doglets | Entries tagged with abe

I was going to write more about That Abe when there was enough distance between her passing and working through the anger I hold towards previous vet. New and current vet made Abe's last months considerably more comfortable. There is this guilt that we should have changed sooner. Maybe her life might have been shorter but more content . Hippy had been using previous vet for over 20 years so it wasn't an easy decision. There was no one thing that made us unsettled but a slow build-up of mistakes and attitude. Abe had tests, scans and endless mediation regimes, saw vet after vet. New vet diagnosed her with something very simple and easily treated. But years had passed of living with an untreated condition.

The final straw was being told "well, if you're not going to listen (aka buy) my advice, there is nothing I can do for you". This was the response to our explaining politely we don't believe in alternative therapy. So no we don't want a dap diffuser, a milk based pill with no clinical evidence or any other hocus-pocus homeopathy. Java had a sore on her back right and the advice was to have a scan & amputation. We refused as it seemed such a leap from curious looking sore patch to losing her whole leg. That was over 6 months ago, Java still has four legs and no sore. New vet said if it wasn't bothering her, he didn't see the point in meddling. He said it looked like the sores that elderly greyhounds sometimes get, which can be removed under a local with the mildest of dirty looks from the dog.

It's the first Christmas without putting a Santa hat on That Abe and buying her a comedy toy to be photographed with. Still expect to see her squashing herself in the basket beside Kato.

“So” said hippy” “Is That Abe undead?”

The vet pondered this as an alternative diagnosis to the current diagnosis of “Flumoxxed”.

Abe is a tiny skeleton of less than 10kg now, but she just keeps going. She’s now on Tramadol painkillers and has pro-biotic powder on her puppy food (it’s higher in protein) which seems to have sorted out the frequent express-delivery gloopy green poo issue. Mentally, although she is puddled (or making puddles) she seems content in her world.

Every morning Abe plays dead and scares the life out of hippy. Dogs and hippy gather round Abe's basket...is it....has she... He gives her a few nervous prods and she suddenly flies out of the basket as if her tail is on fire.

Current Mood: undead

That Abe continues to lose weight at an alarming rate and is now down to a feeble 11.5kg. She has been on the Vivatonin for quite some time now – and I don’t think we have seen any improvement.

She has three main problems

(1) Unexplained rapid weight loss

(2) Agitation

(3) Severe tooth ache – leading to her snapping at both me and Kato. (and I think this affects no 2)

The vet had offered to give Abe a general anaesthetic and do scans/x-rays to see if we could locate the problem. But in a 13.5 year old dog this would be with risk so we declined – and there’s always that issue about what do you do with the information once you have it.

However, as her poorly teeth are giving her so much trouble, we made the decision on a quality of life basis to have the teeth removed and so she may as well, while she is under the anaesthetic, have the x-rays and scans.

Abe went off to the vets this morning – they didn’t give her a general they sedated her, and because those tests showed up some possible symptoms of an underlying bowel/gut disease, they (the vets) made the decision not to take the teeth out as “she may have cancer”. The only way to determine this for definite would be referral to a specialist and more tests. I don’t feel this is the right route for such an elderly dog but I did feel the agonising toothache was imperative.

I’m sure none of you need the obvious statement that the bowel cancer does not cancel out the tooth ache. This really would be like saying to a human – sorry, we haven’t fixed your agonising fracture but you might have lung cancer which is far worse.

The other issue – the agitation. It is heartbreaking to hear her stressing and fretting, so I asked for some sedation which we could administer when Abe’s misery is excessive. I was offered a DAP diffuser but I have no faith in such hocus pocus (and we did try one once) and I want scientifically proven medication. The vet said there are no sedatives for dogs – so what they sedated her with this morning must be some magical chemical and the tablet that Abe once had to keep her chilled out while she had stitches removed must exist only in my imagination.

Oh said the vet – dogs do take diazepam for agitation – well give us some of that then. No, Abe has been prescribed Zylkène http://www.zylkene.co.uk/ (active ingredient casozepine) which turns out to be yet another “natural remedy” a DAP diffuser in tablet form. The evidence is anecdotal and not remotely scientific. It is claimed to have no side effects which in itself hints towards it up to be a pointless placebo. Well, I say prescribed, it’s actually available from Amazon.co.uk and considerably cheaper than what we just paid the vet.

So, we'll be back to the vets with my tiny half shaved skeleton of a dog to demand the teeth are removed. I just want her to have a pain and agitation free sunset on her life.

Took That Abe to see the Vet, not so much about her increasing weight loss, the now 12.8kg (down from 14.2 in four weeks) Abe is a heartbreaking skeleton, difficult to cuddle, but we have to persevere because that’s all she’s got right now. We went mainly about her confusion and endless agitation. Vet has prescribed vivatonin which sounds a little like Aricept for humans – it’s for increased blood supply but I suspect this may be shutting the door after the sanity has bolted, and probably more appropriate for dogs who have had strokes and the brain tissue is not atrophied beyond repair. But we’ll see. I’m happy to be disproved.

