We're in a complicated mess of a situation, very long story short as possible: Merlin, our senior dog, had food bloat, we thought "bloat" at home. Emergency vet didn't listen to us about medication sensitivities. Dosed based on weight causing massive overdose plus Merlin had an extra-pyramidal reaction that they apparently tried to cover up. This resulted in being gorked out for 5 days and loosing a lot of strength in already compromised hind legs, he develops acute pancreatitis (nursed him through but a relapse is always on our minds) and he ends up with a bad pressure ulcer/avulsion on his hip that's slow to heal and is still open, Merlin has nearly life long IBD and anxiety issues , all medications that used to help now cause major problems. Fast forward 3.5 months...
Merlin has not been sleeping at night for nearly two months. We've tried a lot of things, including letting him sleep inbetween us in bed which resulted in him pushing himself out of the bed one night severly spraining one of his front legs (arghhh!!!) with minimal results. Our vet broke out a prescription for codeine last week. MIRACLE. Problem is that he becomes so relaxed he looses stool. Plus maybe he just poops because he's too stoned to get up/let us know/care. We tried halving the dose, it's not enough to help him relax enough to sleep.
We worry about dressings failing and him getting poop in his wound, it's hard to wash up a dog that doesn't stand reliably (we have a k9 cart for him for walking outside to prevent further injury) and has a hole in his hip. Plus the stool is loose and night before last he woke up with a severely irritated anus from stool being on his skin for I don't know how long. I plan on getting desatin or something simialr to protect his anus, but in the meantime... we've tried regulating when he eats, but it seems that this only barely solves the problem. He's severely underweight at 18 pounds and should weigh 23. When he's awake and not fussing he's animated, walked all the way around the block yesterday he is a life long finicky eater and player of games to get something better to eat. We feed him human quality complete diet made by a great place called Just Food For Dogs.
I do stimulate him to stool before bed, learned on this website, we witheld food last night after 6:30. It's hard when he needs to eat, had have high fat foods to help weight gain (pancreatitis) and is really manipulative.
We committted to do doing everything we can for him when this happened. We feel that we let him down and failed to protect him from that vet. But I'm running out of the ideas. We all need to sleep at night... he previously failed benadryl, pheromone collar, melatonin. He cannot take NSAIDS because of the IBD although I'm about ready to try buffered aspirin.
I could really use suggestions about how to protect the wound on his hip (we've found ONE bandage that works, managed to run out and hopefully more will be here tomorrow). The surgeon at the speciality clinic wanted to do a $3 to 4k surgery to try to fix it. He's not in pain from it (we can wash/debride it without him fussing at all) and I was loathe to cause that much pain with no real guarantee that his skin would hold the sutures.
I'm hoping that there are people here that have suggestions... although he's still clearly aware and alert to what's going on around him most of the time euthanasia has been considered and tabled often. He has given us his all for nearly 17 years and we feel we owe it to him to give him our all. I've been giving him basically round the clock supervision execpt for my own doctors appointments. I need sleep... he needs to sleep at night (he'll sleep during the day and no amount of my waking him up, taking him for an activities seems to help with the nighttime wakefulness.
I'm really hoping someone replies... thank you for reading. I'm typing this with his head next to my knee, if there's lots of errors please forgive me.
Overnight fecal incontinence due to needed medication
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Re: Overnight fecal incontinence due to needed medication
MerlinDog wrote:We're in a complicated mess of a situation, very long story short as possible: Merlin, our senior dog, had food bloat, we thought "bloat" at home. Emergency vet didn't listen to us about medication sensitivities. Dosed based on weight causing massive overdose plus Merlin had an extra-pyramidal reaction that they apparently tried to cover up. This resulted in being gorked out for 5 days and loosing a lot of strength in already compromised hind legs, he develops acute pancreatitis (nursed him through but a relapse is always on our minds) and he ends up with a bad pressure ulcer/avulsion on his hip that's slow to heal and is still open, Merlin has nearly life long IBD and anxiety issues , all medications that used to help now cause major problems. Fast forward 3.5 months...
Merlin has not been sleeping at night for nearly two months. We've tried a lot of things, including letting him sleep inbetween us in bed which resulted in him pushing himself out of the bed one night severly spraining one of his front legs (arghhh!!!) with minimal results. Our vet broke out a prescription for codeine last week. MIRACLE. Problem is that he becomes so relaxed he looses stool. Plus maybe he just poops because he's too stoned to get up/let us know/care. We tried halving the dose, it's not enough to help him relax enough to sleep.
