Vet visit

We just got home from Lily's 3 week check-up. All her blood levels look great (yay!). So, they took her down from 5mg of prednisone a day to 3.5mg. That's a big jump from the original dose of 10mg a day back in July. She also got another B-12 shot today, they seem to be helping her and giving her more energy. As long as they keep helping her we will keep getting them once a month. Due to the lack of fat in her diet her skin is starting to get really dry and irritating her. We had her Vet order her this medication called Essential 6 Spot-on. It's a topical ointment (it goes on just like Frontline) that contains loads of vitamins and omega 3 fatty acids. This is safe for her because she's not actually ingesting the fats. It's also suppose to help the hair as well, and she needs it. Before she got sick she had beautiful hair, and now it's really thin and she stays cold quite a bit because of it. I have absolutely nothing to complain about this week. Lily has been such a trooper. And, I'm so overly excited that I get to spend at least one more Christmas with her. Back in July I was wondering if she would make to December.  Here she is as spunky as ever! :) She's already been trying to sneak in her stocking...

Merry Christmas all!

Love,

Lily's Mom & Little Lil

Milestones.

This disease can make dogs feel extremely weak. Even though Lily is in remission she still lost alot of muscle. She doesn't really play anymore...at all. But, this week has been different. For the first time in a long time I'm seeing the littler girl I used to know. She's excited for me to get her up in the morning, and begs me to play with her. Last night when I got home from work she pawed at my legs and jumped up and down until I picked her up. This may not sound like a big step to anyone else - but for her it's HUGE! I guess she's finally feeling like herself again, and days like yesterday make me remember why we fight this fight. There is a light at the end of the tunnel!

Lily's Mom & Lil booger

Update

Lily has been doing extremely well, we're so proud of her! It's turning a lot colder here, so she's mostly staying cuddled up on the couch with whoever will cuddle with her. :) She's enjoying her new food, eating it like a champ. She's also feeling more like a morning person! She's started whining and barking for someone to come get her out of her crate at dawn EVERYDAY! Lily has to stay in a crate because we are terrified she is going to fall and hurt herself while were not home/asleep. Since she has lost so much muscle mass she's a little unsteady at times. Lily also got her first treat since diagnosis this past Sunday. Since sweet potatoes have no fat, it's something she can tolerate. Needless to say, she thoroughly enjoyed them. :)  She's still taking 5mg of Prednisone everyday. But, we're hoping to get that down again. She goes in for another check-up next Tuesday. So, let's hope all her numbers stay up!

Scarfing 'em down!

Until next time,

Lily's Mom & Little Lil

Lily's progress

It's been quite a while since I've updated the blog. We've had a couple of set backs. Last month Lily started throwing up, so we rushed her into the Vet. It turns out she had pancreatitis and a substance called chyle on her belly. To read more about chyle click here. It generally develops in the chest, but it can also be in the abdomen. Her internal medicine Vet at the University of Tennessee seemed to think the reason she was developing chyle was because the food she was on (Purina HA) was too high in fat for her. So, her recommendation was to switch her food to Royal Canin Low Fat. A diet change is always tricky for dogs with this disease. But, as it turned out the food change has went surprisingly well.  We have had normal albumin levels since October (YAY!), which means Lily is officially in REMISSION! Most dogs that can achieve stability will lead a relatively normal life. As side from the medication, Prednisone, Carafate, and Pepcid.  The diet is still extremely important and very strict.

The issue that Lily is having now is the loss of muscle. When a dog looses as much protein, especially albumin, their body starts drawing protein from other sources in the body. Mainly the muscle. So, now poor Lily can no longer jump. She can't jump on the couch, chair, and she can't go up and down steps anymore. Other than that she's your normal, happy little girl. At our Vet visit last week we decided to give her a B-12 shot. It has given her a lot of energy. So I think we're going to keep doing it every week. We're also down to 5mg of pred a day (instead of 10mg). We go back to the Vet in 2 weeks to re-check blood levels and if they are still within normal range we will go down more on the pred again. :)

This is a recent picture of Lily, taken on Halloween.