The antibiotics aren't working....

[Cindy F]

When my lab was diagnosed with bone cancer, we were told he had three weeks. We got 8 months. It is hard, man, I am tearing up writing this. I really haven't heard of labs going much past 15 and that is rare. It is just not fair that an animal that gives so much has to have such a short life on this planet.

My husband heard that there was a tornado in Bham (he is from there). Do you know where it was in town? Also, I hope that the park is ok in Chewacla. I loved going there in college.

I can not imagine. I am so sorry Brownie is a Great Dane/Lab mix and is without a doubt the most loving, loyal, playful dog I have ever had. Don't get me wrong, I loved the others too but he is so special. The evil people that tried to drown him and threw him in the dumpster missed out on the best pet they could ever have--of course, obviously they didn't deserve him. Who could do that? Especially to such a tiny puppy...some people just don't even deserve to walk around.

There were tornadoes from MS through Georgia, I don't even know where all the touch downs were but I don't think there were any lives lost or huge amounts of property damage. I know Auburn, Opelika, and Tallassee had touch downs today.

B'hm and Tuscaloosa got it yesterday along with Marengo, Autauga, Elmore, and Montgomery counties.

We're still under watches all day.....this gets so tiring. My oldest daughter freaks out everytime she hears the sirens. She's scared it's going to be like December 16, 2000 in Tuscaloosa.

The high today is 63 and the high tomorrow is supposed to be 42 so you know what that means for tonight. We're supposed to be back up to 72 by Friday and everything will be nice until another cold front decides to swing down and pick a fight with the warm air down here.

 

[AuburnJen92]

I just got a call from a friend in Ttown (Tuscaloosa) and he says they are supposed to have snow? Geez. Give Brownie some more hugs for me. I have been thinking of him all day.

 

[Cindy F]

I just got a call from a friend in Ttown (Tuscaloosa) and he says they are supposed to have snow? Geez. Give Brownie some more hugs for me. I have been thinking of him all day.

Thanks Jen. He is killing us with worry. He won't drink from his water bowl now but he will drink from the spray bottle (don't ask LOL). He refuses his food. I mix homemade "wet food" with Purina Puppy chow. His homemade wet food is shredded chicken, small sea shells cooked in chicken broth, mashed carrots, mashed green beans, and chicken broth. The vet said it was healthier than Beneful and he normally loves it.

I even tried not mixing it with the dry food no dice. I made a bowl of cream of wheat with a little brown sugar...he loved that when he was a puppy and was sick...still no dice. We're grilling out some hot dogs and he ate half of one but those are bad for him

Yeah, we just got our winter storm advisory
All is supposed to be quiet until around midnight (OF COURSE!) then we are back to tornado warnings and severe thunderstorms as the cold air pushes against the warm. Another sleepless night in and out of the hall. yea.

If anyone has any suggestions on what I might be able to get Brownie to eat, I'm open to anything. I'm about 30 minutes from breaking down and going to Winn Dixie to get him a rib eye in desperation.

I can't believe our friends in England wanted us to recommend a time between Feb and Nov when they could come visit us without any threat of tornadoes or hurricanes.
BAHAHAHA, yeah- right.

 

[AuburnJen92]

At this point, what is the harm of getting him to eat something, whether it is hot dogs or not? When they diagnosed my lab, I let him have what ever he wanted. I figured that he should enjoy his last days with us and when he gets to heaven, God will dictate his diet! Make sure you keep hugging your brownie!

and stay safe in this weather...gonna go call the inlaws in bham to see what is up

 

[OK GRUMPY]

I wonder if something with chicken may get his attention. I know all my dogs LOVE Chicken. Sometime I boil it and put the broth over there food. Cindy my heart and my prayers are with you, your family and Brownie. Please keep us posted.

