Simon (my basset hound) is sick again
I had Simon in to the vet yesterday. He has been doing poorly again  He has a worsening heart murmur (mitral valve), not eating (only softening food with yummies), and a high pitched cough. He got a thorough exam with chest xrays. His blood pressure was VERY high - 225/184 (normal is similar to a human), he has advancing lung disease (from his heart), a touch of kennel cough, and infiltrates in his lungs (per CXR) as well as an enlarged and deformed heart outline. So - he got his enalapril increased, is on Clavamox and Lasix as well as a cough suppressant. Good news is, Troy was pretty confident he should reach his 13th birthday - April 6th! Here he is a few weeks ago  , napping on the couch! |
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fingers crossed he responds well.  |
| Poor old boy. Hoping the meds help him bounce back. |
| Poor Simon. I hope that the med change does the trick. Give him a cuddle for me! |
| I hope he responds well and stays happy and strong! I love those basset hounds! |
| Sending gentle hugs to you, dear boy. Hoping the meds and supportive care will help you to bounce back once again. He's blessed to have a real nurse at his side.  |
| Hugs to Simon. What a handsome man he is. Fingers crossed that the change in meds help. Lisa Frankie and Mattie |
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 Spark up soon Simon. |
| Kiss the inside of each of those big beautiful ears for me. I believe that panda always felt the kisses better on skin. Muuaahh you beautiful old guy. |
| to the dude. And you too. Kristine |
| From my Simon to your Simon, get better soon little guy! |
| Hope the meds help Simon bounce back. Cindy |
| Rest comfortably old man. |
| Awww Dawn, I really hope that Simon get better soon. What a precious picture of that sweet boy!! Prayers for all of you... |
Awww I hope your sweet Simon feels better.  Darcy wrote: Kiss the inside of each of those big beautiful ears for me. I believe that panda always felt the kisses better on skin. Muuaahh you beautiful old guy. I completely agree. |
| Poor Simon! Please give him a gentle rub behind the right ear and tell him it is from me. |
| I hope Simon is feeling better soon. It's not fun getting old. sigh I wish i could just massage those sweet ears. Gentle hugs to this sweet boy. |
| Such a nice picture of him. Those ears are made for rubbing. Hope he responds well and feels better soon |
| I hate to hear Simon is not doing well. Poor guy. Hope his med changes help him perk up a bit, and feel better. |
| Dawn, how is our sweet boy today?????? |
| I hope the medication works for Simon, know what you're going thru. |
| Hope Simon is feeling better soon. |
| It's hard to tell how he really is doing today (and yesterday), as the cough suppressant makes him very drowsy. I cut the dose in half for this morning! He was pretty sleepy, wobbly and drunken looking last night, and even this morning. The lasix (generic furosemide, or in dog meds - Disal) is working, as he is saturating his pad in the pee band. I normally use the largest toddler diaper...but I did go shopping and bought some store-brand Depends in the 2nd highest absorbency! (what we do for our dogs, right??!) He normally would wear it just at night, and sometimes it would be wet, and sometimes totally dry...but the Lasix will MAKE him diurese and have to pee...so I am being prepared! I'm at work this weekend, and Todd just got off nights and will be sleeping most of the day....so needed to be proactive for things. Save the floor and furniture! I am testing out to see the timing of the med and his kidneys, so I can find the best times (twice a day) to give it...and when times will be bad and just need to skip a dose. He still isn't eating well, but no big surprise. He isn't a food driven dog even on the best of days, even when he was young. And with the Clavamox, I know things will get worse with his tummy. Seven days of that, then hopefully he gets back on track eating a bit more. Thanks for all your concern!! Other than the dopeyness from the cough meds, he really has a good amount of spunk...for a senior basset! |
| I think most medicine takes your appetite away. Poor boy, I hope he turns around soon. |
| Troy (vet) wasn't going to start the Clavamox, as Simon's lungs sounded clear and he didn't have a temp. But after the CXR, and seeing the slight cloudiness in all lung fields, and the fact that he had the cough from kennel cough...he was afraid he would get pneumonia too easily. And seeing it was nearly the weekend (that Murphy's law thing!) and I worked all weekend...it was enough to convince me it was the better bet. |
