Waiting, perhaps less than patiently, for the vet. My hand rested on Stella’s throat as Dr. Landry examined used her scope on Stella’s eyes. I felt a very gentle tremble in Stella’s throat as she expressed her discomfort. All three were quite good, I’m pleased with how they tolerated the poking and prodding. It was good to hear Dr. Landry pronounce all of them in good shape considering their ages.
We took all of the dogs to our vet, Wallaceburg Animal Hospital to get their vaccinations and exams. As we waited for the vet to come into the room, Achilles and Stella investigated the room. That’s Achilles in the foreground. Stella demonstrated her superb memory. Look just to the right of centre. She is standing on her hind feet. Just above the countertop you see her ears, nose, and the top of her head. She’s looking at the jars of treats.
All three are in pretty good shape for seniors. Achilles is who knows how old, our guess is 10 or 11, Kendal is 13, and Stella 11. All have a little degradation in their vision. It’s challenging for Kendal to get around, what with his arthritic left front. We manage his pain with Tramadol. We’re are supplementing with glucosamine/chondroitin and have started Catrophen injections to see of that will help. We are undecided. His appetite’s robust, he wants to walk, is still interested in life. He’s doing pretty good for an old boy.
We’re very blessed to have these three good dogs.
Dropping Stella at the vet (Wallaceburg Animal Hospital) this morning. She’s got some gingivitis which teh vet will look at and treat. Other than that her teeth and gums are fine.
Also having a full wellness blood panel and urinalysis done. Stella is almost 11 and has lost about five pounds from her normal 35-36. Her appetite, energy, pee, drinking, interest in things are all normal. We’ve increased her kibble, and the only variable I can think has changed is the kibble itself (a switch from the Acana Regionals cycle to Acana Senior. She did test Lyme+ in 2012 yet has been asymptomatic since. So we want to try to find out what’s going on.
Typed on the PlayBook.
We took everyone to the vet for their annual wellness exam. Our vet, Wallaceburg Animal Hospital, is in the next town and the roads were snow-packed, so the drive was leisurely.
The vet had an emergency patient so we waited longer than usual. The dogs understandably became restless.
Achilles paced.
Kendal cocked his ears at sounds outside the examining room.
Drama queen Stella paced, barked at sounds, and occasionally hoisted herself on her hind legs to check out the counter.
Eventually the vet came in, we really like Dr. Vallee. Everyone is fine, Stella has a little gum disease. The cattle dogs got their vaccinations. Kendal not yet, because of his recent illness Dr. Vallee recommended holding off for a few weeks. And now everyone is curled up.
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.
previouslytexan 