Going without

Patriot has been without his allergy shot for a good two weeks now......and has actually gotten LESS itchy!

December was a rough month financially for us and unfortunately it was a month when his allergy serum ran out. I decided that we would just get some as soon as we could and pray he didn't lose his mind. After a week, I noticed that he was doing just fine and that his itchy spots were going away. I had already ordered the new vial of serum (I don't have to pay until I pick it up) so I was going to have to pay for it even if I didn't want it anymore. So I got the medicine today and gave Patriot his shot. It will be interesting to see if he gets more itchy after getting this medicine.

If he does, I don't know what to think! It would be nice to only need the serum during half the year, but I would have to get him re-adjusted to it every time. That part would be a hassle is all. Hopefully, he stays good for a while and this isn't just a fluke.

Back to 4 Days

Ugh....Patriot is having major issues again. Sense about two weeks ago he has been getting increasingly itchy. This week (sense Saturday-ish) he has been so itchy that two benadryl every 4-6 hours isn't even touching it. His bare patches are back on his shoulders, the red patches are back on his belly, and his chin is red and itchy again.

He has still been getting his shot every week-8 days, but I decided to go back to every 4 days. The only thing that makes me worry is that the day after his shot he seems to be extra itchy. Today both the boys got baths and I soaked Patriot's itchy spots with the medicated shampoo. I know I haven't been vaccuming as much as I was before, but that is just life right now.

One thing I did notice is that this flare-up seems to coinside with us needing to start using the wall heaters in the Family room. This is where we spend a great portion of the day so it makes me wonder if it has anything to do with it.

I have a question for everyone....When does the inability to help your dog's medical issue become cruel? Patriot is still happy and healthy in every other way besides the skin issues, but it breaks my heart every time I see the ouchie red patches on his body.

My doctor would probably kill me.....

But Hobbs got to play some agility this morning in the back yard. Luckily he is very easy to handle and I can basically set up a circle of obstacles and direct him from the center.

He was SO excited to play! I set up everything (thank heavens for PVC) and as soon as the weave poles were down Hobbs flew through them. They were even mostly upright!

We practiced a bending line of jumps, followed by the weave poles, and finally our little plank for some contact practice. I think the whole time (we only played for about 15 minutes) I think Hobbs missed one weave entry, and never popped out. He was hitting the poles VERY hard though because I had to re-set them every time he went through.

After a few circles of obstacles, I started calling him to me after the first of the line of 3 jumps. Hobbs get set in a pattern really easily so I try to mix things up for him so he continues to pay attention to me. Then I would call him to me, and send him to some other obstacle, or have him skip the middle jump and go to the third in stead. We did some front crosses without me really moving, and he did everything I even thought of asking him to do. This boy sure does love his agility time!

After today, I am very sad that I didn't sign up for this session of agility classes. I so could have handled it. I just had no idea I would be feeling as good as I am as quickly as I am. I get tired pretty quickly, but I am not in pain 98% of the time. A little agility once a week wouldn't have killed me. Oh well, life goes on!

As for Patriot, he got to try to play, and even let me lure him through all 6 weave poles. Then he quit and went to lay in the shade. He is completely opposite from Hobbs when it comes to agility. When I got home from the hospital last week, I realized that I had no idea how long it had been sense he got his allergy shot! I am sure it wasn't more than two weeks, but he hadn't been itching badly and his skin wasn't getting all red and irritated. I gave him his shot that day, but I am going to give him a good 10 days before the next one. Maybe one day he will make it a whole 30 days between shots!

As for the dogs and Kaylee, they are doing much better! Hobbs still wont touch her unless she is out cold sleeping, but he isn't cowering and hiding anymore. Patriot is now having to learn not to carry his bone around her (he almost dropped one on her the other day) and to be gentle when he sniffs her. She is going to be one tough kid growing up around him thats for sure!

Oh, and to everyone who reads my blog, I am still reading every one's new post, but I just don't have time to comment on them all. Hopefully I will have more time soon....lol I don't think that will happen for the next 10 or so years!

Tooth Problems?

I had to convince Patriot to eat his food last night. Usually he has to eat out of his special bowl because he eats so fast.

