cindere528

We all went to bed early last night, I was knackered Anyway, we all slept really well until around 4am, then Nelly was sick again. She has parted company with the rice I got up & let them both out & Nelly did a big bright yellow poo. We all went back to bed again & slept till about 7, then Dillon wanted another wee (having dogs on diuretics is such fun - NOT ) So we went down & while they were both having wees, I prepared Dillon's heart meds (crushed in Philadelphia cheese ) He's supposed to take them 1 hour before food, so I'm going to go & give him some brekkie in a minute. I gave Nelly her diuretic & her tummy medicine (which is a liquid she has to have in a syringe). She hates it and I have to hold her firmly to make her have it. She makes me feel as if I'm ill treating her when I do that I think Nelly may have to see the vet again today because she is not as well as I'd hoped by now. Could be just that I shouldn't have fed her last night, maybe her tummy needed to rest a bit longer, but she was hungry, so I didn't want to refuse her

OK, many thanks for those replies. As I said, it's not really a problem if his appetite increases, I was just curious as to whether it was the meds causing it. I think you're probably right Anne, in that he's just feeling so much better, he feels more like eating. EAD, that's given me a lot of hope, knowing your dog carried on for another 9 years. I know Dillon won't go on that long, he's about 11 or 12 now, but if we're looking at years rather than months, that's fab

Vetmedin, Fortekor, both heart meds & Frusemide which is a diuretic

Dillon is going to be on heart medication for the rest of his life. That in itself is not a problem, he has responded very well to them & now seems to be back to my normal boingy bouncy gobby boy that I love so much However, he is going mad for food all the while & that is most unlike him :o . He always used to be *interested* in food (he is a cocker after all ), but he was never obsessed with it. He is a very slim, athletic build, so weight gain isn't going to be too much of a problem if he needs more food. I'm wondering if the heart medication has increased his appetite? I would be very grateful for replies, especially from anyone who has a dog on heart meds or who has in the past had a dog on heart meds.

Wel, we're certainly not out of the wood yet. I had to have the emergency vet out at 1 o'clock this morning. Nelly was getting worse & worse as the night went on, had been sick a few times and was having difficulty breathing. The vet suggested meeting me at the surgery but I said I couldn't do that because Dillon couldn't be left due to his heart problems. She came out & found that Nelly had fluid on her lungs which was causing her breathing difficulties. She also had a very painful tummy. The vet took Nelly's temperature which, thankfully was normal, so she said we can rule out pneumonia but we can't rule out things such as pancreatitis The vet gave Nelly a painkilling injection and a long lasting antibiotic injection. She told me to give Nelly one of Dillon's Frusemide tablets to get rid of the fluid on her lungs and then to give her half a tablet this morning & another half later today. The painkilling injection knocked her out for about 4 hours, but her breathing was so bad that I couldn't get to sleep for about 2 hours. I finally managed to nod off at around 4 am when her breathing quietened down a bit (which I think means the Frusemide is working). Dillon then woke me up around 6 am because he wanted to go out. On the plus side, you wouldn't believe he was the same dog as on Friday when he was so desperately ill, he is bouncy, lively, hungry, gobby, all the things that a cocker should be I haven't dared to ask the vet how much this is all going to cost me . I paid £152 at the surgery on Friday, and last night's home visit is going to be astronomical. I've never had a vet home visit before, so I have no idea what they charge. So anyway, can I please ask for your get better thoughts for poor Nelly who is much more poorly than I first thought.

Thanks, but she went to the vet's yesterday with Dillon. The vet said that there's a tummy bug going round and that's what she thought she'd got. The vet had a good feel around her tum & said she was sure there was no blockage, although it was tender, it was all soft & feelable (there's a proper word for that, but I can't remember it )

