The Life of Dinglehopper the Pomeranian

Liver Ultrasound and Biopsy Complete! Annual Opthamologist Appointment Complete!

2011-05-26T02:46:00.000-07:00

Last Tuesday, May 17th, Dinglehopper had an appointment with an Internal Medicine Specialist at the VEC. It was a bit weird to be back at the VEC after so long. Weird in the sense that it brought back all the memories of Dingle's knee surgeries... but good because we were able to not go there for years.

The Internal Medicine specialist was amazing. So amazing. Dingle has a bunch of good vets, but I think this appointment goes on my list of the best. She spent close to 45 minutes taking Dingle's history, consulting with us, explaining the possible liver problems, drawing diagrams of the liver and different conditions, etc.

I opted to stay at the VEC and wait for Dingle, rather than going home. I figured it would be better worth my time, as it can take me a while to TTC it to the VEC and back. I was wrong. I ended up waiting about 3 hours and then they came out and said that the ultrasound was done. I made the mistake of assuming he would be going right in to the ultrasound after his consult... and didn't think about other pets being 'in line'.

The biopsy had not been done at that point. The specialist said that Dingle's liver looked normal - it had good blood flow and there were no obvious problems (no shunts, etc). His kidneys also looked normal and with one possible liver condition she'd have seen an underdeveloped/small liver and large (from compensating) kidneys.

She asked me if I wanted to go ahead with the biopsy and when we talked out the benefits and risks we decided to go for it, so we could totally rule out any of the possible liver problems.

About an hour or so later the biopsy was complete. She took 2 pieces from the liver to snd away to the pathologist for testing. The specialist said that Dingle's liver had bled during the biopsy (which is common) and so they wanted to keep him overnight just to be safe which I appreciated because I am a worrier and would have been scared to sleep - wondering if he'd be bleeding badly internally and die (okay, perhaps I'm a bit more than just a worrier)

This is the sign that was on his kennel:

Dingle isn't totally blind and the specialist knew that, but she wanted the sign on just to be on the safe side. She didn't want anybody caring for him overnight to open the kennel and expect to him to step into his arms and have him miss. I appreciated the extra caution. Dnigle probably liked the extra attention.

Perhaps the sign on his kennel should have said "Caution: HIGH"

Dingle was drugged, which was good because he wasn't in pain. He wanted out of the kennel, but eventually he settled down and laid down:

I stayed with him for quite some time. By the time I left the VEC I had been there for about 7 hours total.

The next day Razzleberry had an appointment with Dingle's opthamologist - because the pigment in her eyelid was changing color. Turns out she'd been scratching the hell out of her eyes.

Dingle likes attention and so I decided to pick him up from the VEC after Razzle's appointment so that he wasn't interfering with Razzle's appointment by demanding to be held or in the spotlight.

By the time I got to the VEC he was ready to go - they'd checked on his liver throughout the night and that day and there was no signs of continued bleeding or fluid in the belly. Yay.

I paid my $2,423.18 bill and called a cab because I had had enough TTC travelling - especially because Razzleberry barfs like crazy from motion sickness.

Dingle was happy to get home, as was Razzle. She was sporting her new e-collar and seemed pissed. I kept thinking "welcome to Dingle's world":

He was also happy to get the bright pink bandage off his leg. He spent the next 30 minutes (following the bandage removal) licking his patch of bare skin.

After he was satisfied that his patch was clean Razzle and him curled up on the couch and slept:

Clearly they have bonded and love each other.

On Monday I removed Dingle's stitch. He had one small stitch, even though they didn't cut him open at all (but rather stuck a big needle through his skin and info the liver). I was not looking forward to doing it myself, but it was most of the way out and it was easy to do.

Since Monday was a holiday the specialist said it might take until Wednesday to get the biopsy results.

I called yesterday morning and heard back that evening. The results were in and I was thrilled that we got positive results. Dingle rarely gets good news.

HIS LIVER IS COMPLETELY NORMAL!

Yup, all healthy. I really couldn't believe it. Given Dingle's track record I was still (even after her saying on the ultrasound things looked good) expecting bad news.

So, since Dingle's bile acids have been high compared to most dogs, he's considered "abnormal, normal'. Any other dog the elevated levels may indicate problems, but with him they do not.

The plan is to put him back on the Zentonil (which he was on in September and October 2010) just to be safe. He will get it once a day, I think forever... I will have to double check that when Dingle sees the regular vet next.

Since his ALT was high in September we are going to check his liver values (not his bile acids, which are the most expensive tests) in 3 months. Then we will do it again in 6 months and then yearly with his shots/check-up as long as his ALT comes back normal.

We will only check the bile acids (since compared to the general dog population they will likely always seem abnormal) if he starts looking clinically unwell, which we think is unlikely.

Yesterday Dingle also had an appointment with the Opthamologist.

It was his annual check-up and we got more good news. Dingle's eyes look good (translation: as good as can be for a dog with KCS and PRA).

The vet thinks that Dingle's day vision has remained the same in the last year, which is good. Perhaps he may always keep some day vision. I believe his night vision is getting worse because Dingle has never been afraid of fireworks, but when we were out walking this weekend he seemed hesitant to move, with the fireworks going off. But we kept walking (with some resistance) so he could work up that confidence.

After getting not 1, but 2 pieces of good news today Dingle should look happy. Instead he looked irritated when I took the picture below. He was mad because Razzle always jumps on the bed and steals his food. That little girl has quite the appetite.

Above all things are looking pretty good for Dinglehopper.

Hopefully we can continue with this lucky streak (and hopefully he will pass it along to Razzle).

The Liver Issues Continue. Next Step: An Ultrasound and (perhaps) a Liver Biopsy!

2011-05-11T23:42:00.000-07:00

Last week we got the results from Dinglehopper's most recent liver tests. While his ALT and enzymes were within normal ranges, his bile acid levels (pre and post) are not. They aren't crazy high, but they aren't normal. The vet wanted to consult with a specialist and get back to me on what the next step was.

On Tuesday night Razzleberry had an appointment at the vet for her third and final set of boosters. Here she is chilling out, waiting for the vet:

Though the appointment was for Razzle, we spent most of the time talking about Dinglehopper as the vet had consulted with the specialists.

Our plan is for Dingle to see an internal medicine specialist at the VEC.

Yes, back to the VEC - where Dinglehopper had his luxating patella surgeries and was seen for various other issues when his normal vets were closed.

The specialist Dingle's vet spoke to said that we should do an abdominal ultrasound - to look for vascular problems within the liver. We also may be doing a liver biopsy, which would require a clotting profile prior to it. Poor Dingle. I hope that they can see enough on the ultrasound so that he doesn't have to be put under anesthesia for the biopsy and have to deal with the risks associated with that.

The vet said that while these tests may be expensive (I can only imagine - any guesses as to what the total bill will be?) in the long run it will probably be cheaper than doing the liver tests (which run about $300) every few months to monitor the bile acids. True.

I'm really hoping that there isn't anything really major going on with Dingle. I hope that we just have to do a diet change or monitor him occasionally.

Our appointment is next week - Tuesday the 17th.

Why Your Liver is Important...

2011-04-29T02:00:00.000-07:00

Back in February when I was waiting for the results of Dingle's most recent liver tests I got an Email forward from my Grandpa (who is in his 90's and yes, uses the computer) about the importance of the liver.

Here are some of the pictures from that liver, which explain why the liver is important.

Again, these are from an Email forward - no copyright infringements intended:

So those are the reasons I am hoping that Dingle's next liver tests (May 3rd) come back okay.

Luckily Dingle doesn't drink... so that's one thing he's got going for him.

Dingle's very happy with his new sister, Razzleberry, and I want him to be carefree - with no daily liver meds. The eye drops are enough medications as-is!

Changes

2011-04-23T00:04:00.001-07:00

It's been a few months since I have last written. This time it hasn't been because I forgot. I needed some time to adjust to the craziness in my life - which has been full of changes the last 2 months or so.

But before we get into all of the changes, let's back track a bit.

Back in February Dingle went to the vet to get his liver re-tested. We had noticed elevations in his ALT back in September when he had his dental, but luckily the levels had gotten back within normal ranges after a month and a half on medication. Our plan, at the time, was to keep him off medication for a few months and see if those ranges could stay within normal without the liver detox meds.

The results from February's test came back and there were still elevations seen. Not extremely high that he needed medication again, but high enough that we were going to re-check in 2 months to keep a close eye on them.

Dingle was supposed to go on Tuesday, but we had to postpone. Last Friday morning I came home to dog puke everywhere. All over my couch, bed, floors... sooo much barf. He was fine (eating, playing, drinking, happy) when I got home but we decided to postpone the tests for two weeks just incase the massive vomit fest threw his system out of whack. Plus I didn't want to spend over $400 on extensive liver testing if there was a chance that his sickness or whatever made him puke (I think it was from chewing a stick that night) could lead to inaccurate results. Dingle's appointment is set for May 3rd.

Onto the changes...

Liver stuff isn't all that's been happening in Dingle's (and my) life. There've been a lot of changes since February. My 6.5 year relationship ended and Dingle went from having two doggy companions in the house to being by himself. He had Sasso (the pug/beagle mix) as a friend since Dingle was 5 months old. I didn't live with my (then) boyfriend at the time, but the dogs were always together when we were hanging out prior to living together.

I could tell that Dingle was very lonely, especially when I was at work and he was on his own for about 12 hours. As a side note I am kind of glad that his steriods (crotch meds) back in December made him pee so often that we needed to give him pee pads, because now being inside for 12 hours while I work he needs them. It wouldn't have been fair for me to expect him to hold 'it' all night if he needed to go.

The timing of the break-up 'worked out' I guess you could say in terms of Dingle getting a companion. A breeder I have known online (and met a few times), also named Michelle, had a litter of pom puppies. There were 2 in the litter. The breeder was planning on keeping 1 of them and at the time of my break up the second didn't have a concrete home in place. Dingle and I were chosen to be the new owners. Okay, maybe it was more like I was chosen.

On March 26th Dinglehopper and I welcomed the new puppy home.

Keeping with my past of crazy/unique/whatever pet names, I named the little girl Razzleberry.

Meet Razzleberry:

Or I guess I should have said "Meet Razzleberry... what you can see of her".

Here is Dingle with Razzle only hours after she came to her new home. Unfortunately it's a crappy Blackberry picture:

I was off for 10 days after I got Razzleberry to be home with her and Dingle.

For the first few days Dingle wasn't sure what to think. I honestly believe at first he didn't want much to do with her because he didn't know that she was his new sister... he might have been wondering if this dog was going to leave too (like his other two friends/my exes dogs).

I got the pom mostly for Dingle. I'd be lying if I said I didn't want a second pom (or third, fourth, etc) for a long time. But seeing Dingle so depressed and 'needy', I knew he needed someone. The first few days Razzle was home I was worried that I made the wrong decision, but luckily on day 3, I think it was, Dingle started playing with the puppy.

Now, weeks later, they are best buddies. Razzle looks up to Dinglehopper and follows him around the apartment. Speaking of apartment - two weeks after Razzle came home I moved to a new apartment for a 'fresh start', so to speak.

Of course I worried about Dingle adjusting to a new place with his failing vision, but things have been fine. A bonus is that I no longer have a 2 level apartment - no stairs for me to worry about with Dingle or the new pup.

Dingle is a good big brother and spends hours play fighting.

When Razzle came home she was just under 2.5 pounds. Dingle is anywhere between 8 and 11 depending on the vet visit and particular weigh-in. At first I was worried that Dingle would hurt her, by accident, while playing. Now I'm not. She's one tough pup and she can hold her own. She clamps onto Dingle's face, bites him, etc. and he has never once gotten aggressive with her. He loves his sister.

Here's a video of them wrestling in one of the many dog beds that fill my apartment. It's not a particularly interesting video, just a few minutes of them doing what they do best. Dingle is making the high pitched noises, Razzle the Gremlin-like ones.

