1 step forward, 2 steps back

04/09/11 - Today on our walk, I think Reo reacted to a squirrel in the distance.  It was maybe 100 feet away - I'm not sure if she could smell or hear it.  After that, her mood completely changed!  She was trotting out ahead of Leigh and me, and her tail was held high (not tucked like it usually is).  I didn't want to read too much into it, but it was pretty cool to see some of our "old" Reo back.  She also went up all the front porch steps with some encouragement (first time since losing her sight).

04/11/11 - Our one month "anniversary" of SARDS diagnosis
We are still struggling to get Reo to eat any breakfast, and now starting to have problems with dinner as well.  I had begun to put all of the powdered supplements in her dinner, as she wasn't eating breakfast - maybe it's too much powder?
Reo refused to eat her sulfasalazine in peanut butter this morning - had to force it down her, along with the Medrol and L-thyroxine.  :(  I tried to feed her only ground beef/organ meat, and she ate about 1/2 Tbsp.
At dinner, I removed all powder, and she ate some ground beef/organs and some chicken thigh.  I was able to give her her L-thyroxine and supplements in peanut butter after her meal.  Reo has absolutely zero interest in sardines lately.

04/12/11 - Reo refused all food this morning.  No peanut butter for her!  I had to force-feed the sulfasalazine, Medrol, and L-thyroxine again.  She HATES it, and fights, spits out the pills, and looks at me as though I'm torturing her.  This is hard.
Tonight, I wrapped her meds in a slice of Velveeta (yes, most definitely not the healthy thing!) - but, she ate them!!
I also spoke with Dr. N today - we discussed Reo's inappetance, and thought that maybe we could compound Reo's medications if she continues to refuse to eat.

Today, I stopped trying to give her Phosphatidyl Serine, in an effort to reduce the amount of things I'm forcing down her.

04/13/11 - Another symptom - Reo wet the bed at about 5:30 am.  She was sleeping and leaked out some urine - and was not aware that it happened.  I took her outside, and she had a long pee, so maybe her bladder was extra full?
She was not interested in breakfast again, but she ate her meds wrapped in Velveeta.  I took some pastured pork ribs out.  I haven't tried pork with Reo yet, so hopefully it will spark her appetite!
Later, at dinner, she wasn't interested in the pork.  She also was not interested in Velveeta or cream cheese for taking her meds - I had to force them down her throat.
I began to worry that she hadn't had any food today, so I offered her some Orijen kibble - she ate maybe a dozen pieces, so that was encouraging.

04/14/11 - Reo woke up quite early this morning, and threw up in the bed.  She wouldn't eat anything this morning, so used some cream cheese to force her meds down.
In an effort to get Reo to eat something, I went out and got some Wellness canned food, as well as Organixx and AvoDerm, in case she doesn't like the Wellness.  I begin to feel guilty offering her a commercial diet - this is not part of the Levin protocol.  Reo will no longer eat any beef liver, sardines, or salmon oil.
I also got some low-sodium deli turkey and liverwurst, to see if she could take her meds in this.
The canned food worked - she ate some turkey/sweet potato canned food right away for dinner!  And, she took all of her meds and supplements in the liverwurst.  Mommy wins - haha!

04/15/11 - Reo woke up several times during the night.  She drank a lot of water, had diarrhea about 2:30 am, and threw up a small amount.  She wouldn't eat anything for breakfast, and refused liverwurst and turkey breast.  I had to force down the sulfasalazine, Medrol, and L-thyroxine.
Sean reported that Reo seemed hungry around 3 pm, so he offered her 1 Tbsp of Orijen in warm water and she scarfed it down!  She ate a little bit of dinner - kibble and wet food.  But, I had to force all her post-dinner meds - she was really difficult tonight.

04/16/11 - Last night was tough.  Reo was up about every 2 hours for water.  She is so restless and doesn't want to stay in our bed.
Reo ate a few bites of kibble, but had to force her meds.  I feel pretty awful about Reo's condition right now. It sucks.  :(

04/17/11 - Another sleepless night.  She was up every 2 hours for water/urination.  I am becoming an expert at making a medication "bolus" in Velveeta and shoving it down Reo's throat.  It's not a good feeling, and Reo is starting to resent me!
Sean got her to eat about 2 Tbsp of kibble today, so that was something.  I forced her evening meds in liverwurst.


04/18/11 - Worst night yet with Reo!  :(  She was up every hour to drink or urinate.  She also leaked out some urine on me after I picked her up, which was strange.
Reo's schedule is totally off.  She is sleepy/tired at 6 am on, but insomniac at night.  How can we get her back on track??

(Note:  Insomnia is often reported by owners whose dogs have adrenal diseases, like Cushing's.  But remember - elevated estrogen can mimic the symptoms of Cushing's!)

Today I decided to take her to see Dr. N.  I learned that sometimes sulfasalazine can cause nausea in dogs, and we wondered if this couldn't be why Reo was unwilling to eat.  We agreed to stop all supplements except the Medrol and L-thyroxine, and repeat the CBC.  Dr. N drew some blood and sent it out.