I don't know if you have tablets or liquid, but if a whole dose is too much and half is not enough, it might be worth the effort to figure out how to measure 3/4. How much work are you willing to do in order to get a good night's sleep? Pill cutter, razor blade, grind it to a powder, whatever it takes. Might need to check with the vet to be sure it's OK to break the tablets, there might be a coating or something, some pills are not supposed to be broken, but you may have already checked that. You may be on the right track, I encourage you to try again to get the dose right!
We worry about dressings failing and him getting poop in his wound, it's hard to wash up a dog that doesn't stand reliably (we have a k9 cart for him for walking outside to prevent further injury) and has a hole in his hip. Plus the stool is loose and night before last he woke up with a severely irritated anus from stool being on his skin for I don't know how long. I plan on getting desatin or something simialr to protect his anus, but in the meantime... we've tried regulating when he eats, but it seems that this only barely solves the problem. He's severely underweight at 18 pounds and should weigh 23. When he's awake and not fussing he's animated, walked all the way around the block yesterday he is a life long finicky eater and player of games to get something better to eat. We feed him human quality complete diet made by a great place called Just Food For Dogs.
Can you explain exactly where the sore is? You said on his hip. Is it over the protruding hip bone? There is information here that may help, depending on the location of the sore.
I do stimulate him to stool before bed, learned on this website, we witheld food last night after 6:30. It's hard when he needs to eat, had have high fat foods to help weight gain (pancreatitis) and is really manipulative.
That should be OK, he can have a bigger breakfast. In addition, I knew one dog that had to be stimulated twice. She was a dog going to PT and the staff learned that in order to keep the underwater treadmill clean, this dog needed to go twice. She would normally evacuate in the waiting room, then they would wait about 60-90 min and she would eliminate again, then she was safe to put in the treadmill. So perhaps you can take up food at 6:30, stimulate him in the evening, then again at bedtime and see if you can get any more out.
I know you want him to gain weight, and having some "meat on his bones" helps prevent pressure sores a little, but I'm not sure I'd feed him anything fatty at his age? They can't digest food as well as they could when they were young. I think I'd try senior food and give him an extra meal or snacks, I know it's hard...
How is his breath when he's barking, have you noticed?
Is he fully emptying when he urinates?
Codeine can cause constipation in humans, don't know about dogs.
Does he have any heart issues? He would probably sleep better if he doesn't have a full stomach if he has heart issues. Small meals during the day and then not much at night might be more comfortable for him. Also, you did not mention heart problems so maybe he does not have them, but some dogs with significant valve disease can't keep weight on. I have a link for information on how to feed a dog like that, if you think it might apply. I realize you listed other reasons he lost weight, just mentioning this from my own experience, in case it might apply.
We committted to do doing everything we can for him when this happened. We feel that we let him down and failed to protect him from that vet. But I'm running out of the ideas. We all need to sleep at night... he previously failed benadryl, pheromone collar, melatonin. He cannot take NSAIDS because of the IBD although I'm about ready to try buffered aspirin.
Here is a suggestion from Bobbie about using a small fan. I would definitely give it a try.
I could really use suggestions about how to protect the wound on his hip (we've found ONE bandage that works, managed to run out and hopefully more will be here tomorrow). The surgeon at the speciality clinic wanted to do a $3 to 4k surgery to try to fix it. He's not in pain from it (we can wash/debride it without him fussing at all) and I was loathe to cause that much pain with no real guarantee that his skin would hold the sutures.
Please let me know where it is. I could not tell because you said it was on the hip but mentioned being concerned he might soil it so I can't tell if it is closer to the anus.
I'm hoping that there are people here that have suggestions... although he's still clearly aware and alert to what's going on around him most of the time euthanasia has been considered and tabled often. He has given us his all for nearly 17 years and we feel we owe it to him to give him our all. I've been giving him basically round the clock supervision execpt for my own doctors appointments. I need sleep... he needs to sleep at night (he'll sleep during the day and no amount of my waking him up, taking him for an activities seems to help with the nighttime wakefulness.