Razzle loves food more than anything in the world. I've been feeding Dingle on my bed (not the best idea, but whatever) and guess what the newly 3 pound Razzle did two days ago? Took a flying leap onto the bed for Dingle's food. I was shocked, even though my lovely Ikea bedframe isn't that high off the ground. But I'm not impressed with her newly aquired skill because being able to get on the bed means the possibility of falling off.

Luckily Razzle is in an exercise pen when not supervised, including when I'm at work. Now that we are somewhat settled in to our new home after the April 9th move we are in a routine. When I work they sleep at night, have a few hours of playtime when I get home and then we all sleep.

That's been the last few months in a nutshell. Remember, life can change so quickly...

Another New Bed!

2011-02-02T01:44:00.001-08:00

Since November I have bought Dingle 3 beds.

He now has 4 beds - 2 in the bedroom and 2 in my work area, also known as "Dingle's area" as he's baby gated in there when we aren't home.

I am most excited about his newest bed. I saw it on the Southern California Pomeranian Rescue's Facebook page.

As soon as I saw it (with the cutest rescue pom laying in it) I went on EBay and ordered one for Dingle.

It arrived today.

Dinglehopper loves his new Sock Monkey bed:

The Sock Monkey bed stacked on one of his other beds:

Cold Weather

2011-01-25T20:13:00.000-08:00

It's been very cold lately and Dingle hates the cold.

The other morning I took him out to go to the washroom and he pooped, but got too cold before he was able to pee. I kept encouraging him to go pee, but he just stood there staring at me, on two legs (because his paws were cold), half leaning on a snowbank for support.

Dingle's paws get very cold from the snow and sore from the salt. We've tried boots (at least 3 pairs that I can remember), but he refuses to walk... so it's a lose-lose situation.

I end up carrying Dingle back to the building a lot.

We don't have the heat on in our apartment because it's soooo hot in here.

The digital thermostat says 80 degrees. 78 if we have the livingroom window open (which we do often). The ventilation in here is so bad... while the rest of the apartment is sweltering the bedroom is cold (not cold enough that we use a little portable heater, though).

Dingle likes to snuggle up in our bed and keep warm, especially lately when it's been extra cold in the mornings:

"Why is there a pill in the bed?"

2011-01-20T04:06:00.001-08:00

Just when I thought Dingle's crotch was back to normal it turns out it wasn't.

Dingle is on Clavamox, an antibiotic, as we believe he may have an infection causing discharge of the penis. Gross, I know.

So Dingle has been on Clavamox since last week.

A few days ago I made a comment on it seems like in the last 5 years Dingle's been on a bunch of medications. I can shake a pill bottle and Dingle comes running. I said that Dingle was so good with taking his medications.

Well, last night didn't Dingle prove me wrong.

As my boyfriend was going to bed he says "why is there a pill in the bed?"

He dropped it in my hand and sure enough it was one of Dingle's Clavamox pills.

I thought "little buggar - must have spit one out" and I thew it in the garbage.

Hours later I get into bed and by my pillow is a second Clavamox pill.

I have no idea when the pills got there - sometime in the last week.

When I give Dingle the pills I watch him for a minute or so to make sure he doesn't spit them out.

On the rare occasion when he's being feisty I put the pill in the back of his mouth and gently hold his muzzle until he swallows.

Yet somehow Dingle has managed to secretly hide away the pills, without swallowing them, until I turn my back (or he runs away)... when he then proceeds to spit them in my bed.

Oh Dingle.

Christmas Chaos Video...

2011-01-18T13:15:00.001-08:00

I finally got around to uploading one of the videos we took at Christmas when the dogs were opening their presents.

Here is the chaos...

The camera died right at the end, but what transpired afterwards is pretty much the same.

Final 2010 Totals Are In...

2011-01-14T05:15:00.001-08:00

In another post I said how I had been keeping track of all of Dingle's vet costs since the beginning of the year.

The total was $3,244.94.

Last night I got an Email confirmation from Trupanion stating that my last two outstanding 2010 claims had been processed and cheques mailed.

Of the $3,244.94 I spent at the vets $1,302.94 was covered.

Trupanion does not cover the vet consulation fees, or routine care. So Dingle's shots, dental cleaning, etc. weren't covered. But 90% of anything related to accidents or illnesses (Dingle's Progressive Retinal Atrophy and KCS care, for example) is covered.

That means that I paid $1,942.00 for Dingle's vet care last year.

Not as bad as I thought.

But let's see if we can do better (meaning less out of my pocket) in 2011.

Dinglehopper and Pickles

2011-01-09T00:55:00.000-08:00

Meet Pickles the pug/bulldog mix:

Pickles is one of Dingle's 'brothers'.

Dinglehopper hates Pickles...

They are opposites.

Pickles is wild and unruly. Dingle is gentle and calm.

Pickles wrecks things. Dingle does not.

Pickles gets into and eats anything and everything. Dingle, for the most part, does not.

Pickles is very interested in the hamster when it is in the hamster exercise ball:

Dingle runs away in fear:

First Vet Visit of 2011 - Complete

2011-01-02T13:00:00.000-08:00

Dinglehopper had his first vet visit of the year.

Our appointment was at 2:40pm. Far too early for my liking as I worked last night and didn't get to bed until 8am. I usually book our appointments late in the evening (like after 9pm), but the vet we wanted to see was only in until 3pm so I had to drag my ass out of bed.

Despite being overtired and feeling like I had been hit by a truck, it was worth getting up for.

I'm happy to report that we've started off our vet visits of the year on a positive note.

Dingle's crotch problems are over with - Dingle's 'thing' is back to normal.

Dingle had/has a huge mat behind his ear from wearing the E-Collar. I wanted to ask if cornstarch was okay if licked by dogs - because I use cornstarch to get Dingle's mats out and whenever I do it I'm always paranoid he'll scratch himself, lick his paw and get sick.

Cornstarch works miracles for matting - I just rub it into the mat and it combs out fairly easy.

When I mentioned the mat the vet offered to use clippers to get rid of it. I said that we once tried using them and Dingle freaked out about the noise. So the vet used little scissors to cut the mat in half instead - just to make it even easier for me to brush out after the cornstach. I'll deal with the mat after I wake up from a long (read: 6 hours) nap.

Dingle's vet costs in 2011 so far: $55.82

Now Dingle's just chilling out with (or perhaps babysitting without pay) his friend the disabled handicapped hamster:

Happy New Year/Dingle's Total 2010 Vet Costs

2011-01-01T19:55:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year Everyone!

I think Dingle's goal for this year should be to get a job... to contribute to his vet bills.

In 2010 I decided to write down each vet visit and the cost - to keep a record of all of our visits so that at the end of the year I could see how much money I spent at the vets.

The total?

$3,244.94

I'm still waiting on 2 pet insurance claims from December... and then I will add up the amount that ended up be covered by Vet Insurance/Trupanion and determine how much actually came out of my pocket.

Now that 2011 has begun so have the vet appointments.

Dingle goes to the Downtown Animal Hospital tomorrow afternoon for a crotch re-check appointment.

Too Bad I Didn't Buy One For Him.

2010-12-27T14:59:00.001-08:00

Dinglehopper likes Pickles' new bed...

It was only $20 at Winter Woofstock! My boyfriend tried to convince me to get Dingle a pink car bed. I think it was a Cadillac. I didn't get him it because everyone tells me that people confuse Dingle for a girl so I need to avoid buying anything that would make it even easier for them to think he is a girl.

I hope they have them dog beds at the summer Woofstock.

(Well, I'm off to go and buy Dingle a pink dog bowl online. Ha ha)

Christmas with the Dogs

2010-12-26T20:50:00.000-08:00

I meant to send Christmas wishes yesterday, but fell asleep on the couch before I could.

So Merry Christmas to everyone who celebrates it and Happy Holidays to those who celebrate other holidays...

We celebrate Christmas - and the dogs (Sasso, Pickles and Dinglehopper) love Christmas.

They love it so much so that on December 21st, while my boyfriend and I were at work, they took it upon themselves to open most of the presents that were under the tree...

When I came home I said "oh shit" out loud as I didn't know what my boyfriend had under the tree and instantly had images of myself lugging 3 dogs to the Veterinary Emergency Clinic if they had gotten into something toxic.

After I realized that they had not gotten into anything toxic (as they had mainly opened their presents) the situation was kind of funny... for a few, brief, moments.

I swept up the wrapping paper and as I went to get a dust pan Dinglehopper went over, lifted his leg and pissed all over my newly formed mountain of wrapping paper.

Then I was somewhat mad - though I knew Dingle was on Vanectyl P which makes him pee A LOT - so I should have took the dogs out for a pee before cleaning up the mess.

On Christmas Day prior to opening presents the dogs posed for a few pictures.

Dingle had his Christmas party collar on, Sasso had his tie on for the special occasion, but Pickles had nothing.

To ensure Pickles didn't feel left out my boyfriend dug through the dog drawers in search of an outfit.

However all he could come up with was boots and a Hallowe'en hood.

You can tell he was miserable:

As I just mentioned the dogs opened most of their presents before Christmas. I re-wrapped most of Dingle's presents... my boyfriend did not re-wrap the stuff for his dogs... so in the mountain of presents for the dogs...

...Dingle had the most (including one of the large ones):

For Christmas Dingle got: lots of dental treats, Old Mother Hubbard Cookies, A skunk ball, a toy that doesn't have stuffing (they seem to last best with our dogs), and a bed.

The dogs open their own presents. It was cute and funny until Sasso got carried away and ripped open Dingle's new bed while taking off the wrapping paper. A video of this may follow, if I review it and determine I did not swear my head off when I watched Sasso rip into the bed.

Due to the unfortunate event of Sasso ripping Dingle's new bed he didn't actually get the bed until today, after I repaired it as best as possible.

Luckily it only cost me $9 at Winter Woofstock... and it wasn't so much of a bed as it was a mat... that matches his other new bed (see entry below).

My boyfriend bought a light up ball for his dogs.

Dingle loved it - I couldn't believe how interested he was in it.

Dingle has no use for toys (and yet I continue to buy them), but he was mesmerized by the ball.

After thinking about it for a bit I have come to the conclusion that he likes it because it's really bright and he, with his eyesight deteriorating from Progressive Retinal Atrophy, can see it very well.

My boyfriend bought that ball at Woofstock... I am going to look into getting another one for Dingle... and if any other light up toys exist I would be interested in those as well. I'll check EBay but if you know of any other place to get light up toys please let me know!

Dingle spent quite some time guarding that ball from the other dogs.

Or shall I say he was guarding it from Pickles (Dingle hates Pickles...)

At one point he sat on it like it was his egg:

The boys had their doggy friend Lexi over to help them celebrate Christmas:

After dinner when Lexi (and her owner) left the dogs zonked out...

Here's Sasso the sleepy old man (he's 10)...

And as I mentioned I fell asleep as well... far earlier than I normally do.

That was our Christmas...

After the liver issues came... a bunch of drama with Dingle's crotch and GI tract (Warning this is quite descriptive)

2010-12-24T00:26:00.000-08:00

Just days after I had thought we were finished with the vet visits for the year, and sent a Christmas/Holiday card to the vet thanking them for all they have done for us in 2010, we started a series of vet visits.

December 12:

On December 12th I took Dingle out for a pee in the morning. Dingle's hair was really long and I was looking forward to him being groomed on the 14th. Since his hair was long he sometimes got urine in it. So after going out to pee I used a Pampers wipe to clean off his belly fur. While wiping him off I noticed that his 'thing' appeared to be swollen.

At least I thought it was swollen - I barely ever look at his crotch and even though I wasn't totally sure there was something going on I made an appointment (for that day) at Downtown Animal Hospital. I figured that if they told me there wasn't anything wrong maybe we could do his shots/check-up a month early.

