06/12/13 - Tomorrow, Sean and I are headed to Europe for 3 weeks, sans dogs! My brother is watching over our house and pack, which means I'll be separated from Reo for the first time in quite a while!! We will have my brother pulse her Medrol dose for the first week we're gone, to hopefully help mitigate her stress.
She has been doing pretty well lately, but allergies are bugging her. I have her on Claritin based on my vet's recommendation, though I don't think it's helping her. She has an itchy/watery right eye, that has been bugging her for over a month. The vet's looked at it, did fluorescin testing, and even gave her some NP Dex eyedrops to try for a week (which didn't help). So, I think we'll go to the ophthalmologist when we get back, just to be on the safe side.
Anyway, fingers crossed all goes well and there are no issues with little miss high-maintenance. :)
À bientôt, fair readers!
Showing posts with label vacation. Show all posts
Showing posts with label vacation. Show all posts
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Wednesday, July 25, 2012
SoCal Vacation
07/25/12 - Earlier this month, we took a trip to Southern California, where Sean is from, for a vacation with his family and some of our friends.
We brought Leigh and Reo along on the trip, not only because we love them and love traveling with them, but because it's way less expense and stress on the dogs. Even though it costs $500 round trip for both of the dogs to fly with us on United (OMG!), we wouldn't have it any other way.
I pulsed Reo's Medrol every other day while we were gone, to help mitigate her stress. With the exception of all the noise/bustle in the airport, and not wanting to be in her carrier while in the airport (on the plane she is fine, but not in the airport - weird - so I solved the problem by carrying her until we were ready to get on the plane), Reo is an incredible traveler.
We do a lot to try and keep their routine while on the road (this means getting up extra early with the time change in order to potty/feed them breakfast!), including bringing their favorite bed for riding in the car. We drove about 900 miles in 10 days, so their comfort was important!
Here are a few pictures of Leigh and Reo in the car, in their bed, with their car harnesses on. :)
For part of the trip, we had a beach house with Sean's family, and it included two smaller children. Leigh and Reo aren't used to children noise, so it was a bit stressful for them, but overall they did really well. I brought some of their favorite toys, and Reo "killed" them every day - so cute.
Sean and I took a couple of days to explore some new wine country for us. We went to Ojai and also Santa Rita Hills/Santa Barbara County. It was a really nice road trip, though it was very hot inland (I made the mistake of wearing jeans one day, as it was barely 70 on the coast...but was punished in Ojai when it was about 93!!).
Here are a couple of photos of the dogs "wine tasting".
Okay, so they were flopped out at our feet while WE tasted wine. :)
They're such great travelers, and I was so proud of Reo for hanging in there! That being said, both dogs and humans were so happy to be home, to our quiet household, familiar surroundings, and daily routine.
We brought Leigh and Reo along on the trip, not only because we love them and love traveling with them, but because it's way less expense and stress on the dogs. Even though it costs $500 round trip for both of the dogs to fly with us on United (OMG!), we wouldn't have it any other way.
I pulsed Reo's Medrol every other day while we were gone, to help mitigate her stress. With the exception of all the noise/bustle in the airport, and not wanting to be in her carrier while in the airport (on the plane she is fine, but not in the airport - weird - so I solved the problem by carrying her until we were ready to get on the plane), Reo is an incredible traveler.
We do a lot to try and keep their routine while on the road (this means getting up extra early with the time change in order to potty/feed them breakfast!), including bringing their favorite bed for riding in the car. We drove about 900 miles in 10 days, so their comfort was important!
Here are a few pictures of Leigh and Reo in the car, in their bed, with their car harnesses on. :)
For part of the trip, we had a beach house with Sean's family, and it included two smaller children. Leigh and Reo aren't used to children noise, so it was a bit stressful for them, but overall they did really well. I brought some of their favorite toys, and Reo "killed" them every day - so cute.
Sean and I took a couple of days to explore some new wine country for us. We went to Ojai and also Santa Rita Hills/Santa Barbara County. It was a really nice road trip, though it was very hot inland (I made the mistake of wearing jeans one day, as it was barely 70 on the coast...but was punished in Ojai when it was about 93!!).