Second update: Dillon ate his breakfast very happily & eagerly this morning He seems to feel a lot better, but his co-ordination is pants, think Bambi on ice ! If it wasn't such a serious condition, it would be funny. His back legs go in a different direction to the rest of him Getting him upstairs & downstairs is quite a challenge, he doesn't want to be helped, but he simply can't do it on his own. He's a bit like a 2 year old child who thinks he's far more capable than he really is . What I didn't tell you yesterday was that Nelly is also poorly, she has been diagnosed with a tummy upset, although the vet doesn't think it's serious. She didn't eat her breakfast yesterday, but ate her dinner last night. She wouldn't eat this morning either and was sick a few times in the night. She really isn't a happy girly at the moment and because of Dillon being so very poorly yesterday, I haven't given her much attention (bad mummy). She came on the bed this morning for an hour for mummy cuddles. I did some T-Touch on her whole body to try to relax her a bit but her tummy was a no-go area, she's really quite tender there. She's also been sick a few more times this morning. She seems to feel a little better for a while when she's been sick. She's on the settee at the moment, resting. Anyway, Dillon's meds seem to be working, Nelly's medicine isn't working yet, but hopefully, later today she will feel a bit better, fingers crossed

Update for this morning: Dillon's made it through the night He was up a few times in the night having a drink & had to be helped to get back onto the bed, but he made it Anyway, he's been out for a wee this morning & had his medication when he came in. I crushed his tablets & mixed them with a little Phildelphia, he lapped it up perfectly happily. He's sleeping peacefully again now. Thank you all once again It's so good to be amongst people who understand.

Here's my brave, handsome boy: Thank you again

Thank you all for your replies and positive thoughts Special thanks for this: I have requested healing from that site, thank you It helps more than you would imagine to hear of other dogs who have pulled through after this diagnosis, so a big thank you for those 2 comments

Long story but Dillon has been to the vets this morning. He has heart failure The vet has put him on 2 different types of heart medication & some diuretic tablets. She seemed quite positive that they would help. After we got back, he collapsed completely & I had to sit & hold him for over an hour. He was obviously having a major heart attack but I couldn't reach the phone to call the vets, I just had to sit & hold him. He's recovered a little bit now & has had his tablets (mixed with a bit of Philadelphia) and he's resting quietly now. Please send all the positive thoughts you can muster for my big brave boy. I'm not ready to say goodbye to him yet

Just to update on this, Sky is still missing but there are still regular sightings of him. I went out yesterday morning with a search party, organised by Tim & Ffion, his owners. Some pawprints were found in a copse and they are going to set up a CCTV to find out what is making the pawprints. A Muntjac Deer was seen, and 2 foxes, and there was a possible sighting of Sky (details in the blog) after I had left . I suggested that another search is organised involving a lot more volunteers (there were only around 15 of us this time, including 3 Dog Wardens). So if anyone is interested in joining the next search, please either send a message to Sky's owners via the blog, or PM me and I will pass your details on to Tim & Ffion. The blog is updated regularly http://skyisstillmissing.blogspot.com/ and you can add a comment/offer help at the end of the blog.

Have a fabulous birthday

Only just caught up with this Claire. I hope things are starting to get better for you & your family And as for turning 50 - don't worry about it, 50 is the new 40. Forget "Life Begins at 40", the fun really starts at 50

Happy Gotcha Day Holly & Winnie

Totally gorgeous

Today is Dillon's 5th Gotcha Day (how fast has that time gone?) Here he is on his special day And just so she doesn't feel left out, here's Dillon with Nelly

This thread reminds me of last year when I had a chest infection. My doctor put "URTI" on my sick note (this meant Upper Respiratory Tract Infection). The office manager thought it meant Urinary Tract Infection

I think Billy is talking a lot of sense there.

Me too

This boy is still missing. Believed to be still in the area as there have been a number of sightings. I was thinking of contacting the owners & trying to get a search party together, but we have freezing fog this morning. A black lab isn't that easily visible at the best of times, but in freezing fog, it would be well nigh impossible.

Only just seen this. Sending to you You are a very brave lady for fighting back like that, most people wouldn't be so brave. Let's hope it taught the muggers a lesson. Look after yourself

Happy New Year everyone. We went to bed about 9:30, read til about 10:45 & woke up at 7:16. That's my idea of a good new year's eve, fast asleep tucked up nice & warm with my doglets

That used to be the case, but with the Provence, it isn't. Not sure about the other portable heaters. I've had mine on all day every day over Christmas and I can guarantee that it didn't create any condensation at all. I am thrilled to bits with it At the risk of sounding like a sales person for the Provence, it is very safe. It has a catalytic converter and basically, it eats its own emissions (a bit like my Nellydog really, but we won't go into that )