Tuesday, December 21, 2010

The Snowy Saga Continues

Earlier tonight, the four of us (plus Snowy) drove about twenty minutes to view a big Christmas light display. On the way there, Snowy was kind of anxious and restless and eventually disappeared to the back of the van. It wasn't long before a Certain Smell wafted toward us---a smell that mothers of baby humans and small doggies recognize instantly.

Poop!

We stopped at a gas station for a Clean Up Mission; I happily handed Steve a few tissues from my purse so that he could easily pick up the little logs that Snowy is wont to produce. Unfortunately, this particular time, we were not so lucky as to be presented with logs. Snowy didn't exactly have diarrhea but it was the next best thing. My little dainty tissues were quickly retired to their "dainty tissue package" and Steve went over and got the big, industrial sized paper towels from the gas pump area because it was a big, industrial sized mess. (I'm trying to be diplomatic here.)

Steve got the worst of it cleaned but the aroma of that Certain Smell remained. Oh happy day.

We walked through the light display (leaving Snowy in the van), and then headed back home. Within the space of about five minutes Snowy threw up twice--once in the front of the van and once between Nathan and Sarah's seats.

It was a lovely moment for all involved.

Apart from all the unpleasantness of experiencing his output at close range, I am now back to worrying about Snowy in general. For the past couple days he's done pretty well with the chicken and rice diet and I thought maybe we had the eating problem beaten.

However, with this latest development I'll have to call the vet again in the morning and see what our remaining dwindling options are in getting him to not just eat, but to also tolerate what he eats.

Last night while we were decorating the tree, he had a really bad "spell" for about thirty minutes where he just shook all over and looked absolutely miserable; we had no idea what was wrong or how to help.

I feel so bad for the little guy and just want to help him feel better. And yes, I would even happily make chicken and rice for him every day for the rest of his days if that was the solution. But at this point, it appears as though the chicken solution has disappeared, too.

Going to bed a little heavy at heart knowing that he's just not bouncing back the way he should.

He's an annoying, expensive, inconvenient, occasionally stinky--and dearly beloved little guy.

8 Had Something To Say (Just click here!):

Anonymous said...

Please see if Nutrical is an option, Becky. Because of his kidney issues, it may not be, but it has literally saved the life of a couple of my pets when they were unable to eat. It's very dense and high calorie and highly digestible. Just hoping to find something that will give his little body a rest while keeping it strong... we love that little white dog over here!

Anonymous said...

Praying for your 4-legged kiddo...and for you all. God bless

Vicky in Indiana

Anonymous said...

Just thinking of your family and sending you our best wishes (((Hugs)))

Jean C

Frapper said...

We have a probiotic powder that we can add to the doggy dinner when digestive problems are an issue. Ours is called Fortiflora, but it might have a different name at your vet's as we're in Canada. One of the vets also suggested a powder called Prozyme that we add to help our dog absorb the nutrients in the food. I skip the Prozume and use the probiotic powder if she has any diarrhea. Our dog also takes medication for her kidneys, an Ace Inhibitor--don't know if that would help Snowy at all, as our dog has trouble with the filtering mechanism of the kidneys. She did have stones though, but had surgery to remove them. Maybe the probiotics would help. Sending you all prayers.

Rachel said...

I'm so sorry poor Snowy is feeling bad again. It's possible the car ride was little too much for him in his queasy condition? Try feeding him again after a bit and see if he keeps that down.

D. said...

:( Poor Snowy. :(

One more option to ask the vet about, if you want: Pepcid AC. I don't know if this is safe for dogs, but my cat's vet prescribed it when he was going through chemo.

I've mentioned that I had a kitty who had lymphoma. The vet put him on oral chemo that was designed to give him as much quality of life as possible. One of the drugs they used was Leukeran, which is also used as a chemo agent for humans with Hodgkin's disease. Unfortunately it had the same side effect in cats as it did in humans, meaning that I had one queasy, hair-trigger tummy kitty.

The vet prescribed him Pepcid AC. I gave him his dose every morning with a Pill Pocket or his food, and it kept him from throwing up. That in turn made him much happier and meant that he felt well enough to keep eating.

Obviously Pepcid AC isn't going to solve whatever the underlying issue is. Still, it might improve the quality of Snowy's time by ensuring that he's not always sick to his stomach and that he can keep his food down.

Either way, I hope the vet will come up with something that will help the dear critter. All best wishes--

Leece said...

Bless. Oh I so hope he rallies. Having a sick pet is so upseting and at Christmas too, it's even worse. Lots and lots of prayers for you all.

Anonymous said...

I hope Snow gets better soon :)