Today Lacey took her medicine all by herself for the very first time.After a few times putting the pill in her mouth,holding her mouth & tickling her throat..As soon as my dad was ready to give her the medicine she actually jumped up at my dad very excited to take her medicine.When my dad slipped the pill into her mouth she actually chewed the pil(chunk,chunk)and swallowed the pill without us holding her mouth shut!I was sooo impressed with her!For more of an update on how Lacey’s doing otherwise check out our next blog:Lacey’s UTI day 3
Monthly Archives: December 2009
Lacey continues her wet food diet for the time being
So we went to the vet not really for a check up but to get some shots aka vaccinations..Little did we know that Dr Kaya didn’t want to do anything until her UTI was cleared up..We saw a different vet who worked at VCA.She is very friendly and does seem knowledgeable but when I asked her as to what type of food should I feed Lacey dry or wet her reply was dry or wet depending how much water she’s taking in.I also asked my Aunty but she told me her dogs never had UTI before.Still she said she’d think dry or wet or combination would be ok.So,I asked on Dogster for other owner’s help as to what to do not to mention this lady vet we saw wasn’t our main vet,Dr Kaya.(Lacey weighs about 7.9 pounds.We think she may be 9 pounds for adult weight)Many owners mention that canned food is the way to go but do brush her teeth about twice a week.We also tried Merrick’s canned food and Lacey loves it.It smells delicious enough for me to eat it!It looks really soupy with chunks of meat inside and more like Halo’s thickness of can food but still not as thick as Wellness where it’s really packed together and compressed of ingrediants.Also the interesting thing about Wellness is the foods are good don’t get me wrong but they could certainly expand their ingrediants of canned food.Perhaps if it was slightly more soupy other dogs and cats may be more open to eating it.That rule seems to work for Lacey very well.Wellness and Halo are both very good brands overall.I like Halo because they have some dehydrated veggies and herbs in the dry food.Wellness is very small when it comes to kibble and that’s a plus..
Lacey update:UTI Infection Day 2
Well,overall Lacey is doing a lot better.Her cries are to a minimal.When she woke up this morning she was crying quite a lot and only after I laid down with her did her cries stop.It’s so hard not to really be able to do anything and see your pup in pain and all you can do is comfort them with your attention and love.Sometimes it seems that’s not enough…She’s taking her medicine…Her appetite is a little better but she’s eating very little at a time.still it’s better than what it was.Another blog following this will explain more about her eating.
Lacey takes her first step down the steps by herself!
My pup Lacey,9 1/2 months old & 3 days old took her first step down the steps for the very first time today!I was so happy and excited for her!Up to tonight(December 30 2009)Lacey could not go down the steps!She could only go up!!Tonight Aunty Betsy and Uncle Sherman was outside watering and caring for Aunty Betsy’s plants.Uncle Sherman was out front so Lacey said hi to him first.She did her business on the grass and of course checked for the neighbor’s dogs who wasn’t there.So we went into the yard and going further to the river(in the back of our house)we saw Aunty Betsy tending to her veggies so I carried her up the steps to say hi.Well,this pup went up the steps and after we said hi to Aunty Betsy we went around up a few steps then down a few steps and at the very least and unexpected our pup,went flip,flop down one step!I was so impressed because a few weeks ago she couldn’t do it but now Lacey is getting stronger..Must be from the daily walks…
DiVentus Dog Hotel
So we called Di Ventus to get a verification that it is ok for Lacey to still go there inspite of having a UTI.We called and the staff said that they do take pets even if they have UTI and they also give meds as long as it’s a pill there is no charge.Thought we’d post it in case other dog owners who may be interested in DiVentus Dog Hotel needed to know any type of information.I still feel that Lacey will do well here and taken care of.However due to her UTI she will only be allowed canned food and no dry food whatsoever.Just hope she doesn’t have to be on it longer than a month or she may feel like I don’t have to eat dry food but right now they say it’s better to feed wet food due to the moisture content..A dog owner gotta do what they gotta do to care for their pet.
