10/12/11 - I just returned from a trip to Houston for work. Though Sean sticks to Reo's routine to the letter, and we are currently pulsing her Medrol, it appears that my absence still has an effect on her. (Sean isn't too happy about this, by the way, because he feels as though he's doing a poor job of caring for her, which of course isn't the case!).
The theory is that perhaps my not being around causes a certain amount of stress, which may cause a temporary spike in estrogen and subsequent retinal seizure. The good news is that she seems to recover rather quickly, but it's an interesting phenomenon that we've noticed with my last two trips.
10/13/11 - Reo's stool was quite loose today. First time it's been loose since I stopped giving her the pumpkin, so I'll keep an eye on it. I think it was because I gave her a new treat last night - a little piece of dehydrated lamb lung. Probably a little rich for her system - we'll see.
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Saturday, October 8, 2011
Obstacle course videos, take 2
10/08/11 - Today is just a perfect fall day! Sunny, but neither hot nor humid. Reo woke up with stomach aliens again this morning (sigh), so she was not interested in breakfast. The aliens were particularly active this morning - I could hear them all the way across the room! Again, no change to her diet/schedule, so it's always a mystery how these things appear for seemingly no reason. I waited until 10 am and then, when she still wasn't interested in food, forced down her Medrol and L-thyroxine. It was a fight, as usual, but I want to keep her hormones on schedule, at the very least.
Being so beautiful out, I decided a walk in the park would be just the think to exorcise (or exercise!) those aliens. So, we went over to our favorite park and did about 30 minutes on the asphalt path, and another 30 minutes running around off leash, sniffing, and stalking squirrels. Good times!!
We got home and Reo ate some breakfast, so that was good. We went outside in the backyard to spent even more time outside. If only the mosquitoes would go away, it would be perfect!
I decided to set up another obstacle course for Reo, just for fun (okay, and to set my own mind at ease that I am not crazy!). I set it up alongside the house again, where she doesn't have access, so it was "new" to her. I used some different materials, and ended up taking 2 videos of her going out and back. Then I switched up the course and took another 2 videos.
Have a look-sey! What do you think??
Obstacle course video #3
Obstacle course video #4
(I love how, at the end of this one, she looks up at me, like "really, mom??")
Changed up the course and made the openings tighter...
Obstacle course video #5
Obstacle course video #6
I think she did great, and it definitely looks to me that she is seeing. You can sort of see her problem solving skills in the last two videos, where she first thought she could get around the recycling bins by going one way, then saw it was too small and then walked around. She did knock the fence and the recycling bin in the last video at the end, but she knocked with her body after passing through and not her face.
This little project was enough to satisfy me once again, so I can take a deep breath and relax. After our ophtho appointment on Wednesday, I started second-guessing myself. I had been worried that maybe I thought she was seeing, but she was just so used to the house/yard that her sight had, in fact, deteriorated. This does not appear to be the case, yay! :D
Being so beautiful out, I decided a walk in the park would be just the think to exorcise (or exercise!) those aliens. So, we went over to our favorite park and did about 30 minutes on the asphalt path, and another 30 minutes running around off leash, sniffing, and stalking squirrels. Good times!!
We got home and Reo ate some breakfast, so that was good. We went outside in the backyard to spent even more time outside. If only the mosquitoes would go away, it would be perfect!
I decided to set up another obstacle course for Reo, just for fun (okay, and to set my own mind at ease that I am not crazy!). I set it up alongside the house again, where she doesn't have access, so it was "new" to her. I used some different materials, and ended up taking 2 videos of her going out and back. Then I switched up the course and took another 2 videos.
Have a look-sey! What do you think??
Obstacle course video #3
Obstacle course video #4
(I love how, at the end of this one, she looks up at me, like "really, mom??")
Changed up the course and made the openings tighter...