This has been a common complaint in senior dogs that go down. Yes, you get exhausted and frazzled, and more at risk of injuring yourself lifting the dog when you haven't had a good night's sleep. My dog's name was Merlin too, and I also had this problem, and I was exhausted after trying everything I knew at the time (years ago). I ended up sleeping in a different bedroom on the other side of the central air unit. I would turn on the fan of the central air to run all night to create noise, and close the bedroom door, and was able to sleep better. This was during the weeks after my dog went down, however the nighttime barking did not continue forever. I do not remember how many weeks it continued, but it did finally stop. Later as he got closer to end of life, his kidney issues got worse and he began barking kind of mindlessly at times. The vet said when the kidneys were not effectively removing toxins from the blood, the mind was also affected. In the very end they put him on something to sedate him.
I'm really hoping someone replies... thank you for reading. I'm typing this with his head next to my knee, if there's lots of errors please forgive me.
Looking forward to knowing more about the location of the sore, thanks.
Re: Overnight fecal incontinence due to needed medication
Here is a link to the album of photos of the sore. It's to the side of the ischial tuberosity. https://plus.google.com/photos/10700567 ... uv-e9PrUOQ
I need to address more of your questions directly, but it's time to try to sleep The medication is in pill form, prescribed dose is 1/2 of a tablet. I can find out if it's available as a liquid, but I suspect that giving him a liquid would be tramautic unless it's a small volume and doesn't taste awful. It probably tastes awful
He has a poor appetite in the morning and trying to get him to eat is all a game. I'll eat this but only if you mix it with that... today nothing is good only feed me dogsure, oh? you have pumpkin?... how many hoops can I make you jump through? I try to feed him often, I re offer food every few hours if he dosen't eat. He's way underweight after having to be on fluids only with the acute pancreatitis. My vet is really at a loss as to what next and the board certified internal med vet had nothing.
I look forward to reading the links you shared tomorrow....
he doesn't seem to get out of breath when he barks... usually he fully empties, but he cannot empty while in his K9 cart. he has pads in the house. his stools aren't veven formed right now, so a little constipation might not be a bad thing. We've been told he has a mild murmur but I'n to sure where or how bad.
I'm gonna look at the fan thing now... sorry for scattered response. I'm tired. thank you again.
I need to address more of your questions directly, but it's time to try to sleep The medication is in pill form, prescribed dose is 1/2 of a tablet. I can find out if it's available as a liquid, but I suspect that giving him a liquid would be tramautic unless it's a small volume and doesn't taste awful. It probably tastes awful
He has a poor appetite in the morning and trying to get him to eat is all a game. I'll eat this but only if you mix it with that... today nothing is good only feed me dogsure, oh? you have pumpkin?... how many hoops can I make you jump through? I try to feed him often, I re offer food every few hours if he dosen't eat. He's way underweight after having to be on fluids only with the acute pancreatitis. My vet is really at a loss as to what next and the board certified internal med vet had nothing.
I look forward to reading the links you shared tomorrow....
he doesn't seem to get out of breath when he barks... usually he fully empties, but he cannot empty while in his K9 cart. he has pads in the house. his stools aren't veven formed right now, so a little constipation might not be a bad thing. We've been told he has a mild murmur but I'n to sure where or how bad.
I'm gonna look at the fan thing now... sorry for scattered response. I'm tired. thank you again.
Re: Overnight fecal incontinence due to needed medication
Hi,
I'm sorry for the late reply. I checked with 2 other people on this, still waiting to hear back from one. I agree it looks like the sore needs to be closed. I absolutely cannot see how it would cost $3000-$4000 to do that.
One of the people I checked with suggested you might ask around at other vets to see if someone could do it for less, I would think a LOT less. There is the issue of him being 17 years old and anaesthesia, but you said he does not mind when you clean and debride it. This might be an ignorant question, but if it was my dog I would ask the vet if it could be done without general anaesthesia. I really don't know. I had a very senior dog with a tumor like a snail on his ear and the vet sized him up and decided he would hold still, and he removed the tumor with only local anaesthesia and closed the wound. I was there while he did it and it went fine. Something like that would depend on the dog. There's nothing lost by asking, just my 
I'm sorry for the late reply. I checked with 2 other people on this, still waiting to hear back from one. I agree it looks like the sore needs to be closed. I absolutely cannot see how it would cost $3000-$4000 to do that.
