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Re: Dolly

Posted: Tue Jun 13, 2017 5:41 am
by critters
No, not Dollar Tree, for sure. Can't believe at least some of the rest don't, though!! :?

Re: Dolly

Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2017 2:06 pm
by CarolC
It worked!!! :lol: Picture is attached, you can see I used too much. Next time I'll use less. I had to put it on in 2 pieces to get it around her leg, I didn't try making a hole. With 2 pieces it left her tail free and totally covered her diaper. She was out there a long time and came in with a COMPLETELY dry diaper, no moisture in around the edges. When I opened the package, I thought I had got leftover holiday stock, but it turns out it was a design from the movie Frozen. That's what the light blue is on the clear plastic. It is very loud and crinkly, but it stood up to abrasion bouncing all around the yard. I am very happy with it. And the really neat thing was, when I went to peel if off of her, it wasn't just stuck to itself, it was literally glued to every inch of the denim diaper, so it even sticks to denim? Good stuff! I think this is better than trying to buy a waterproof diaper cover for $35. There is just too much chance it will not exactly fit over her denim diaper and places will still get wet. We're "sticking" with this. :trophy:
:thankyou:
CLICK TO ENLARGE
CLICK TO ENLARGE

Re: Dolly

Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2017 2:27 pm
by Christine
this is one for our wiki-leaks....I mean Wikipedia! :mrgreen:

Re: Dolly

Posted: Tue Jun 27, 2017 4:59 pm
by CarolC
:haha:
How to Shrink Wrap Your Pup! :lol:
Oughta send it to Glad.
Wonder what they'd say?
:hysterical:

Re: Dolly

Posted: Wed Jun 28, 2017 7:13 am
by critters
CarolC wrote::haha:
How to Shrink Wrap Your Pup! :lol:
Oughta send it to Glad.
Wonder what they'd say?
:hysterical:


Seriously, I would. They might send you coupons, more wrap, or star Dolly in an ad for pay. They also might not care, but companies tend to like such things. It doesn't cost anything, and there could be some reward.

Re: Dolly

Posted: Sat Jul 08, 2017 10:56 am
by CarolC
Well, I think a mystery is solved. For some unknown reason, Dolly has been very, very eager to go outside at 10 PM every night. She bounces to the door and waits to be let out. Then she is out there in the dark for quite a while, and eventually comes back in extremely excited about whatever she was doing, bouncing around happy and exhilarated and pleased with herself.

Well, yesterday when it was still light I saw her poking her nose through the fence repeatedly trying to get something. When I went to see what it was, it was one of those locusts that will climb out of their skin and leave a brown shell behind. This one was on a piece of grass, and she finally got it and ATE it. I couldn't tell if it was a real locust or just the shell. Then I found an empty shell not far away in the grass and showed her and she jumped on that. So I wonder if she has been going out and...eating locusts? Don't think I've ever had a dog do that. Maybe that's why she was so excited, she was going out "hunting" and finding FOOD. :D

Re: Dolly

Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2017 6:38 am
by critters
I don't know that I'd call it food, but she's certainly finding crunchies! :mrgreen:

Re: Dolly

Posted: Tue Jul 11, 2017 9:16 am
by CarolC
Exactly! Treats! :hysterical:

Re: Dolly

Posted: Thu Jul 13, 2017 6:20 am
by critters
Mine like to eat them, too. Makes me cringe!!! :mrgreen:

Re: Dolly

Posted: Tue Nov 21, 2017 10:42 am
by CarolC
This is going to be long, and I haven't posted about it before. We moved last year on Nov 28. Shortly before that I noticed Dolly seemed to be slowing down, but it was nothing real obvious. At the time we were also fighting fleas in the house, thanks to a new neighbor who moved next door with huskies (or that's my guess since we didn't have a problem before). I was using Advantix/Advantage but it hasn't worked very well the last few years. Usually in the past if we were having a problem I would vacuum the house every other day in addition to the flea med, but I didn't do that because I was busy getting packed for moving, not to mention boxes sitting around everywhere, and I was tired. I feel bad because one of the cats got fleas badly, too, at that time, and I can't go back and undo the misery, but again, the medicine wasn't working well. I'm not saying it doesn't work at all, just that it didn't seem to be working here where I live on our type of fleas last year.