Obstacle course video #5
Obstacle course video #6
I think she did great, and it definitely looks to me that she is seeing. You can sort of see her problem solving skills in the last two videos, where she first thought she could get around the recycling bins by going one way, then saw it was too small and then walked around. She did knock the fence and the recycling bin in the last video at the end, but she knocked with her body after passing through and not her face.
This little project was enough to satisfy me once again, so I can take a deep breath and relax. After our ophtho appointment on Wednesday, I started second-guessing myself. I had been worried that maybe I thought she was seeing, but she was just so used to the house/yard that her sight had, in fact, deteriorated. This does not appear to be the case, yay! :D
Friday, October 7, 2011
Reo's diet
10/07/11 - I thought I would update Reo's current meal protocol. We have been through a LOT of iterations of her diet, but she has been on the below for the past two months, and I foresee that she'll be on this for at least the next 6 months. We will keep up the supplements for some time (I wish there was a bulk purchase discount for these supplements!).
(This program is tailored to Reo, in consult with Caroline and our veterinarian/acupuncturist, so you should not extrapolate this to your dog directly without speaking to your veterinarian first! If you have trouble sourcing any of the supplements, please let me know, and I will be happy to help!)
Morning meal
* 1 Stella & Chewy's patty, mixed with 1/8 cup ZiwiPeak Venison recipe, rehydrated with 1/4 cup warm water
(Will rotate the food/protein source every few months as I posted about HERE)
* 1/4 tsp. Nutramin powder (info here)
* 2/3 capsule Phosphatidyl Serine (100 mg)
* 1/2 capsule Cell Advance 440
* 1/2 capsule Magnesium Taurate (125 mg)
Mix together very well
* 0.25 ml Vetri-DMG suspended giving this November 2011, as liver enzyme levels were normal
* one whole sardine packed in olive oil (oil drained) - King Oscar Bristling sardines are the best we've found
* 1/8 tsp. ProZyme enzyme supplement sprinkled on top
* 1.0 mg Medrol
* 0.1 mg L-thyroxine
Evening meal
* 1 Stella & Chewy's patty, mixed with 1/8 cup ZiwiPeak Venison recipe, rehydrated with 1/4 cup warm water
(Will rotate the food/protein source every few months as I posted about HERE)
* 1/4 tsp. Nutramin powder (info here)
* 1/8 tsp. Standard Process Adrenal Support (info here)
* 1/3 capsule Phosphatidyl Serine (100 mg)
* 1/2 capsule Cell Advance 440
* 1/2 capsule Magnesium Taurate (125 mg)
* 1 capsule (6 mg) Source Naturals Lutein
Mix together very well
* 0.25 ml Vetri-DMG suspended giving this November 2011, as liver enzyme levels were normal
* one whole sardine packed in olive oil (oil drained) - King Oscar Bristling sardines are the best we've found
* 1/8 tsp. ProZyme enzyme supplement sprinkled on top
* 0.1 mg L-thyroxine
* 1/2 tablet Nutramax Dasuquin every other day
* 1/2 tsp. Nutramax Welactin every other day
Reo still is on her Interceptor heartworm medication once per month.
Looking at the above, gosh, it seems like a lot! I get a little chemistry experiment each time I prepare her meals!
(This program is tailored to Reo, in consult with Caroline and our veterinarian/acupuncturist, so you should not extrapolate this to your dog directly without speaking to your veterinarian first! If you have trouble sourcing any of the supplements, please let me know, and I will be happy to help!)