One of the people I checked with suggested you might ask around at other vets to see if someone could do it for less, I would think a LOT less. There is the issue of him being 17 years old and anaesthesia, but you said he does not mind when you clean and debride it. This might be an ignorant question, but if it was my dog I would ask the vet if it could be done without general anaesthesia. I really don't know. I had a very senior dog with a tumor like a snail on his ear and the vet sized him up and decided he would hold still, and he removed the tumor with only local anaesthesia and closed the wound. I was there while he did it and it went fine. Something like that would depend on the dog. There's nothing lost by asking, just my Re: Overnight fecal incontinence due to needed medication
I just pulled up the estimate again, it was between $2937 and $3237. They were talking about doing more than just closing it, they were talking about major repair. It had been sutured closed, twice. The surgeon there said that it was borderline malpractice to just close it. He kept tearing out the stitches... it was awful. The surgeon said that leaving it open and seeing if it would heal was an option... so that's what we've gone with. I've done my best with wound care... but, sigh. My vet is a really good human being and has worked hard with me to care for him. We did cold laser... the drainage is way down. At this point, unless something changes we're not looking at closing it.
I am waiting to talk to my vet tomorrow. Today I talked to the internal med vet that I was seeing. I've been googling and reading and I think it would be worth testing him for exocrine pancreatic insufficiency. Their hospital is VCA now and she thought my vet might be able to do the draw and send it to TX for less.
There's just so much wrong... and he's not gaining weight, and not sleeping at night and when he's so upset I can't console him. We're resorting to codeine to keep him comfortable. Strangely it doesn't make him drunk like tramadol does. If he has EPI the treatment is so simple, if he tolerates it. Otherwise, he woke up repeatedly last night and we can't keep on like this. It's just awful for all of us.
I am waiting to talk to my vet tomorrow. Today I talked to the internal med vet that I was seeing. I've been googling and reading and I think it would be worth testing him for exocrine pancreatic insufficiency. Their hospital is VCA now and she thought my vet might be able to do the draw and send it to TX for less.
There's just so much wrong... and he's not gaining weight, and not sleeping at night and when he's so upset I can't console him. We're resorting to codeine to keep him comfortable. Strangely it doesn't make him drunk like tramadol does. If he has EPI the treatment is so simple, if he tolerates it. Otherwise, he woke up repeatedly last night and we can't keep on like this. It's just awful for all of us.
Re: Overnight fecal incontinence due to needed medication
I just pulled up the estimate again, it was between $2937 and $3237. They were talking about doing more than just closing it, they were talking about major repair. It had been sutured closed, twice. The surgeon there said that it was borderline malpractice to just close it. He kept tearing out the stitches... it was awful. The surgeon said that leaving it open and seeing if it would heal was an option... so that's what we've gone with. I've done my best with wound care... but, sigh. My vet is a really good human being and has worked hard with me to care for him. We did cold laser... the drainage is way down. At this point, unless something changes we're not looking at closing it.
I am waiting to talk to my vet tomorrow. Today I talked to the internal med vet that I was seeing. I've been googling and reading and I think it would be worth testing him for exocrine pancreatic insufficiency. Their hospital is VCA now and she thought my vet might be able to do the draw and send it to TX for less.
There's just so much wrong... and he's not gaining weight, and not sleeping at night and when he's so upset I can't console him. We're resorting to codeine to keep him comfortable. Strangely it doesn't make him drunk like tramadol does. If he has EPI the treatment is so simple, if he tolerates it. Otherwise, he woke up repeatedly last night and we can't keep on like this. It's just awful for all of us.
I am waiting to talk to my vet tomorrow. Today I talked to the internal med vet that I was seeing. I've been googling and reading and I think it would be worth testing him for exocrine pancreatic insufficiency. Their hospital is VCA now and she thought my vet might be able to do the draw and send it to TX for less.
There's just so much wrong... and he's not gaining weight, and not sleeping at night and when he's so upset I can't console him. We're resorting to codeine to keep him comfortable. Strangely it doesn't make him drunk like tramadol does. If he has EPI the treatment is so simple, if he tolerates it. Otherwise, he woke up repeatedly last night and we can't keep on like this. It's just awful for all of us.
