05/13/12 - Today, I ordered what could be Reo's final bottles of Magnesium Taurate and Phosphatidyl Serine. If we don't notice improvement in her vision by the time she finishes these, I believe that it may not be worth the cost to continue giving her these supplements, since her vision is transient/minimal. Every once in a while, she surprises me with her vision when she navigates new terrain successfully, but she struggles sometimes too. I believe she struggles more than she has some sight these days.
I recall that it took about 5 months after her first series of injections last year, to see a good improvement in her vision. She got her injection series in March, and we are only 2 months after those, so it's possible we have a ways to go, which is okay. I plan to get another EI-1 Panel from NVDS, as well as a CBC in late June/early July (about 6 months since her last), to see how she is doing, but I know from her demeanor that she is healthy and happy.
I am still optimistic, but I am also trying to be realistic. I wanted to write this on my blog to make it more "real" for me, that it is possible that Reo's vision may not recover from all of the emotional and environmental stresses from earlier this year.
I feel pretty guilty that I wasn't more pro-active, and didn't think about how all of the changes we were making could affect her. But, ultimately, we wanted to/had to move, as it was the right decision for our family - and how could we have predicted that allergens would have been especially brutal this spring? My regret is that I didn't give her a "booster"injection of DepoMedrol as soon as I began to notice a regression. Of course, hindsight is always 20/20 and I can't go back now.
When I took that last obstacle course of Reo recently, I went back and watched her previous videos, and it's clear that she is not doing as well as before. It crushes my heart, because I feel as though I've let her down in some way, or failed her by not paying closer attention, or realizing what was happening as her vision was regressing. Yes, the most important thing is that she is healthy and happy - and we are blessed that she is both! But, a part of me is really sad that her vision has regressed, and I am hopeful that she will get back to "normal"for her, like she was the second half of 2011. Fingers crossed!
Sunday, May 13, 2012
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!
Sunday, April 29, 2012
Obstacle course videos, take 3
04/29/12 - We were out in the yard planting and doing various things today, and I thought I'd take a video of Reo. It's been quite a while since I last did a video of her going through a course, and to be honest, I was not expecting her to do well, given her backslide with vision lately.
But, what do you guys think? Totally blind or something there?
Note that she bumps the orange bucket with her body and the last black bucket with her face. I was not surprised by the latter, as I have thought for a while that she has no vision in her right eye. Overall, I was pretty pleased with how she did, though clearly she did not do as well as she has in the past.
She did these courses so quickly/well in the past (8 months ago and 6 months ago):
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cookypuss1/6062205311/in/set-72157594384341971/
http://www.flickr.com/photos/cookypuss1/6223332331/in/set-72157594384341971/
But, this gives me hope that she still has something and her vision is not totally gone...we'll see!
Looking at the video again, I realize I didn't lay out the buckets perfectly to be an extremely effective obstacle course, but because it was warm out (you can hear her panting!), she wasn't very interested in doing it again when I re-arranged - she went and lay in the shade! Will probably practice this exercise again in the not-so distant future, hopefully with better materials that are closer to what I had last year. :)
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, April 16, 2012
The pleasure of "the kill"
04/16/12 - I thought I'd make a light-hearted post today. Reo is doing well (steady eddy), back on oral Medrol after her "reboot" injection series.
Since we are back in Denver, with all of the glorious sunshine, all of the dogs love being outside pretty much all day. I leave the backdoor open (note to self: get doggie door!) so they can come and go as they please.
Lately, Reo has taken to going into her toy basket to select her favorite toy, which we call leopard mouse. It's a cat toy! I removed the catnip and added in a squeaker, and it became Reo's favorite. Well, after she retrieves this from her toy basket, she brings it outside and proceeds to "kill" it all over the yard! It is truly one of the cutest things! And, if you try and take it away from her, watch out! She'll snatch it and trot away with it to a different place.
We're convinced that she is practicing for the day that one of our yard squirrels makes a false step and falls off the fence, or a phone line!
Below is a picture of Reo in the yard with her "kill":
Since we are back in Denver, with all of the glorious sunshine, all of the dogs love being outside pretty much all day. I leave the backdoor open (note to self: get doggie door!) so they can come and go as they please.
Lately, Reo has taken to going into her toy basket to select her favorite toy, which we call leopard mouse. It's a cat toy! I removed the catnip and added in a squeaker, and it became Reo's favorite. Well, after she retrieves this from her toy basket, she brings it outside and proceeds to "kill" it all over the yard! It is truly one of the cutest things! And, if you try and take it away from her, watch out! She'll snatch it and trot away with it to a different place.
We're convinced that she is practicing for the day that one of our yard squirrels makes a false step and falls off the fence, or a phone line!
Below is a picture of Reo in the yard with her "kill":
Monday, April 9, 2012
More DepoMedrol
04/09/12 - Hope everyone had a nice weekend!
Reo is doing well lately! She had a DepoMedrol injection on March 24, and did not display any PD/PU/PP (increased thirst/urination/hunger) afterwards. This caused me, along with my vet, to conclude that Reo "needed" the injection, and did not have an excess of cortisol (which would cause those symptoms). This proved to us that as a result of all of the stress (emotional and environmental) over the past couple of months, Reo's estrogen had likely spiked.
