Chummie's complicated journey
At first, I thought she was just stiff or achy from getting knocked down at the playground. Then I thought she was reacting to the unusually hot weather. I scheduled the appointment to check her blood values from the Deramaxx. But just yesterday, I could see that her tongue looked blue and now I am more worried. We will see, I guess. Wish her luck! |
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| Oh my gosh Good Luck, I hope everything goes ok. Please let me know what the vet says. |
Oh Val. 
Best of luck to you both at the vet.  |
| I hope that's not the case Val as she still is pretty young. Good luck at your appointment. |
| Good luck Chum, and Val. Hope you get good news. |
| Keeping our paws crossed that it was nothing more than just the heat getting to Chummie. |
| Fingers crossed for good news.
Hugs to Chum from us. |
| Oh goodness...never a dull moment. Hugs and kisses. |
After all that poor girl has been through, I'm praying for good news. 
Please let us know as soon as you can! |
| Wishing everything goes well today for Chummie....sending you lots and lots of positive thoughts!!! |
| I hope all goes well at the vets. Please let us know as soon as you can. I will be waiting with crossed fingers to see your post. Good luck Chum! |
| Val you and Chummie have been through so much. I'm praying that all is well |
| She is such a trooper and has the best attitude. I really hope you get good news today. I'll be thinking of you. |
| Wow, that's not news I wanted to read.
I hope it is something correctable. |
| Oh Val, I really hope is just the heat. You both have been through so much this last year . I pray it all will be fine.....
Please give chummie a big kiss for me! 
Antoinette |
Ron wrote: I hope it is something correctable.
Me too. I've been watching and thinking about her decreasing energy/coordination but then I saw the blue cast to her tongue. That is definitely bad. Maybe getting her off Deramaxx will do the trick. Our appointment is at 3 Mountain Time. I will let you all know what I learn. . . |
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Oh Val We are all anxiously waiting to hear the report. |
| Good luck Chum! You've been through so much that you deserve the bestest life and news. |
| Oh, no. I hope Chum is OK.
I was talking with LeAnne on the phone as I read your post and she adds her good luck wishes for you and Chumley.  Good luck at the appointment today. |
| Rats! Here's hoping she's just been sneaking grape and blue candy behind your back. |
Mom of 3 wrote: Rats! Here's hoping she's just been sneaking grape and blue candy behind your back.
I was going to say the same thing. I hope everything turns out well. Definitely let us know. |
| Oh no!
Come on, Chummie! I'll be thinking of you girls...  |
| Give Chummie a big kiss from me.....I really hope everything turns out okay..fingers are crossed Val.... |
| This might be a dumb question but could she be having an allergic reaction to the Deramaxx?
Maybe there's a med they can give that will help her heart work more efficiently if it is actually heart failure. I hope she'll be better soon. Please keep us posted on how she's doing. |
| Good Luck at your Vet. Visit Chum and Val. |
| Good Luck Val and Chummie!
I hope its something simple that can easily be corrected. |
| Chummie really does have the best mom. You take such great care of her. I hope that everything turns out okay. You'll both be in my thoughts and prayers. |
| All fingers and toes crossed for Chummie.........
Laurie and Oscar |
| Hoping like crazy for good news!
Chummie is such a fighter....and you are such a great Mom, Val...I know both of you will give it your all to see this new challenge through. Love and good thoughts coming your way! |
| Good luck guys!!!! Fingers and paws crossed back in PA!!! |
| Poor Chum, it's not been a good year for her . Lots of good wishes coming your way that nothing serious is wrong
Holly and the boys |
| This has actually been a mostly good year for her. Post surgery, she has been like a new dog.
Anyway, the good news is that he did not hear any trouble with her heart and could not explain the blue tongue which of course had filled in pink for her appointment. The bad news is that he thinks she sustained a disc trauma or maybe just lingering inflammation from the attack by that dog at the playground. He said her spine is really painful and that would explain the panting, the wobbly gait, the sudden pooping, etc. Hopefully, a course of prednisone and pain killers will be all she needs. . . . I was really getting used to not writing in this section about Chumley. Alas. It is back to the neurologist for Chum. Totally unrelated -- I brought Maggie in because she was licking at her butt. Vet said she had one of the worst cases of anal gland bleck he's seen.  They are all emptied out but it may take a few days for the tissue to settle down.
Thanks for all the well wishes. |
Thank God ...No heart trouble! 
I seen you log on at the bottom of the Forum page and have been sitting here waiting for good NEWS!!!! 
Antoinette |
| Chumley: I'm glad it's not her heart but I hope the spine trauma isn't serious and will improve with steroids.