Dawn-- I have tried every kind of diaper for Max--- Depends- Kids toddlers-- Even Maxi Kotex Pads. He used to have some dry nights, but lately, he is soaked come morning. I attribute it to the fact that he is in the house for longer times in the winter, and not outside with us as much... And, I guess since we know he has a pad on, we are lazy about taking him out as we should. BAD, BAD parents.  Just last week, I bought Tena Ultra Long Pads for Men-- and BOY, do I love them! they have saved me laundry ( I can get two days out of the wrap now before washing) and they are wide-- which is waht Max needs. If Wyn is looking at this-- got any ideas where I can get coupons   Still thinking about Simon, and hoping he feels better--- really soon!!! |
| Good info Lori!! I like the wide part too - it really helps. I felt I spent a LONG time in the incontinence aisle....so it will be good to just go and grab next time. And of course Todd has to make smartie comments...like "well we are getting older"...implying the checkout lady really COULD think they were for me.  But he would never be the one getting them, he just would die...lol When his day comes I'll be the one buying them... |
got sheep wrote: Good info Lori!! I like the wide part too - it really helps. I felt I spent a LONG time in the incontinence aisle....so it will be good to just go and grab next time. And of course Todd has to make smartie comments...like "well we are getting older"...implying the checkout lady really COULD think they were for me. But he would never be the one getting them, he just would die...lol When his day comes I'll be the one buying them...John will not buy them on his own either... AND, if we are together when I need to purchase them, he makes a big production at the register.... "We have a OES that had an accident several years ago, and can't always hold himself, so we have these wraps that we put these pads in, so these are for the dog". More words than he strings together during ANY conversation with ME... BUT, the cashier MUST be told the pads ARE NOT HIS! LOL. |
| Hope Simon is feeling better-- |
| Hugs to Simon! |
| Poor Simon....hope he's feeling better soon!! |
| Hoping for the new meds to kick in and make you Simon feel better. He is getting the best of care. Hugs to you and Simon. Linda Zimmerman |
| Do the other dogs "bug" him, when he doesn't feel well? Does he snap or loose patience with them? |
| He has been more irritable lately to the other dogs if they run into him, etc. He also has been grumpier than normal with Chewie - they have this little "mom" thing, and normally Simon just grumbles a bit. Lately it has upset him more. (like "I don't feel good and I need mom!") However one plus from the cough suppressant is that he is too sleepy to care! He mostly snoozes on his loveseat (the one in the "ears" picture). And rest certainly is a good thing. So we snuggle. |
| to you and your little snuggley boy!!! Get well soon Simon. |
| Poor Simon. Hopefully the meds will do their trick. Thank goodness that "mom" is a nurse. You have sense about a lot of things others like me don't have to adjust the medication if necessary. |
| He looks snuggly...what a sweet ol' boy. Hope he feels better |
| Feel better Simon!!! |
| Snuggling is good. I hope he starts feeling better. |
| I bet he's a top rated snuggler Feel better soon, buddy. |
got sheep wrote: I felt I spent a LONG time in the incontinence aisle....so it will be good to just go and grab next time. And of course Todd has to make smartie comments...like "well we are getting older"...implying the checkout lady really COULD think they were for me. But he would never be the one getting them, he just would die...lol When his day comes I'll be the one buying them...Well, ain't that just totally predictable Hope the meds work quickly! Kristine |
| I'm late catching up on the news, I hope Simon does well and that it is an uneventful weekend while you're at work. |
| Kisses to sweet sweet simon Give him a smooch on his nose for me I used the mens incontinence pads when Bruiserwas down and they really worked the best for me. Better coverage. The things we do for our dogs, if they could do the same for us I believe thay would. We should have a forum birthday party for simon when april rolls around!! |
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| I think he's doing better! I am going to stop the cough suppressant after today, and wait a few days and see how he does. He also has not had much response to the lasix (meaning there is not really any extra fluid to get rid of) after the 1st couple days, so I'm going to cut that dose in half and see how that goes. The vet office called today for a follow-up on him, and were agreeable with this plan. Hope it works!! |
| Glad to hear Simon is doing better. It helps that his "Mom" is a nurse and knows what to do and what to look for. He looks so sweet. Hope you have lots of cuddles in the future with your sweet boy. |
| Good news, Dawn!!!! Hoping Simon continues to improve. |
 yes!!!!! wayyy to go Simon!!~~~~~~~  |
| Sending well wishes to Simon. My inlaws have a basset. Such lovable dogs. |
| Great news for Simon! Cindy |
| How is Simon today? I certainly hope he is much better. Simon is a very lucky boy to have you for his mom. |
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