10/24/11 - We had a nice fall weekend! Friday night I took Reo and Leigh for a nice long walk (while Sean took Tula to the dog park). It was sunny, and neither too cold nor too hot for walking - the best!
Earlier in the week, I cooked a rabbit for all the dogs. This was a special treat that I used as a meal topper. All three of our dogs have a penchant for chasing rabbits, so I was sure they'd enjoy the meat! That they did, for sure. They all tolerated it very well, too - no loose stools.
Saturday was a house project kind of a day, and Reo was very involved in the supervision of all tasks. I had to go to the store to pick up a few things, and on a whim got some doggie costumes for Halloween. I haven't taken any pictures yet, but I will post them up on this blog for all to enjoy!
Sunday, Reo's stomach aliens came back, so she refused breakfast. As usual, there seems to be no rhyme or reason to the aliens. I had to force down her morning hormone meds, and around noon or so, she started feeling better. She got a small meal in the early afternoon, and ate all of her dinner!
I noticed that the skin on Reo's stomach (mostly on her sides toward her back legs) is really dark. I know that darkened skin is a symptom of increased estrogen levels, which isn't great news. On the other hand, a lot of her chest hair is growing back. Hopefully the two symptoms counteract each other, and her estrogen levels are okay. Planning to get another EI-1 panel in December...
I cooked up some organic chicken thighs for the dogs' meal topper this week. As a bonus, Sean and I had a whole chicken for dinner, so the dogs got the gizzards from that chicken in with their thigh meat! Tasty for them. I've also scaled back the food amounts on all the dogs. With the cooler temperatures, it means less walking, which means ounces gained for both dogs and humans!
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.
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