Here are a couple of photos of the dogs "wine tasting".
Okay, so they were flopped out at our feet while WE tasted wine. :)
They're such great travelers, and I was so proud of Reo for hanging in there! That being said, both dogs and humans were so happy to be home, to our quiet household, familiar surroundings, and daily routine.
Tuesday, May 22, 2012
Reo and her snake
05/22/22 - Yesterday, I returned home from a long weekend away! It was the first time I have left the dogs since we moved back home to Denver, so I was a little nervous. Reo (and everyone) did very well, with nothing negative to report! It was a relief for me, to be sure!
I did pulse her Medrol while I was gone, just in case. Environmental allergens continue to be very high in our area (trees, grasses, weeds). I hope her system will recover...
Sean reported (and sent photo documentation!) of just how much Reo still loves her silly snake toy! Here is a picture of Reo and her snake...in an intimate moment post-kill! ;)
I forgot to post these silly videos of Reo and her new toy. I bought this for our Doberman, but for Reo, it was love at first squeak!!
Silly snake #1
Silly snake #2
Notice in the first video, when Reo is carrying around the snake, she doesn't bump into the grills or the chairs. :)
She is fairly obsessed with this toy, and has usually two good killing "sessions" every day. VERY cute!
I did pulse her Medrol while I was gone, just in case. Environmental allergens continue to be very high in our area (trees, grasses, weeds). I hope her system will recover...
Sean reported (and sent photo documentation!) of just how much Reo still loves her silly snake toy! Here is a picture of Reo and her snake...in an intimate moment post-kill! ;)
I forgot to post these silly videos of Reo and her new toy. I bought this for our Doberman, but for Reo, it was love at first squeak!!
Silly snake #1
Silly snake #2
Notice in the first video, when Reo is carrying around the snake, she doesn't bump into the grills or the chairs. :)
She is fairly obsessed with this toy, and has usually two good killing "sessions" every day. VERY cute!
Monday, May 7, 2012
Vacation-refreshed!
05/07/12 - We are back and rejuvenated from our vacation to Northern California! Sean and I left for 6 days, and brought the Min Pins with us. Leigh and Reo are both from California, so we joked that they were returning to their roots.
Reo did excellently on the trip - we are lucky to have such great traveling dogs! Reo did have a little trouble in her carrier in the airport. She wanted to be held, and seemed to be a little frightened of all the noises and hubub in the airport. She was panting quite a bit in her carrier, but settled right down as soon as we got on the plane (quiet, with hum of engines put her right to sleep).
I pulsed her Medrol dose every other day, and overall she did awesome! I know she was seeing some things, as the house we stayed in had steps, and she navigated them well some days, while some days she had trouble. More proof that her vision remains transient.
Here's a picture of where we stayed, and Reo exploring:
The property was dog-friendly and had two fully-fenced acres for doggie exploring. In Leigh and Reo's cases, the tall grass was barrier enough for them, thankfully (I was worried they'd want to go in the grass and I'd never find them!). There were lots of quail running around, and that was excited for the dogs! It was truly paradise there, and we all dreamed that it was our property!
The rest of the trip was spent wine tasting and driving around all day. We brought the pups with us - sometimes they came into the wineries with us if they were dog friendly, or they stayed in the car and patiently waited for us to return (best dogs ever!!). I packed their favorite bed, so just put that on the seat, and harnessed them into the seat belt - it worked really well!
Here's a cute picture of the rehydration effort during one stop (I love the look on Leigh's face in this picture!):
And, one final picture of Reo taking a sun nap while we taste wine on a gorgeous rooftop deck. It is the life!!
Overall, we are completely thrilled with the trip, and how Reo did traveling. With the exception of a couple of issues being in her carrier, she was relaxed, and seemed quite happy (I'm sure she was feeling us extra happy and relaxed, too!).
This gives us some confidence for our next trip in July - we plan to go to Southern California for a week, so fingers crossed that everyone does just as well on this trip!
Reo did excellently on the trip - we are lucky to have such great traveling dogs! Reo did have a little trouble in her carrier in the airport. She wanted to be held, and seemed to be a little frightened of all the noises and hubub in the airport. She was panting quite a bit in her carrier, but settled right down as soon as we got on the plane (quiet, with hum of engines put her right to sleep).
