Update on Puddy; she's gone*9/29* see post #421

[pomtzu]

I was nearly to the point of having Puddy PTS; I even called my local vet to talk to her about it because, even w/a shortcut to Dr. Lee's, it's a good 45 minute drive which will seem an eternity for such a task as I would be doing and I would probably lose my resolve. .

Wow - pretty intense reading first thing in the morning........
I hadn't wanted to mention this before, but WHEN/IF you do decide to let Puddy go, would your vet come to your house? Maybe it's not an option and maybe you wouldn't want it that way, but it could be less stressful for both of you. I am fortunate to have a vet that does just this if the situation allows and it's not an emergency situation.
But of course we are all hoping you don't have to make this decision and she'll start showing improvement.
And please take care of yourself - and be CAREFUL!! All the posse needs you and you can't take care of any of them with a broken hip - or more!

[GILL]

Please next time open the gate. We use one between the TV room and kitchen and it is so easy to get caught on them. Let alone at the top of stairs.
The Crew is still praying and pulling for Puddy and you.

[Catty1]

Prayers for the best outcome for you and Puddy; I so hope she shows some improvement, as at least you would feel relieved.

Give her a kiss on the forehead for me.

{{{{hugs}}}}

[Kirsten]

Mary, it's easy to see how hard this is for you, and I totally understand! (((HUGS)))

I'm so sorry to read that you fell, and that you're in pain now. I hope you'll feel better soon.

You're in my thoughts. Please give Puddy some lovies from me if she wants to.

I'm sure you'll know in your heart when it's time. You can see it in their eyes when they're ready...

Kirsten

[Medusa]

I talked to my local vet about B12 after reading Emeraldgreen's post and she feels that Puddy would benefit from all the B vitamins and not just B12. So I stopped by and she gave me a syringe free of charge to inject directly into the Ringer's lactate bag for Puddy's subQ's. Otherwise, it burns upon injection and I don't want to cause her any more pain. She said it should also help w/her appetite, which is virtually nonexistent. She hardly touches her Purina cat chow, which she always loved and she won't eat Fancy Feast at all now. She likes tiny pieces of Buddig turkey meat and she slurps on a fudgesicle, that's it.

Here's what really upsets me, though: Dr. Lee told me it would be at least 10 days before I probably would see results from the Selegiline. (It'll be two weeks tomorrow.) The other vet said 6-8 weeks. The compounding pharmacy said 4 weeks and my local pharmacist said 2 weeks. My local vet said that she's only known cases of dogs being on it and she's never seen success w/it. So what am I doing then? How are we supposed to make an informed decision when there is such a difference of opinion about the efficacy of this drug? I'll have a real heart to heart w/Dr. Lee on Monday and, as I said before, if I don't get the answers that I want, then I'm going to release Puddy from this hell that I think I may be putting her through, even though I think she isn't in any pain. If I'm right, then Puddy and I will have been vindicated. If I'm wrong, God forgive me.

[Catty1]

She has been on it two weeks? When did you start the liquid form?

I wonder if the different time lines you have been told come from people who have actually USED it on an animal and seen results (aside from the person who used it on dogs and saw no difference, which doesn't mean it doesn't work at all - just not on some dogs she saw).

I hope the B vitamins perk her up.

I pray that Puddy turns the corner soon, and can enjoy her life a little more.

[Medusa]

When I checked her cat chow dish this morning, I could see that she had eaten, not a lot, but given that she hasn't been eating any of it at all, I'm somewhat encouraged. She still uses the tub as her litterbox, though. She spends a lot of time in that tub, even sleeping there. I have to clean her up a lot because she has litter caked to her bottom and she leaves a trail wherever she walks. Yesterday morning I heard her walking from her room to the bathroom, then she stopped and walked into my room. She used to hop into bed w/me in the morning and let me know that it was time to get up but this time she just walked in and stopped. I thought "She doesn't know where she is" so I called her name and said "Come on in bed w/Mommy" but she just turned around and went into the bathroom.

I feel so bad about her self imposed confinement, so I wrapped her in a towel and took her downstairs to the enclosed patio thinking that we'd do a little bird watching. Well, there must have been a hawk nearby because there wasn't a bird to be seen or even heard. So I took her w/me to the outdoor patio and sat down in a chair w/her still wrapped in the towel. She didn't seem anxious at all; she looked around a little but only for a minute. Then I could tell that she wanted down and there was no way I was going to put her on the ground, so we went back inside and I took her to the safety of her bathroom.

It's when she has the lucid moments such as described above that makes me have hope but when she's out of it, she's really out of it. Anyhow, just thought I'd fill you in on the latest.