Morning meal
* 1 Stella & Chewy's patty, mixed with 1/8 cup ZiwiPeak Venison recipe, rehydrated with 1/4 cup warm water
(Will rotate the food/protein source every few months as I posted about HERE)
* 1/4 tsp. Nutramin powder (info here)
* 2/3 capsule Phosphatidyl Serine (100 mg)
* 1/2 capsule Cell Advance 440
* 1/2 capsule Magnesium Taurate (125 mg)
Mix together very well
* one whole sardine packed in olive oil (oil drained) - King Oscar Bristling sardines are the best we've found
* 1/8 tsp. ProZyme enzyme supplement sprinkled on top
* 1.0 mg Medrol
* 0.1 mg L-thyroxine
Evening meal
* 1 Stella & Chewy's patty, mixed with 1/8 cup ZiwiPeak Venison recipe, rehydrated with 1/4 cup warm water
(Will rotate the food/protein source every few months as I posted about HERE)
* 1/4 tsp. Nutramin powder (info here)
* 1/8 tsp. Standard Process Adrenal Support (info here)
* 1/3 capsule Phosphatidyl Serine (100 mg)
* 1/2 capsule Cell Advance 440
* 1/2 capsule Magnesium Taurate (125 mg)
* 1 capsule (6 mg) Source Naturals Lutein
Mix together very well
* one whole sardine packed in olive oil (oil drained) - King Oscar Bristling sardines are the best we've found
* 1/8 tsp. ProZyme enzyme supplement sprinkled on top
* 0.1 mg L-thyroxine
* 1/2 tablet Nutramax Dasuquin every other day
* 1/2 tsp. Nutramax Welactin every other day
Reo still is on her Interceptor heartworm medication once per month.
Looking at the above, gosh, it seems like a lot! I get a little chemistry experiment each time I prepare her meals!
Thursday, October 6, 2011
Ophthalmologist appointment, take 2!
In some ways our appointment yesterday was pretty disappointing from my point of view, at least at first. We were a little early, so we enjoyed the nice weather outside and walked all around the building. Reo was hopping up and down from the curb, going around trees and bushes, and marking where all the other dogs before her had done their business before her!
When it was finally time for our appointment, and we went into the exam room, Reo was really distracted and wanted to sniff everything - she seemed fairly excited (I'm sure she was picking up some on my excitement, too). Dr. C came in and tried to get her to come to him - again, she was really distracted with all
of the smells and couldn't have cared less about Dr. C or his assistant! She gave them both courtesy nubbin' wags, but that was about it!
I gave him a quick update on all of the things that we had done with Reo post SARDS diagnosis (trying to fit 7 months in 5 minutes isn't so easy!). Dr. C was throwing some cotton around, but again, Reo was not focused in the least, and had her nose to the ground most of the time. I tried to get her to sit and focus, and I would do the cotton test, but wasn't having much success, either. I kind of wished we could have talked for a few minutes and let Reo get all the sniffs out before proceeding with the testing. :-/
I asked if we could do some functional testing. Dr. C said that they had an obstacle course for large dogs, but that it wasn't appropriate for small dogs (whatever that means!). So, we set one up in the exam room with a chair, the doctor stool, trash can, and my purse. She went through it just fine, and didn't bump one thing!
Then he turned the light off and did her eye examination, while I blabbed on about the treatment we pursued, and the "evidence" we had for her regaining some sight. His examination showed a "blind" dog - Reo had no menace reflex, and no dazzle reflex. Her PLRs were sluggish, and slightly incomplete. None of this was a
surprise to me - I already knew all of that.
He said that her retinas were "thin", but did not seem detached/very reflective based on the exam. I asked him whether or not he would expect a SARDS dog to have detached/degraded retinas after 7 months of being blind. I wanted to uncover whether Reo's retinas still being intact was an indication that she still had some retinal activity. Unfortunately, it seems that this answer isn't so straightforward - another case of "every dog is different". He told me the story of a patient who went blind due to something other than SARDS, and this dog's retinas are normal over a year after blindness. So, maybe not all dogs' retinas go through the apoptosis to destroy them? This was surprising/confusing to me - I thought if the retina is not used by the body, the body destroys it. Will have to look into this a little more...