When I released the boys from their wait, Patriot just stood there and at first I thought he hadn't heard me. So I touched him to get his attention and then motioned toward the food with another release word. He sniffed his food, licked up one kibble and backed up a step. The whole time he was staring at the food like he really really wanted it but didn't know if he was allowed to have it. I picked up the bowl, and looked at it to make sure there were bugs in it that would be keeping him from eating his food. I released him over and over only to have him lick up a couple kibbles and back off again.....staring at the food the whole time like it was going to disappear if he blinked.

Finally I sat down next to him, picked up the bowl and offered it to him again. He finally started to eat it, but VERY slowly; only taking a few kibbles at a time. A while after dinner I offered him a Milkbone (which he was very excited about) and for the first time ever he chewed it rather than inhaling it. He actually bit it in half and then laid down to eat the pieces!

Now, I am trying not to read too much into it. He was hesitant to eat an ice cube yesterday, but I just figured it was too cold. Last night I was starting to freak out that he might be bloating and was going to die, but I don't think that is it. He is still drinking fine, and trying to eat so I don't think he has anything stuck in his intestines or getting bloat.

Breakfast this morning was the same story, so I picked up the bowl and put some water in to soften it up. He seemed more willing to eat it after that, but Hobbs still finished before him. That is something that NEVER happens. Then, I purposely gave him a little green apple off the tree in the back yard. Instead of gobbling it down in one or two bites, he started to bite into it and then spit it out on the ground. He laid down and carefully bit it in pieces and ate little bits one at a time.

I still brush the boys teeth every week, so they are clean but now I am worried that he broke a tooth. I inspected his mouth and couldn't see anything other than a little spot on the inside of one cheek that looks like either a canker sore or like he bit it. So my plan is to soften his food for a few days, with hold any other hard treats, and put away the nylabones. Then I will try dry food to see if he eats it more willingly. If he doesn't, he will be going in for yet another vet visit.....probably a really expensive one.

He is a VERY violent Nylabone chewer so a fractured tooth is a real possibility.

Just in Time

Patriot's medicine just came into the vet today, so Robert is going to pick it up. It came just in time too! I just gave him the very last of his old vial of serum.

I am crossing all my fingers, and toes that having this "more"potent" vial will allow me to stretch the time between shots to at least a week. If not, we may be doing shots every 4 days for the rest of his life.....which I will do, but he wont appreciate.

it's just not working......

Patriot's rashes are back. So far they are only on his shoulders and down his front legs, but I am sure it is just a matter of time before they are on his belly again. He is back to living on benadryl, as well as getting his allergy shot every 4 days. I tried to stretch it out one day at a time, but we never got past 5 days because he was miserable by the end of day 4.

Our vial of serum is almost empty and I am praying that the new one gets to the vets office before we totally run out. I was supposed to order the new bottle 30 days before it was needed, but I thought we would be giving shots every 3 weeks by this time. So when I realized that we were continuing with the every 4 days, I ordered more serum.....that was almost 2 weeks ago. We have enough serum left for 1-2 shots.

There is one thing that is keeping me hopefully for this next vial of serum....the potency. On the package, it says that over time (apparently within a month) the serum looses its potency, so when I start the next vial I am to give him a half dose the first time. That means that possibly this vial that we have has lost enough of its potency to stop doing its job.

I am so incredibly defeated by the realization that this route isn't working as well as I hoped. I hate to see Patirot so itchy all the time....he even wakes up at night itching. I have been talking to another lady who's lab has very severe allergies, and she pays almost $350 a month for prescription medicine! She also has to have her dog's kidneys tested every other month to make sure those meds aren't harming them. I don't know what we will do if it comes to that with Patriot. We just don't have the money for that.

One thing is for sure. If I ever raise again, and that puppy is cc'd for allergies, I will NOT take the dog back......it is just too painful to not be able to help them.

FINALLY!

I was FINALLY able to walk the dogs today! My foot was feeling good enough that I wanted to see if I could walk them. It was so wonderful to get out and walk! Forget about the benefit to the dogs, I needed to get out for my own sanity! My new shoes are heavier, so my shins are a little sore, but I am not in tears, or crippled, from the pain in my heel. It is just a little more tender than it was this morning.