We got to the vet and it was confirmed that Dingle's penis and 'sheath' was swollen and irritated. The vet wondered if perhaps Dingle had a urinary tract infection that was causing the redness and irritation and so she wanted to get a urine sample. That meant he would need to be catheterized. Poor Dingle.

I waited about 40 minutes while they got a urine sample and tested it and the results showed that there was no UTI. We have two other dogs in the house and on occasion Dingle likes to try and hump the other dogs to try and establish some sort of dominance. Yeah, sure Dingle - you the dominant one? We *think* that the humping could have irritated him... and I also think that the long hair may have meant that urine stayed on his penis, irritating it. In the end we don't really know for sure.

The vet trimmed the hair around his crotch area, gave him a shot of Metacam for the inflammation, and sent us on our way.

Diagnosis on the pet insurance form: "Penile Inflammation"

We had talked about going home with Metacam, but I mentioned that I was concerned about him having anything that could harm his liver, seeing as we had just gotten over liver issues. The vet decided that we'd stick with him receiving 1 injection of it and then re-evaluate things the next day - if I thought he needed Metacam at home I could pick it up.

When I got home Dingle was mighty pissed off. He didn't want to walk - he would take a few steps and sit right down and stare at me. If he did take more than a few steps it was on 3 legs - and he used one of the rear legs to scratch his crotch. I figured maybe they had shaved (as opposed to trimmed) his crotch hair and that's why the area was itchy...

Do you know how dogs go crazy after a bath - rolling around on furniture, making crazy noises? Well Dingle was doing that most of the night - you could tell he was frustrated... probably from having a tube shoved up his penis into his bladder.

About 4 hours after we got home Dingle needed to pee. I was initially shocked to see that he had urinated blood. I could see it in the snow and on the Pampers wipe when I wiped his fur.

By this time the vet clinic was closed and I made the decision to call the Veterinary Emergency Clinic. I figured the blood was probably from being catherized, but wanted to get some reassurance. By reassurance I meant have someone besides my boyfriend tell me that I didn't need to go to the emergency clinic and drop $500 at the door.

I was glad I called the VEC and shocked as the receptionist was nice. We've been to the VEC several times over the last 5 years - for both ER appointments and for all of his luxating patella surgeries. 99% of the time the receptionists (one in particular) have been awful. The lady that ngiht was very nice and said that it didn't sound like I needed to bring him in - that the bleeding could have been from being catheterized and to watch him and follow-up with our clinic in the morning if there was still blood in his urine.

December 13th

The next day there was no blood in his urine. However Dingle was still extremely pissed.

In addition to scratching his crotch he was trying to chew "it" off. He was making it even more red and swollen than before.

I called the Downtown Animal Hospital and the vet said to bring him in. Now he was scheduled to be groomed the next day and so we arranged for him to be boarded after the visit until his grooming - so I didn't have to make 4 trips in a 3 day period.

When we went in the vet checked Dingle's 'dingle' and agreed that he seemed frustrated and that he was making things worse. She said she'd give Dingle an injection to help calm things down. Not Metacam, but Dexamethasone.

December 14th

I picked Dinglehopper up the following day, the 14th, after his grooming... and he had an E-Collar on. Story of his life.

The vet techs said that he hadn't been scratching himself, but he was trying to lick it - hence the need for the E-Collar. I thought that we had made progress, seeing as he apparently wasn't scratching himself, but as soon as we got home (and I set him down) his foot seemed to be glued to his 'thing'... unless he was sleeping:

Then the next issue started...

December 15th

That night Dingle pooped around midnight. I noticed it was a bit runny, but chalked that up to the fact that he had been given canned food while at the vet. I told them to give him wet food because I knew he'd eat it - and he needed to eat because he wouldn't eat the night before.

Well didn't I wake up at 5:55am, after going to bed at 4am, to the smell of poop. Before climbing out of bed I used my Blackberry to light up the room and saw diarrhea all over the floor. My boyfriend was sleeping and so I didn't turn on the light - I cleaned it up in the dark.

Dingle got a brand new bed at Woofstock:

When cleaning up the floor I discovered that the bed was covered in crap.

Which meant that Dingle had stepped in it and tracked it into his bed.

Which also meant that Dingle had laid in the crap that he tracked into his bed... like 12 hours after I picked him up from his grooming appointment that set me back $50 plus HST. FML!

But wait that's not it...

At 7:35am Dingle starts whining to go out.

We made it downstairs to our livingroom and Dingle had explosive diarrhea all over the place.

But wait again, it wasn't just diarrhea - it was BLOODY diarrhea.

I just about had a heart attack.

I cleaned him and the floor up and waited 30 minutes until the vet opened and instantly called them. The vet returned my call at 10:49am. He said that it was possible that the bloody diarrhea was a reaction to the meds he received the day before. After reading up on the Dexamethasone I learned that Cyclosporine can make the side effects worse. I figured that they probably meant oral Cyclo and not the eye medication Dingle gets, but I suppose the bloody diarrhea could be attributed to a reaction? *shrug* I don't know.

The vet told me to hold off on feeding Dingle for the whole day and to give him a dose (1/4 of a tablet) of Pepcid AC. That wouldn't help the diarrhea, but it would help his tummy seeing as he wasn't going to have anything in it. He said based on my description he didn't need to come in right away, that we'd hope he was done with the diarrhea. I would later learn that he was no finished with the diarrhea.

As for the penis - he asked if I had any Surolan. I did - because Dingle has had many ear infections. He said to put the Surolan on his crotch as it is also a topical anti-inflammatory. So I think "Hm... okay".

After getting off the phone at 11am Dingle got his Pepcid AC and at 11:20am he got his crotch Surolan-ed up. Then I laid down on the couch.

I managed to go back to sleep (with Dingle on the floor by me) until 12:14pm and then Dingle got bloody diarrhea again. By this point I'd given up on trying to get him outside and put puppy pads down.

At 5:35pm, long after I had given up trying to sleep, he had a really bad episode.

It was more solid than earlier, but at the end it was straight blood. It was all over his bum (again, after the grooming, but that was not my concern at the time) and when I wiped him with the Pampers wipes they were covered in blood. I had to go to work and I was so scared to leave him alone - my boyfriend was at his staff Christmas party. Luckily the neighbour agreed to check in on him.

Dingle got more Pepcid AC at 5:45pm and more Surolan at 6:05pm. I left at 7pm for work.

Dingle made it through the night and into the next day with no more diarrhea.

December 16th

He was very hungry when I got home from work at 6:30am and he was ready for breakfast.

I fed him a small amount - 1/4 of a cup - with the Pepcid AC.

I took him outside wondering if there'd be diarrhea - there wasn't. While out there I saw the area/snow pile that he had pooped on at midnight on the 15th. Lo' and behold there were signs (remember it wasn't totally solid, so there was a bit of a mess left behind) of blood in that poop. That meant the blood didn't start at 7:35am on the 15th - it started the night before. The diarrhea I cleaned up in the dark at 5:55am on the 15th was also likely bloody - I just didn't see it.

At 7:26am he got Surolan on his crotch and I headed for bed... expecting to be woken up to diarrhea.

I was not woken up by Dingle...

All that day (when I was awake) I waited and hoped for a normal poop.

Nothing... but at least there was no diarrhea.

I continued with the small meals and Pepcid AC for the rest of the day

At this point it had been 5 days after our initial crotch vet visit.

Dingle still had not crapped. I thought about being worried, but figured he hadn't eaten for a 36 hour period and so of course his pooping would be off.

I spoke to the vet (not the original female vet, but the male that we usually see) and said Dingle's crotch still looked irritated. We decided that Dingle would be given Vanectyl-P - to help with the itchy crotch.

The vet said it *shouldn't* (and it didn't) contribute to bloody diarrhea.

The vet said when I came to pick up the meds the following day I could bring Dingle and he's take a peek at his crotch free of charge. Yay.

There were no poop episodes - irregular or regular, that night.

December 17th

On the way down to the vet Dingle started turning in circles - doing his 'pooh dance' and I was relieved to see a firm, poop, free of blood.

When we got in the vet saw that Dingle was preoccupied with his penis and agreed that the Vanectyl-P would be a good option. Sasso, my boyfriend's pug/beagle, was on Vanectyl-P - and one of the side effects is excessive thirst and urination. I knew the puppy pads would be sticking around for a while.

While at that appointment the vet pointed out that Dingle's penis was sticking out (of the sheath) a bit. The vet said I was to go to the drug store, buy "lube" (yeah, that kind of lube) and lube 'it' up. (Awkward). If 'it' was dry and sticking to the sheath that could contribute to the irritation.

December 18th

On December 18th we started the lube and the Vanectyl-P... he got 1/2 a pill twice a day on the 18th, 19th and 20th. On the 21st he got 1/2 a pill once a day... same with the 22nd and yesterday. Today he doesn't get any - he will get 1/2 a pill every other day until we are finished.

December 18th was also the day when my mom came to Toronto to celebrate Christmas with me - as once again this year I work all the holidays because they fall on my scheduled days of the week.

We decided to make Dingle's E-Collar a little more festive... we have a million E-Collars and this one will remain his winter themed ones:

December 19th until today, the 24th

Dingle was using the puppy pads for the diarrhea - probably because I ran him over and planted him on them. Do you think Dingle seemed to remember what they were for when he started peeing every few hours? Nope. I'd bring him over to it and he'd lay on it, thinking he was supposed to sleep there. Finally after several attempts and lots of "Dingle go pee on your pad" (with me tapping it) he peed on it. He won't do it on his own... only with coaching, but at least I don't have to go outside every 2 hours, which is a relief when I'm sleeping.

Dingle has been free of the E-Collar since Monday and is less occupied with his crotch - likely because the meds are reducing the itchiness.

Dingle's 'thing' is no longer as red and swollen as it was. I think it still looks a bit abnormal, but I'm not sure if it is - I feel like I've spent the last 6 days with my eyes glued to his crotch area and don't even remember (or know) what it used to look like before all of this. I guess we will wait until he's off the Vanectyl-P and see if it still causes him irritation. If it does, we'll go back to the vet and have them decide if Dingle is back to normal.

Oh the life of Dingle...

Dingle's Liver Concerns - September and October

2010-12-24T00:16:00.001-08:00

Okay - so once again it's been a long time since I've updated.

I thought about updating many times since my last entry, but when it came down to it I didn't feel up to it because Dingle's liver problems were really stressing me out and upsetting me to the point where I didn't want to write about it. It's not that I was in denial abut the liver problems - far from it - just that I didn't feel like sitting down and putting it all out there.

Now that those concerns seem to be behind us (*fingers crossed*) I do feel like I can write about the drama over the last few months.

Dingle's Liver Issues

As I wrote in my last entry Dinglehopper had a dental cleaning on September 8th - his 5th birthday. When doing the pre-surgical it was discovered that Dingle's ALT levels were high... the ALT was 265. Normal is between 5 and 95.

Dingle was put on medication (Zentonil) for 3 weeks and when we re-checked his ALT on September 28th it was 143... which showed that there had been an improvement, though the levels were still not within normal range.

I was happy to see that his levels were going down.

I believed that Orijin, the high protein food that Dingle had been eating for years, may have played a part in his liver issues. So I switched him to another food. Unfortunately we didn't stay on that food long as I believe Dingle may have had an allergy to it... or it didn't agree with him. Now we're on Performatrin... but anyways....

When Dingle started having liver problems I started doing research on high ALT levels.

My research led me to a Yahoo Group for dogs with liver problems.

I joined the group and upon reading the information provided and other people's experiences I learned that many of the members gave their dogs foods such as watermelon and plain yogurt.

I started giving Dingle some yogurt on his food - he loved it. He got pieces of watermelon on occasion, as a treat.

In addition to the food change and the yogurt/watermelon Dingle continued on the Zentonil until November.

On October 31st, about a week before his Zentonil was to run out, Dingle had an appointment at the Downtown Animal Hospital to have a full liver profile. The previous blood tests were just ALT tests - they didn't check bile acids (which were also high on September 8th's liver profile).