We talked a lot about adrenal exhaustion vs. IMR and IVIg. He is really familiar with Dr. Grozdanic's work. His impression is that Dr. G is taking a lot of flack from the vet community because there are so many different variables with his protocol, and not enough control groups to be a "real" study or show "real" results. This was surprising to me, and disappointing also, as my impression of Dr. G's work was that it was considered a breakthrough in the vet community. Just goes to show that if a theory is outside the traditional lines of thinking, it can/will be met with resistance from at least some.
I gave him some of Caroline's research papers to review or have on file, including some of restored vision, and also a dog that got IVIg treatment but still developed adrenal exhaustion. We agreed it was really unfortunate that her papers are "dismissed" by the vet community because they are not peer-reviewed (and because Caroline doesn't have DVM after her name), as if it discredits a particular study of a dog.
We reviewed Reo's bloodwork - there was no denying that she has made progress! Dr. C was interested in this, but it was "outside" his area of specialty, so didn't make too many comments.
Ultimately, Dr. C said that all that mattered was that we thought that Reo had made improvement, and if we think that she can see based on her "real life" tests, than that was a great thing. His examination revealed that if Reo was not blind, her vision would be very, very limited.
At first I thought he was being dismissive and flip, and it sort of offended me!! I wanted to do more functional tests, obstacle courses, take her outside and show him how good she does on her own. I wanted to turn him into a believer, if you will, and prove to him that she has some functional vision!
After some discussion, I decided not to repeat the ERG, or get an ultrasound. I didn't want to put Reo through the stress of both tests, and I didn't want to pay several hundred dollars for Dr. C to tell me she's "still" blind. :-/
I feel like he just wasn't interested enough in the curiosity of Reo's case to really put forth an effort into pursuing a lot of functional testing. Though unfortunate, and upsetting to me at first, I accept it. I had a good cry after leaving the office - mostly my own frustration - and felt better afterwards. I think I was frustrated from my own high expectations, and those expectations not being met. I also feel frustrated that research from Dr. Grozdanic, Caroline Levin, and Dr. Plechner are being dismissed, when it is so clear to me (and others whose dogs have undergone treatment) that progress can be made!!
It's true that we know Reo better than anyone, and we know that she has some functional vision left. She went hiking in the woods and did fantastically, for crying out loud!! In the end, that is enough for me. We will continue to share our story and blog, and do what we can to raise awareness for SARDS, and
the success with the treatment we pursued. Ultimately, I'm happy that she is on her way back to health - regardless of how much she can see, or for how long her vision returns.
I am keeping the faith! :)
When it was finally time for our appointment, and we went into the exam room, Reo was really distracted and wanted to sniff everything - she seemed fairly excited (I'm sure she was picking up some on my excitement, too). Dr. C came in and tried to get her to come to him - again, she was really distracted with all
of the smells and couldn't have cared less about Dr. C or his assistant! She gave them both courtesy nubbin' wags, but that was about it!
I gave him a quick update on all of the things that we had done with Reo post SARDS diagnosis (trying to fit 7 months in 5 minutes isn't so easy!). Dr. C was throwing some cotton around, but again, Reo was not focused in the least, and had her nose to the ground most of the time. I tried to get her to sit and focus, and I would do the cotton test, but wasn't having much success, either. I kind of wished we could have talked for a few minutes and let Reo get all the sniffs out before proceeding with the testing. :-/
I asked if we could do some functional testing. Dr. C said that they had an obstacle course for large dogs, but that it wasn't appropriate for small dogs (whatever that means!). So, we set one up in the exam room with a chair, the doctor stool, trash can, and my purse. She went through it just fine, and didn't bump one thing!
Then he turned the light off and did her eye examination, while I blabbed on about the treatment we pursued, and the "evidence" we had for her regaining some sight. His examination showed a "blind" dog - Reo had no menace reflex, and no dazzle reflex. Her PLRs were sluggish, and slightly incomplete. None of this was a
surprise to me - I already knew all of that.