I pulsed her Medrol dose every other day, and overall she did awesome! I know she was seeing some things, as the house we stayed in had steps, and she navigated them well some days, while some days she had trouble. More proof that her vision remains transient.
Here's a picture of where we stayed, and Reo exploring:
The property was dog-friendly and had two fully-fenced acres for doggie exploring. In Leigh and Reo's cases, the tall grass was barrier enough for them, thankfully (I was worried they'd want to go in the grass and I'd never find them!). There were lots of quail running around, and that was excited for the dogs! It was truly paradise there, and we all dreamed that it was our property!
The rest of the trip was spent wine tasting and driving around all day. We brought the pups with us - sometimes they came into the wineries with us if they were dog friendly, or they stayed in the car and patiently waited for us to return (best dogs ever!!). I packed their favorite bed, so just put that on the seat, and harnessed them into the seat belt - it worked really well!
Here's a cute picture of the rehydration effort during one stop (I love the look on Leigh's face in this picture!):
And, one final picture of Reo taking a sun nap while we taste wine on a gorgeous rooftop deck. It is the life!!
Overall, we are completely thrilled with the trip, and how Reo did traveling. With the exception of a couple of issues being in her carrier, she was relaxed, and seemed quite happy (I'm sure she was feeling us extra happy and relaxed, too!).
This gives us some confidence for our next trip in July - we plan to go to Southern California for a week, so fingers crossed that everyone does just as well on this trip!
Friday, April 27, 2012
The importance of new places
04/27/12 - I haven't been updating as much, because I've been busy! That, and Reo is quite stable these days; nothing too much to report. She is still "mostly" blind, but she has been surprising me lately, which makes me think I need to set up an obstacle course to see how she does.
Example: we went over to a friend's house last week, and brought all of our dogs. None of us had ever been to this house before, and I carried Reo inside, and then outside to the yard, so she could sniff and pee with all of the other dogs (there were four other dogs there). She obliged, roaming around, sniffing, etc. Then, out of nowhere, she hopped up the two stairs that lead to the deck, without bumping or anything. Sean and I were shocked!
I say that exposing Reo to new places is important, because she gets along so well in our house/yard, maybe I don't get a full sense for her vision. She does well on walks, too, but maybe I'm taking that for granted.
A true test will be next week! Sean and I are taking a trip to California, and will be bringing Leigh and Reo with us. Our Min Pins have traveled extensively with us - they've been to 22 states, which I'm sure is more than the average American human! They travel super well on the plane, but we haven't brought them anywhere by plane since before Reo's SARDS diagnosis. So, it will be interesting to see how she does, not only with the trip, but out and about in CA as well!
Stay tuned...
Example: we went over to a friend's house last week, and brought all of our dogs. None of us had ever been to this house before, and I carried Reo inside, and then outside to the yard, so she could sniff and pee with all of the other dogs (there were four other dogs there). She obliged, roaming around, sniffing, etc. Then, out of nowhere, she hopped up the two stairs that lead to the deck, without bumping or anything. Sean and I were shocked!
I say that exposing Reo to new places is important, because she gets along so well in our house/yard, maybe I don't get a full sense for her vision. She does well on walks, too, but maybe I'm taking that for granted.
A true test will be next week! Sean and I are taking a trip to California, and will be bringing Leigh and Reo with us. Our Min Pins have traveled extensively with us - they've been to 22 states, which I'm sure is more than the average American human! They travel super well on the plane, but we haven't brought them anywhere by plane since before Reo's SARDS diagnosis. So, it will be interesting to see how she does, not only with the trip, but out and about in CA as well!
Stay tuned...
Monday, January 16, 2012
Weekend in Chicago
01/16/12 - We had a great family weekend in Chicago this weekend! We drove up on Friday and back on Sunday. Though it was really cold, we enjoyed the time away.
