Uncertainity knocks…

4/11/16

This past week has been a tough one, lots of uncertainty & questions re: Jackson decline this past week.

On Wed. he ripped open his toenail down to the wick on his only good back leg, really Jackson!  I had to leave him at the store for a couple hours while I went out to a store event. I got a text from one of my employees saying Jackson foot was bleeding, so I raced back to the store to find he had bitten into one of toenails so badly that the wick was cut & of course bleeding pretty bad. I am very thankful to have such wonderful friends because on my way home I called my friend Nicole who is an ER vet & she helped create a bandage around the foot to protect it & so he wouldn’t chew it anymore. I was afraid with it being on his back leg that he would have trouble hopping, which he did at first but when we finally got home he surprised me by hopping across the yard & back to his old self.  Thank God.

On Thurs.  I noticed his tail was acting funny hanging straight down at times against his hind quarters & not really moving, it usually is straight out behind him (perpendicular to the ground) acting as his rudder to help him with his balance.  At first I didn’t think much about it then I noticed it slightly on Fri & Steve said he noticed it too.  I thought about upping his Gabepentin as we had 100mg from before so I gave home (1) 300mg & (1) 100mg = 400mg figuring if he was in pain from his foot maybe it would help. It didn’t seem to do much.

On Sat we kept his back foot bandaged to avoid infection & from him licking it, he didn’t like it much but he knew we were doing the right thing.  We started to notice his bowl movements became more difficult & we had to hold him up with his harness.  He began to be more vocal than normal & at night like most nights recently at Steve’s he wanted to be in the bedroom with us.

On Sunday we upped the Gabepentin to 500mg to see if this would help, but it made him worse. (It had a similar reaction to in Sept. after his X-ray they had given him 600mg & he was agitated, panting & whining.) At night I was woken at 2:30 am with him crying out, so I took him outside & he peed & did his business. After bringing him back inside he continued being unsettled whining & crying out, it was toture & I felt horrible.  Was he in pain, was it the medication?  I got out of bed & tried to lay next to him & comfort him but it only worked for a short period & then he started up again. Finally at 4am I got out of bed & took him to the living room & settled in next to him on the coach & rested my hand on his chest. He finally settled down & went to sleep.

On Monday I finally got word back from our vet, she asked me to pinch Jacskon’s tail to see if he reacted, so I did & he didn’t do anything.  Her assumption was that he was experiencing some type of nerve damage, from what we don’t Know?  I think Jacskon’s unsettledness was definitely the higher dose of Gabepentin that caused his increased symptoms because on Mon we backed down to 300mg & he seemed much better the whining & crying stopped. Now we just had to deal with this nerve issue…It was very unsettling for us & Jackson too as I could tell he wasn’t himself, no wagging tail meant he couldn’t feel anything down there & now I was thinking this had to do with his increased inability to go the bathroom.   Life has a way of stopping you in your tracks, so breath, give lots of kisses & pats & hold on to HOPE!

Increasing the pain medication…taking it one day at a time!

1/28/16

It’s been almost 3 weeks since Jackson had his first zoledronate IV treatment and the subsequent fireworks night when we think he injured his shoulder/scapula trying to get up off the hardwood floors.   After our meeting with Dr. K we ended up increasing the Gabapentin to 300mg every 8 hours and the Amantadine alternating 1-2 pills every other day and have kept him on the Rovera every 12 hours. We’ve been taking it one day at a time taking it real slow with re: to the prognosis of Jackson lameness in his right front leg.  At first he was very tentative to put any weight on his rt front leg, just using it for balance when he tried to walk.  Then you could tell he was trying to put more weight on it at various times.  We’ve been feeding him lying down on his bed as he’s to unstable to eat standing up. He’s been using his tail a lot more as a rudder to help him with balance especially when he’s feeling uneasy under his feet.  The increase in medication really seems to be helping him gain his strength back and feel more confident.  Some days are better than others, but at least his appetite is still great and he seems to keep pushing himself forward continually teaching me about patience, honor and the commitment to continue on the path we’ve chosen together.

Jackson eating on his bed.
Jackson eating on his bed.

 

Jackson doing incredible in the snow, the booties are really helping him out!
Jackson doing incredible in the snow, the booties are really helping him out!

 

Jackson checking out something he heard in the yard!
Jackson checking out something he heard in the yard! You can’t take the greyhound out of him!

Maw must be a miracle worker!

In the days that followed my 2nd diagnosis Maw is a mess crying all the time and I think she’s fearing the worst. I try to show her that I’m strong like she’s told me, but it’s hard because I’m in a lot of pain. I can hardly put any weight on my right paw, so it’s makes it almost impossible for me to go for a walk outside and to the bathroom. I’m scared I’m going to slip and fall on the floors again too.  Steve is helping me by holding me up with my harness but it’s really uncomfortable. I hear Maw on the phone with my vet I think and she seems excited about something.

In the next couple of days Maw begins giving me lots of shredded cheese, I wonder what I’ve done to deserve such special treatment, but mums the word I’m not going to turn my nose up at handfuls of cheese and delicious smelling chew-able treats at all hours of the day and night.  I kind of think it has something to do with what Maw was talking with the vet about, but like I said I’m not barking about it.  Instead, I begin to feel better I slowly start putting weight on my right front leg and it’s not ouchy anymore I’m feeling more myself.  Maw continues to put these smelly oils on me and all I want to do is lick them (I think they are essential oils that she’s just started using because I can smell them in the room too coming out of what looks like a lotus flower), Maw must be working her magic again!

11-21-15 b&w
11-21-15 the day after my 2nd diagnosis, Maw’s taking a lot of pictures of me, I wonder why?

A couple of days later I overhear Maw talking to the vet again thanking her for prescribing me Amantadine and a low dose of Gabapentin, along with Rovera, this is what she must mean when she says “the cocktail” is working.  To me it feels like a miracle as I’m not limping anymore.  I am happy as I’m going to work with Maw and taking our walks and all I want to do is play outside and run, but I know I can’t quite yet because my only back leg sometimes gives out on me when I get too excited.  I hope I continue to get better, as I’m not scared anymore and I feel invincible.

Thanksgiving morning I'm feeling better, maybe I'll get some turkey today!
Thanksgiving morning I’m feeling better, maybe I’ll get some turkey today!
11-29-15 I continue to feel a lot better, Maw lets me outside so I can chew my bone!
11-29-15 I continue to feel a lot better, Maw lets me outside so I can chew my bone!
Maw took me for the longest walk yet...in the woods...I love the woods as you can see, yum, yum, yum!
12-6-15 Maw took me for the longest walk yet…in the woods…I love the woods as you can see, yum, yum, yum!