Therefore, we agreed to give Reo another injection at the same dosage, which she had on Thursday the 5th. It's been 4 days, and no symptoms, which has surprised me a little bit - I was expecting to see them with this injection. Even though there have been no excess cortisol symptoms, I'm not sure if we will have an additional injection after this one, but I need to speak with Dr. Plechner and see what he would suggest in this case.
Otherwise, no changes, really. Her mood is fantastic, she looks wonderful, and still some light/dark perception. There have been a few moments where I was sure she was sighted again, only to have her bump something shortly thereafter. I have to remind myself that this was how it started last year - little glimpses here and there of vision returning. I remain optimistic. :)
**Edit** spoke to Dr. Plechner and he suggested that we go back to oral Medrol and not do another injection, so this is what we'll plan on!
Reo is doing well lately! She had a DepoMedrol injection on March 24, and did not display any PD/PU/PP (increased thirst/urination/hunger) afterwards. This caused me, along with my vet, to conclude that Reo "needed" the injection, and did not have an excess of cortisol (which would cause those symptoms). This proved to us that as a result of all of the stress (emotional and environmental) over the past couple of months, Reo's estrogen had likely spiked.
Therefore, we agreed to give Reo another injection at the same dosage, which she had on Thursday the 5th. It's been 4 days, and no symptoms, which has surprised me a little bit - I was expecting to see them with this injection. Even though there have been no excess cortisol symptoms, I'm not sure if we will have an additional injection after this one, but I need to speak with Dr. Plechner and see what he would suggest in this case.
Otherwise, no changes, really. Her mood is fantastic, she looks wonderful, and still some light/dark perception. There have been a few moments where I was sure she was sighted again, only to have her bump something shortly thereafter. I have to remind myself that this was how it started last year - little glimpses here and there of vision returning. I remain optimistic. :)
**Edit** spoke to Dr. Plechner and he suggested that we go back to oral Medrol and not do another injection, so this is what we'll plan on!
Tuesday, April 3, 2012
Costs of Reo's treatment
04/02/12 - I've been asked a few times about the costs of treatment for adrenal exhaustion/Plechner's syndrome, so I went about the exercise of filling out a table for Reo. It's worthy of note that I've added a couple of things to Reo's diet that aren't specified by either Caroline Levin or Dr. Plechner (Standard Process Adrenal Support, Lutein, Prozyme, Welactin, Dasuquin). I consider these to be at my discretion as a dog owner, and contribute to Reo's overall health as a geriatric dog.
I buy Reo's supplements from Amazon.com, as I find the costs reasonable, and the shopping experience easy.
Reo's treatment as below costs $2.35 per day, or about $70 per month (assuming a 30 day month).
Of course, the costs will vary with the size of the dog, and which supplements are used (or not used). Hopefully, this helps my readers understand some of the breakdowns of costs, and that it is reasonable, as compared to other treatment options available.
(Please note that the table below does not represent any veterinary costs, such as exams, blood tests or panels, diagnoses, ultrasounds, hormone injections, etc. This is only meant to outline the approximate costs of oral treatment.)
I buy Reo's supplements from Amazon.com, as I find the costs reasonable, and the shopping experience easy.
Reo's treatment as below costs $2.35 per day, or about $70 per month (assuming a 30 day month).
Of course, the costs will vary with the size of the dog, and which supplements are used (or not used). Hopefully, this helps my readers understand some of the breakdowns of costs, and that it is reasonable, as compared to other treatment options available.
(Please note that the table below does not represent any veterinary costs, such as exams, blood tests or panels, diagnoses, ultrasounds, hormone injections, etc. This is only meant to outline the approximate costs of oral treatment.)
|
|
Cost
|
Cost Per Day
|
Cost Per Month
|
Cost Per Year
|
|
Medrol
(20, 2 mg tablets)
|
$27.00
|
$0.68
|
$20.25
|
$243.00
|
|
L-Thyroxine
(120 0.1 mg tablets)
|
$18.00
|
$0.30
|
$9.00
|
$108.00
|
|
Phosphatidyl
Serine (120 caps)
|
$33.00
|
$0.28
|
$8.25
|
$99.00
|
|
Magnesium
Taurate (180 caps)
|
$25.49
|
$0.14
|
$4.20
|
$50.40
|
|
Cell
Advance (60 caps)
|
$13.97
|
$0.23
|
$6.99
|
$83.88
|
|
Standard
Process Adrenal Support (100 g)
|
$54.00
|
$0.28
|
$8.40
|
$100.80
|
|
Lutein
(180, 6 mg caps)
|
$21.94
|
$0.12
|
$3.66
|
$43.92
|
|
Prozyme
(454 g)
|
$23.96
|
$0.11
|
$3.30
|
$39.60
|
|
Nutramin
(2 lb)
|
$21.71
|
$0.10
|
$3.10
|
$36.00
|
|
Welactin
(480 ml)
|
$23.95
|
$0.06
|
$1.80
|
$21.60
|
|
Dasuquin
(150 tablets, under 60 lbs)
|
$65.25
|
$0.05
|
$1.50
|
$18.00
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
TOTALS
|
$328.27
|
$2.35
|
$70.45
|
$844.20
|
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