwork didn't show good things....he's got kidney/liver issues beginning. He's now on Epikiten to help support this - it has sugar in it so are also having to compensate for that. He seems to be feeling OK altho' we also went through a URI too....everyone shared it among themselves. Wish they'd stop that! We took a HUGE step yesterday - I changed our profile picture from KT to Dakota...sniff sniff...
It's been quite a few weeks since we posted - seems like every time I start, something happens and I never get it posted. By the time I get back to it, things have changed again.
Our biggest news - on Halloween, our small local dog rescue posted an emergency need for a foster for a small Shih Tzu/Chihuahua mix found near death, covered in sandburrs sticking in her skin, literally skin and bones. She was too weak to even push herself up to sit, could barely raise her head. Her eyes were matted shut, her feet were full of sores. BUT she was still willing to fight. They got her to the vet where she went into cardiac arrest. She was gone for about 4 minutes before they got her heart beating again. She weighed 7lbs, 4oz, not enough blood pressure to get a blood draw. They got the burrs out (they contain poison), started IV fluids and put her on heating pads. She has cataracts on both eyes and one eye with a horrible scratch/ulcer. When released from the vet after 4 days, she went to another foster home with medical training....who promptly had a family emergency. The vet told them to ask if we'd take her for a short term foster even tho' we're not approved, they knew they could trust us to handle her medical needs. We scooted over the gates creating a place for her with our 2 small 'main house' dogs, piled it with warm blankets, put heater there and picked her up Nov 7th. She was SO skinny, every bone showed, her eye was still swollen and leaky, she was still weak but could sit and walk slowly....but her tail still wagged. We were supplementing her food with 2 different meds with high calories and plenty of vitamins/minerals in it. Within a week, she could walk fairly well altho' we could tell her hips/back hurt. Started her on pain meds, that helped tremendously. She slowly regained weight, finally had blood work done early December. Other than discovering she was hypothyroid, all seems well now. Found the cause of her hip/back pain - she's had a fractured pelvis that wasn't treated in the past leaving one side quite forward of the other. We also discovered by her actions that she's been raised with cats - thinks she's a cat too, just ignored them but was leary of dogs. When she'd get upset, she'd HISS! After 6 weeks, she weighed 10 lbs, loved being here, is a HUGE daddy's girl and sparkled everywhere she went. Even the cats loved on her...yep, can we say 'FOSTER FAILURE'? She loves to wear sweaters, loves to cuddle and sleeps in Daddy's lap when given a chance. She climbs baby gates, has to be 'burped' after eating, isn't a young dog, has bald spots, has to be let out to potty in the middle of the night...and is loved beyond measure. She hates that she can't sleep with us, has to sleep with Sassy/Sasha - too many cats already claiming bed spots. We have to put up double baby gates with solid wall between or she'll climb over falling off the other side.
My dad is still slowly going downhill but he's doing 'acceptable' for end stage Parkinson's. He sleeps quite a bit due to meds but that's truly a blessing. He can no longer take care of his needs so has to have lots of help with everything. He'll never improve but he does have 3-4 hours each morning that Mother visits, they still try to do simple things together. He still asks to go home but the confusion is getting worse - 'home' is now 40 acres somewhere in Oklahoma where he grows...something - he can't remember what he grows but 'it's pretty'.
Our christmas was SO quiet this year - no family celebration for the first time. We stayed home, something we've not done in 23 years.
Our furnace finally kicked the bucket - we now have free-standing heater and oil radiators throughout the house and outlaying areas. So far it's working well altho' our electric bill is higher. As if that wasn't enough, our sleep number airbed blew it's bladder - had to buy a new mattress. Regular mattresses are awfully uncomfortable!
It's only taken me almost 5 hours to finish this! Classic example of ....something happens...
BIG HUGS to all that visit today! I visit often to check on everyone but rarely have time to actually post. Thoughts and prayers for all needing them especially those with new kitty shaped holes in their hearts.
DANCE WITH US! It's a nasty rainy soon-to-be snowy day but we're still DANCING!