 

[Cindy F]

HE ATE!! I'm so happy, I never thought I would be so ecstatic over a dog eating! I baked some oatmeal peanut butter cookies to tempt him. It was so cute....I made a lot of racket getting the cookie sheet out and singing "cookie songs". I was worried when he didn't come in the kitchen but after a while when they were cooking, I saw his head pop around the door jamb LOL!

I sat down and ate a cookie and acted like I didn't see him-let him come to me. I got him to eat 2 cookies and maybe 3 or 4 ounces of water then waited. I was hoping once the morning antibiotics had worn off but before time for another dose-I would have a little window to get him to eat and it worked!!

After it had been 12 hours since his morning antibiotics and the cookies perked up his appetite, we got him to eat a small bowl of mixed food, a small bowl of plain wet food and then his 1/2 cup of yogurt and 1/2 bottle of water (still won't drink unless squirted into his mouth). I made sure to put lots of the broth on his wet food to "sneak" in some more water.

He walked around a little bit and even ran off with DD's Barbie, he gave it back much easier than usual and we didn't have to act like a football team to intercept him but still...just the fact that he went into DD's room and stole something (his way of saying play with me right now) made us feel some relief.

I'm going to try and get something into him in the morning before the meds to see if it works again.
Now if we could just get at least 5-6 hours of sleep before the tornado sirens start up again, I will be so very grateful.

Thanks for all the get well wishes and prayers for my Brownie Boy. I can't believe how much it helped just to be able to "talk" about it with other pet lovers who know how it feels. Thank you all so much and I'll keep you updated.

 

[AuburnJen92]

That is the best news I have heard all day.

 

[kaguilbeau]

That's great! Isn't it amazing the small strides - like stealing the barbie You see that and you think "that's a good sign"!

I read about you spoon feeding your dog yogurt - so I tried that too! She just turned her head the other way. We poured gumbo juice over rice - nope. Soft doggie food - nope. Cut up round steak and gravy - nope. Only water. Her hindquarter is skin and bones. I wish I understood more -like why she'll drink water, but won't lick any other type of liquid (gravy, yogurt, etc).

So - here's to a restful night with Brownie and no bad weather!!

 

[DisneyBishops]

Thanks for everyone's kind words and prayer for my Brownie Boy.

Maybe if we could could get more than a few hours sleep we would all feel better. Tornado sirens at 2:30 AM, 6:30 AM, and 10:00 AM (of course, right as we drifted off to nap). Jen, I heard one was around Chewacla this morning.

Brownie would not eat his food this morning. He is taking a hefty dose of Augmentin twice a day so I'm sure he doesn't feel like eating but still....

I did get him to eat some yogurt (had to spoon feed him), and a pancake but when I tried to get him to eat another pancake, he got up, walked into the living room, laid down, and looked at me like this:

He looks pretty pathetic now, I would take a picture but he hates it and I don't want to pester him when he's sick. The vet said to keep up the antibiotics, pain pills, and yogurt and bring him back Monday. If he gets worse, stops drinking, starts bleeding again (just oozing now) and/or stops eating altogether I have to call back and they'll meet me at the clinic

I just want him to be himself again. I hate this

ETA: I just read on another thread that 13 years is a long time for a large dog. Is that really all I can expect for Brownie? Only 10 more years? That seems so short.....I wish I didn't love him this much.

yea unfortunately big dogs don't live much past 13-14 yrs. Our first golden lived to be 12 and we swore we would never get another dog. He was just too good a friend to the family. but we broke down and got another golden. she is now 8 and is also a very loyal and loving member of our family. we just hope she has another good 8 yrs.

hope you dog get better soon.

 

[Cindy F]

That's great! Isn't it amazing the small strides - like stealing the barbie You see that and you think "that's a good sign"!

I read about you spoon feeding your dog yogurt - so I tried that too! She just turned her head the other way. We poured gumbo juice over rice - nope. Soft doggie food - nope. Cut up round steak and gravy - nope. Only water. Her hindquarter is skin and bones. I wish I understood more -like why she'll drink water, but won't lick any other type of liquid (gravy, yogurt, etc).