Re: Overnight fecal incontinence due to needed medication
I don't think I'd go for surgical closure either. Lots of people have had good results with sugar, sometimes sugar mixed with Betadine to make a paste, to heal the most recalcitrant wounds. Somebody here at HP even got a cancer sore to close.
Hmm. I just looked at the pics. That thing looks better than I thought it would, aside from the hole. You could always try surgical closure later, if necessary, but that seems like an awful lot of money. I'd check around, maybe even charity/low cost clinics. There's a low cost clinic in Stafford, but there may be some closer to you. You might even find a non-specialist vet willing to do the closure; honestly, I don't know that you need a specialist, although he might need a tissue expander to get enough tissue to close it with. There are vets who are more willing to deal with disabilities than others.
Oh, I just looked down and saw the update. Given all, I think medical management is valid. I wonder if a human wound specialist might be willing to see him, or to give an opinion? Some human doc specialists are willing.
Hmm. I just looked at the pics. That thing looks better than I thought it would, aside from the hole. You could always try surgical closure later, if necessary, but that seems like an awful lot of money. I'd check around, maybe even charity/low cost clinics. There's a low cost clinic in Stafford, but there may be some closer to you. You might even find a non-specialist vet willing to do the closure; honestly, I don't know that you need a specialist, although he might need a tissue expander to get enough tissue to close it with. There are vets who are more willing to deal with disabilities than others.
Oh, I just looked down and saw the update. Given all, I think medical management is valid. I wonder if a human wound specialist might be willing to see him, or to give an opinion? Some human doc specialists are willing.
Re: Overnight fecal incontinence due to needed medication
OK, I didn't realized they'd already tried a simple repair twice.MerlinDog wrote:They were talking about doing more than just closing it, they were talking about major repair. It had been sutured closed, twice. The surgeon there said that it was borderline malpractice to just close it. He kept tearing out the stitches.
I don't know anything about EPI, I hope you'll post what you find out.
Did you try putting a fan on him last night?
Did you try the 3/4 dose of medication?
I was so tired when my first dog went down, I literally wanted to go to a hotel to get one night of sleep. There's a reason why there are so many sleep smilies on the forum...
Re: Overnight fecal incontinence due to needed medication
I did try the fan, and it seemed to help, but since he's got almost zero body fat I was worried about him becoming chilled. I only know what I've read about EPI online. My vet said he's willing to send labs to Texas a&m's gastro lab. I have to find out if I need to withhold other medications from him since he had to fast for 12 to 18 hours for the blood work. He had us up at least 8 times last night. My vet was going to close it. The edges approximate easily, but we weren't rushing in case his quality of life took a turn. I had wanted to try the medihoney but it was draining too much for that until recently. I'm concerned it is infected now, after last very visit too. One thing at a time....
Re: Overnight fecal incontinence due to needed medication
I was thinking about this. I don't know why it works, but it could be either the feeling of the fan or the low hum or both. It seems like if it's the feeling, it might be enough to have it gently on his face, but you could put a blanket over him to keep him warm and maybe it would still work. I don't know...just thinking.
Re: Overnight fecal incontinence due to needed medication
Unfortunately he doesn't usually like to be covered. Especially if he's awake and fighting sleep. Although I have wrapped him in a blanket and snuggled him to asked on a cold day. Last night even the Thundershirt wasn't working so I called the vet's office around 11:30 (gave him the medicine at 9 p.m.) and asked about giving him more.
It worked, but he was so limp that I wound up staying up until 2 a.m. anyway monitoring his breathing. I won't do that again. He was panting and I was concerned he was in pain. Although the pain vs. Anxiety is one that is really hard to sort with him. I tried the fan and he got up to get away from it. We tried lying down with Merlin first. He would start to fall asleep but then would wake.
Since taking the pancreatic enzymes won't effect the results of blood work we decided to ask to start them... he just called and said he'd call them in. I'm really hoping this is it and the loose stools clear up. I've given him psyllium, and that's helped some, but I think he's got a really slow transit time and it adds up. He seemed a little constipated today even though the stool was soft.
Should I move my posts off this forum? Thank you so much for responding, it's meant a lot just top have someone to talk to about it.