To do the full liver profile he had to be fasted for at least 12 hours prior to his appointment.

Our intentions were to get the liver profile prior to him eating then feed him a full meal.

After the meal they were going to draw his blood again and re-run the profile to see his ALT and bile acid levels after eating.

The vet decided to draw the blood both before and after the food... but to hold off on sending the second one (after eating) until we got the results from the first.

The plan was to not run the second test if the first came back normal.

I was excited to hear that on October 31st his ALT levels were 57 - within normal ranges. His bile acids and ever other level included in the liver profile test was normal.

So the vet decided to just throw the second vile of blood out and not run the second test.

When I posted my 'good news' on the Yahoo Group I was told that it wasn't actually good news - someone said that we needed to run that second blood test (after eating) and compare the numbers to get a true sense of how his liver was. Hm.

I decided to not ask the vet about what the group member said.

Our plan was to do another liver profile in January when he was in for his shots... to see if his ALT levels remained normal after being off of the Zentonil.

Our plan has changed as Dingle has had problems since the liver stuff (I will write about that later) and we have to postpone the liver profile until February.

In February I think I am going to ask them to take blood after fasting and after eating and to send both in, even if the first is normal.

Okay, now that I write all of this out it doesn't sound so stressful as the experience actually was.

I gues in waiting so long to write this blog entry I have missed a lot of details. That and I know he's okay and therefore I'm unable to fully articulate just how worried I was at the time.

Since October 31st I've thought about this ordeal and in one of the many conversations I had with the vets it was mentioned that Dingle's blood test wasn't actually drawn on September 8th as I thought it was. It was drawn on the 7th when he was admitted to the clinic the night before his dental... as the blood results take a while and they wanted them by the morning when he had his surgery.

Before I took him to the clinic on September 7th I fed him.

He ate right before we left.

I wonder if it's possible that his ALT of 256 was that high because he had just eaten.

I don't know the 'normal' range for ALT after eating...

Our September 28th ALT test was also done without fasting...

Did we get a true picture of his ALT levels from the beginning?

Was all the stress I put myself through actually necessary?

*Shrug*

Happy Belated Birthday Dinglehopper!

2010-09-12T02:13:00.001-07:00

Oh my - yesterday when I wrote I totally forgot to mention that not only was Wednesday September 8th the day of Dingle's dental cleaning, but it was also his 5th birthday (yeah, vet schedules made it unavoidable - I tried to book a different day)

HAPPY (NOW BELATED) FIFTH BIRTHDAY DINGLEHOPPER!

There were times when Dingle was dealing with so many challenges that I sometimes doubted that Dingle would make it to his 5th birthday - but he did!

All Dingle wants for Christmas is his two front teeth?

2010-09-11T03:11:00.000-07:00

If so... it's not happening.

Poor Dingle - this past Wednesday Dingle had his annual dental.

Yes, annual.

Dingle has had a dental cleaning every September for the past 3 years as despite dental food, dental treats, dental toys, teeth brushing, dental stuff for his water, $90 Leeba spray etc. Dingle's teeth are disgusting and his breath smells like he's got road kill trapped in his throat.

Every year it's been routine - just a cleaning and he's finished - no teeth extractions or anything like that.

Well, not this year.

When I called the vet to ask how Dingle was they told me that they needed to pull his two front incisors - the bottom ones. The vet said that the x-ray they showed that they detached from the bone, were loose and a pocket had formed under the gums.

That's not all I was told...

I was also told that when they ran the pre-anesthetic blood panel his ALT liver enzymes were high - 250 (normal is around 50). The vet said that while this could be related to those teeth that were pulled (the pockets forming under the gums could have been a breeding ground for infection), but it most often incidates that a dog has 'gotten into something' toxic.

Dingle has not eating anything he shouldn't have - at least that I have seen - and he had not shown any signs of having gotten into anything - no nausea, vomiting, etc.... absolutely nothing out of the ordinary. She said that perhaps Dingle had walked through something, licked his paws and ingested it that way.

I asked if perhaps it could be related to Dingle eating Orijin, a food very high in protein, but she didn't think it would be - said that would affect kidneys as well? At least that is what I think she said.

It's a mystery as to why his kidney enzymes are elevated.

I was told not to worry too much now - that all of the other liver levls are fine.

So the plan is for him to be on liver detoxifyer (Zentonil Advanced 200) for the next few weeks and then we'll check his levels then. Hopefully they have returned to normal.

Dingle is doing alright now. When I first brought him home he was high as a kite though and could barely stand. I guess that was from the hydromorphone pain injection more so than the anesthesia because he's been under anesthesia... ugh... at least 8 times now... and has recovered quickly.

Up until last night Dingle was getting Codeine gel rubbed into his ear for pain - but he's now finished that.

He is still on antibiotics (Antirobe aquadrops) and will be on them for a total of 10 days. They taste like crap and Dingle's face is pricess when I give them to him... but he takes them well.

So since Wednesday I've been busy with meds... which isn't all that uncommon as there's always something up with Dingle.

After his walk and feeding at 6:30am (on days I work nights) he'd get his Tears Natural II eye drops, the Cyclosporine eye gel, the antibiotics and for those 3 days the codeine.

Then later I'd sleep for a few hours and get up and give him the liver pills, which have to be given on an empty stomach.

The pamphlet in the pills said that they are 'palatable' - meaning they should taste good. But Dingle spit today's pill out 9 times - even when after I covered in peanut butter. This I found very, very strange. Dingle has been on pills so often that I could shake a pill bottle and he'd come running with excitement. So for him to not want one it must be repulsive.

After the liver pill I'd go back to bed for a few more hours and before work we'd start the morning routine again - eye drops, codeine and antibiotics.

The morning after the dental he was feeling well enough to eat. I think it was mainly because I allowed him to have Little Cesar wet food - he doesn't get wet food and so he scarfs it when he sees it... that and he hadn't eaten for such a long time since he couldn't eat after midnight the night before his surgery.

The night after the dental I was adding water to his kibble so that by the time my boyfriend fed him the food would be mush but Dingle spun in circles indicating he wanted the food right then and there - and he ate the hard kibbles fine.

He seems to be himself again - my usual Dingle... now with a gap in his front teeth.

In addition to being worried about his liver levels I'm (for some reason) absolutely devestated that Dingle had to have his teeth removed.

I once met a pom owner before I had Dingle and she made a point of saying "my dog has only 4 teeth left" (like that's something to brag about) and I said "oh, how old is your dog?". I expected her to say he was really old, but her response: "4". Holy shit lady - he's only 4 and only had 4 teeth left? Ugh.

I vowed to take care of Dingle's teeth so that he didn't end up like that pom and I know I've done everything I could have to help his dental health and I know that little dogs can be prone to bad teeth. Despite that I feel absolutely horrible that Dingle had 2 teeth pulled. Extremely terrible.

He's still got stitches in his mouth and I know losing two teeth doesn't seem to affect him, but for the last few days whenever I've seen him with his mouth open my eyes are drawn to the gap and I feel like shit.

Perhaps it's just a matter of adjusting to the fact he had teeth pulled?

All I know is I'm more concerned that Dingle just lost two teeth than I am affected by the damage to my bank account on Wednesday.

The damage? $1,063.32.

Yup - and not covered by insurance (well the liver meds may - I need to discuss this with the vet at our follow-up).

Oh Dingle.

Swimming Dingle? Nope.

2010-07-22T20:26:00.000-07:00

If there's one thing I miss about living in the small town I grew up in it's the beach. My mom moved away when I went to University, but is still in the same general area, right on the lake.

Though it's never really nice beach weather when I come up to my mom's. Dingle and I did manage to get to the beach briefly yesterday night.

He surprised me by running right up to the water - and in slightly:

But then he decided he was in too far and left:

So I "helped" him:

Poor little ratty:

There were other families with dogs down there and they were going crazy swimming - swimming far out into the beach for sticks, toys, etc. Then there was me trying to get Dingle into the water... I think they thought he was pathetic.

One thing that did irritate me is that when we first got down there Dingle (on a leash) was heading over to another dog and she was like "oh, keep him away, my dog has kennel cough". Cool lady, excellent idea to bring your sick dog to the dog area.

Dingle is on vacation!

2010-07-19T13:55:00.000-07:00

Really, when is he not on vacation? He's a dog.

That said, a freshly groomed Dingle and I are on a vacation from the city.

We are up at my mom's house - in a small town in Huron County.

We got here last night and will be staying for 8 days.

We have come up every year for the last 3 years I believe.

I'm hoping the weather will be nice (today it is not and every other year it's been somewhat crappy weather) so that Dingle can go swimming at the beach.

Though we haven't done much of anything today aside from going for a fairly long walk Dingle is exhausted.

He's taken upon himself to patrol my mom's house - going room to room checking on her Conure and Love Birds (really looking for dropped seeds) and watching the door for intruders.

Yesterday on the way up we stopped at my dad's place in the country and Dingle was exploring the wide open fields... running around like crazy until I heard/saw an eagle (or was it a hawk... I don't remember) and got all paranoid it was going to fly down and snatch him up and ended his free roaming time.

He was really tired when we finally got here - sitting in a car is exhausting, apparently.

The Corneal Ulcer is GONE!

2010-07-12T23:37:00.001-07:00

Yay - Dingle had his 3rd vet appointent in an 8 day span and although we got a bill for $111.42 we also got the good news that his corneal ulcer is gone!

That meant that Dinglehopper was free of the e-collar. He seemed so happy to be able to scratch his neck and face (luckily not his eyes).

We're keeping up with the corneal ulcer solution for a few more days just for good measure, though.

Dingle will be back at the vet on Saturday morning, but this time it's for a grooming appointment before Dingle and I go on vacation (well, up to my mom's) for a week.

$406.44 later and we're still not free of the ulcer...

2010-07-08T00:47:00.000-07:00

... I should clarify that $87.76 of that is not related to the corneal ulcer treatment... but the rest is.

We had our follow-up on Tuesday. Dingle got the anesthetic and florescein eye stain and the vet confirmed that his ulcer is still there.

She confirmed that it is superficial and that it had gotten smaller since Saturday. I could even see that it was smaller as Saturday when they brought him back downstairs after staining his eye I could see the big yellow spot where the dye had stuck. On Tuesday that dye was barely visable - if I hadn't know where the spot was (from Saturday), I likely wouldn't have noticed it.

Dingle continues to get the eye ulcer solution every 4-5 hours.

We've stopped the Tobrex so we're down to 3 different drops.

He's supposed to get the ulcer drops for the next 10 days and continue to wear the e-collar.

We have another re-check on Sunday... and those instructions may change... hopefully it has healed enough to stop the drops that night.

Dingle really needs to be groomed and I was hoping to do it early this week... but I guess we will have to hold off for now.

The $87.76 plus taxes was for Leeba III dental spray.

When I went in on Saturday when he first hurt his eye the vet commented that he needed a dental. She seemed shocked that I had said he had one last September... and every September before that for quite a few years. She recommended I try the Leeba dental spray. She said that a lot of people had success with it... and though it is expensive it is cheaper than a dental every year. So I'm going to try it and will post an entry about it with our 'review'. I hope it works... so I can save $500-ish this September.

Drops, drops and more drops!

2010-07-05T00:42:00.000-07:00

Today was our first full day of corneal ulcer eye drops. He got them every 4 hours or so.

I kind of felt trapped in my house today - as I couldn't really venture far from home because I needed to be able to do his meds. The ulcer meds are every 4 hours and 4 hours is a fair amount of time to run errands, etc... but I had the Cyclosporine, Tobrex and Tears Natural II also - and those were spread out throughout the day.

Despie the constant drops Dingle remains in good spirits.

Our re-check is tomorrow (Tuesday).

*Fingers crossed for good news*

Just When I Thought Things Were Going Well...