They have been going out in the mornings for 30-45 minute slower walks, but they were very grateful for a good 60 minute speed walk. They are pooped though lol! Neither of them have moved sense we got home.

Patriot especially was tired

Hobbs was just mad, that he wasn't allowed to cuddle on the couch with me.....he has become addicted to the couch.

This was staged....they don't cuddle with eachother

He looks dead in this one! At least he didn't try to escape from the camera

Even Turtle is "tired" from whatever she does all night. She is always exhausted by morning lol.

Patriot is doing ok allergy-wise. The vet didn't have many suggestions, just to slowly extend the time between shots. He suggested that maybe Patriot will need a shot every week for the rest of his life! That would be the WORST! So I went back to every 4 days, and will slowly (one day at a time) extend the time between shots. He isn't itching too much, but some days are worse than others.

The only thing I am worried about now, is getting the refill of his medicine before we run out! I was planning to be going to one shot every three weeks so I hadn't ordered the refill. The instructions say to re-order 30 days before you run out.....but now I don't know if we will make it 30 more days. I told the vets office to rush it if at all possible.

The arrows are tell tale signs that he is/was itching....poor old guy!

Another Patriot Update

Just 24 hours after getting his shot, Patriot is itch free, and happy again! Now we just have to figure out how to get 28 days between shots without an itch.

I am waiting for the actual vet doctor to call me back......

***UPDATE***
The vet called, and said to try to go 7 days after this shot, and if the itching returns to call him and he will call the actual allergist vet to ask him what we do. I think I may ask for the allergist's number so I can talk to him directly.

Patriot Update

I haven't posted about Patriot in a while mostly because he has been doing so well!

He is over a month into his allergy therapy, and all his rashes have completely cleared up, and the itchiness has disappeared. He has even gotten more hair growing on his belly, which he has NEVER had! I am so happy to see him comfortable, and happy.

...until this week. We had been doing injections every 4 days and this week it was extended to 7 days. We are supposed to gradually extend the time between shots to 28 days. I think he made it through day 5 before he started itching. I was so glad to be able to give him his shot this morning, but I ended up giving him a benadryl to stop the itching. If he is still itching tomorrow, I will call the vet and ask what we should do. I can't even imagine extending the time between shots to 10 days this week!

I am hoping all he needs is a bigger dose and that he isn't building an immunity to the shots.

It wasn't THAT bad!

I just gave Patriot his first shot, and besides not being able to tell if the needle was actually in his skin (because he is a hairy monster) it wasn't bad at all! Patriot barely could tell he was getting a shot. I think he was most concerned about his silly owner's shaky hands messing around with his scruff. In the end, the needle must have been in his skin, because once I pushed it in, there wasn't a huge wet spot on in his fur.

One down, and probably HUNDREDS to go!!

Update

Let me just say in advance that this blog may be a little neglected for a couple weeks. I found a way to re-post almost all of my other blog....but it requires me to re-upload every single one of the pictures. That means, most of my time on Blogger is spend uploading old posts and pictures and so I don't have a lot of time to type up NEW posts. Anyway, on to the update!

Hobbs and Patriot have both been getting used to having Dodge around. Granted, Dodge spends much of his time outside but they are dealing with him being here. He leaves today (which will be very nice) so we will have our whole house back. The boys went with us to my parents house yesterday, and got to eat their fill of horse poop, hoof shavings, and all sorts of other "goodies". Poor Hobbs didn't know when to stop eating the poop, and eventually threw up and then left the poop alone. Lol.

The big news around here is.....

Patriot will FINALLY start his allergy seirum shot treatment tomorrow!! We got his vials of seirum from the vet yesterday, but they asked me to wait until monday to start the treatment so that if he has a bad reaction to it I will have easy access to a vet. He will be getting a couple shots a week for almost two weeks, then will be evaluated by the vet. Once the vet determins the best amount of seirum for Patirot we will gradually space out the shots to eventually being around once a month. Interestingly, in the last two week Patriot's skin has almost completely cleared up! I don't know if it is because it is getting to be summer, or what but he hasn't needed benadryl for quite a while.

Hobbs is doing great with what little agility practice we have been doing. I have been a bad owner, and haven't really focused on any training this week. I would like to blame that on the work of having 3 dogs in the house, but really I think I am just being lazy lol!