Here's a picture of Leigh and Reo in their harnesses and car seat on the drive:
As you can see, Reo really makes herself comfy on long drives. :)
Instead of a hotel, we found a doggie-friendly condo in the Wicker Park neighborhood (which was just two blocks from our friend's place!), so it was perfect. Reo did so well - she navigated the brand new surroundings like a champ (further solidifying in my mind that her vision is quite good, as there was no way she could have gone around furniture, table legs, kitchen island, etc. if she was blind!).
Reo refused her breakfast Sunday morning, which was quite a surprise. I ended up forcing down her Medrol and L-thyroxine, which she didn't mind too terribly much. Typically she refuses to eat when she has stomach aliens (as I like to call them), but she had no strange belly sounds yesterday. This made me realize that she hasn't had any stomach aliens in quite a long time (a least a couple of months?), which was a revelation. I wonder if stomach aliens are somehow related to low IgA number - poorer digestion and water absorption? Interesting.
All of the dogs were happy to be home last night to familiar sounds and smells and their beds.
Keeping my fingers crossed that I get Reo's EI-1 panel results back tomorrow!
Here's a picture of Leigh and Reo in their harnesses and car seat on the drive:
As you can see, Reo really makes herself comfy on long drives. :)
Instead of a hotel, we found a doggie-friendly condo in the Wicker Park neighborhood (which was just two blocks from our friend's place!), so it was perfect. Reo did so well - she navigated the brand new surroundings like a champ (further solidifying in my mind that her vision is quite good, as there was no way she could have gone around furniture, table legs, kitchen island, etc. if she was blind!).
Reo refused her breakfast Sunday morning, which was quite a surprise. I ended up forcing down her Medrol and L-thyroxine, which she didn't mind too terribly much. Typically she refuses to eat when she has stomach aliens (as I like to call them), but she had no strange belly sounds yesterday. This made me realize that she hasn't had any stomach aliens in quite a long time (a least a couple of months?), which was a revelation. I wonder if stomach aliens are somehow related to low IgA number - poorer digestion and water absorption? Interesting.
All of the dogs were happy to be home last night to familiar sounds and smells and their beds.
Keeping my fingers crossed that I get Reo's EI-1 panel results back tomorrow!
Sunday, September 25, 2011
Hiking in Red River Gorge
Labor Day weekend, 2011
Sean and I took the dogs on a road trip to the eastern part of KY, to Red River Gorge! We rented a dog-friendly cabin for the weekend, and planned to do some hiking and relaxing. When we lived in Colorado, hiking was one of Reo and Leigh's most favorite activities - they always impressed "big" dog owners when they completed hikes to 11,000 or 12,000 feet!
Unfortunately, our first day of hiking was a scorcher - about 97 degrees. I thought a "short hike" would be feasible, so we chose a fairly secluded, very wooded trail. Though it was cooler in the forest, we were plagued by mosquitoes, and were sweating more than I could ever remember. I had cool collars on all the dogs, but they were still working hard.
The impressive thing was that Reo led the trail the entire way! She was on-leash, but out in front of me, jumping over downed tree limbs, going under if necessary, scrambling up rocks, and crossing bridges. I couldn't believe how amazing she did. There were a few times that she needed encouragement, and she stopped a couple of times, but she was incredible! I looked at her out in front of me and thought that my heart would explode from pride! Sean and I were in awe of her. She was working really hard, and was pretty tired due to the heat, but she made it the entire way - could not believe it! So proud of you, Reo!!
Because the day was hot, we cooled off in the car and drove around to see more of the Gorge and associated Daniel Boone National Forest. I'll admit it was only us that did any "seeing" because all the dogs were PASSED OUT once they had cooled down. Tired dogs = happy dogs!
Unfortunately, it rained on Sunday and Monday, so our hiking aspirations were more or less ruined. We did have a nice time hanging out in the cabin, though. The dogs all got foot massages with Musher's Wax, so they were happy to get some pampering!
Here are Reo and Leigh after their Saturday hike, and foot massage:
Pretty relaxed, eh?
Sean and I took the dogs on a road trip to the eastern part of KY, to Red River Gorge! We rented a dog-friendly cabin for the weekend, and planned to do some hiking and relaxing. When we lived in Colorado, hiking was one of Reo and Leigh's most favorite activities - they always impressed "big" dog owners when they completed hikes to 11,000 or 12,000 feet!