It worked, but he was so limp that I wound up staying up until 2 a.m. anyway monitoring his breathing. I won't do that again. He was panting and I was concerned he was in pain. Although the pain vs. Anxiety is one that is really hard to sort with him. I tried the fan and he got up to get away from it. We tried lying down with Merlin first. He would start to fall asleep but then would wake.
Since taking the pancreatic enzymes won't effect the results of blood work we decided to ask to start them... he just called and said he'd call them in. I'm really hoping this is it and the loose stools clear up. I've given him psyllium, and that's helped some, but I think he's got a really slow transit time and it adds up. He seemed a little constipated today even though the stool was soft.
Should I move my posts off this forum? Thank you so much for responding, it's meant a lot just top have someone to talk to about it.
Re: Overnight fecal incontinence due to needed medication
I think your posts are fine where they are, I think you posted in the right place. I wonder if the loose stools could be residual from the pancreatitis. Yes, his transit time probably is slower through lack of exercise if for no other reason. It sounds like you have a lot of different foods to try when he has no appetite. I suppose the vet could give him an appetite stimulant but I'm not sure I'd do that. I think I'd just try to be sure he gets his fluids, and kind of let him decide how much to eat. One thing I like to offer is Gerber turkey. There aren't many calories in it and it isn't a balanced diet, but when you are having trouble getting him to eat anything, it is one more thing he might be willing to eat. I just give the whole jar, dogs seem to enjoy licking it out of the little jar.
You know right now it is not clear what you are dealing with, you are taking it one day at a time. If the vet is kind of at a loss on what else to do, you might consider checking around (google your area) and see if any vets in the area offer pawspice/palliative care service. Your dog sounds quite a bit like my Merlin did, and he ended up under pawspice care (like hospice for animals). I had wanted to care for him myself like I normally always do, but it got to a stage where everything I was doing was falling short. I've never had that situation before. My pets normally always pass away at home and I care for them. When the pawspice team began to care for him they had him mostly sedated, and I felt like "Well, if someone could have given me the same medications maybe I could have done that myself" but they are trained to dose and monitor and know what to look for. They were also giving him physical therapy for his comfort (stretching/ranging his legs) and other things. It was the head surgeon at the referral hospital who suggested it, I didn't even know pawspice was an option. I don't know if you have that option where you live or not. It turned out in the end it was worth the price, I look back and know he was comfortable.
His case was different, he had lost mobility from age related spinal degeneration on top of a previous spinal injury, then he suddenly went into acute kidney failure (after renal insufficiency for several years) which did not respond to treatment. While he was in the hospital being treated for the kidney failure he developed pressure sores on both hips because they let him soak his bedding, running lots of fluids through him and not keeping him dry. After that I took him home and tried to care for him, but now I had a dog with 2 pressure sores, who I could barely lift (63 lbs), and intermittent cognitive problems caused by the effects of waste products in the blood stream due to poor kidney function. I was giving him sub-Q fluids at home but he was barking a lot, the vet said he was "ga-ga" (clinical term). I kept thinking he was going to get better, because there were times when he was lucid and he looked happy standing in his cart. I kept thinking he was going to turn around. He was barking so much one day the thermostat fell off the wall and I took him to emergency because whatever we were doing clearly wasn't working, and a consultation with the head surgeon (head of the hospital) was what led to admitting him to pawspice.
When they are at an advanced age it seems like some little thing (or big thing) can cause a cascade where one thing leads to another. You try to address each thing intelligently and lovingly to help him back to health, and it may show results or it may end up being a question of whether he has the reserve and ability at his age, you don't know till you try. Anyway, looking back I am glad my dog had the option of pawspice/palliative care even though normally I would have done the care myself and kept it all in the family. I couldn't see what the head surgeon could see, that the situation my dog was in never got better in his wide experience (again talking about kidney failure that did not respond to treatment, which is not what's going on with your dog). With his help I saw pawspice was the best option. So it's something to keep in the back of your mind as a possible option, but let's hope you won't need it, it could be something treatable and it would be wonderful if it is. There was a 21-year old beagle who went down and came back with patience and TLC, this could be another case like that.
