I'm tired of 2020, Jonna isn't well

hi finn..you know your dog best,sorry if I sounded like I was telling you how to give a pill..for my part,the dog I had to medicate all her life was my heart dog as well.I swear I felt her pain with her,but I did grit my teeth and give her meds and vaccinations,even subcutaneous drips,or she would have not made it as long as she did.There are many alternatives for supplements,so I’m sure you will find one she tolerates better.Perhaps milk thistle has a bitter taste?i don’t know.
Youve been round the block,have beautiful dogs and they are obviously your heart dogs .So respect where it’s due,and I hope your girl pulls ahead a good while longer for you.
 
Bellasophia said:
hi finn..you know your dog best,sorry if I sounded like I was telling you how to give a pill..for my part,the dog I had to medicate all her life was my heart dog as well.I swear I felt her pain with her,but I did grit my teeth and give her meds and vaccinations,even subcutaneous drips,or she would have not made it as long as she did.There are many alternatives for supplements,so I’m sure you will find one she tolerates better.Perhaps milk thistle has a bitter taste?i don’t know.
Youve been round the block,have beautiful dogs and they are obviously your heart dogs .So respect where it’s due,and I hope your girl pulls ahead a good while longer for you.
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Oh no, I didn't feel you told me what I should do, only a helpful suggestion, saying what had worked for you.

I'm just hoping that this time, if Jonna continues to improve, she feels that the Milk thistle is helpful for her body, and that she'll want to continue taking it.
Otherwise as you said, I could always see if I couldn't find another version/type of supplement with it.

It is just that sometimes people post on HHO, and other places, and talk about how they have a special bond/unique understanding with their dog/horse/..., and sometimes/often sound as if they're in some La La La land/the elevator isn't going the whole way to the top floor.

And maybe my other reply is sounding as if I also belong in the La La La land. But I really try to be a sensible dog owner, even when it comes to Jonna.
 
How did I miss this? I am so sorry and hoping that Jonna picks up for you - it is terrible when they are old and sick and every time you think "this could be it".
I'm also sorry you are having such an horrible year. The lockdown thing aging your dad is common to lots of older people and it is a sad thing to see/watch happening.
Sending wishes for recovery for Jonna and a better time ahead for you and your family xx
 
Have talked to the veterinarian, and we've decided to continue with the new special food etc, take it day by day, and maybe at the end of the week, or early next week, come in, and take a new blood sample, checking only the CRP (C-Reactive Protein).

When I saw her slowly walking, looking like a very tired old dog on Thursday, Friday, I didn't believe it would be possible she would still be here. I even baked a new Sponge cake.
But she has slowly, very slowly, became one little bit perkier at a time. And yesterday evening she even came and watched me put a new portion of food in her food bowl! That's a big difference to a dog that on Thursday weren't much interested in her food.

I'm afraid of jinxing something by saying this, but today, she's actually mostly seemed more or less her usual self indoors, it is only out in the garden that she still seems slower, and somewhat tired.

So for the time being, we've placed the Sponge cake I made to give to the veterinarian clinic's staff if we would have to euthanise Jonna, in the fridge.
I know she's not out of the woods yet, that being over 15 means that that day becomes more and more likely to happen, but I'm starting to get my hopes up about that the Sponge cake I made might have to stay awhile in our freezer.
 
Jonna actually seems to be more or less back to her usual self, both in energy and apetite. She's swallowing the pill to help calm the stomach as if it was a treat, but have started to spit out the milk thistle supplement pill.

Think I'm going to try and only giving her ½ a pill of the supplement, or try only giving it a few times per week, and see what she says about that.
 
FinnishLapphund said:
Jonna actually seems to be more or less back to her usual self, both in energy and apetite. She's swallowing the pill to help calm the stomach as if it was a treat, but have started to spit out the milk thistle supplement pill.

Think I'm going to try and only giving her ½ a pill of the supplement, or try only giving it a few times per week, and see what she says about that.
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That's great news, there are a few different supplements of milk thistle that come in various forms, it's the main ingredient in noodles cush X and that is fine herbs that mix in easily with her food so maybe look at some other brands that might do it in a different form?
 
fankino04 said:
That's great news, there are a few different supplements of milk thistle that come in various forms, it's the main ingredient in noodles cush X and that is fine herbs that mix in easily with her food so maybe look at some other brands that might do it in a different form?
Click to expand...

Typically enough, I bought a new can of the supplement pills yesterday morning, thinking this was something she was going to continue to eat daily, for hopefully quite some time. Then when I gave her the pill later in the morning, she spat it out, and the same this morning.

Both times seeming to sort out the "stomach" pill in her mouth, and swallow that one, only to spit out the milk thistle pill. And happily swallowed yesterday evening's "stomach" pill as if it was a treat.
Going to try lowering the dose of the supplement first, if she still don't like it, I will do what you suggest, try to find another type of milk thistle supplement.
 
Thank you so much for asking @JennBags . Yesterday she galloped and bounced a few metres here and there while out in the garden! But I also lowered from 5 feeds to 4 feeds, and today she's a bit more tired.

However not tired as when she got ill, and she looked as if only a bit stronger wind could make her keel over when going out to pee. Without today, it is more just less bounce in her steps than yesterday, and not walking more than she feel is needed out in the garden, if that makes sense. I suspect the Gastrointestinal food is too rich for her liver to only get fed 4 portions per day (and typically, it is Friday evening, so I can't phone my veterinarian to ask what they think). So I've decided to feed her 5 or 6 times tomorrow, and switch a small portion of some of those portions to her milder for the liver food.

But she came over to me sitting on my sofabed, and wanted her rump rubbed, only about two hours ago. I'm a little afraid of jinxing something by saying this, but indoors she's almost behaving like her usual self. It is only tiny differences remaining, like not pushing past Beata, and Blomma, quite as confidently (but still polite) as she used to.
I can almost not believe it, she's totally different today than one week ago.

Talked to the veterinarian about both Jonna, and Blomma, and her Diabetes Insipidus, on Wednesday, and decided that if nothing new happens, to just continue as we are until 17 November, and then come back in with Jonna, to re do the CRP test, to see if it still indicates that she has a boil somewhere, or what has happened on that front. And then they also want to check Blomma's bladder, and urine dilution, at the same time.
 
Just thought I would post a short update. I took Jonna back for a check up this week, and her C-Reactive Protein, normal level 0-10, which was over 100 when she was ill, is now down to 9,8.

I can't quite believe it, around 3 weeks ago, she suddenly started to look like a mild puff of wind would make her keel over when she walked, and didn't want to eat. With plenty of rest (I actually thought of James Herriot, she mostly slept for 2 days), special gastrointestinal food, and now she's exactly as she was before she got ill.

She's old, her liver values are above normal, but not alarmingly, her hearing isn't the best, her night vision isn't as good as it used to, but if I only walk a little slower than compared to 2 years ago, she can still go for long walks, and her appetite is back to normal.

She plays with her dog toys once, or more, most evenings, she would like the amount of treats to be increased + be delivered less randomly than they're today, and she's still sceptical about milk thistle supplement.
 
Thank you so much for asking. Jonna is doing well. She sometimes sleeps so deeply I wonder if she's dead, but the other week we where out for an over 2½ hour long walk. Add the Broom (box trike) ride there, and back, it took over 3½ hours, and she was perky the whole time.

Blomma is also doing well, but I have to admit that I've now gotten lazy with the pee collecting, and measuring. I've switched to mostly simply counting the number of seconds it takes her to pee, to make sure she doesn't start to pee too little. Otherwise she's the same happy, usual self, which she's been the whole Diabetes Insipidus investigation period.

<3
 
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