So - here's to a restful night with Brownie and no bad weather!!

Oh no....have you tried just plain chicken broth? Maybe you could take her back to the vet and see what he says? I know in my heart it's kinder to put a dog to sleep rather than have it suffer but....my God in heaven-it would hurt so bad. I'm so sorry, you and your poor pup continue to be in my thoughts.

 

[Pinkee77]

Just read through this.......Cindy, I'm so glad your baby is doing better! My dog is part of the family, I understand how you feel. That's funny about the cookies.

kaguilbeau - like Cindy said. . . I would try boiling some chicken, plain with nothing else, and offering him the broth from it. When we first got our dog from the shelter, she wasn't eating very well. I use to cook a chicken in the pressure cooker, shred the meat and mix with some rice. For a while, that's all she would eat until she got healthier.

Best wishes to both of you.

 

[kaguilbeau]

kaguilbeau - like Cindy said. . . I would try boiling some chicken, plain with nothing else, and offering him the broth from it. When we first got our dog from the shelter, she wasn't eating very well. I use to cook a chicken in the pressure cooker, shred the meat and mix with some rice. For a while, that's all she would eat until she got healthier.

Best wishes to both of you.

I haven't tried chicken broth - but have tried other types of liquid and soft foods. She actually turns her head the other way. It's been 5 days since she's eaten - she's just skin and bones. If it is cancer - like the vet said was possible - I guess that could explain some of this. She's still drinking. I'm not going to take her to the vet for IV's or further testing.

Tonight I'll warm up some chicken broth and see if she'll drink that.

Edited: Never mind. I just got the call that she is now in doggy heaven. I hope she's happy and eating lots of good 'ole southern food.-

 

[Cindy F]

I haven't tried chicken broth - but have tried other types of liquid and soft foods. She actually turns her head the other way. It's been 5 days since she's eaten - she's just skin and bones. If it is cancer - like the vet said was possible - I guess that could explain some of this. She's still drinking. I'm not going to take her to the vet for IV's or further testing.

Tonight I'll warm up some chicken broth and see if she'll drink that.

Edited: Never mind. I just got the call that she is now in doggy heaven. I hope she's happy and eating lots of good 'ole southern food.-

Oh no...I am so very sorry. I'm glad she is at peace but sorry for your loss.

 

[kaguilbeau]

Oh no...I am so very sorry. I'm glad she is at peace but sorry for your loss.

Thanks Cindy - now we can focus all vibes on Brownie. How is he?

 

[Cindy F]

Thanks Cindy - now we can focus all vibes on Brownie. How is he?

I appreciate everyone's thoughts and prayers for Brownie but....I would feel bad talking about his improvement after you have just lost your friend. He is doing better and I hope he continues to improve.

 

[kaguilbeau]

I appreciate everyone's thoughts and prayers for Brownie but....I would feel bad talking about his improvement after you have just lost your friend. He is doing better and I hope he continues to improve.

It's O.K. - Cindy. I knew she was sick - and my lack of experience with older dogs made me feel ignorant. Through these two threads, lots of people expressed words of wisdom, concern, prayers, and advice that I wouldn't have gotten elsewhere.

As someone said, for our lab to have lived to be 13 shows we gave her lots of love and affection. I'm happy we had her in our lives.

 

[loveDmouse]

I'm very sorry for the loss of your dog.

 

[AuburnJen92]

As someone said, for our lab to have lived to be 13 shows we gave her lots of love and affection. I'm happy we had her in our lives.

Please remember this always, as it is the true test of a lab owner. Labs don't stay on this earth very long, but the time that we have with them is precious. Know that your lab is playing with mine in heaven and that the only way labs live a long life is when their owners care so much about them.

 

[Pinkee77]

Oh that is so sad. I am very sorry to hear that.

 

[kaguilbeau]

Know that your lab is playing with mine in heaven . . .

That image has brought a smile to my face!