Solid Gold Berry Balance for UTI
I’ve heard so many good things about Solid Gold Berry Balance for helping dogs and cats with UTI that I was seriously purchasing this for Lacey.Many dog owners have recommended this and that it’s helped their dogs get their Ph back on balance that right now I am open to almost any suggestion that will help ease Lacey’s pain.So heartbreaking to hear those cries of pain…I’ve spoken with my parents about it and we agreed to give it a shot.Among other things many said that wet food at the moment is the way to go.So right now I’ve got her on ONLY canned food then after her meds switching her to both dry/canned again.One person suggested that ACV also works to put it in her food not the water.First I think we’ll try SG Berry Balance and see how that goes before we try giving her ACV.Hopefully she’ll get better.Keep her in your prayers!
SG Berry Balance
up to 15 pounds :1/8 tsp twice a day
I usually don’t order things online unless I absolutely need to and can’t find it down in hawaii.I try to buy things as local as possible without added expenses.
Lacey’s Vet Update-UTI Infection
To make a long story short I will summarize the vet visit.We took Lacey in after calling VCA and telling the staff about Lacey’s symptoms.They told us to come in about 10:30 that day(Monday December 28) so I okayed it with my parents and we went in.Being the main one who cares for Lacey I sort of suspected something wasn’t right w/ her:whining,crying,refusing to eat dry food,licking her vulva–this wasn’t normal behavior for her.They looked at her vulva and told us it’s slightly swollen and a little red.They gave us Doxycycline,1/4 tab twice a day for a month.She takes it with no complaints when we put it inside a slice of vienna sausage.Meanwhile,she’s still whimpering and crying which must be extremely painful.As of today I am going to try add some ACV to her water,give her 100% coconut water,yogurt and more wet food.I’ve read several different websites citing that these may help and work and a few dog owners have also tried ACV in their dog’s water.I am hoping that some of this on a daily basis will help cut down the crying since it’s just so heartbreaking to hear any dog be in pain..and to know all we can do is provide comfort.It’s all we can do and I feel so helpless knowing she’s in pain.
What’s interesting that I’ve read is that alot of owners don’t catch their dog’s UTI quick enough to notice UNTIL the dog is in the middle stage where the dog will whimper,yelp or cry while they pee.But for those dog owners who pay very close attention to their pup you will notice when something is wrong almost immediately!Just by your dog’s behavior you should be able to judge whether it’s time to seek a visit to the vet.I am so grateful that we caught it early enough.
Unusual behavior for Lacey,vet check up today
Today we have noticed unusual behavior in our pup.She’s humping other objects more,whimpering,whining,crying,licking her vulva more,refuses to eat her dry food but she does eat solid food though.She was the same way when she first started her heat.very similar symptoms.Took her temp was about 101.2 which is normal.Thought it was a split heat but according to a website it should have occurred in about 4-6 weeks after her first heat back in october so it can’t be a split heat(and according to other dog owners).One dog owner suggests it could be a false pregnancy even though she was never breeded.So what could be the problem?Not sure.We have an appt with the vet at VCA later this morning(10:30am PST)and we’ll put an update when it’s available.
Ear Cleaning Solution
I just noticed that Lacey’s ear cleaning solution has artificial coloring in it.Blue Dye 1…We got this one from the vet(Dr Kaya from VCA Animal Hospital)but after she finishes this bottle we’re going to make our own solution taken from this site:http://leerburg.com/cleanears.htm
50% ACV(Apple Cider Vinegar)+50% water.Then either using a syringe which I am sure we have since we had to give Lacey meds before and squirt it in her ear.If possible I try to stay away from the artificial coloring for Lacey.
Merry Christmas from Lacey!
Today Lacey had her puppy egg nog which she loved!She also had vienna sausage although she didn’t’ eat her own food last night since my family and I were out at the Shiira Christmas Party!Also made her a Turkey Treat which was posted earlier.We will be making Christmas Chews this weekend.The puppy egg nog and Christmas Chews will also be given to the neighbor’s dog for a Christmas Treat.I always give him food(canned and dry,the same as Lacey’s)because his owners don’t feed him as much and for a medium sized dog should be taking in about 2 1/4 cups of dog food per day.Thus,I give him at least a half cup to one cup of dog food each day.