2010-07-03T21:40:00.000-07:00

We may have made it a year between eye vet appointments... but in the last week we've sure made up for it.

On Tuesday I noticed that Dingle had green discharge from both of his eyes so I knew Dingle had eye infections.

The eye vet was closed at this point so I called his regular vet.

Luckily they were able to 'prescribe' Tobrex for the eye infections, without seeing him (thus saving me like $75). They did this because Dingle has had eye infections (and Tobrex) in the past... so they knew I was aware of what was an eye infection.

So he's been getting Tobrex since Tuesday night and the green discharge had almost went away when today's issue came up.

I went to bed at about 9am (I work nights). Dingle was fine, eyes looking good.

When I woke up at 3pm I discovered Dingle would not open his right eye. At first I thought it may be because of the eye infections - perhaps some discharge had 'glued' his eye shut. I washed it with warm water and gave him his Tears Natural II meds to see if I could flush the eye out incase there was something in it. That didn't help.

After I had showered he still wouldn't open his eye so I called Downtown Animal Hospital. Luckily they were able to fit us right in. They stained his eye and when they did it was very obvious that Dingle had a 2mm (ish) ulcer on his cornea. This was caused by trauma - perhaps Dingle scratched at his eye or he bumped it.

I don't think it was because he scratched - as his eye infections weren't bothering him and ever since we started treatment to the KCS/PRA almost 2 years ago he hasn't really been bothered by his eyes.

I think that he did bump into something in our bedroom. He doesn't see all that well in low-light situations and I do have room darkening blinds so it's quite dark during the day.

I feel really bad for him because it's clear that his eye is bothering him. After reading up on corneal ulcers online I learned that they apparently hurt like hell.

Hours after we got home from the vet he was still keeping his eye shut. The corneal ulcer solution we have for him is supposed to help with pain... and hopefully it will.

He has to get that special solution (that they mixed up at the vet) 6x a day, roughly. It has an antibiotic in it as well so we can discontinue the Tobrex... in that eye at least.

I'm feeling slightly overwhelmed by the amount of drops he will have to get for the next few days.

Dingle will get Tears Natural II and Cyclosporine in both eyes twice a day.

Then he will be getting Tobrex in his left eye 3 times a day.

Finally he will get the corneal ulcer meds in his right eye 6 times a day.

I will be busy.

He has a re-check on Tuesday evening. Hopefully it will have healed or have shown improvement... and not be a situation where he ends up needing surgery.

Dingle's back to being a cone head dog again... so that he doesn't make his eye worse by scratching.

Poor little guy.

It was weird because after we saw the vet I pulled out my bank card and the vet suggested I just wait and pay it all on one bill on Tuesday. I found this odd because I've always paid after each appointment... even if they have known I'll be back. I had a moment of "they obviously trust me to show back up and pay my bill" but at the same time I also thought "maybe I am being spared the shock of the cost of this visit". Ha ha.

Whatever the cost may be it won't compare to the leg surgeries.

Plus that's what pet insurance is for. It was funny because while at the vet my Blackberry buzzed and 3 Emails from Trupanion (formerly Vet Insurance) came through saying that they had processed our claims for Cyclosporine, tear tests and the Tobrex.

Now I'll have another for them next week.

Trupanion is so worth the $50-ish a month.

Lots of Stuff, Including Eye Vet Visit

2010-06-20T00:37:00.001-07:00

It goes without saying that I'm very crappy at updating this damn blog. 99% of the time I forget it exists.

But anyways, let's say lots in this entry to make up for lack of regular updates.

Eye Visit:

(This update copied from Dingle's website):

On May 31st Dingle had his appointment at Forest Hill. Yes, we made it a whole year without any eye issues. I couldn't believe it.

The vet said that Dingle's vision probably has decreased slightly.

I feel like that statement was based largely on what I said about how I had noticed Dingle struggling at night (or low light places) in unfamiliar 'territory'.

For example, we moved our bedroom furniture around a few weeks ago and one afternoon I decided to take a nap with Dingle and seemed to just stand in the spot I put him, unsure of where to go. We have room darkening blinds (I work overnights) and so it is quite dark in our room during the day. At first I was confused about why he wasn't going under the bed (where he likes to sleep) or to his dog bed and then I clued in that it was likely because he couldn't see where he was going. I felt really, really bad for him and decided to not have him nap with me. When I woke up I brought Dingle into the room, turned the lights on and let him familiarize himself with the new layout. Now he's fine.

Anyways... I told the vet that I had noticed some difficulty lately and I'm not so sure that Dingle's vision is necessarily all that worse... I think that going off my description of Dingle is sort of problematic. Why? Well, I'd say that up until recently I was still in denial about Dingle's PRA and the fact that he's going blind. So relying on me suddenly admitting he has difficulty wouldn't be entirely accurate in determining how well he can see.

But of course they didn't rely totally on me - he was examined and Dingle does still have his limited blood flow to the retina... which means that he still can see (I knew that... and that's not denial talking).

The vet said that the rest of his eye looks good... healthy, etc. And he said that maybe we will get lucky and only the rods (and not the cones) will stop functioning... and maybe he will retain vision in the day.

I'd like to say I'll cross my fingers, but then again I don't want to get my hopes up and then start all over again with the whole denial thing if I notice him having difficulty in the day also.

As things are Dingle continues to get the Tears Natural II and Cyclosporine twice a day... and we were told to check back in the winter.

Overall a pretty positive appointment. We don't get many of those. It was actually vet strange... but appreciated.

Woofstock:

We went to Woofstock again this year - both days, like usual.

Dingle really doesn't care much about all of the dogs - he's more interested in getting attention from people.

Saturday we managed to get a few hours in before the downpour. We ran into another pom owner and her pom (that I 'know' through Facebook), which was nice.

Dingle, my boyfriend, his 2 dogs and I looked at the booths but I didn't buy anything, surprisingly. I was mainly focused on getting coupons for pet products. For the last year and a bit I've been coupon obsessed... this started after my legal battle with the pet store (and settling and having to give up being very vocal about how I hate that damn company)... it's like I needed something to fill the spare time I now had. It's amazing how much free crap you get can with coupons... but that's a whole other topic, not for this blog.

While looking for coupons and freebies I was very disappointed to discover that the Ceaser booths weren't there this year. I would always collect the food and treats for local shelters. When it did start raining that's when we decided it was time to get the heck out of there.

Sunday the weather was a lot nicer... which meant Woofstock was packed. I think a lot of people stayed away on Saturday because of the poor weather forecast and then came Sunday. The crowds were so bad we had difficulty walking and seeing the booths. Despite the crowds we were able to find 2 other Facebook friends and their poms. I felt like the only person who didn't have 2 poms. Damn.

I had hoped to buy Dingle a new dog bed... I decided it is time to throw out Dingle's strawberry bed because it's pretty much destroyed and Dingle no longer uses it. I had my eye on a pink and brown striped pillow bed. Then I was told that because Dingle's a boy I should go for the brown and blue. Hm. It was $60 and my sister told me not to buy it... but then of course when I left Woofstock I regretted it... and can't remember the name of the store/company that was selling it. Damn. Oh well - maybe we will see it at Winter Woofstock. Yay - I don't have to wait an entire year between Woofstocks. Speaking of which, I need to figure out the dates for that and book time off.

I really didn't take many pics this year at Woofstock. I did, however, get a lot of photos at booths... like the Beneful booths. Dingle doesn't eat Beneful... and I don't have a whole lot of positive things to say about Purina, but I wanted the photo anyways.

One of the first booths we walked past was the Kijiji one and they were doing free dog photos. I hate the Kijiji pets section - they allow for dog sales and puppy millers to post, unlike Craig's List. But I gave in and allowed them to take his photo.

Here's 2 random photos of Dingle from Woofstock... the only 2 that didn't include me (and isn't the Kijiji one so it doesn't seem like I'm supporting them by posting a pic with their logo on it):

Wouldn't Dingle make a great doggy star in The Grinch?

Dingle amongst the crowd, similing

Vet Insurance:

While at Woofstock I saw a Trupanion booth. Vet Insurance became Trupanion or something like that... I don't pay attention to specifics, like merges, name changes, etc.... all I care about is that I have a company that covers Dingle's bills.

Anyways, I was talking to the guy about how their insurance has been a life saviour for me, but I was worried about reaching the $20,000 maximum.

He said that very few pets do, but I'd be happy to know that they had recently changed their policies and there is now NO lifetime limit.

He told me that they were just waiting for the company merge (is that what he said, I dunno...) to take place and then they'd be informing original Vet Insurance customers of this new policy.

A few days after Woofstock I got the Email confirming that the $20,000 lifetime limit is gone. Woo hoo!

I really, really recommend Vet Insurnace (Trupanion). They have covered every single 'issue' that Dingle has had... surgeries, meds, eye infections, parasites, coughs, colds, everything. Their company doesn't penalize you for making claims like other companies do - they always cover the 90%. 2 of my neighbours have different companies and their coverage was cut to like 50% for making claims. I'm glad VI doesn't do that or I'd be screwed.

If you sign up for Trupanion please say that Dinglehopper's owner referred you!

Dog or Baby?

2010-05-01T21:31:00.000-07:00

I swear I have a dog... and not a child.

However looking at some of the things around my place you might think otherwise... until you hear the loud, shrill barking.

Dingle and His Pitbull Friend

2010-04-29T02:23:00.001-07:00

Dingle and one of his bestest friends, Lexi.

Unfortunately they can not be boyfriend and girlfriend as Sasso, my boyfriend's pug/beagle, has already spoken for her.

Dingle is content with being friend's only.

Lexi is one of the nicest, most well behaved dogs I know and it's awful that people sometimes judge her instantly because of the fact that she is a pitbull.

I Think Dingle's Eyesight is Getting Worse

2010-04-23T20:12:00.001-07:00

As much as I'd like to be in denial (still, a year and a half after the Progressive Retainal Atrophy diagnosis) about Dinglehopper going blind, I can't.

The last little while I have noticed things that incidate he can't see very well... luckily I think it is still only in low-light situations.

Take this for example:

I work overnights and this morning I went into the bedroom at 6:30am to get Dingle to take him outside. We have room darkening blinds on our windows and so it is quite dark in there... not pitch black, though.

I only open the door a crack, in an effort to not wake up my boyfriend and usually this is no problem. However today I guess Dingle could see how far the door was open (despite there being a nightlight in the hall outside our door) and he ended up walking into the door. He wasn't phased or hurt and so he tried again - but was actually trapped behind the door (between the door and the wall) and couldn't figure his way out... and kept on trying. Of course I went in and grabbed him and then I just sat at the top of the stairs holding him, feeling sorry for him and wondering what the future has in store for him...

Dog Food Donations

2010-04-19T00:58:00.000-07:00

I was cleaning up my computer tonight and found some photos from last year, when I made a donation (of dog/puppy food) to the Pomeranian and Small Breed Rescue in Hamilton.

Dingle sure seemed happy to sit in the picture - perhaps he thought this food was for him. Ha ha.

The actual donations to the PSBR was more than 3x what you see in the picture and it cost me under $0.99 a bag - thanks to awesome sales at PetSmart and coupons. If only that sale would come back.

Since then I have made regular donations of pet food - to the SPCA, Humane Society, etc. and will continue to do so.

I really screwed up in getting Dingle from a pet store. By getting him from a pet store I supported a puppy mill and contributed to the suffering of dogs and puppies. Now I want to do anything I can to better the lives of dogs/pups... and sort of 'right' that 'wrong'.

Dingle has chipped a tooth.

2010-02-05T21:43:00.000-08:00

Tonight I was brushing Dinglehopper's teeth and noticed that he chipped a tooth. It's one of his pro-molars and the tip/point of it has broken off.

Immediately after seeing that I was tempted to call the vet and book an appointment... but the 5 people that were over at my house stopped me.

They said it doesn't look that bad, compared to the other one.

