08/26/11 - Reo is so sassy lately! I know she is feeling great, because she is acting better than she has in at least a couple of years! She's prancing around, killing her toys, and being little miss personality these days.
Today, she went up the stairs into Sean's office by herself. She hasn't done this since before losing her sight. Typically when going upstairs to bed, I encourage her up and I'm always behind her, just in case. This evening, we were watching TV downstairs and hadn't seen her for a bit. "Where's Reo?" I went looking for her, and she was perched on the couch in the office, looking innocent! :)
It's really encouraging to see her have her confidence back like this!
I have noticed that Reo has problems seeing when the lighting is dim. It's particularly noticeable when she comes inside from being outside in bright light. Sometimes she'll bump into things, and it takes her several minutes to acclimate to the new lighting conditions.
09/01/11 - I got back from a work trip yesterday, and Reo seemed a little off. She had an accident (urination) in the carseat on the way home, which is extremely unusual (as in, this has never happened before!).
This morning, she had stomach aliens and refused breakfast. This continued throughout the morning, so I had to force her morning hormone meds (she really hates me when I do this...). Later in the day, her temperature was quite warm, and she still wasn't herself.
She ate dinner just fine, and seemed to be back to herself afterwards.
I wish I knew what caused this occasional tummy upsets. I can't find any rhyme or reason - is she eating something funny somehow? It's frustrating to not be able to solve this issue. I know dogs self-fast when they're not feeling well, but why isn't she feeling well?
In March 2011, our Miniature Pinscher, Reo, suddenly went blind and was diagnosed with SARDS (Sudden Acquired Retinal Degeneration Syndrome). We were given no hope for vision recovery, but through research, perseverance, love, tears, and a lot of luck, we brought our dog back from a serious illness, and restored some functional vision in about 5 months! This is our story, our journey...and we hope that by sharing our story, we can help other dogs diagnosed with SARDS!
BLOG DISCLAIMER
**DISCLAIMER** Please note: I am not a veterinarian, and the purpose of this blog is solely to educate, provide resources, and share Reo's story. In this blog, I will present research and information on the theories of SARDS to which I subscribe, along with my own narrative. If you think your dog may have SARDS, or adrenal exhaustion/Plechner Syndrome, please seek veterinary care right away!
If you are just beginning your SARDS education, I suggest you start with the blog post from August 22, 2011 entitled "SARDS Resources". If you'd like to know our trials, tribulations, and joys from the beginning, start with "But first...Reo!" and click chronologically on from there.
If you would like to read my suggestions as to how I would approach treatment for a newly-diagnosed dog, check the November 16, 2011 post "If I had another SARDS dog" (and then read my blog more fully for appropriate context).
Though we have decided to suspend Reo's retinal protection supplements in September 2012 (see September 16, 2012 post "Decision for Reo") due to the fact that she had very little remaining vision, I am still strongly supportive of our treatment approach, and know that it changed Reo's health and longevity in a positive way. Feel free to comment and ask me any questions - I am happy to help if I can!
Update: Reo became an angel on October 21, 2014. She had a profound kidney infection, causing acute kidney failure, and she was unable to recover. The contributing factors to her decline are covered in my February 16, 2015 blog post "Farewell to Reo".
Though I do not regularly update this blog any longer, much of the information is still relevant (though some of the links may be out of date). Feel free to join the conversation at "SARDS Dogs United" on Facebook.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
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