He said that her retinas were "thin", but did not seem detached/very reflective based on the exam. I asked him whether or not he would expect a SARDS dog to have detached/degraded retinas after 7 months of being blind. I wanted to uncover whether Reo's retinas still being intact was an indication that she still had some retinal activity. Unfortunately, it seems that this answer isn't so straightforward - another case of "every dog is different". He told me the story of a patient who went blind due to something other than SARDS, and this dog's retinas are normal over a year after blindness. So, maybe not all dogs' retinas go through the apoptosis to destroy them? This was surprising/confusing to me - I thought if the retina is not used by the body, the body destroys it. Will have to look into this a little more...
We talked a lot about adrenal exhaustion vs. IMR and IVIg. He is really familiar with Dr. Grozdanic's work. His impression is that Dr. G is taking a lot of flack from the vet community because there are so many different variables with his protocol, and not enough control groups to be a "real" study or show "real" results. This was surprising to me, and disappointing also, as my impression of Dr. G's work was that it was considered a breakthrough in the vet community. Just goes to show that if a theory is outside the traditional lines of thinking, it can/will be met with resistance from at least some.
I gave him some of Caroline's research papers to review or have on file, including some of restored vision, and also a dog that got IVIg treatment but still developed adrenal exhaustion. We agreed it was really unfortunate that her papers are "dismissed" by the vet community because they are not peer-reviewed (and because Caroline doesn't have DVM after her name), as if it discredits a particular study of a dog.
We reviewed Reo's bloodwork - there was no denying that she has made progress! Dr. C was interested in this, but it was "outside" his area of specialty, so didn't make too many comments.
Ultimately, Dr. C said that all that mattered was that we thought that Reo had made improvement, and if we think that she can see based on her "real life" tests, than that was a great thing. His examination revealed that if Reo was not blind, her vision would be very, very limited.
At first I thought he was being dismissive and flip, and it sort of offended me!! I wanted to do more functional tests, obstacle courses, take her outside and show him how good she does on her own. I wanted to turn him into a believer, if you will, and prove to him that she has some functional vision!
After some discussion, I decided not to repeat the ERG, or get an ultrasound. I didn't want to put Reo through the stress of both tests, and I didn't want to pay several hundred dollars for Dr. C to tell me she's "still" blind. :-/
I feel like he just wasn't interested enough in the curiosity of Reo's case to really put forth an effort into pursuing a lot of functional testing. Though unfortunate, and upsetting to me at first, I accept it. I had a good cry after leaving the office - mostly my own frustration - and felt better afterwards. I think I was frustrated from my own high expectations, and those expectations not being met. I also feel frustrated that research from Dr. Grozdanic, Caroline Levin, and Dr. Plechner are being dismissed, when it is so clear to me (and others whose dogs have undergone treatment) that progress can be made!!
It's true that we know Reo better than anyone, and we know that she has some functional vision left. She went hiking in the woods and did fantastically, for crying out loud!! In the end, that is enough for me. We will continue to share our story and blog, and do what we can to raise awareness for SARDS, and
the success with the treatment we pursued. Ultimately, I'm happy that she is on her way back to health - regardless of how much she can see, or for how long her vision returns.
I am keeping the faith! :)
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Reo's D-day!
10/05/11 - Everyone please think good thoughts for Reo and me today (in about 3 hours)!
Today is her 7 month treatment anniversary of beginning the Levin and Plechner protocols (6.5 months post SARDS diagnosis), and we're going back to the ophthalmologist diagnosed her as blind and who said she had "no hope" to regain vision.
He has seen the videos I've taken of her navigating the obstacle course, and he is intrigued. I want to prove to him that she can see (what we already know, as well as 3 vets have confirmed)! It is so clear to me that she can see based on her being able to navigate new places (obstacles, stairs, etc.) she's never been. He'll do another ERG and an ocular ultrasound as well as functional testing - fingers crossed! I am so excited and nervous!