She had full bloods done on Tuesday to exclude any physical problems. She sometimes drinks excessively – it would be fantastic if she had diabetes, we could understand it and treat it. But watching her, it’s the same fixated repetition of a person with dementia who does not remember the beginning of the drink and just keeps drinking – so the bowls are being kept topped up to halfway only in case the 12.8kg Abe drinks 2.5L of water and bursts.

My feeling is it would be kinder to give her a mild tranquilliser and we just interrupt the distressing cycle of agitation with a nap – but pet care seems to be headed the way of human care. God forbid we alleviate your upsetting symptoms / pain we might shorten your life by a day and you’ll sue.

And in the vets – they still want to call her Abby – and not Abe – she’s a dog and not confined by human gender stereotypes – she could be called Malcolm, Susan, London, Paris, Munich, Pop Music

Seems to be descending into a world of bewilderment and dementia.

She is having mishaps with wee, doesn’t answer when we call and looks vague, vacant and as if she has no idea of where she is, or even who she is. I held out a treat for her and she just didn’t seem able to work out what was required. I can see it in her eyes that she is losing her sense of the world – there is some deafness, she could probably do with spectacles but there’s something very sad about her at the moment. She paces and searches – but even when shown everything it could be – the waterbowl, the back door, a bed, Kato to wash her face, a toy, – still there’s something missing for her.

None of it matters – we can replace carpet, we can walk to get her, we can remind her who she is., and which is the biscuit and which is our fingers. The hardest part is this.....

One of the ways in which we cope with Abe & Java hating each other, is each dog taking it in turns to be on a “rest period” in a bedroom or the lounge. This didn’t bother either of them and they seemed to quite like it being their turn not to be with the raucous hooligan behaviour of Kato and Frody. And of course Java is away most weekends doing Wallace and Gromit things. But this time out is now almost unbearable for Abe who scratches, whines and grumbles the whole time, but as soon as she is out & about, she doesn’t want to be with us.

Has gone a bit thin – very thin – supermodel skinny but her appetite remains immense. It could be the stress of the Froodle moving in. As Froodle struggles to make sense of his new world – he does see the two pensioner dogs A & J as something to be chased and barked at. His communication systems are all messed up – he’s not being nasty, or aggressive, or there would have been a serious scrap by now, but he is muddled, overwhelmed and bewildered. Java’s tactic is to completely blank him but That Abe is feisty and will bark back at him. (more on Froodle in a later post)

The vet can’t find anything wrong – but Abe looks & feels so scraggy, tatty and ribby – not the imba lithe fitness of Java (24kg), the light pawed stealth of Froodle (22kg), or the muscular frame of Kato (37kg) – this feels skinny and poorly.

We can’t feed That ABE anymore food – she’s on well over the maximum for her build. We can’t cut down on her exercise – stopping her joining in the playing feels wrong. She’s not wormy or feeding fleas.

So we’re keeping an eye on That Abe for another couple of weeks and if she loses any more weight – it’s blood tests and stuff.

Current Mood: worried

The end of the tail first - she now seems fine.

On Saturday, Abe became unusually quiet and seemed to be off her food. She then threw up violently a few times. By Sunday - she had stopped vomiting but was obviously a poorly dog - even some cooked fish and rice did not tempt the Four Pawed Trash Can. She eventually went to sleep "if I do not wake - tell Java...... I forgive her..........."

At 11 - she is getting on a bit and she has got some odd little health problems - her allergys, lumpy bits on her chest, her bottom problem. We were worried. Hippy took her to the vet and she was a quiet demure little dog who was well mannered towards the vet and even said Thankyou. She even allowed herself to be lifted onto the examination table. So That Abe has a stomach infection - and its just one of those things - a bug - theres a lot of it about. The others may get it - they may not.

Today she returned to the vet "Ooh - she looks more lively" said the vet
"Lively?" barkled that Abe "I'll give you barkin lively, I,m not going on that table and you are not putting that thing up my ass, you'll have to catch me first. And I,m starving - give me a biscuit bitch and I;ll go on the table..........nice biscuit..........but I'm still not going on the table suckers"

In other news - Kato is realy enjoying the added accelleration that frozen snow brings

Little Abe was 11, yes ELEVEN, years old on Saturday. Old age suits her - eccentric, back chatting, brave, feisty, clever, canny little dog. She is looking very silver around the snooter and not quite so energetic. But then no one ever saw That Abe asleep until she was about eight years old - but she tears round the garden showing that Kato whose boss. Theres a lot of life in the small dog yet.