11/02/11 - Today marks Reo's 38th week of treatment for SARDS. Time flies! She is doing quite well these days. I made a couple of changes to her diet yesterday. I stopped giving her the Vetri-DMG for now. I previously posted that I thought she didn't really need it, since her liver and immune system are in good shape. I do have some left, should she need to go on it again.
Yesterday evening, I mixed in some ZiwiPeak Venison food into her Addiction. Both Reo and Leigh LOVED it in their dinner and breakfast. Must be all that organ meat that's in there!! Mmmmmm....tasty! The texture of the food is a little weird - it's kind of like little pieces of beef jerky. It doesn't quite rehydrate like I would expect from The Honest Kitchen or Addiction, but the dogs seem to love it, nonetheless. I will have to be careful on weight gain, though, since it is very calorie dense (much more so than the other foods they've eaten).
Anyway, the post title suggested a sweet story, and I don't want to let you down, so please visit the link below for the story of two Great Danes, one of whom lost both of her eyes, and the other who acts as a "seeing eye dog" for her friend. Warms the heart! And, if you happen to be reading from the UK, both of these girls need a new home!
Click to read about Lily and Maddison
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, November 2, 2011
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