As much as I would love for there to be a detectable change on the ERG, I understand that a plain ERG machine is not very sensitive, so I'm not expecting a miracle. I am slightly worried about her seeming vision regression since I've been back from my trip, but I'd like to move forward with the appointment (it took us a while to schedule, and a month of waiting!) Still, I have some hope!
Will let everyone know the results! Fingers crossed.
Today is her 7 month treatment anniversary of beginning the Levin and Plechner protocols (6.5 months post SARDS diagnosis), and we're going back to the ophthalmologist diagnosed her as blind and who said she had "no hope" to regain vision.
He has seen the videos I've taken of her navigating the obstacle course, and he is intrigued. I want to prove to him that she can see (what we already know, as well as 3 vets have confirmed)! It is so clear to me that she can see based on her being able to navigate new places (obstacles, stairs, etc.) she's never been. He'll do another ERG and an ocular ultrasound as well as functional testing - fingers crossed! I am so excited and nervous!
As much as I would love for there to be a detectable change on the ERG, I understand that a plain ERG machine is not very sensitive, so I'm not expecting a miracle. I am slightly worried about her seeming vision regression since I've been back from my trip, but I'd like to move forward with the appointment (it took us a while to schedule, and a month of waiting!) Still, I have some hope!
Will let everyone know the results! Fingers crossed.
Tuesday, October 4, 2011
Vision regression?
10/01/11 - I got back home today from a week away, traveling for work. Every time I come back from being away, I realize how much my bond with Reo strengthened due to her SARDS diagnosis and treatment. I feel like she is my miracle child - so proud of her for sticking with everything we've done to and for her!
Reo looks good! I was a little worried that she would gain weight or something while I was gone. Even though I write down every detail concerning her meals, it seems that Sean and I have slightly different ways of preparing her food. But, no worries this time! :)
However, she seems to have had a little regression with her vision. She is definitely having trouble in dim lighting, or moving from bright light to dim. I'm not sure why this happened, but it is a little worrying to me, especially because we are seeing the ophthalmologist next week!
Sean ran out of sardines while I was away, and our normal grocery store was out! She was sardine-less for about 3 days, which meant that she didn't have a dietary source of adenosine, but that is the only change we can think of.
Duh...after talking to Caroline, she helped me realize that there was another huge change that we were overlooking - I was gone out of town for a week!! This of course would be stressful to her (emotionally and perhaps physiologically) and cause a spike in estrogen and a retinal seizure that could affect her vision intermittently.
10/03/11 - We saw Dr. Lanz today for Reo's acupuncture. She commented that Reo's pulses were "awesome", and she looked good! Dr. Lanz got to witness Reo's vision regression when she first arrived, however, as Reo was woofing at Dr. Lanz's arrival, yet was walking into surrounding furniture and walls. Strange, indeed! Then we tested her with some cotton, and she did really well, following it around and as it dropped to the floor - who knows what is going on? The ophtho appointment on Wednesday will be interesting, at the very least!
In preparation for the stress of the ophtho appointment, I bumped up Reo's daily Medrol by 50%. She is getting 1.5 mg once a day today - Friday. Hopefully this will help her cope a bit better with the stress of the ERG and ocular ultrasound.
Stay tuned later this week for visit details! I'm so excited, but quite nervous!! :)
Reo looks good! I was a little worried that she would gain weight or something while I was gone. Even though I write down every detail concerning her meals, it seems that Sean and I have slightly different ways of preparing her food. But, no worries this time! :)
However, she seems to have had a little regression with her vision. She is definitely having trouble in dim lighting, or moving from bright light to dim. I'm not sure why this happened, but it is a little worrying to me, especially because we are seeing the ophthalmologist next week!
Sean ran out of sardines while I was away, and our normal grocery store was out! She was sardine-less for about 3 days, which meant that she didn't have a dietary source of adenosine, but that is the only change we can think of.