DAKOTA
AMPS 548
+3 - 419
Altho' sweet Doc's bouncing off a low 136 last night, he's doing well. We're walking back up the dosing ladder again. I've given up sleeping thru the night anymore so usually get in at least 1 test nightly. His numbers suddenly began going up again with no signs of what might be causing it. That meant a trip to the vet for bloodwork. Unfortunately the bloodwork didn't show good things....he's got kidney/liver issues beginning. He's now on Epikiten to help support this - it has sugar in it so are also having to compensate for that. He seems to be feeling OK altho' we also went through a URI too....everyone shared it among themselves. Wish they'd stop that! We took a HUGE step yesterday - I changed our profile picture from KT to Dakota...sniff sniff...
It's been quite a few weeks since we posted - seems like every time I start, something happens and I never get it posted. By the time I get back to it, things have changed again.
Our biggest news - on Halloween, our small local dog rescue posted an emergency need for a foster for a small Shih Tzu/Chihuahua mix found near death, covered in sandburrs sticking in her skin, literally skin and bones. She was too weak to even push herself up to sit, could barely raise her head. Her eyes were matted shut, her feet were full of sores. BUT she was still willing to fight. They got her to the vet where she went into cardiac arrest. She was gone for about 4 minutes before they got her heart beating again. She weighed 7lbs, 4oz, not enough blood pressure to get a blood draw. They got the burrs out (they contain poison), started IV fluids and put her on heating pads. She has cataracts on both eyes and one eye with a horrible scratch/ulcer. When released from the vet after 4 days, she went to another foster home with medical training....who promptly had a family emergency. The vet told them to ask if we'd take her for a short term foster even tho' we're not approved, they knew they could trust us to handle her medical needs. We scooted over the gates creating a place for her with our 2 small 'main house' dogs, piled it with warm blankets, put heater there and picked her up Nov 7th. She was SO skinny, every bone showed, her eye was still swollen and leaky, she was still weak but could sit and walk slowly....but her tail still wagged. We were supplementing her food with 2 different meds with high calories and plenty of vitamins/minerals in it. Within a week, she could walk fairly well altho' we could tell her hips/back hurt. Started her on pain meds, that helped tremendously. She slowly regained weight, finally had blood work done early December. Other than discovering she was hypothyroid, all seems well now. Found the cause of her hip/back pain - she's had a fractured pelvis that wasn't treated in the past leaving one side quite forward of the other. We also discovered by her actions that she's been raised with cats - thinks she's a cat too, just ignored them but was leary of dogs. When she'd get upset, she'd HISS! After 6 weeks, she weighed 10 lbs, loved being here, is a HUGE daddy's girl and sparkled everywhere she went. Even the cats loved on her...yep, can we say 'FOSTER FAILURE'? She loves to wear sweaters, loves to cuddle and sleeps in Daddy's lap when given a chance. She climbs baby gates, has to be 'burped' after eating, isn't a young dog, has bald spots, has to be let out to potty in the middle of the night...and is loved beyond measure. She hates that she can't sleep with us, has to sleep with Sassy/Sasha - too many cats already claiming bed spots. We have to put up double baby gates with solid wall between or she'll climb over falling off the other side.
My dad is still slowly going downhill but he's doing 'acceptable' for end stage Parkinson's. He sleeps quite a bit due to meds but that's truly a blessing. He can no longer take care of his needs so has to have lots of help with everything. He'll never improve but he does have 3-4 hours each morning that Mother visits, they still try to do simple things together. He still asks to go home but the confusion is getting worse - 'home' is now 40 acres somewhere in Oklahoma where he grows...something - he can't remember what he grows but 'it's pretty'.
Our christmas was SO quiet this year - no family celebration for the first time. We stayed home, something we've not done in 23 years.
Our furnace finally kicked the bucket - we now have free-standing heater and oil radiators throughout the house and outlaying areas. So far it's working well altho' our electric bill is higher. As if that wasn't enough, our sleep number airbed blew it's bladder - had to buy a new mattress. Regular mattresses are awfully uncomfortable!
It's only taken me almost 5 hours to finish this! Classic example of ....something happens...
BIG HUGS to all that visit today! I visit often to check on everyone but rarely have time to actually post. Thoughts and prayers for all needing them especially those with new kitty shaped holes in their hearts.
DANCE WITH US! It's a nasty rainy soon-to-be snowy day but we're still DANCING!