Dingle is eating okay and I don't even know when it would have happened.

He had a dental in September... so sometime between September and now.

He had a check-up a few weeks ago and the vet looked at his teeth quickly (as his mouth is gross again already)... but not in the back.

Hm... do I spent $70 to have the vet likely tell me it's alright... or do I wait? My sister says to only go in about it if he stops eating.

Dingle has an eye vet appointment in May. That vet can't see us for problems that are not eye related (something about a contract or by-law or something) because it was a referral from my vet, but I'm hoping if we don't go in before then he'll at least look at the tooth and tell me if we should go in for an appointment specifically about that.

Ugh... I'm stressed... but I know I tend to jump the gun and make sometimes unnecessary vet appointments.

Dingle's Annual Check-Up

2010-01-21T23:05:00.000-08:00

Dingle had his annual check-up on Tuesday evening.

About 15 minutes and $200.02 later, Dingle was given a clean bill of health... well, aside from all his 'pre-existing issues'... like the PRA, KCS, Luxating Patellas. So, I guess we'll just say he has no new problems, currently.

The vet actually commented on how good he was looking - his eyes especially - no tear stains, ick, etc. Yay (maybe we will make it a year between Forest Hill appointments).

Dingle is 4.3kg.

4.3kg x 2.2 = 9.46 pounds.

Sorry Dingle, you won't be in any CKC or AKC shows... you don't meet the standards for the weight class... plus you're neutered... plus you are a genetic mess, overall. But I love you.

The vet also said that for whatever reason Dingle seemed to look younger that night.

Maybe because he had a haircut the same day.

My boyfriend always says that Dinglehopper looks like a shrub after his haircuts... does this look like a shrub:

That picture isn't from his most recent haircut, but essentially he looks like same.

Shrub? Maybe (yeah, I can kind of see it), maybe not. But he's definitely a tired dog that prefers the hardwood floor over his beds.

Dingle's Annual Check-Up is Approaching...

2010-01-01T01:51:00.000-08:00

In just over 2 week's Dingle has his annual vet check-up at the Downtown Animal Hospital.

Yup, time for his shots - he's due for all of them this year.

Any guesses on what ailment, condition, diagnosis will pop up at this appointment?

My fingers are crossed that there is nothing, but given his track record... well, yeah.

Random Dingle picture: him sleeping in my bed, on my boyfriend's pillow, while my boyfriend was out of town visiting family:

Can We Make it a Year Between 'Opthamologist' Appointments?

2009-12-19T03:14:00.001-08:00

Stolen from Dingle's website (www.freewebs.com/michelle_and_dinglehopper) and originally written on December 3rd:

"At our last (eye) vet appointment in May I was told that Dingle didn't need to come back for another check-up until around Christmas, unless we had problems. Luckily (and surprisingly) Dinglehopper has not had problems. The other day I decided I should call the vet and check in to see if he needed an appointment this soon. Again, luckily and surprisingly Dinglehopper has been doing awesome, eye wise. We recently switched back to Cyclosporin gel (instead of the drops we had tried when we filled the last prescription) and his eyes look amazing - no tear stains at all. No squinting, rubbing at eyes, etc.

Before I called the vet I literally had to sit there for 10 minutes trying to remember the vet's name... yes, I couldn't remember because it had been so long. We've never made it 7 months without seeing a specific vet. At first I thought "ah ha, it's Dr. Miller", but then realized no, that was the name of his knee surgeon. I finally figured it out and when I called I was told that Dingle didn't need to see him until May unless there were problems.

So, as long as nothing comes up between now and then, Dingle will only have to have yearly visits, just to renew his prescription.

I'm glad we don't have to go now, because it would be a waste of money, but at the same time I'd like to know if they could tell if there has been a vision decrease between now and last year - since it has been just over a year since Dingle's KSC/PRA diagnoses.

Well, I guess I'll just continue to hope for the best (read: be in denial over his failing eyesight) until May."

In other random news - last week a small town newspaper published an article that I wrote about why you shouldn't purchase a puppy as a Christmas gift. It talked about pet stores, puppy mills, backyard breeders (hello Kijiji), holiday dangers, etc. I also submitted an article to the Toronto Star, but never heard back from them. I sent it off to the Metro Newspapers as well, but I think it's futile. At least word got out in the rural area, which is big on puppy mills.

Meet Moo-Cow Dingle:

Another Ear Infection

2009-10-14T16:52:00.000-07:00

Dingle has another ear infection. He just had one on September 8th. I only remember the date because we had to make a vet trip on his birthday.

Last night we made a trip to the vet again. I had spoken to the vet on the phone earlier in the day and he said to go ahead and treat with Surolan. However he wanted me to come in and have an ear cleaning demo and to get solution to clean his infected ear with.

The appointment was with a technician only - the vet wanted to spare me the appointment fees since I know what an ear infection looks like and already have the medication. So we were with the technician for about 10 minutes for this demo. I've been cleaning his ears correctly... just needed to buy the solution... don't remeber the name off hand. I was impressed because that trip only cost me $45... and that was with a bag of dental food.

Speaking of dental - Dingle's breath smells like he has a carcas lodged in his throat...again. I guess we only got a few weeks of stink free following the dental.

Dingle's recent dental, ear infection, potential new ear infection, etc.

2009-10-07T23:14:00.000-07:00

Hm... so I'm at work... and decided to update Dingle's blog. Why is it that I only seem to do this while at work. Literally... 100% of posts were done while here.

I think Dingle may be getting another ear infection. I woke up to him with his foot stuffed in his ear. He dug around good and then stuck it in his mouth and licked/chewed it for a while.

Of course I made the dumb mistake of clipping Dingle's nails today. And by *I* I mean my boyfriend... I can't clip Dingle's nails. They are too dark and the vets told me his quick is quite high. So I generally have the vet clip his nails, but today my boyfriend did it. Clipped nails means sharp nails. Sharp nails and Dingle's obsessive itching makes me think I'll come home to a bloody, scabby ear.

If he's still scratching tomorrow on goes the e-collar... like last ear infection... 3-4 weeks ago:

Dingle had a dental 2 weeks ago. $450 and he has clean teeth. Dingle acted very unhappy for over 24 hours. He just moped around and I was worried... mainly because I was going out of town 2 days after his dental and worried about leaving him. The "what if he needs to go to the vet and I'm not here" was going through my head as was the "My boyfriend won't be able to reach me 24/7... what if..." He was fine, though. I let him eat wet food for the first day... cause I figured his teeth and gums would be sore.

Long haired dog + being groggy from anesthesia + wet food = this:

His breath is starting to smell again. $450 bought me 2 weeks of roadkill smell-free breath.

I brush his teeth, he has dental food, dental toys, yada, yada, yet it seems like every year I'm going to have to pay to have his teeth cleaned. Ugh... it's one of the few things Vet Insurance doesn't cover. Which I guess I should be happy about... not that they don't cover dentals, but because he has had so many health issues (again, not happy about that) and they have all been covered for the most part. I think everyone should get pet insurance... especially if you have a pet store dog... but you shouldn't have one from a store... don't make the mistake I did.

Speaking of which I was on Kijiji tonight and browsing ads when I decide to search the name of the store Dingle came from. Bad idea. What comes up but a little 4 month old cream sable pom that someone bought less than a week ago and is already trying to get rid of. Poor pom. Poor any-dog-from-a-pet-store.

I spoke to Dingle's eye vet about a week ago. We did a follow-up phone call (crap, that reminds me I was supposed to give another update this week and haven't yet). We have the go ahead to not come in until just before Christmas, provided there are no problems. It's been a few months since we've had to have a visit there... of course we've been to Dingle's regular vet frequently still.

And that's all I have to say...

Dingle's birthday vet visit, potential heart murmur, camping, etc.

2009-09-10T00:17:00.000-07:00

Tuesday was Dingle's birthday. We officially made it to 4 years old. I hope we have at least another 4 more birthdays for him... hopefully the worst health problems are over...

Dingle had a vet visit on his birthday... he got to see his buddies at the Downtown Animal Hospital on his special day. That was probably the highlight of his day (I'm surprised I didn't do presents... but he's got so many treats and toys already it would have been unnecessary)... he loves the staff there.

Dingle had a grooming appointment on Saturday and Monday night he was scratching his ear like crazy. I couldn't keep him away from it. His nails were just cut at the grooming appointment and so they were very sharp. Dingle made his ear bleed... a lot. I figured his ear was probably itchy from an ear infection. We had Surolan at home but I didn't want to just use it without checking with the vet. I thought I'd just end up taking him to the vet for an overall check up because he was supposed to go in for a dental next week and I wanted to ensure he was healthy for the anesthesia.

So we were able to make an appointment for 9pm Tuesday. We went in and the vet looked at his ear, which was full of dried blood... full... it was black everywhere. The vet said that it looked like ear wax build-up and seemed hesitant to believe it was blood. He took multiple q-tips and was just scooping out the dried blood and scabs. Dingle was yelping the whole time and it took me and the vet to try and hold him still. After the vet determined that it was dried blood Dingle shook his head and a big scab came out and hit me in the face. Ew. Dingle, you're lucky I love you... because that was disgusting.

Dingle has an ear infection and I was given the go-ahead to use the Surolan we had. I also asked him to check his temperature and listen to his heart. Temp was normal and the heart was perhaps normal - there's always been some question as to whether Dingle has a heart murmur. Some instances the vets say no, others say maybe grade 1. This appointment he said there may be a murmur, but its only heard when Dingle was spazzing out trying to get back into my arms.

After the check-up the vet saw my pet insurance form and said there was actually no charge for the appointment - since we were just there Saturday for the grooming and it was likely the grooming caused the infection (maybe water/shampoo got inside). I was thrilled. It was so nice for them to say no charge. The receptionist said it was Dingle's birthday present but then corrected herself and said that's more of a present to me.

Dingle was supposed to have a dental this coming Monday, but we had to push it back a week and a half while we allow his ear to heal.

Dingle had his first 'camping' (in a backyard) experience this past weekend. On Saturday night we went up to a friend's place and stayed in a tent. Did we sleep well? No... and not just because it felt like we were sleeping on rocks, but because Dingle and my boyfriend's 1 dog (we left the other home with a neighbour) would yip, growl and/or bark at every little noise during the night. It was pretty cool at night and so Dingle slept on a folded towel (for padding) wrapped in a fleese blanket. Then we moved him into our sleeping bag (we had 2 zipped together). I wish I got to take a picture of Dingle in front of the tent, but my boyfriend took it down early in the morning before I could.

Not only did Dingle have his first tent experience, but he had his first experience with being an outdoor dog. I don't know how they got me agree to it, but Dingle and my boyfriend's dog stayed chained up in our friend's backyard while we went out for a few hours. Their parents were there checking on him, but I was still so nervous. When we came back Dingle was fast asleep by the deck, in the shade.

A pic from this weekend's camping adventure:

Thank-you Alcon / Dingle Will Be 4 Next Week!

2009-09-02T00:31:00.000-07:00

So a while back I wrote to Alcon - a company who makes Tears Natural II eye drops. These are the drops that Dinglehopper is one, 2 times a day (along with prescription drops) to manage his KCS ("dry eye").

I was working my usual overnight shifts and had some spare time on my lunch (read: I was bored) and wanted to contact them to tell them how 1) a *dog* was using their eye drops and 2) we went through many eye drops, both store bought and prescriptions before we found this one which he tolerates well (he had allergies/sensitivies/reactions to many others).

The representative who wrote back was an animal lover and said she'd send some drops to us. I was certainly not expecting that.

We got 4 bottles - which saved me about $50 and should last us... I don't know, a year?

I took this picture to send to Alcon to express my thanks.

Even Dinglehopper looks happy!

Hm... what else is new - well my boyfriend went away to visit family for a few days leaving me with Dingle, his pug/beagle, his pug/bull dog, his iguana, his aquarium, etc. They've been keeping me busy... and boy oh boy does that pug/bulldog crap a lot.