Maggie: Ewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww! |
| I glad it's not worse.
Poor Chum. Does this qualify her for more water therapy? |
Mom of 3 wrote: I glad it's not worse.
Poor Chum. Does this qualify her for more water therapy? Not yet. She is supposed to rest until it is determined whether she has a bulging disk or some other problem. |
Hugs for CHum and another EWWWWWWWWW for Maggie  |
| Val, Does the Vet think it could be really bad?
I was so excited to read it wasn't her heart I wasn't even thinking of how bad this could be for her. Antoinette |
| Yay Chummie!
Is "bleck" a clinical term??? |
BANDAA wrote: Val, Does the Vet think it could be really bad?
Well, yeah. I mean he said it was positive that she is not paralyzed but he encouraged me to get her in to see a neurologist right away and said she should rest easy til then. He was very cautious about saying anything one way or the other-- whether it is simply inflammation or a bulging disc that could rupture. He can't tell from his exam. My expectation is that I will need to take her off the Deramaxx so she can try a course of prednisone and see if that resolves it. If that doesn't work, it would take an MRI to really know what is going on. . . I feel awful because I let this happen to her. |
Ron wrote: Yay Chummie!
Is "bleck" a clinical term??? Apparently. For a Vet that must have seen a fair number of anal gland cases, he seemed quite struck by the awfulness of Maggie's situation in the rear. He said I was lucky it had not become infected but I have to keep the area clean for a few days til it settles down. Poor Maggie. I was spraying bitter apple on her butt to keep her from licking and she would lick right through that and keep on going. She must have been really uncomfortable and I just thought she was being obsessive/annoying. I was wrong. . . |
| I called CSU and they said the neurology dept is booked through August. So I emailed the doctor that did Chum's surgery and she replied from her vacation in the Bahamas and said she would fit Chum in as soon as she is back. |
| aww val, im sure you feel just horrible, but it WASNT your fault...it could have happened anywhere, any time, with any other dog.....Its good that your vet is so awesome!! Hope its just something that a little predisone fixes....
and for maggie...you really are a nasty girl....(sing it with janet jackson in mind!) |
| Poor Chum! I hope she recovers 100% and you know you have whatever help I can give you Val. |
| Thinking of you gals, sending postive thoughts for darling chum.
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| Awe, Poor Chum and Maggie! and Mom! |
| Awww.......
Here's lots of good wishes and hopes that all gets better for both of them! |
Valerie wrote: So I emailed the doctor that did Chum's surgery and she replied from her vacation in the Bahamas and said she would fit Chum in as soon as she is back.
That's good...especially if it is a bulging disk. Glad to hear it wasn't her heart. Well wishes to Maggie...and her sore butt. |
| Val, I really hate to hear bad things about Chummie. She is so sweet and loving. Good luck at the vet, I'll be thinking about the both of you. |
| I know the spine could be bad news, but I'm so glad her heart is ok!
Eggbert sends his sincere sympathy to Maggie...he had a simular problem a couple of weeks ago! Ick!
Thank goodness for your amazing vet! Calling you from her vacation is impressive!  |
Chu I hpe you are feelig better soon, tomorowuld not be too soon. Maggie it is hard to look lady like with an itchy butt. I know youwi gve it areal try.  |
ravenmoonart wrote: Thank goodness for your amazing vet! Calling you from her vacation is impressive!
Totally! I also contacted her therapist at Alameda and she emailed me back even though she is away at a wedding and she says she is going to try and get Chum an appointment ASAP with a neurologist there. . . |
| Val: So happy to hear that it isn't Chumley's heart causing her symptoms. It's great that the Vet responded to you while on vacation and that she is squeezing Chum in.
Poor Maggie and her irritated butt. I have to admit, I did laugh about you spraying the bitter apple to keep her from licking the irritation. All bleck jokes aside, she must be really uncomfortable. I am so envious that you live close to Alameda. I love watching E-Vet Interns and I amazed by Dr. Sullivan in particular. |
Quote: she replied from her vacation in the Bahamas and said she would fit Chum in as soon as she is back.
That was wonderful she wrote while on vacation and that she'll get her in! Hugs to you Chummie... I hope you're feeling better soon. |
| Poor Chums... I just hate to hear she's having pain in her back again. I know you feel awful, Val, but there really was NO WAY you could have predicted that behavior.