Duh...after talking to Caroline, she helped me realize that there was another huge change that we were overlooking - I was gone out of town for a week!! This of course would be stressful to her (emotionally and perhaps physiologically) and cause a spike in estrogen and a retinal seizure that could affect her vision intermittently.
10/03/11 - We saw Dr. Lanz today for Reo's acupuncture. She commented that Reo's pulses were "awesome", and she looked good! Dr. Lanz got to witness Reo's vision regression when she first arrived, however, as Reo was woofing at Dr. Lanz's arrival, yet was walking into surrounding furniture and walls. Strange, indeed! Then we tested her with some cotton, and she did really well, following it around and as it dropped to the floor - who knows what is going on? The ophtho appointment on Wednesday will be interesting, at the very least!
In preparation for the stress of the ophtho appointment, I bumped up Reo's daily Medrol by 50%. She is getting 1.5 mg once a day today - Friday. Hopefully this will help her cope a bit better with the stress of the ERG and ocular ultrasound.
Stay tuned later this week for visit details! I'm so excited, but quite nervous!! :)
Sunday, October 2, 2011
6 months and counting!
09/07/11 - Today is Reo's 6-month treatment anniversary! Woo hoo! We never could have imagine the results that we have achieved with Reo's treatment. Sean and I feel very lucky, and so so happy!
Lately, Reo is very much a "Min Pin". She is super spunky, and quite sassy! She's been playing a lot lately with her toys, which is really cute.
09/15/11 - We are running pretty low on the Standard Process Enteric Support. I'm considering just letting her run out and not replacing it, as eventually I'd like to actually reduce the number of supplements that she gets. Since her IgA number is fairly close to normal, and she is getting ProZyme, I think I'll try her without the Enteric Support.
09/16/11 - Some straining to poop today. There was some mucous in her stool, and it was rather light-colored.
09/21/11 - Reo is still having some stool issues. Not very much straining, but there is some mucous in there, and it's lighter colored than normal. It's not loose, and there is no blood visible, but the texture is definitely "soft serve". Not sure if I should remove the pumpkin from her diet (maybe she doesn't need it any more?).
09/22/11 - Reo's midday movement looked really good - dark and firm; normal!
It feels like I'm a parent of a human child, with all this talk about bowel movements! Too funny. I'm not exactly sure what causes the fluctuations in her stool, as her diet does not change at all (except for anything she may eat outside when I'm not looking, but I don't think this is significant!). I'm beginning to suspect that as Reo heals, and her GI tract heals, that she is "shedding" some of her intestine/bowel - this would account for the mucous that I see in her stools. This would be similar to her "shedding" out toxins through her skin and hair.
Lately, Reo is very much a "Min Pin". She is super spunky, and quite sassy! She's been playing a lot lately with her toys, which is really cute.
09/15/11 - We are running pretty low on the Standard Process Enteric Support. I'm considering just letting her run out and not replacing it, as eventually I'd like to actually reduce the number of supplements that she gets. Since her IgA number is fairly close to normal, and she is getting ProZyme, I think I'll try her without the Enteric Support.
09/16/11 - Some straining to poop today. There was some mucous in her stool, and it was rather light-colored.
09/21/11 - Reo is still having some stool issues. Not very much straining, but there is some mucous in there, and it's lighter colored than normal. It's not loose, and there is no blood visible, but the texture is definitely "soft serve". Not sure if I should remove the pumpkin from her diet (maybe she doesn't need it any more?).
09/22/11 - Reo's midday movement looked really good - dark and firm; normal!
It feels like I'm a parent of a human child, with all this talk about bowel movements! Too funny. I'm not exactly sure what causes the fluctuations in her stool, as her diet does not change at all (except for anything she may eat outside when I'm not looking, but I don't think this is significant!). I'm beginning to suspect that as Reo heals, and her GI tract heals, that she is "shedding" some of her intestine/bowel - this would account for the mucous that I see in her stools. This would be similar to her "shedding" out toxins through her skin and hair.
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