I have been having puppy fever for a couple weeks now, and REALLY wish that I had the energy and time to get another little PIT! If I didn't have a baby coming in just over 3 months, I think I would have had an application in a few weeks ago. I am hoping that Robert and I can raise after Kaylee is a little older, but it still may be a year or two :(

Answers....finally!

It has been exactly two weeks sense Patriot got his blood drawn for the allergy test, and today we got the results. Patriot is allergic to:

• Dust Mites
• Mold, and Storage Mites
• And Ragweed Plants

Basically things that are in every home, and most outdoor places around here! The vet clinic is ordering the allergy shot serum, and in a week or so we will start the shot regiment that will hopefully make him more comfortable! I am not too terribly excited about having to give him shots all the time, but it is better than him living on benadryl! Interestingly enough, Prudy (his sister) was also allergic to Dust mites and mold! Maybe it is genetic? I would be interested to hear what his other sister was allergic to, she was CC'd in the field due to the allergy.

Patriot wasn't being tested for food allergies because the blood test for that isn't really very accurate.....said the vet. The skin test is more accurate for that, but it is also over $400! So hopefully all this skin stuff is due to his enviromental allergies.

If this doesn't work, I am not sure what the next step will be....so it will just have to work!!

Another Patriot Update

Thanks to everyone who commented on my post about Patriot's issues. I was having a really hard day, and you all made me feel better!.


Anyways, with a HUGE thanks to Megan who let me know that her vet did a blood test for just under $200 on Patriot's sister Prudy. After some trouble getting a hold of the vet (thanks to my silly pregnant brain I ended up calling the wrong number for days), Patriot is going in for his allergy blood test a week from today. Huh, I just realized that is Friday the 13th.....

I am hoping the results come back pretty specific, so that this insanity can come to an end!

So incredibly frustrated!

For almost a year now, I have posted over and over about Patriot's allergy problems. I thought I could fix it myself, but apparently I am not able to. Prednisone fixed it for a good three months, and Patriot was so much happier. Sense Christmas he has been miserable off and on. Every time I think he is getting better, he flares up again and is back to living on 2 benadryl 3 times a day. His shoulders have only thin hair on them from the itching, and his elbow joints are constantly being licked and chewed. In the past two weeks he has gotten sore spots between his pads, something that hasn't been a problem sense he came to live with me. He gets nothing as treats except for his fish and potato kibble....no milkbones, peanutbutter, not even any veggies, because every single thing he eats besides his food makes him itch. I had no idea dogs could be allergic to everything all at the same time. I went out and physically knocked every single left-over apple out of our tree to keep him from getting to them, because that for sure causes severe itching and sores on his belly.

My plans to take him in to get allergy tested this week were shattered today. I called several different vets to get an estimate on the cost of the test. The most I could afford right now (and for the next several months) is $300. Every vet I called said that 1) they had to refer me to another place for the test. and 2) the cost could be anywhere from $400 for the absolute minimal testing to $1000 for everything. So now I am taking him back to the vet to get a prescription for the allergy food that is going to cost somewhere around $60 a month. None of this is covered by his insurance because I was honest on the application about his having been treated for allergies before signing up for the insurance.

Needless to say I am frustrated to tears that I cant seem to help my own dog!! I have been crying all morning (thanks mostly to overactive pregnancy hormones and lack of sleep) because I just wish I could make him feel better! Patriot is my heart dog, and it KILLS me to see him so miserable most of the time! I would even be willing to have him on predinsone for the rest of his life, and I would just deal with the frequent potty accidents. Unfortunately, long term prednisone use can make a dog really sick and susceptible to worse diseases because it weakens their immune system.

One thing I always wonder is why this started happening after he finally came to live with me?!? Was it just not noticed at my parent's house, or is there something here that is causing it? I constantly wonder if he would be better off back at my parent's house....am I just being selfish wanting him to stay with me? The most horrible thought that goes through my head is "would his life be better had I let GDB place him?"

I can only hope that this food change will be the key to helping him.

Updated Belly Pictures

Patriot's......not mine!


Look how pretty it is now!! Compare with the ones I posted about a week ago!

