Please Pray

[aly]

Peka has not been herself today. She's laying down shaking right now. Her eyes ..... I dont know... she looks miserable. I'm taking her to the emergency vet right now.

Please pray for her :(

[micki76]

Oh, Aly. :( I'm saying prayers for you both. Let us know as soon as you can. Hugs to you both.

[Sara luvs her Tinky]

Poor little Peka..
I will keep you guys in my prayers... let us know what the vet says.:(

[Logan]

We will definitely pray, Aly. I hope she will be ok. :(

[Cincy'sMom]

prayers for you and Peka...

[Karen]

Prayers on their way. We love you Aly, and Peka, too!

[Cookiebaker]

Oh Aly, lots of prayers sent to you and and Peka!! Hold on tight, and update us when you can!!

{{{{Peka}}}} {{{{Aly}}}}

[wolf_Q]

Aly, I'll say a prayer for Peka. Hope she'll be ok. :(

[Sudilar]

Immediate prayers for Peka and you, aly. I hope she can pull through this. Let us know when you can.

[sammi]

Big prayers are going out for Peka right now.

[aly]

Well I took her to the vet and she got so freaked out and it was going to be a few hours before they could see us because they didn't think it was enough of an emergency :( So I just took her back home. I wrapped her up and held her on the couch for a couple hours. I also put some chicken broth on her dog food to force her to eat because she didn't eat all day. She's now sleeping peacefully in her bed and not shaking anymore.

Something was terribly wrong though .. and I'm not sure if she's better or just .... I don't know :( I'll explain more about her symptoms in a little while. I really need to take a shower or something. :(

[Sara luvs her Tinky]

Still praying for you..

[zippy-kat]

{{Thinking, wishing, and praying for you Peka 'n Aly!}}

[DoggiesAreTheBest]

I am so sorry to hear that Peka isn't doing too well. I hope the vet will check her out today and hav a good report. I am sure you were terrified :( Hugs to you and Peka.

[anna_66]

I was wondering how Peka is this morning? Did you have to take her back to the vets? Please update when you can.

[Sudilar]

Very worried about Peka. Hope she is ok. Still praying. Let us know when you can.

[lovemyshiba]

I'll keep you and Peka in my prayers, Aly-hope to hear some news soon.
Stay strong.

[ramanth]

Thougths and prayers for Peka on the way.

*HUGS*

[KYS]

Aly are you taking her back to the vets?

I am thinking of Peka and hope she will be ok.

[micki76]

Originally posted by aly
I also put some chicken broth on her dog food to force her to eat because she didn't eat all day. She's now sleeping peacefully in her bed and not shaking anymore.

Aly, that's really weird. Chester was the same way yesterday when I got home. He wouldn't eat and was shaking uncontrollably. I was so worried about him. He wouldn't eat kibble, so I cooked salmon, and he wouldn't eat that either. That was when I got worried. I cooked some hamburger meat and he finally ate that. After a half hour or so he was his usual self and he seems ok today. :confused:

[ChrisH]

aly, I hope Peka is ok, prayers and love being sent.

Chris

[tatsxxx11]

Thinking of you Aly and sending prayers for Peka's quick recovery. We're all so worried. Please check in when you can...

[aly]

What a day... phew, still trying to catch my breath.

Someone from work called me at 6:30 this morning to see if I could take a dog from work in when I went in with Peka. So I went to pick that dog up and took them straight to the vet. The appointment wasn't until 11am but I told them I was just going to hang out in case they could see me earlier. They ended up not taking me until 11 and I was there until 2pm because the dog from work I had with us started having a seizure and I didn't want to leave until he was over that (he's okay - don't worry).

Anyway, Peka is acting much better today. I seriously thought she was dying last night :( She's now going to be on 4 pills two times a day to help her out. She will have to take them all for the rest of her life :eek: One is a long term antibiotic that they commonly use for heart patients, one is a diuretic (pee, pee EVERYWHERE), one is for her blood pressure because the diuretic does something to her blood pressure, and then she's also going to be taking baby aspirin twice a day.