Unfortunately, our first day of hiking was a scorcher - about 97 degrees. I thought a "short hike" would be feasible, so we chose a fairly secluded, very wooded trail. Though it was cooler in the forest, we were plagued by mosquitoes, and were sweating more than I could ever remember. I had cool collars on all the dogs, but they were still working hard.
The impressive thing was that Reo led the trail the entire way! She was on-leash, but out in front of me, jumping over downed tree limbs, going under if necessary, scrambling up rocks, and crossing bridges. I couldn't believe how amazing she did. There were a few times that she needed encouragement, and she stopped a couple of times, but she was incredible! I looked at her out in front of me and thought that my heart would explode from pride! Sean and I were in awe of her. She was working really hard, and was pretty tired due to the heat, but she made it the entire way - could not believe it! So proud of you, Reo!!
Because the day was hot, we cooled off in the car and drove around to see more of the Gorge and associated Daniel Boone National Forest. I'll admit it was only us that did any "seeing" because all the dogs were PASSED OUT once they had cooled down. Tired dogs = happy dogs!
Unfortunately, it rained on Sunday and Monday, so our hiking aspirations were more or less ruined. We did have a nice time hanging out in the cabin, though. The dogs all got foot massages with Musher's Wax, so they were happy to get some pampering!
Here are Reo and Leigh after their Saturday hike, and foot massage:
Pretty relaxed, eh?
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
The vacation quandry; increased dosages
Sean and I decided to take a vacation, even though Reo wasn't 100%. I had to travel to Germany for work, and so we decided that Sean would come out and we'd spend a week in Hamburg, Berlin, and Prague. I was really concerned about not having Sean or me around for Reo, as it seemed that she was at a critical time in her treatment.
Fortunately, Sean's nephews were on break from school, and we flew them out from California to watch over our house, kitties, and three dogs. Sean assured me that the boys could handle Reo's incredible schedule and meal concoctions.
So...off we went. I won't lie - I was petrified, and we called every day! Fortunately, everything seemed to be going well. They did a great job watching to dogs, and everyone was okay when we got back. But...Reo gained a LOT of weight.
I'm not sure if she got into the cat food, or if she just was fed too much, but she gained about 2 pounds in a week, which is about 20% of her body weight. :( She seemed pretty uncomfortable, as her belly was very hard and swollen. Reo's stool was also quite liquid. I cut back on her food right away, and upped her walking schedule!
Reo's labial infection was also back. It was very swollen with some pustules. I cleaned it and put more Neosporin on. I also noticed that the skin around her anus was very swollen. At the time, I was not sure what could possibly cause this. However, I learned later that high estrogen levels can cause labial/vulvar swelling in females. So...I attributed this problem to Reo's high estrogen.
07/08/11 - Today, I increased Reo's Medrol and L-thyroxine to Dr. P's recommended dosages: Medrol to 1.5 mg once per day, and L-thyroxine 0.15 mg twice per day.
Fortunately, Sean's nephews were on break from school, and we flew them out from California to watch over our house, kitties, and three dogs. Sean assured me that the boys could handle Reo's incredible schedule and meal concoctions.
So...off we went. I won't lie - I was petrified, and we called every day! Fortunately, everything seemed to be going well. They did a great job watching to dogs, and everyone was okay when we got back. But...Reo gained a LOT of weight.
I'm not sure if she got into the cat food, or if she just was fed too much, but she gained about 2 pounds in a week, which is about 20% of her body weight. :( She seemed pretty uncomfortable, as her belly was very hard and swollen. Reo's stool was also quite liquid. I cut back on her food right away, and upped her walking schedule!
Reo's labial infection was also back. It was very swollen with some pustules. I cleaned it and put more Neosporin on. I also noticed that the skin around her anus was very swollen. At the time, I was not sure what could possibly cause this. However, I learned later that high estrogen levels can cause labial/vulvar swelling in females. So...I attributed this problem to Reo's high estrogen.
07/08/11 - Today, I increased Reo's Medrol and L-thyroxine to Dr. P's recommended dosages: Medrol to 1.5 mg once per day, and L-thyroxine 0.15 mg twice per day.
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