These are the only problem spots left:

His shoulder (I think just because he can reach it to scratch with his back foot)

And right in the front of his elbow joint (where he can bite at it)

Too soon to hope?

Well after getting mostly fish and potato food last night and today, Patriot already seems more comfortable, and we made it through the whole day today without any benadryl at all!! I will have to see if the improvement keeps going, and will take some more pictures of his belly tomorrow and then later in the week to compare. I know for a fact his skin already looks better than it does in the pictures I posted. I just wanted to update sense things are going well today!

To the anonymous comment to the last post; I was going to try duck and potato next, but when he started to react to the venison and potato, I decided to switch back to his fish and potato. I had a feeling all along that this wasn't a problem with his food, and my intuition is turning out to be correct!

So for right now, I am pretty sure that his problems have come from peanut butter or apples or both.....or I am totally wrong, and have no idea what I am talking about! Lol!

One Step Back?

So Patriot started to improve dramatically (with the exception of his flare up from Hobbs' treats); his skin started to clear up, and the really dark swollen areas went away. But the last couple days he has started to gradually get more itchy and uncomfortable. I am completely stumped, but I do have an idea. He is almost completely switched over to his "new" venison and potato food and I think that is causing his skin to flare up.

My next attempt at clearing his skin is to switch him back to his old fish and potato food that had worked for him for almost 5 years! The reasoning for doing this is that it had been about a week and a half sense Patriot had either apples or Peanut butter when his skin started to clear. That was when he was still mostly on the old food (about 25/75). Then he hit the 50/50 mark in the food switch and his skin started getting red again. Now at the 75/25 mark in the switch we are back to feeding 2 benadryls with each meal and sometimes 2 during the day just to stop the itching. This is kind of gross, but his stool the last few days has been kind of covered in slime....not sure what than means, but I wanted to record when it happened. Sorry if I grossed anyone out!

This is my last attempt at fixing this myself. I can't stand to see Patriot suffer anymore if going back to his old food doesn't work. If this doesn't work, I am going to bite the bullet and spend the money for the allergy test. Then hopefully we can find out what the crap is going on with him.

Crap!

Patriot has been on prednisone sense the middle of November, and just finished his last half a pill about a week ago. Well, we are back to living on benadryl to keep the itching at bay. It seems like this flare up is worse than the last one! So we will be going back to the vet at some point to find out what we should do next. I am really not looking forward to a food protiacall! That allergy food is like $60 a bag!

***Some more info*** Patriot is eating Natures Recipe Fish and Potato dog food after trying both lamb and rice and Fish and Rice with no luck. He has actually been on this food for several years with very good results. I am considering trying a Duck and Potato food to see if he has developed an allergy to his food. I haven't gotten him allergy tested yet because the $200+ charge isn't covered by his pet insurance (pre-existing condition) and isn't really fitting into our budget right now. So it is trial and error until we find something that works. Something of note, he did get into several apples in the past few days that fell off our tree....I am starting to wonder if he is allergic to them.

On a better note, Patriot has his first Rally class tonight and all the practice we have been doing is helping him not swing out when he sits in the heel position! It is great to see how much he love doing obedience practice! I just hope he can behave himself in class....and that the two benadryls he had wont make him sleep through class.

IT FELL OFF!!!!

During our visit to my parent's house for Christmas somehow the big ugly wart on Patriot's tongue fell off! Well most of it.....There are still a couple little spots, but the big cauliflower looking part of it is gone! I am so thankful that it came off, because chances are it was just a normal dog mouth wart rather than a cancerous growth. Hopefully it stays gone! Here are a couple pictures of how the boys spent their Christmas week:

For Christmas they got a big yummy knuckle bone each, a little squeaker dog, and a half a box of gravy covered milkbones. It was very very cold outside most of the time, but luckly they were allowed into the house all day and night.

Worried

I think the wart on Patriot's tongue is growing. He is starting to notice that something is on the end of his tongue and will lick a lot, on that side, as if he is trying to get it off.

I am scared to take him back to the vet. They have to put him under anesthesia to lance it and/or take it off. Patriot's illness insurance starts the first of December, so I am going to keep an eye on it and take him in sometime during the first of the month. I am just praying that it turns out to be nothing, and that it isn't a cancerous growth.