The vet thinks she may have had a stroke last night. If she did, it was probably a mild one. She is doing better now. I feel really guilty but I am going to HAVE to put a diaper on that girl. I've been talking about it for awhile but haven't had the heart to yet. But I just have to. Her meds make her pee SO MUCH! I literally take her outside and the second we get back in she'll be squatting again.

Thats so weird about Chester. Maybe he had sympathy pains, hehe. I'm glad he's back to normal today though. What a scare!

Thank you so much everyone for your prayers and concern. I will keep you updated on the Peka monster.

[Sara luvs her Tinky]

Glad to hear that news... I will still keep you guys in my prayers ... maybe Peka can come off those meds one day:)

[anna_66]

Glad to hear that she's feeling better today:)

{{{{{hugs for you and Peka!!}}}}

[ChrisH]

I am so glad that Peka is feeling better!:)

Love & hugs
Chris

[Sudilar]

Thinking of Peka, how is the little darling doing today?

[lovemyshiba]

Glad to hear that Peka is feeling better.

[aly]

She's a little more normal today but still not herself. I'm really worried :(

Does anyone have any experience with their dog having a stroke?

[tatsxxx11]

I remember two PT'ers recently, whose dogs had "strokes." I can't remember who they were; they were only here briefly. After combing the internet and many vet info. sites, it seems that most vet's agree that strokes in dogs are EXTREMELY rare, if indeed they do occur at all. Here are two exerpts from different sites. There were several more where the vet stated that in all likelihood the conditon was vestibular peripheral syndrome, not a true neurological incident. What are the symptoms that Peka's presenting??? Did your vet say with certainty that it was a stroke? Hoping and praying for the best for precious Peka. Love, Sandra

#1 Stroke in Yorkie

Q: Dear Dr. Richards,
My 10 yr old Yorkie seems to have suffered a stroke. My Vet started
her on prednisone. Several friends have asked why the Vet didn'd start her on
aspirin. Since my Vet is now on vacation, I can't ask him. Could you
please tell me if you think aspirin is appropriate therapy? Why or why not?
Thank you very much,

Debra

A: Debra-

Strokes are very rare in dogs. They do occur but they are much more
infrequent than humans.

The condition most commonly confused with a stroke in dogs is peripheral
vestibular syndrome. This condition causes a sudden loss of balance. The
dog's eyes often have a rhythmic side to side or up and down motion known
as nystagmus. The dog's head may tilt to one side. There are a number of
other conditions that can also cause symptoms that might be confused with
stroke, so it is important to keep communicating with your vet to ensure
that he or she is aware of the progress of the problem.

Due to the fact that strokes are a fairly infrequent condition in dogs
there is not much information about how to treat them available in the
veterinary literature. I don't know if aspirin is helpful after a stroke in
dogs.

Many veterinarians use prednisone early in the treatment of peripheral
vestibular syndrome. I just tell people to wait the condition out. In
almost all cases the dog will show improvement in 24 to 48 hours and the
symptoms will resolve in a few days to three weeks. A few dogs have some
residual signs with a minor head tilt probably being the most common
permanent effect.

There is a definite possibility that your vet is treating for another
condition, so please do not discontinue the medication until you have a
chance to talk to your vet.

Good luck with this.

Mike Richards, DVM


#2 One condition that may occur in an older dog is vestibular disease, a condition of the middle ear. This will cause the dog to reel like a drunken sailor with head cocked to one side and eyes shifting around because he cannot focus. He is extremely disoriented and dizzy as well as nauseated. The onset is usually quite sudden and dogs used to be destroyed when they developed these symptoms because both owner and veterinarian thought he had had a stroke. Actually strokes in dogs are extremely rare so do not accept this diagnosis but seek a second opinion if you are told your dog has had a stroke. The vestibular problem may resolve within two weeks and any treatment will be simple and inexpensive unless there is something more serious, such as a tumor or deep infection. (From the website of Julian Norton, DVM

[aly]

Hmm, thanks for the info Sandra. The vet didn't say for certain that it was a stroke, just that it was a slight possibility. Now I'm thinking thats not what it was.

