03/06/12 - We arrived back home in Denver on Saturday! All three dogs, and two cats did great on the drive, despite driving through the storm in southern IL and IN that would turn into all of the tornadoes in IN and KY. Scary!
Anyway, Reo is doing okay. Vision still very transient, but am hoping that once we all settle down and are less stressed, she will go back to being more stable. She has done a great job navigating around - sometimes seeing, sometimes not. To say that the past month or so has been stressful would be an understatement - for both humans and animals! Because Reo's adrenal glands can't properly respond to stress by making cortisol to soother her system, it is more difficult for her to manage. I'm glad we gave her the booster shot of DepoMedrol to help her get through this transition.
The past several days have been amazing weather-wise! Tons of sun, which makes all of the Pins very, very happy. Reo has been scavenging in the yard and has found some dehydrated, shriveled apples from our neighbors' tree, along with other various things that she should NOT be eating (I think old veggies from our tenants' garden last season). Unfortunately, I can't watch her every second, and she's eaten some things I know she should not have (including some of Tula's food she threw up in the yard the other day - GROSS!).
The bottom line is that she is still a dog, at the end of the day, so I'm trying not to stress too much about what she may have eaten and if it will cause her any discomfort (but I will give her a little extra ProZyme in her dinner tonight!). This kind of "dog" behavior makes her happy, and she's been in a great mood lately, being outside with her pack. Once we settle into our routine, I'm sure she will be just fine.
I am already a little nervous about finding a new vet here - it will be an extensive interview process!
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.
Tuesday, March 6, 2012
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Just read this post and had to laugh at the eating vomit. Sasha ate some of Zoe's vomit last week :)
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