Aspen the Yorkie

As a Yorkie, I can tell you having Pancreatitis is not fun…it hurts…and it’s kept me from wanting to blog for a long time, but I’m feeling great now, back to pestering my owner regularly, and now she appreciates it because it means I’m feeling good>:-)<

I am hoping that I went through might help other Yorkie friends out there.

Over the years, I’ve been getting (sorry, this is yucky) diarrhea a lot easier than I used to depending upon what I eat.  So my owner has been doing all kinds of things to take things out of my diet, and carefully add new things, very gradually, that’s what you have to do when you’re changing foods with a Yorkie.

One day a month or so ago, I got really bad, and we went to the Vet.  We’ve done that before, but this time, the did a blood test for Pancreatitis, and I came up as having it.  There are really no medications for this, but they did treat it in almost the same way as they did a year ago in January, 2009, and then we just had to watch and see.

Here’s some things my owner did wrong (I forgive her) and what the doctor had us do:

• My owner gave me Chicken Livers the night before, you would think that wouldn’t bother me, but it’s very rich and high in cholesterol.  When I was younger, I could handle more foods than I can now.
• The next day I had VERY yellow diarrhea, and was throwing up, also yellow, and walked around with my back kind of hunched and head down because it hurt inside. So we made an appointment with the Veterinarian.  So important if you think something serious is wrong.
• The vet gave me subcutaneous (I think that’s the word) fluids, they put a lot of water just under my skin with a needle to help with dehydration since….
• I wasn’t allowed to drink or eat anything for 24 hours!!!  But it wasn’t that bad, I wasn’t feeling well at all so not very hungry, and if I did eat was in pain.
• I was given 1/4 of a 10mg Pepcid A/C tablet on an empty stomach in the afternoon a 1/2-1 hours before when I would have had my dinner, then every 24 hours for a week before my evening meal. The veterinarian had us add another week on because I still wasn’t quite right after a week. After finding that to be a battle (I hate taking pills), and after I had started eating again, my owner added it to just a tiny bit of chicken breast so I wouldn’t notice it, then gave me the rest of my meal later.
• I had to eat several small meals a day of white rice (or I like Gerber’s baby flaked rice…just about a tablespoon mixed in with the cut up chicken with a little water added) and chicken breast, morning, mid morning, noon, mid afternoon, and dinner time, about 2 tablespoons of food each time until I got better.

I finally did get better, then there was the quest to find the right food for me, that’s another story that we’ll share with you in our next post.

It’s good to feel good again!

I’m writing as myself today…not for Aspen…but about her.  She has been such a wonderful companion for over 11 years now, and is beginning to show her age.  She recently seems to have difficulty seeing, and other signs that remind me that I need to give her extra loving for all that she has given to me.

She isn’t as lively as she used to be, because it is hard for her to see…I just took her out for a walk, and not that far ahead of us was a cat…usually she would have gone crazy with barking and excitement, it took her a while to even notice the cat.

She sleeps more, and is always happy to have a belly rub, a back massage, and her treats, they are a special delight…something my husband gives her each night after we have dinner.

Here are just a few of the pleasures Aspen gives us:

Unconditional love, and devotion.

All that loving is healthy for you, yes, petting your dog, having their companionship, can help calm you…stroking their fur is good for them and good for you…Aspen loves to snuggle and loves her tummy rubs.

Aspen is great company when no one else is around…of course she likes all of us to be there…we are her “pack” after all.

Aspen listens to everything we say, as if she understands…and I think she does understand…a lot more than we may give her credit for. When everyone is out during the day, she is always there with a listening ear.

Aspen gets me outdoors to walk on days when I may want to just stay inside. I love walking, but some days just don’t feel like making the effort, her companionship makes it more enjoyable. We both get some exercise when we walk.

Aspen makes me feel safe when my husband has to travel, which is rare, but happens occasionally. She will bark if she hears ANYTHING, and this brings a sense of security…no barking, all is well.

I guess I’m feeling a little sentimental today, realizing that she’s an older girl now, and more delicate than she used to be. Just hope I can give her all she deserves for the joy that she has given us over the years since that March day when I watched her birth.

Love your dogs, treat them like part of the family, that’s what they are.

The EPA (Environmental Protection Agency) is putting restrictions on certain flea and tick products because of illnesses and deaths that have resulted from using them.  Among the things that happened to pets were seizures, serious skin reactions, deaths and more.  Here is a bullet-point list of some key facts we heard in a news report today:

• 44,000 adverse reactions attributed to collars and topical preparations
• 600 of these reactions lead to death
• Affects cats more than dogs, small dogs more than big
• EPA wants clearer labeling
• Want owners to read instructions carefully, many reactions are due to owner’s carelessness, for example putting dosages meant for large dogs on small dogs, or not putting where you should on the pets body.
• When using a topical application, check the area after you apply, skin reaction can appear like a chemical burn which can become infected.
• Why aren’t they taking the products off the market? Because it’s even riskier if pets get fleas or ticks to both pets and humans

Click here for the EPA news release for more information.

I’ve had pink eye lately, or some kind of eye infection. My owner has been treating me at home, so far, and will take me to the vet if it doesn’t get much better real soon.  But so far, so good.  She knows how to make natural remedies, and this one is made from a very safe herb that has anti-infection properties.  She makes a tea from it, and puts it into a sterile dropper bottle, then drops it into my eyes the best she can while I shake my head all over the place (I don’t like it) and that’s it!  It doesn’t hurt, and each day they seem to be better.

If you want to know what she uses, you can ask us in a comment, they aren’t posted unless we approve them, so are private.  If your question and our answer seems like it will help someone, we will post it, unless you tell us not to.

Once again last week I had trouble with my tummy. My owners had to decide whether or not to take me to the local animal hospital to take care of me. Since I’ve had this problem before, they knew what to do, so this time they decided that it would be best to just save the money and try the things they learned, and it worked!

But if I had not improved, they would have taken me to a place like the American Animal Care Center. When we saw this center, and all that it offered, we felt like it was a perfect thing to share with you here, so that you could visit yourself. It looks like a great place with lots of help for all kinds of animals, not just dogs like me.

The links in this post happen to be for an American Animal Care Center located out in Fremont, California, but even if you’re all the way across the United States like we are, you may want to visit the site, and tell your friends out that way about it.

One of the things that we thought was nice was that you can read the American Animal Care Center profile, but then go and visit the links across the top, we liked the one that said “pet portal”. From that one you are able to register so that you can keep track of all of your pet’s information right online, any time of the day or night. There was another link to articles, too, that are helpful for all of us no matter where we live.

So make sure your owners take good care of you, make sure they know when you aren’t feeling well so they can take you to a animal care center if you need it.