Your vet and the therapist at Alameda sound like great, caring professionals who are personally invested in Chum's health. You know they'll do all they can do help her. From here, we'll keep her in our thoughts and keep our fingers, toes & paws crossed for her. Sorry to hear about Maggie's bum, too. Poor girl - that must be terribly uncomfortable. Are you having to keep a collar on her to keep her from licking it? |
Beaureguard's Mom wrote: Sorry to hear about Maggie's bum, too. Poor girl - that must be terribly uncomfortable. Are you having to keep a collar on her to keep her from licking it?
Yup! She keeps wanting to dive back there. I do feel like a dum dum that I didn't suspect her glands sooner but a couple months ago she was licking "down there" and I thought it was glands but they told me her glands were fine. Instead, she had a urinary infection and high urine ph. I thought maybe she had just developed a bad habit of licking, although it was in a different area so that should have been a clue. . . I hope she starts to feel better soon. I guess that explains why she was sitting with her bum slightly elevated off the ground. |
| I am really glad to hear it isn't Chum's heart. Our little Tazz (min pin) has heart troubles and is on 2 meds. About 2 months ago he had a minor heart attack too. All this has been diagnosed for a little ove a year and probably going on longer than that. It has really slowed his lifestyle down. But, he still seems really happy and not suffering.
You have the best vets - you and the girls are so lucky! I hope things settle down for Chum. And then Maggie and her anal glands - eewwww! Poor girl, I bet she was miserable - and going crazy! Don't you wish they could talk and just tell us!!!? |
| Never a dull moment! I'm glad to hear that it's not Chum's heart. I know you feel badly, but accidents do happen. We know all about the anal glands over here. YICKY! |
| Val-
I just returned home from a business trip- logged on- and was so sad to read the latest news about Chummie. She is our hero - and my heart just breaks for the dear girl. From your responses- it seems that she will be in the hands of your wonderful doctors and therapist soon. In one post you mentioned feeling guilty about letting this happen. PLEASE- don't feel that way. You are the best Mom in the world- and life just happens. The guilt we felt when Max was injured was unbelievable... but he was doing what he loved... running in the snow... who would have thought.. and being in a park?... well... again- life happens. When Max was at his worst ( and us too) you always gave us such inspiration.... The care you give to Chummie... most would have buckled and ran. When you say this has been a good year for her..... remember YOU made that happen. You had faith and belief that she still had life in her and gave her a fighting chance. That staff of doctors can work miracles, I do believe. I hope only the best for Chummie- she is the best- and so are you. And Maggie... poor thing. Sore rumps can't be fun! Take care, Lori |
| Well, that was better news (I think) than I was thinking it'd be... Poor Chum.
And yes, EW to Maggie |
| On the good news front, I had Chum's bloodwork done to see how she is handling the Deramaxx and the Vet says it came back perfect. Yay!
That means that her prior elevated liver values were related to switching her to a grain free diet, which is too hard on old organs. She had fine bloodwork before, elevated values while grain free, and then fine bloodwork now that she is back to a balanced diet of protein and grains. Doing the "right" thing is such a balancing act! I am so relieved that all the panting is not a heart problem but it still makes me sad to realize she is panting because she is in pain or uncomfortable. I am really anxious to get her seen by a neurologist. |
| Hi, I've read alot of your posts about Chummie, I'm so glad it's not her heart. |
| Glad to hear Chum's blood work came back Normal! That's great news!
You're right -doing the right thing is a balancing act and you're always learning something new. 
Re: Maggie's bum - was the Bleck just caused by excessive licking - or was she licking because of the bleck? Just curious for more information to file away in case I see this behavior here.  |
Beaureguard's Mom wrote: Re: Maggie's bum - was the Bleck just caused by excessive licking - or was she licking because of the bleck? Just curious for more information to file away in case I see this behavior here.
I am told licking is a sign that the glands require attention.
She was licking because of the bleck. He said it might be because she had a brief phase of soft poo and so they were not releasing properly. Even though her poo is fine now, the situation does not correct itself without skillful attention. My dog walker, who is a former groomer, says it is the grossest job on earth and that doing it improperly can cause worse problems so she recommends always having a vet take care of it. |
| That's good information to have.
Gen's stomach is made of cast iron. She can eat anything. But occassionally, Beau will get soft poo from trying a new treat. It always corrects itself within a day, but still, now that I know, I'll be keeping an eye out. That's interesting, too, that if they're not properly expressed, it causes more harm than good. Hope Maggie's feeling better soon. |
| Oh Chummie, you keep us in suspense. I hope something can be done about your pain.
Maggie, you mommy is sorry she ignored your problem. At least she isn't putting ice packs back there! Fortunately dog's don't hold grudges or remember when we failed to live up to their expectations. They are always in the moment, so give the two girls extra hugs and kisses for me. s. |
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