Anyway, after we moved I noticed Dolly still seemed a little off. Of course there is stress with moving, but I took her to the vet. The vet did a routine check and didn't really find anything. Then he kind of paused and said, "Well, I'm not finding anything, do you want to try bloodwork?" and I said, "Yes, it's something...." because I could tell there was something going on. But again, next to no real symptoms other than not being as active.

The bloodwork came back that she was extremely anemic. I can't remember, I think her count was 11.5, and he said another point lower and she would need a transfusion. I think we were both shocked. He said it was immune mediated hemolytic anemia, and they would try suppressing the immune response with steroids. After that we had a long course of prednisone and re-checks, and her numbers got better and better, and finally after months (don't remember how long it was now) we were able to taper her off the prednisone. We were fortunate it worked. Sometimes when they get it, they can also get it again later, so I need to watch her from now on.

Then a month or two later she got fleas and I had her checked again, because I freaked out thinking fleas were what may have started the IMHA last time, but fortunately she was OK, and we're using something different called Simpleguard (sp?) which seems to be really effective, so if we get any fleas at least now we can control them. For what it's worth, after we moved out, I had sprayed the carpet (which was going to be replaced) and finally bombed the house (which I never do, I don't use chemicals, but the house was empty) and even that didn't work, so they were really resistant.

Dolly had been due for her annual shots right at the time we moved, so this October she was a year overdue and I asked if it would be OK for her to get her rabies. Some dogs will react to some vaccines, and I didn't want to set off more anemia. The doctor said yes so she got her shot. Then less than a week later, she started throwing up. As far as I could remember, she had not thrown up during the anemia but I kind of went into panic mode again. She was throwing up her whole meal unchewed. I was hoping maybe she had a tooth problem and simply was swallowing it all whole, but I was automatically worried.

She was checked again, she did need a dental, and her blood levels were actually one point better than they had been. I can't remember, I think she was up to 36 maybe. So we did a pre-screen and she had 2 extractions and a cleaning and now she is back to her happy, bouncy self, what a relief. At this point, her red blood cells are good but a couple of her other numbers are a little off, but they don't seem worried about it, I don't know. She was 7 months old when I got her in early 2009, so she must be about 9 now. Her weight is good. Her appetite is great. Her spirits are great. I do worry about her a little now after all this, but she is fine, enjoying the colder weather, and happy.

I guess the biggest message about this is, if your dog is feeling a little off, DO get bloodwork. There was nothing about her exam to show she was severely anemic. I mean, yes, he looked at her gums, but she's black and she has a lot of black on her gums, I can't tell much when I try to look. The immune mediated hemolytic anemia is just sneaky, the red blood cell count can be going down and down till your dog is on the verge of needing a transfusion, and it isn't nearly as obvious as you would think if you have a dog that isn't super active to begin with. Don't know if this will ever help somebody.

And the other thing I want to say is, for all the blood tests Dolly had to have, she was an angel the whole time. Never needed a muzzle, just sweet. I'm so glad she's back to her old self again. I don't necessarily think she got it because of her genetics, which are a little different. The fact that she has gone 9 years before losing a tooth makes me wonder if she's not a chihuahua mix after all. I might have guessed chihuahua x dachshund, but her teeth are really good for either of those breeds, we're wondering if maybe she's a Papillon mix. Guess it would take a DNA text to find out. :)