I think she was normal last Saturday when I dropped her off at a friend's house to watch her for the weekend. I am not sure though because I was so upset from my grandmother dying that I might not have noticed if something was slightly wrong. So Peka stayed with that woman until Monday evening when I got home. I picked her up and she seemed okay.

Then Tuesday I had off work and spent most of the day with the dogs - except for a few errands I had to run. She seemed quieter than usual but I wasn't worried yet. Tuesday evening I was watching tv and looked down and noticed she was laying on her blankets and shaking pretty bad. I stood up to see if she would get up because she ALWAYS gets up if I move around or stand up. She didn't get up. I kept walking around her saying her name and she still wouldn't get up. I picked her up and set her on her feet and she tried to walk but fell down into her food bowl. I tried once more and she wobbled sideways. So I wrapped her in a blanket and took her to the Emergency Room. As I said before, the wait would be 3 hours or so and she was freaking out there and I was afraid she'd get more sick. So I took her back home.

When we got back, I sat with her on the couch for over 2 hours. She stayed on my lap that whole time which is totally NOT in her character. Whenever I usually try to have her on my lap, she'll struggle and struggle and want down. She was perfectly still in my lap. She just rested her little head on me the whole time :( :( :( I seriously thought I was just making her comfortable so she could die. Please don't think I'm an awful person for not taking her back to the Emergency Vet that night. I thought it would be better for her to die in my arms than in the waiting room at the ER. Her health is so bad that I've been told by many vets that there's not too much we can do to fix things because she has so much wrong with her. And she didn't seem to be in pain or anything. She seemed comfortable.

She did start to get a little better after I got her to eat a little of that chicken broth and dog food. She still didn't eat yesterday though. But when I got home from school today, she came and greeted me then went to her bowl to eat :D AND I just looked over at her and she's actually sitting up now staring at me like she used to !!!!! YAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAY!!!! I think she might be near normal again! I have no clue what is going on with her.

[aly]

She was also panting and coughing a lot , but that's normal for her because of her heart.

(and also all day yesterday, she just slept and wouldn't really get up when I did. When I carried her out, she could walk fine, just didn't want to get up :( )

Anyway the vet added some extra pills to go along with her normal ones so maybe they will help. Hehe, she's staring at my taco salad right now :D

[TheAntiPam]

I sure hope Peka (and Aly) are feeling better today! You have had enough stress for a while!

RE: diapers for Peka - a friend with miniature poodles has found that regular cheap human baby diapers work very well, with a slit for the tail. Much cheaper than the doggie diapers, and these days they adjust to fit quite well. Since Peka is sort of that size, they probably will work for her...

Of course, you might know that trick already, but I just wanted to mention it just in case! :p

Good luck and good health to you and all your sweeties!

[Sudilar]

So glad to hear that Peka has perked up!!! You will probably never know for sure what happened to make her act that way. Maybe she was afraid you would leave her again or she was still worked up about your leaving? Anyway, I'm so glad she is better. I hope you have many more days with her. Thanks, aly, for caring for her!!!

[tatsxxx11]

I'm with Sue, Aly. It sounds like you may never know exactly what caused her episode. As she has some many different little issues, it come be related to any one of them, or all of them. I'm so glad that Peka is perky!:) Taco salad....now a doggie's gotta feeling pretty good to find that tempting!:) You're doing all you can, Aly...a wonderful, caring Mommy for sure! Love and hugs and special prayers for precious Peka!:)

[marysmerrycats]

Aly
Im so sorry to hear about Peka! glad that she's better now. how old is she?

[slick]

Aly: I'm so sorry I have not read this thread until now. I do hope Peka is still going better. You must have been really scared and I can't imagine going through the last couple of days. I'm sending my prayers along from the 3 of us.

[aly]

Originally posted by marysmerrycats
Aly
Im so sorry to hear about Peka! glad that she's better now. how old is she?