Dingle's having a sleep over at the vet on Friday... he has a grooming appointment Saturday morning and its easiest for me to board him the night before with my work schedule/drop off times.

I need to speak to the vet about Dingle's teeth. I think he needs another dental. He had one a year ago... to the day. His back teeth look like hell... so much plaque, despite dental food, toys, treats, brushing his teeth. Last year they said at his next dental he might need 2 front teeth pulled... but when I asked why (this was almost a week later... he was being boarded while I was in Cuba) I never did get a response... it wasn't the vet who did the procedure though. I hope that's not necessary. I can't remember if last year after the dental his carcass mouth smell was gone or not. Ew, even I admit his breath is gross. But I still kiss him all the time. Mua ha ha. (Can we say Giardia?)

Oh, and Dingle's birthday is next Tuesday. Yay, he will be 4 years old.

Hm... Dinglehopper Ramblings.

2009-08-21T00:54:00.000-07:00

Okay, so what to say about Dingle/his life.

Today we got really important paperwork/documents back from CBC, that was lent to them. I'm glad to have that back in my hands. Though now that I think about it I need to go in search of a copy of something else I no longer have.

Ramblings aside Dingle has a random cut (or something) above his left eye. I'm hoping he just scratched himself and it's not the random thought-to-be crotch rot from his chin/mouth. Dingle's nails are quite long so it's possible while scratching he scraped himself. Fingers crossed because I don't want a vet visit anytime soon.

Speaking of vet visits I'm itching to get a check back from Vet Insurance. They denied part of a recent claim because of the way it was invoiced - it looked like preventative care, instead of treatment. Canada Post lost my package of info about 2 months ago so I had to gather all the info again last week and fax it. Thank-you to one of Dinglehopper's vets who wrote a lovely letter explaining that it should have been covered in June, with everything else.

I called Vet Insurance to confirm they received the fax (because I usually hear from them the next day) and they did... I guess it's just taking a while back it is such a complex coverage request... in addition to re-submitting part of June's claim I also tacked on an eye drop claim and something else relating to June. Now I sit and try and wait patiently for my $200.

I was looking at photos of Dingle from when he was a pup and gosh was he ugly when I got him. I did get him during his puppy ugly stage, though, where a lot of his puppy fur had already fallen out, without the adult fur having grown in.

Here's some old Dingle pictures:

One of the first fews days I had Dinglehopper... still have a fair bit of puppy fur.

Losing the puppy fur...

Ah...

In other news Dingle's 4th birthday is September 8th. Yay.

In completely unrelated news I hate formatting these damn entries - it takes like 200 tries to make it look right and sometimes I just give up... like now.

Random Dingle Updates

2009-08-13T01:00:00.001-07:00

Hm... what to say. Well, I'm making an honest effort to update this thing... for all of my non-readers.

The other day I took Dinglehopper to a nearby school. The yard is fully fenced and I let him run off-leash. Our neighbours came and so with Dingle and my boyfriend's two dogs there were 8 dogs and then the random few 'strangers and their dogs' that happened to show up. Amongst the dogs were a pug/beagle (bf's dog), pug/bulldog (bf's dog), bulldog, Mastiff, Mastiff mix, other mix (like 120lbs), etc.

Dingle was the smallest dog... by a lot (excluding the bf's dogs). Boy can he keep up with 120+ pound dogs. He has no interest in playing fetch, but he will chase the dogs that are interested in running after the ball. Dingle trails not that far behind (surprisingly) barking his head off.

It was nice to see him running because 1) he barely ever gets off-leash... and 2) it's great that he *can* run... talk about $5,000 (*gag*) well invested for his 3 luxating patella surgeries.

Next time we all go I'm going to try and remember my camera to take a quick video to show how fast my little puffball can run.

In other 'news' - Dingle has adjusted well to the new apartment. Yay. He even ventures off on his own in the evening when it's starting to get dark... when he has very poor vision. I guess he learned the layout quickly. Though I don't leave him outside of the bedroom at night. He goes in the bedroom with the door shut - because our bedroom is right at the top of the stairs. One wrong step and it would not be good, even though I did put a nightlight at the top of the stairs for him.

When we go out Dingle gets 'put in his habitat'... we blocked off my work area for him to stay in. Why? Well the bf's pug/bulldog likes to wreck shit. He's eaten 3 Blackberry cell phones (F.M.L) ... I'm talking jumps onto the counter height table to take them. So to avoid my house and posessions from being destroyed I stuck up a deal - the bf shuts his dog in his den and Dingle goes in his own area. Problem solved, hopefully.

I Think We've Got The Answer!

2009-08-07T02:00:00.001-07:00

I think I've got the answer...

Someone I know (who is also a Vet Tech.) saw the pictures I posted and said it looked like a bacterial or fungal infection. (Thank-you for this info!)

So I did a search online and one of the possible infections dogs are prone to are caused by yeast.

Yeast is common in dogs' ears.

Hm.

Dingle had been licking my boyfriend's dogs ears constantly - more so than normal.

We look in the dogs ear and voila - it's red and irritated.

Give it a smell and it stinks... similar to bread.

Boom, we assume the dog has a yeast overgrowth in his ears. He has floppy ears and in the summer floppy eared dogs can have ear problems.

Luckily we had Surolan at home - Dingle has had an ear infection in the past and so has my other boyfriend's dog (who also has floppy ears).

I assumed Dingle's 'beak' (as my boyfriend calls it) was irritated from the yeast.

Yes, we believe my dog has/had "crotch rot" on his face.

Did I rush Dingle off to the vet? No. I decided to try a natural remedy, as his muzzle was already looking significantly better than before. That and Dingle has been on so many meds in his 3, almost 4, years and I wanted to spare him any potential side effects... at least for the time being.

After a few days of him eating plain yogurt, a few wipes with apple cider vinegar and water and he looked so much better.

The bf's dog's ear is all better.

I also read that Surolan can be used on skin and yesterday put a teensy bit on the areas he can't lick (don't want Dingle to ingest it).

I'm hoping we spared Dingle a trip to the vet. Though he loves going, I don't...

And time for a Dingle picture...

Dingle in the bath along with his 'brothers'... the pug/bulldog mix and the pug/beagle mix (the dog who had the ear infection)

Is it a sunburn?

2009-08-01T00:13:00.000-07:00

Hm... a coworker wondered if the crap on Dingle's face may have been a sunburn.

We were just on vacation a few days before the scabbyness/grossness.

We weren't outside for hours on end, because the weather was terrible, but he was definitely outside more than we are here in Toronto.

This sounds like it could apply to Dingle: http://www.dogtopics.com/89/the-facts-about-dog-sunburn/#more-89

He has light coloured hair... little hair on his mouth area... it was around his mouth and is now on his nose (came home from work yesterday and a patch on his nose was pink instead of black)...

Is the mystery solved? Who knows.

If he doesn't look 100% by the early week, I will make a trip to the vet. That will likely be vet trip #1,243 for Dingle.

WTF was wrong with Dingle's face?

2009-07-31T00:43:00.000-07:00

Okay, so Dingle's face is better... the scabs or whatever it was came off today... through Dingle licking, scratching and some help from me (just getting it off his wiskers).

Any thoughts about what it was?

My possible ideas...

- From chewing a bone... and sticking his face right inside the (femur) bone... did it get raw?

- Licking excessively and irritating the area?

- From licking my boyfriend's dog's ears... mouth gets chapped from having a soggy floppy ear resting on him all the time?

- Allergic reaction?

- Something nasty that dried to his face and wasn't actually a scab?

- WTF?

He's had little patches before, but nothing like this.

Before it started to come off it just looked slightly 'off' - like a dark circle around his mouth/lips. It wasn't bloody or anything. It didn't appear to bother him... not that he indicated at least. But then again dogs can't talk.

Now that the crap has come off it's pink again... but I can't tell if it's pinker than usual... it doesn't look extremely raw, though.

We came back from my mom's place about 3 days before I noticed his muzzle looking weird. No traces of this up there.

In other Dingle news: We're moving. Yes, doing what the opthamologist did not recommend. We're staying in the same building and have had access to the new place for a few weeks, though we don't officially live int he new place until Saturday. I was slightly worried about changing his environment so I took Dingle to the new place often for him to check it out and familiarize himself with the layout. He went when the apartment was empty and now with about 99% of our stuff in. No problems so far. I think he sees a lot better than suggested by the opthamologist... or that he pretends to. I'm only concerned about the first little while of him sleeping there - at night. He doesn't not see well at all, in the dark/low light. Of course this place has scary steps. Our current place has stairs by they curve half way down and have a bit of a landing. The new apartment is 12 steps, straight down. Our bedroom is directly to the right, at the top. Thank goodness for baby gates and being obsessively supervised.

Wow, I sure can update regularly Dingle had a week away from Toronto

2009-07-30T01:36:00.000-07:00

So it's been 2 months since I updated. Not that anyone really reads this anyways, so I guess it's okay.

Dingle and I just got back from some vacation time at my mom's. I was looking forward to Dingle getting to swim at the beach, but the weather was crappy so he never got to the beach.

Dingle did get his very own $12 wading pool though:

He stood in it looking pissed off for a few minutes, then jumped out. I put him in, he jumped out... I put him in, out he goes... this process repeated itself several times...

When not outside Dingle spent a lot of time exploring... and eating the random food pieces that were on the floor near my mom's conure's cage. Dingle hated that damn bird. He didn't mind it last year, or near the beginning of last week - until my sister opened its cage and it decided to fly out and land on Dingle's back. It was all down hill from there.

Dingle barely ate any of his food when we were gone. I think it's because he filled up on other stuff. That and he's not a big eater as it is.

One of the things he enjoyed... his first steak bone:

When I went out to a store briefly Dinglehopper did not have to go in his 'camper' (fold up canvas cage thing).

What did he do while I was gone?

He waited for his mommy.

We're back in Toronto now and Dingle is no longer the only dog in the household.

Dingle did not use a pee pad while at my mom's house. I thought "yay maybe he won't ever have an accident in the house again, therefore avoiding the need to put a pad down", but no... he's regressed again. He's like an 8 week old pup sometimes in that department... probably relates back to his puppy mill beginning somehow.

Something weird I also noticed is that Dingle has a disgusting rash/scab/scaly thing all over his muzzle. It's really nasty. He had it a bit before we went away, but it cleared up completely while we were gone. Now it's back. I don't know what's causing it.

While away he used a glass water bowl. Here he has stainless steel.

While away he didn't chew bones. He did since we've been back.

While away he didn't have another dog nearby... with floppy ears that Dingle feels the need to lick the insides of, 24/7.

My other guesses as to what it might be caused from: Dingle's obsessive licking (of other people, himself, etc), dirty Toronto.

Right now the scab/scaly grossness is peeling off. I might see if I can get a picture of it. I don't know what it is, but it doesn't appear to bother him... so I'm just watching it and not taking him to the vet. I always rush to the vet... not this time.

Speaking of which I'm waiting for another reimbursement cheque from Vet Insurance.

$20,000 lifetime coverage... Dingle's not even 4 and has probably used half of that already.

If you or anyone you know chooses Vet Insurance for their pet, say that Dinglehopper's owner referred you - they currently have a promotion which gives us 1 month free for referrals.

I love Vet Insurance - they are so fast at reimbursing you... their plan is easy to understand... they never decrease your coverage/penalize you for making claims... I definitely recommend it. I spent a lot of time looking at the available programs/companies when I first got Dingle and I do not regret my decision to choose Vet Insurance.

Want to See Dinglehopper in metallic, chromogenic form?

2009-05-07T23:36:00.000-07:00

If so, go to this:

The write-up from the EMail sent to me:

Hiep Vu Photography would like to invite you to a show of work that is running alongside the Contact Festival of Photography in Toronto.