You know right now it is not clear what you are dealing with, you are taking it one day at a time. If the vet is kind of at a loss on what else to do, you might consider checking around (google your area) and see if any vets in the area offer pawspice/palliative care service. Your dog sounds quite a bit like my Merlin did, and he ended up under pawspice care (like hospice for animals). I had wanted to care for him myself like I normally always do, but it got to a stage where everything I was doing was falling short. I've never had that situation before. My pets normally always pass away at home and I care for them. When the pawspice team began to care for him they had him mostly sedated, and I felt like "Well, if someone could have given me the same medications maybe I could have done that myself" but they are trained to dose and monitor and know what to look for. They were also giving him physical therapy for his comfort (stretching/ranging his legs) and other things. It was the head surgeon at the referral hospital who suggested it, I didn't even know pawspice was an option. I don't know if you have that option where you live or not. It turned out in the end it was worth the price, I look back and know he was comfortable.
His case was different, he had lost mobility from age related spinal degeneration on top of a previous spinal injury, then he suddenly went into acute kidney failure (after renal insufficiency for several years) which did not respond to treatment. While he was in the hospital being treated for the kidney failure he developed pressure sores on both hips because they let him soak his bedding, running lots of fluids through him and not keeping him dry. After that I took him home and tried to care for him, but now I had a dog with 2 pressure sores, who I could barely lift (63 lbs), and intermittent cognitive problems caused by the effects of waste products in the blood stream due to poor kidney function. I was giving him sub-Q fluids at home but he was barking a lot, the vet said he was "ga-ga" (clinical term). I kept thinking he was going to get better, because there were times when he was lucid and he looked happy standing in his cart. I kept thinking he was going to turn around. He was barking so much one day the thermostat fell off the wall and I took him to emergency because whatever we were doing clearly wasn't working, and a consultation with the head surgeon (head of the hospital) was what led to admitting him to pawspice.
When they are at an advanced age it seems like some little thing (or big thing) can cause a cascade where one thing leads to another. You try to address each thing intelligently and lovingly to help him back to health, and it may show results or it may end up being a question of whether he has the reserve and ability at his age, you don't know till you try. Anyway, looking back I am glad my dog had the option of pawspice/palliative care even though normally I would have done the care myself and kept it all in the family. I couldn't see what the head surgeon could see, that the situation my dog was in never got better in his wide experience (again talking about kidney failure that did not respond to treatment, which is not what's going on with your dog). With his help I saw pawspice was the best option. So it's something to keep in the back of your mind as a possible option, but let's hope you won't need it, it could be something treatable and it would be wonderful if it is. There was a 21-year old beagle who went down and came back with patience and TLC, this could be another case like that.
Re: Overnight fecal incontinence due to needed medication
Merlin does have degenerative disk disease per xrays. The only thing that slowed him down was loss of strength in his back legs because of wandering kneecaps.
I'm not sure what you mean by "went down". Merlin can still walk, but he's wobbly and I've covered all areas he's got access to with thick rugs and in some area memory foam rugs (I wish I'd gotten more when Costco had them for $10).
I had looked into what hospice for pets is. When I've euthanized other dogs it was clear to me that it was the right thing to do. But with Merlin, in spite of his age, I still see bright eyes and I swear he sometimes tells jokes, I know, it sounds crazy... but it's true.
He's sleep now, so I should try to do the same. I've done nothing but care for him 24/7 for nearly 4 months. I hardly leave, and almost never leave him alone. I need to improve both of our quality of life.
Since last night he's eating a little better, I just wish I could get him to eat more often instead of constantly challenging me to see if he's gonna get something else.
I'm not sure what you mean by "went down". Merlin can still walk, but he's wobbly and I've covered all areas he's got access to with thick rugs and in some area memory foam rugs (I wish I'd gotten more when Costco had them for $10).
I had looked into what hospice for pets is. When I've euthanized other dogs it was clear to me that it was the right thing to do. But with Merlin, in spite of his age, I still see bright eyes and I swear he sometimes tells jokes, I know, it sounds crazy... but it's true.
He's sleep now, so I should try to do the same. I've done nothing but care for him 24/7 for nearly 4 months. I hardly leave, and almost never leave him alone. I need to improve both of our quality of life.
Since last night he's eating a little better, I just wish I could get him to eat more often instead of constantly challenging me to see if he's gonna get something else.
Re: Overnight fecal incontinence due to needed medication
Another night of interrupted sleep. I am afraid the hycodan is wearing thin about six hours in. My husband, who is frustrated over our broken sleep. I wish I knew what to do.