Over the next few days, Reo's symptoms continued - panting at night, PD/PU (lots of drinking and peeing), restlessness, depression (I swear, she hadn't wagged her nub in days...).
Unfortunately, she also started developing a new symptom - she was refusing to eat, usually breakfast. I found myself putting all sorts of creative "mixers" into her food to get her to finish her meal. Remember, Reo was on a lot of supplements/powders, as well as hormones, and I wanted to get all of them in her! For a while, Grizzly wild salmon oil and/or an extra sardine seemed to do the trick.
(As I would learn later from Caroline, inappetance [refusing to eat] is a symptom of extremely low cortisol levels in the body. Reo was in crisis.)
03/24/11 - Our first acupuncture appointment with Dr. Lanz!! I'm sure I freaked her out with all of my crazy print outs, notes, list of medications/supplements for Reo, and frantic gestures. I told her that I wasn't looking for acupuncture to help with Reo's SARDS per se, but I wanted to help Reo feel better emotionally, and get her supported as much as we could. Thankfully, Dr. Lanz agreed to help us!
I described Reo's trouble sleeping at night, and mentioned that it was always between midnight and 3 am. Dr. Lanz explained that in Chinese medicine, the body's "chi" travels through the organs on a set schedule. Between midnight and 3 am, the organs active are the liver and gall bladder. (Remember these two organs - they will become important later in our story!) She focused her treatment on these two organs. We agreed on a regular treatment schedule.
That night, Reo slept through the whole night. I. Could. Not. BELIEVE. It! It was my first full night of sleep in a couple of weeks, and it was awesome! I became an acupuncture convert right then and there (and shortly thereafter pursued treatments for myself, to help me cope with the stress/grief/anxiety I was feeling going through this situation with Reo). The next day, there was a noticeable increase in Reo's energy levels. She seemed more alert, and she wagged her tail - hurray!
03/26/11 - Today, we had our consultation call with Caroline Levin. Having read her website word for word, and understanding it, I think this call was most beneficial for Sean. Caroline does such a great job explaining things in lay-person's terms, and she is so patient and encouraging. It helped me immensely to know that I had her to lean on for support during Reo's treatment.
Caroline stressed the importance of a dual approach: 1) address the underlying adrenal exhaustion issues and 2) initiate retinal protection. Caroline's research shows that about 20% of dogs can regain some vision when the protocol is initiated within 4 weeks of diagnosis. Because we started the full protocol about 2 weeks post-SARDS diagnosis, we thought had a good shot. Regardless of the vision outcome, I was highly interested in correcting Reo's adrenal exhaustion/Plechner's syndrome. Anything else would be icing on the cake!
On the consult call, we agreed to up the Magnesium Taurate, and also increase the Medrol to see if we noticed a difference in mood/behavior.
Over the next several days, I struggled to get Reo to eat regularly. I cooked new protein - all organic/hormone free turkey thighs, beef shank, eggs. I concocted new veggie and fruit mixtures to find something palatable for her. I added extra sardines, salmon oil, crushed beef liver, wild canned salmon, peanut butter - you name it! Some of those things would work, but never a sure thing. Reo was not enthusiastic about eating.
The Power Of The Walk
Despite Reo's inappetance, lethargy, and depression, I insisted that she go for (at least a short) walk, every day if possible. I happen to be a fan of Cesar Millan "The Dog Whisperer", and am on board with his thoughts on the importance of walking your dog. So, even though Reo was sick and hurting, I wanted her to walk. Walks are critical for dogs to feel themselves, and I think that environmental stimuli (birds singing, squirrels running, smells to sniff) can help "snap a dog" out of their funk. Fortunately, there are some less-trafficked alleys and streets, which allowed me to walk Reo and Leigh in the middle of the street. It was hard for Reo to deal with uneven pavement, curbs, branches, etc., but if she was on flat, clear pavement, she would trot right along. I tried to get at least 15-30 minutes of exercise for her at least 3x/week. Many times, Reo would sit down in the middle of the street, and refuse to go on. I'd always wait for her, coax her, tug gently on the leash. She'd always start up again - she just needed a minute to collect herself. So, if your SARDS dog does this, be patient! Don't pull, don't pick him/her up. Just wait a minute or two, take a deep breath, and move on.