"Meet the Barkers - Portraits of a Canine Clan" is a set of 11 metallic, chromogenic prints that seek to make a connection between the dog world and our own. These photos, completed in a hyper-real portrait style, bring the details of our dog companions into a surreal and beautiful light. The show runs at Crema Coffee Company (3079 Dunda St. West - West of Keele) from May 8th to June 30th and will be having an opening reception on Thursday May 14th from 7-10pm. Hiep Vu is a commercial photographer based out of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. His clients include RIM, Pfizer, Rogers, and National Sports."

I need a shelter/rescue in the GTA - To donate dog/cat food to

2009-04-30T00:42:00.000-07:00

So, I'm hoping to get some feedback. Not sure if I will or not since nobody reads my blog, but anyways...

Lately I've become obsessed with coupons.

Gimme a break. I work overnights. Yes, 99% of my days (and by that I mean nights) are damn busy. But when the nights are slow, it gets boring.

You can only look at Facebook so much and wonder "why is so-and-so not playing their move on Lexulous". Duh, it's 4am and everyone is sleeping, but you... sucker.

When I'm bored I help to pass the time by looking online for samples and coupons.

Now that you have had that bit of background...

Getting to the point: In the last week alone I have gotten a ton of dog food, that I can't use.

The first 3 bags are of Proplan Selects puppy food. PetSmart had a sale on where the puppy food (and apparently all Proplan Selects earlier in the month) was $8.99 for a 5 pound bag. I had 3 coupons for $7.50 off. So for just over $5 including tax I got 3, 5 pound bags of dog food.

Dingle can't eat them, neither can my boyfriends 2 dogs, because they aren't puppies.

Then today/yesterday I've managed to get about 4, 2.5 lb bags (and 1, 3 lb bag) of Royal Canin Yorkie food. For free... again, from coupons. I was told that the 'mixture' or what have you, of the Yorkie formula is very similar to that of the other breeds... and general Royal Canin food. One person said I should feed Dingle it... but I don't think I will.

In less than a week I've accumulated about 25 pounds of dog food (and 4 cans of cat food) for (again) just over $5. I mean it's not necessarily the *best* pet food out there, but it is food nonetheless.

My plan is to keep accumulating for a while (since the food doesn't expire for at least another year) and then donate it. I'm looking for shelter suggestions or rescue suggestions.

I thought about giving it to people hard hit by the recession, or seniors on a tight budget... people who might be having a really hard time providing for their pets. The problem is that I don't want to post this on Craig's List (or anywhere similar) because it would be hard to verify the legitamacy of the *need* and I don't know anyone in my apartment building/neighbourhood that could use it. Therefore I'm looking for a rescue or shelter.

I really want to give it to an organization that needs it - that may not get a lot of other donations. Somewhere that will truly appreciate it. I've donated stuff before to a larger organization and they didn't seem to appreciate it... just got told to toss it "over there" and someone would get to it eventually.

The problem: the place I give it to needs to be downtown, easily accessable by TTC. I don't drive, so I'll be lugging all the crap on the TTC.

Suggestions?

Sleeping in the same bed as a dog that smells like Ketchup is gross.

2009-04-24T01:47:00.001-07:00

It seems like I only have time to write in this blog when I'm at work... when it's a quiet night and I have some 'down' time.

What's new in the world of Dingle? He stinks like Ketchup.

I like Ketchup.

I like Pomeranians...

...but together, it's gross.

I came home from work this morning and Dingle decided that he wanted to sleep in the bed.

Usually Dingle wants to sleep anywhere but our bed (or in any of his 4 beds for that matter...)

Dingle will sleep half-under the bed... with his ass hanging out (ignore my boyfriend's mess there)

Or if he's lucky he'll tunnel his way underneath the bed... like in this picture where he's behind my boyfriend's pajama pants, beside the wall and in front of the storage bins.

Note: I think he likes to sleep under there because of his failing vision. The vet believes he has little vision at night... so I think Dingle may want to sleep under there because he feels safe and protected.

When he's not under the bed he's usually on the hardwood floor. Geeze Ding, you have so many beds, but you choose the floor.

Anyways, today he was in the bed and all I could smell was ketchup.

Why?

Well on Earth Day we went downtown to get our free Brita pitcher (they were handing them out... to get people to stop using bottled water).

My boyfriend and I took 2 of the dogs with us, for a little outing. While in the awful, awful long line (I don't think I'd do it again) my boyfriend had a hot dog - which was loaded with ketchup, mayo, onions, etc.

Well, before my boyfriend finished the hot dog, a huge drop of ketchup fell... right onto Dinglehopper who was sitting underneath him.

The pug/bulldog that was with us didn't seem interested in licking it out of his fur. I found this crazy, because that dog eats/licks anything. Literally... anything, don't get me started on that one.

I wiped it out as best as I could, but it was like the ketchup got lost in a maze of fluffy pom hair.

When I got home Dingle had a spot wash... so he's clean, but the ketchup smell continues to linger.

Of course this all happened only 1 week after his $60 grooming.

What has Dingle's puppy miller been up to the last 3 years?

2009-04-15T21:04:00.000-07:00

A few years ago, when I first got Dinglehopper I learned, thanks to people at www.nopuppymills.com/www.petshoppuppies.org, how to request United States Department of Agriculture reports on Dingle's breeder and broker.

You are only able to request the documents for a 3 year period - so back then I requested them from July 2003-July 2006. They showed information such as how many dogs she bought in a 1 (business) year period, how many she sold, the total gross dollar amount from sales, etc.

On March 14th I requested them again - from July 2006-March 2009. They came today - super fast - last time I ordered them they took months. Though the Hunte Corporation ones (which I also requested March 14th) will take forever.

Let's see what Dingle's breeder was up to:

Before we begin, this isn't confidential information - it's all available through the Freedom of Information Act... all you have to do is request it.

So, on her March 2006 application for license she states that she purchase 13 dogs in the last business year and sold 103. The "total gross dollar amount derived from regulated activities (sales, booking fees, commissions, etc." was $23,186.15 (USD).

All she had to do is submit that information and a $235.00 renewal fee and boom, she's back in puppy mill business for another year.

Let's see what the following year had to bring: Her April 2007 application said she purchased (likely from the miller down the road) 26 dogs and sold 139. Slight increase. Money wise I'm happy to report that she made less - $22,690.38. Okay, maybe not all that much less.

Oh wait, what's this? She had an inspection on April 17th 2007 and she was in violation. Here's some of what it says:

"In the refrigerator in the main dog building West of the house, the following medications were found to be out of date. 1. One bottle of injectible Oxytocin, expired on 3/03. 2. One bottle of injectible Penecillin, expired in April 2006. All expired medications, which may no longer be effective or potentially harmful if given to the dogs, must be properly labelled, separated or discarded in a timely manner to prevent their accidental usage".

Hm. March 2003 the Oxytocin expired? Christ lady that was 4 years ago!

Luckily for Mrs. puppy miller she still got to keep her license and it was renewed the following year.

Let's check out May 2008's application:

She only bought 9 dogs. Oh, but wait, she sold 149. I wonder how many of those were fucked up? Bet there's a portion of them with luxating patellas and Progressive Retinal Atrophy. That business year she made $26,974.85.

She's due to submit a renewal application any time... should have held off on my request so I could have seen that one as well. I'll just request it in a few months, I guess. Does the recession hit puppy millers?

I hate this woman - even more so when a few years ago the Companion Animal Protection Society sent an undercover investigator out to her place and got hidden footage. I got to actually see the Amish puppy miller that she is. I heard the dogs barking non-stop and saw them in their chicken coops, pacing back and fourth going crazy.

Bitch!

Since I got Dinglehopper I've thought about writing her a letter or calling her (I've had her phone number in my cell for years)... but I didn't know what approach to take: the "fuck you, you puppy miller" approach or to pretend I had no idea she was evil and take a "As a reputable breeder I thought you'd like to know how one of your puppies is doing".

Suggestions?

So, if anyone has a pet shop puppy from the USA and wants to trace it's origin here's what you do:

Send an EMail to foia.officer@aphis.usda.gov and say something like this:

" I would like to request all USDA inspection reports on the following individuals: (breeder USDA licence number, individual name, business name, address). Please include all information available under the Freedom of Information Act, including actual inspections, pictures, correspondences, administrative actions, warnings, or any other information available. I'd like to request this information for the following time period - (3 year period)"

Make sure to include your address. You can also submit this request through their website, but it was down when I requested them this year.

Noodles

2009-04-10T23:22:00.000-07:00

I work overnights as a social worker... and I'm very lucky that Dinglehopper loves to sleep.

He'll sleep all night with my boyfriend. When I get home in the morning he'll go outside for a very brief walk, will do his 'business' and we'll head back inside.

Once inside he'll get his 'dinner'... and I'll have to sit next to him for the next 20 minutes while he slowly pecks away at his food.

He needs lots of encouragement, so to speak, at times... how long does it take to eat 1/3 of a cup of food? In Dingle's world a long time. I'd leave him to eat on his own but he'd starve... because my boyfriend's dogs (pug mixes, huge pigs) would eat it all.

So it comes down to "Dingle... eat your dinner"

(5 minutes pass)

"DINGLE... dinner!"

(Dingle picks up a kibble and holds it in his mouth for a few seconds)

(Dingle spits it out and looks at it)

(Then he picks the kibble back up and bites it in half)

(Out come both halves... Dingle sniffs both and eventually picks one half up and eats it)

...

and we continue that way for a long period of time and then its bed time.

I know Dingle is really attached to me and loves me, but someone explain to me why that requires him to curl up on the pillow beside me, with his butt hole mere inches from my face. Ew.

Okay, insert jokes here about Dinglehopper's "dingleberries"... for the record, no, he doesn't have them. If he gets 'messy' he gets a bath, pronto. He also gets groomed fairly regularly to keep his butt hair under control.

Anyways... luckily he eventually decides that it's more fun to sleep under the bed... tucked away in behind the under-the-bed storage containers.

Before work tonight I gave the dogs a cookie and as I was leaving said "be good Dingle" (translation don't piss on the leg of the coffee table)

2 seconds later he looks at me, starts marking a wretching sound and barfs up a multigrain pasta noodle and then goes back to staring at me. Where he got that noodle, who knows. Suprisingly the cookie he had just eaten stayed down...

I'm still at work... but am hoping that the puked up pasta wasn't a sign of more 'fun' Dingle had in store for me... maybe it was his way of saying "Screw you... don't work, stay home with me".

Sorry Dinglehopper - vet visits, leg surgeries, etc. aren't free... the money has to come from somewhere...

The Basic Summary of Dinglehopper's Life.

2009-04-08T23:54:00.000-07:00

Okay, where to start...

This blog will be about Dinglehopper - my 3.5 year old Pomeranian Puppy.

Dinglehopper was born, supposedly, on September 8th, 2005. He was born in an Amish Puppy Mill in Missouri. Versailles, to be a little more specific.

Dinglehopper was sold to the Hunte Corporation - a Corporation that buys from backyard breeders, puppy millers, etc. and resells these dogs to pet stores.

After spending some time (which was probably just awful) at the Hunte Corporation Dingle was shoved in a Mac Truck and shipped off to Canada - to a pet store that sold him for an outrageous price.

I supported puppy mills and the stupid Hunte Corporation by buying Dingle. I live with that guilt each and every day.

Dingle is a health/genetic nightmare. The health problems are endless and include 3 surgeries for luxating patellas, Giaradia, respiratory infections, "dry eye", Progressive Retinal Atrophy (going blind at 3 years old), yada, yada, yada.

I have a website for Dingle. It is www.freewebs.com/michelle_and_dinglehopper.

You can read all about Dinglehopper there and follow his ongoing health problems.

This blog will talk a bit about that, but will mostly include day to day stuff about Dinglehopper - stuff that might not otherwise fit on Dinglehopper's website... this blog will contain sarcasm, the occasional swear word and blah, blah. Don't like that? Well, this isn't the blog for you.