It’s good to have a good dogs’ head on your knee.
Kendal
It’s good to have a good dogs’ head on your knee.
Tag: Kendal
Winter thaw 6 – outside
Weak sunshine and very little wind drew all five of us outside – if only for a short time. Achilles, Kendal, and Stella surveyed the backyard for a moment.
Kendal, aka Dr. K
I can’t get the damn photos I took with my phone at the vet to load.
Kendal is back to his normal, friendly, counter surfing self. The vet took a pee sample. While the protein level is a bit elevated it has dropped significantly from where it was when Kendal was sickest. We await the blood sample serology to confirm (or not) the lepto diagnosis. In the meantime we continue the doxycycline regime for another eight or so days.
It is very good to have Kendal back.
Best friends
Kendal and his best friend, the wall furnace (behind his head), which is cycling on about every eight minutes.
Kendal continues improving
He is eating a gruel composed of oatmeal, chicken, chicken broth, and some other things Faye whipped up from a recipe she found in a cookbook. It may not be completely balanced but he s eating and for now that is the important thing. We are sneaking in some kibble as well
Kendal has more energy, coming into the kitchen to investigate the goings-on, raising his nose to the countertop to check out what goodies are there. Still wanting to walk and go outside. Not 100% himself but closer all the time. This is the Kendal I know and love.
Kendal is better
It has been a rocky few days. His energy level as well as interest in food, water, and exercise are all still off. Present, it is true, but not his normal self.
Tuesday we took him back to the vet. Dr. Vallee, the senior vet at the clinic, reviewed Kendals’ record and x-rays. He recommended discontinuing the doxycycline and scheduled an ultrasound for Tuesday morning.
That night was rough. Kendal could not get comfortable, was groaning, trembling, breathing was off. We were prepared for the seemingly very real possibility that he would not come home. Tuesday morning, Dr. Vallees’ demeanor and discussion indicated that he expected to have to give us very bad news.
Well the ultrasound revealed. . . nothing earth-shattering let alone awful. He, and we, were puzzled. He took a pee sample and requested a full culture, and gave a cortisone injection to ease Kendals’ discomfort and improve his appetite. Kendal isn’t his normal self but he definitely feels better. Better appetite, better energy, more comfortable.
Today, New Years Day, he called us with initial results which suggest a leptospirosis infection. His explanation and our research indicate that Kendals’ symptoms – lower energy level and nterest in food, discomfort/pain, diarrhea, a bit of vomiting – and the bloodwork results coincide with how lepto presents. Dr. Vallee recommended resuming the doxy which we have done.
It’s not a definitive diagnosis but it makes sense. We should know more tomorrow.
Kendal
Dr. K is the same today. He ate not quite a full can of the I/R diet the vet sent home yesterday, which is unlike him. Faye went to Goderich to see her mom as well as brother Allan, Connie, and Keith and I stayed home. Walked him up to the corner and he had a smallish poop; considering that he hasn’t eaten his normal amount of foo that isn’t too troublesome. He’s still lacking in energy and his usual enthusiasm, and I did not have him join me and the cattle dogs outside. This photo was taken last month.
It’s concerning.
Kendal was unwell
Yesterday, Kendal began showing signs of not being himself. For one thing he was sluggish. During the evening he showed signs of discomfort – not getting up at the call to dinner and not inhaling the kibble we brought to him. We have fed everyone Acana Regionals for about two years, cycling among the four varieties. He lay down almost exclusively on his stomach and was uncomfortable, shifting position and groaning; breathing more shallowly and quickly than normal; trembling. He was aware of and interested in what was going on yet obviously not himself. We resolved to defer todays’ trip to Goderich and take him to the vet.
We watched him overnight (it was a long night). We had thoughts of bloat, a blockage, cancer, pancreatitis. He barfed at 5:00AM. Called the vet (Wallaceburg Animal Hospital) first thing and they said bring him right in. Kendal was perkier and positively jumped right up at the notion of a car ride.
After the initial exam the vet recommended a full blood panel, x-rays. Dr. Tracy Landry is a wonderful vet with a calm, factual, easy tableside manner. There was some difficulty with the x-ray setup which delayed those results. The verdict:
No pancreatitis, bloat, or blockage. X-rays revealed some gas buildup in his stomach and intestines and somewhat enlarged spleen. Bloodwork showed an RBC count below normal and sme liver values are elevated. The thinking is that this may be either a one-off upset or early signs of something more significant. Course of treatment: canned food for a few days, the antibiotic doxycycline to treat any infection, and Cerena as a stomach easer. I would not object too strenuously if Kendal blew a big stinky fart.
We are home. He’s alert and watching Faye, who is working in the kitchen. Kendal’s 12 years old, a good age for a Lab. We will watch him. After last night’s restless night, we may crash early.
More holiday swing
Here are a few more photos of the dogs.
Achilles, looking wistfully (pardon my anthropomorphizing) at something . . .
Stella looks right at the photographer.
And Kendal, the best of the three.
Holiday swing
Today I humg up some Christmas lights outside and inside. I still have many lights to go, not sure all of them will get put up. The chili pepper and Santa boot lights will go up to work along with some desktop decorations. We also did photo shoots with the dogs inside and outside. A review of the PlayBook photos confirmed that surprisingly Kendal was by the most photogenic during the outdoors shoot. More photos to come.
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