Re: Dolly

Posted: Thu Nov 23, 2017 11:25 am
by critters
CarolC wrote:This is going to be long, and I haven't posted about it before. We moved last year on Nov 28. Shortly before that I noticed Dolly seemed to be slowing down, but it was nothing real obvious. At the time we were also fighting fleas in the house, thanks to a new neighbor who moved next door with huskies (or that's my guess since we didn't have a problem before). I was using Advantix/Advantage but it hasn't worked very well the last few years. Usually in the past if we were having a problem I would vacuum the house every other day in addition to the flea med, but I didn't do that because I was busy getting packed for moving, not to mention boxes sitting around everywhere, and I was tired. I feel bad because one of the cats got fleas badly, too, at that time, and I can't go back and undo the misery, but again, the medicine wasn't working well. I'm not saying it doesn't work at all, just that it didn't seem to be working here where I live on our type of fleas last year.They snuck up on us last year, and my trick is to use 1 drop (sometimes 2 on the big boys in a major infestation) on each small dog/cat every week. I've found that fleas don't break through that way.

Anyway, after we moved I noticed Dolly still seemed a little off. Of course there is stress with moving, but I took her to the vet. The vet did a routine check and didn't really find anything. Then he kind of paused and said, "Well, I'm not finding anything, do you want to try bloodwork?" and I said, "Yes, it's something...." because I could tell there was something going on. But again, next to no real symptoms other than not being as active.

The bloodwork came back that she was extremely anemic. I can't remember, I think her count was 11.5, and he said another point lower and she would need a transfusion. I think we were both shocked. He said it was immune mediated hemolytic anemia, and they would try suppressing the immune response with steroids. After that we had a long course of prednisone and re-checks, and her numbers got better and better, and finally after months (don't remember how long it was now) we were able to taper her off the prednisone. We were fortunate it worked. Sometimes when they get it, they can also get it again later, so I need to watch her from now on.

Then a month or two later she got fleas and I had her checked again, because I freaked out thinking fleas were what may have started the IMHA last time, but fortunately she was OK, and we're using something different called Simpleguard (sp?) which seems to be really effective, so if we get any fleas at least now we can control them. For what it's worth, after we moved out, I had sprayed the carpet (which was going to be replaced) and finally bombed the house (which I never do, I don't use chemicals, but the house was empty) and even that didn't work, so they were really resistant.

Dolly had been due for her annual shots right at the time we moved, so this October she was a year overdue and I asked if it would be OK for her to get her rabies. Some dogs will react to some vaccines, and I didn't want to set off more anemia. The doctor said yes so she got her shot. Then less than a week later, she started throwing up. As far as I could remember, she had not thrown up during the anemia but I kind of went into panic mode again. She was throwing up her whole meal unchewed. I was hoping maybe she had a tooth problem and simply was swallowing it all whole, but I was automatically worried.

She was checked again, she did need a dental, and her blood levels were actually one point better than they had been. I can't remember, I think she was up to 36 maybe. So we did a pre-screen and she had 2 extractions and a cleaning and now she is back to her happy, bouncy self, what a relief. At this point, her red blood cells are good but a couple of her other numbers are a little off, but they don't seem worried about it, I don't know. She was 7 months old when I got her in early 2009, so she must be about 9 now. Her weight is good. Her appetite is great. Her spirits are great. I do worry about her a little now after all this, but she is fine, enjoying the colder weather, and happy.

I guess the biggest message about this is, if your dog is feeling a little off, DO get bloodwork. There was nothing about her exam to show she was severely anemic. I mean, yes, he looked at her gums, but she's black and she has a lot of black on her gums, I can't tell much when I try to look. The immune mediated hemolytic anemia is just sneaky, the red blood cell count can be going down and down till your dog is on the verge of needing a transfusion, and it isn't nearly as obvious as you would think if you have a dog that isn't super active to begin with. Don't know if this will ever help somebody.