I'm not sure :( She's pretty old. I got her from the shelter I used to work at. They were going to put her to sleep (without having her see a vet first) so I took her in as a foster. Looks like she'll be a permanent foster.

She's acting more and more like her little ornery self now :D

[Sudilar]

Originally posted by aly
She's acting more and more like her little ornery self now :D

Hehehe, I'm glad!:D ;)

[anna_66]

That's great to hear!

[iceyshiver21]

Its good to see your getting better, keep it up :D

[aly]

Here's Peka when she wasn't feeling too well:

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid58/p90a9fcda96524250a2ce62055e439f39/fc6442d2.jpg

And here she is all better! All those towels and blankets are her beds. She LOVES to have them all over the floor like that... spoiled girl.

http://www.imagestation.com/picture/sraid58/p0204bac766b09886442c881f949d95e8/fc6442d1.jpg

[Sudilar]

She is just beautiful! Glad she is feeling better.

[lovemyshiba]

Peka is so cute--I don't remember ever seeing her picture before!! I am so glad she has such a wonderful caring mommy--and I'm glad to hear she is feeling better:)

[Aspen and Misty]

So cute! I'm glad she is doing better! Hoep she continues to do better.

Ash

[ChrisH]

Awww, aly, Peka is so beautiful!:) I am so happy she is doing so much better.
hugs
chris

[anna_66]

Aly she's such a cutie pie:) Wonderful to hear she's feeling better!

[Cookiebaker]

AWWWWWWWW!!! Peka is soooo cute!!! I'm so glad she has a good mom like you!!! She deserves it. :D

[Pam]

How in the world have I missed this post?! Aly, it sounds like things have made a turn for the better and I am certainly glad about that! Little Peka is precious and looks a lot like my RB toy apricots, even right down to the little cataract in her one eye that I can see. My Pumpkin's cataracts were so bad that I wondered how he could get around those last months of his little life. :( Bless you for helping this senior girl to have a loving home for however long she has left. It does sound like prayers were answered, doesn't it?! (((hugs to you both))) Does Reece call her Grandma? :)

[K9karen]

I selfishly didin't see this earlier, Aly....I'm so sorry... I'm glad I got to the good news, though...Peka is just preciously adorable!!!! If she's with you, I know she's in good hands... A few mohts ago, the vet thought Cody had a stroke, tho he didn't shake, just disorientted and didin't eat or drink. Turned out, the emergency vet said (when I took him in for tests and gave his history) that it was probably older dog vertigo, but seemed like a stroke. He was fine after a day or so (and eyed my Burger King fries) Continuous prayers that Peka is OK now and feeling better...

[aly]

NO not selfishly! I know you've been going through so much Karen :(

Thanks everyone for your kind comments about my old girl. I have to admit its hard for me to handle sometimes. I always jump out of bed and check to see if she's still breathing first thing in the morning. But we're doing fine now and I hope that she can live comortably for as long as possible.

[Sudilar]

Originally posted by aly
I always jump out of bed and check to see if she's still breathing first thing in the morning.

Funny you should mention that. I do the same with Killian, even during the day, if he's sleeping too long.

Glad Peka is doing well now.

[K9karen]

Yeah, creepy, huh? How we suddenly jump up to check their breathing? Aly,, I missed it, how old is Peka??? I hope she lives out her lucky days with you, painlessly, happily and with mutual kisses galore! I have no regrets about anything, it's the physical aspect which is sheer torture Peka is so cute, please kiss her little eyes for me...precious pumpkin ....

[aly]

I'm not sure how old she is. The vets haven't really given an estimate except that she's "old". It would be nice to know though.

Last night Peka was dragging a bag full of dog stuff across the floor and everything was spilling out behind her. I said her name and she jumped and ran to her bed like she had nothing to do with that bag. It was hilarious!!!

[Jessica12345]

aww. its good too hear she is feeling better!:) Peka is such a little doll! give her a little kiss on the nosey for me!:D