And the other thing I want to say is, for all the blood tests Dolly had to have, she was an angel the whole time. Never needed a muzzle, just sweet. I'm so glad she's back to her old self again. I don't necessarily think she got it because of her genetics, which are a little different. The fact that she has gone 9 years before losing a tooth makes me wonder if she's not a chihuahua mix after all. I might have guessed chihuahua x dachshund, but her teeth are really good for either of those breeds, we're wondering if maybe she's a Papillon mix. Guess it would take a DNA text to find out. :)
Glad she's better! That's kind of a freaky thing to happen, but mine are notorious for getting the "impossible" stuff, too! :mrgreen:

:thankyou: for posting her story!!!

Re: Dolly

Posted: Thu Nov 23, 2017 2:03 pm
by CarolC
Well, that's interesting, because I can tell you, the stuff definitely doesn't work for 4 weeks, it would be stretching to say it works for 3 weeks, 2 weeks might be closer to the truth, so it makes sense you might get better results with what you describe. I will say, now that we are in our smaller house, it is much easier to vacuum the whole place every other day if needed. :lol:

Re: Dolly

Posted: Tue Nov 28, 2017 9:11 am
by critters
2-3 weeks was about what I was finding bug juice lasting, then we had breakthrough fleas. I've done my way on mine and my parents' furs, and it has, so far, worked like a charm for several years now. On the CH group I caught a lot of trouble for "creating resistance," but, frankly, I think I'm creating less because there aren't breakthroughs. Your mileage may vary...

My problem before was letting them sneak up after the winter break, and that took a bit of trouble to sort out. I now start bug juice March 1.

Re: Dolly

Posted: Mon Aug 06, 2018 11:15 am
by CarolC
I should call this post, "How Dumb Can You Be?"

We've had this ongoing problem for years, that I think I have mentioned briefly before. I feed everybody twice a day here. Dolly eats her meals in her playpen. At night around 11 PM I take off her diaper and express her bottom and put her in her playpen "au naturel" with fresh bedding, because she sleeps "bare bottom". Then I feed everybody dinner. The next morning while she is still in her playpen, I give everybody breakfast (before I take her out and express her bottom again and put her in her diaper to start the day).

You know how excited dogs are at mealtime. They bark and jump around while you fill their bowls. Dolly is no different. She gets just as excited, only since she is partially paralyzed what she does is bounce up and down on her bottom in her playpen and bark, super excited. It is really cute, but sometimes it kind of jars things loose in her colon and she will eliminate and then continue bouncing. It helps to have her expressed, but sometimes she still seems to have some further up the pipeline, and it ends up in her playpen.

That causes several problems. I want her to sleep in a clean bed. It creates a laundry problem as far as "ground in dirt". And it exposes her whole bottom, girl parts and all, to soiled linen while she continues bouncing with excitement. Until this year, my solution has just been to try to have her expressed as well as possible. And I've also tried diapering her before breakfast as a partial solution.

Finally. Finally! It took me this long to realize, why don't I just give her her bowl immediately? That way she is not bouncing and barking while I give meds and get 6 meals ready, she is eating right away. She does recognize when I am starting to get ready to feed everybody, so she might bounce a little before I can get her bowl to her, but so far it has worked 100% to feed her first, before everybody else, giving her bowl to her as quickly as possible.

Guess it was too simple! :roll: It took me how many years to think of this? :lol:

Re: Dolly

Posted: Wed Aug 08, 2018 8:24 pm
by Christine
This is the type of situation Glen and I call the "sleeping bag syndrome". Years ago, we lived in this 50 year old farmhouse in need of many repairs and had no heat in the winter. Among other ideas, we decided to use his Marine Corp sleeping bags to keep warm at night. For some unknown reason, we thought that if we were using a sleeping bag, we should sleep on the floor in the living room (we were young and clueless!). We did that for most of the first winter and then one night, one of us realized that we could actually sleep in our bed WITH the sleeping bags - thus was born "the sleeping bag syndrome" :smart: