Penny and her mama

Kirstin, the manager of Ideal Pet Stop in Seward park (where Penny likes to hang out during the day), has a new camera, a dslr Rebel Canon something something.

Whatever, it takes great pictures.

She brought her new camera to work and we took some pictures of Penny, and even some with Penny and her mom.

Here we are.

The collar is from Fido and Scratch in the Mount Baker area. She has a matching leash, too.

Are you a fan?

Penny has a Facebook fan page that she updates lately. Some people even say it's funny. At least some of the time. Search for Penny the BRD on Facebook.

There are new pictures, including a set that this picture comes from. This set was taken by Kirstin Konrad, who manages Ideal Pet Shop. It's one of the few that are still in color. Kirstin prefers to post her pictures in black and white.

Today, the sun is shining in Seattle. Still. It's been a very mild winter and spring. I got out and weeded. She got to go out with me, but because I still do not have a fenced yard, she had to be tied to a tree. She couldn't get comfortable, first tangling herself in the shade garden, and then tangling herself around the magnolia tree, around which is apple branches.

Right now she's snoozing.

Better now, just bored

Penny is still taking it easy. She's finishing her antibiotics today and is still limited in her activity. Tomorrow we may start walks again.

She hasn't vomited since last Friday and I haven't heard her cough since Wednesday.

We're transitioning back to her diet, but she may still get occasional boiled hamburger treats.

I think she's a little bored.

Maybe this, maybe that

Penny vomited all day and all night yesterday. Because she was eating easy to digest mixtures of cottage cheese/rice/beef broth, my carpets looked lovely. But who cares? She was not feeling well and she was coughing, too, her eyes were runny and she looked just miserable.

So, this am, I called the vet's office and told them what was happening and they were able to see Penny at 9:30. When I entered, Penny started coughing, and one of the vet techs came running out, asking me to have her wait in the car until they were ready for her. Then, she changed her mind and led us to the new cat examination room where we waited for Dr. Heino.

Dr. Heino looked worried when I told her about the vomiting. He suggested switching antibiotics and giving her antinausea meds. Next step, he thought, was an x-ray.

Well, my beloved has been wondering about an x-ray since this episode started. Penny looks like she's got something caught in her throat and she's trying to hack it up. So, I suggested that we not wait -- that we do it now. So, I left Penny there and went to feed the cat that I am housesitting for and get my hair cut.

As I was entering the salon, Dr. Heino called. The x-rays showed suspicious looking masses in her abdomen. He suggested an ultrasound. I told him I'd call Animal Critical Care and Emergency Service. I then made an appointment at ACCES for tomorrow at 10. Then I went in to get my hair cut.

Once I was back at Rainier Vet, I asked to see the x ray and Dr. Heino led me to the back room to a station set up near the operating table. Reminded me of when I used to volunteer there and when I liked everyone there and called some of them my friends. He showed me these two areas that looked like round circles on the x-ray. A sponge ball? A milk top?

Penny doesn't usually eat anything weird like that. But, I thought maybe she'd done it while she was with Stella or perhaps even at Opa's for her birthday party. But it concerned me enough to call ACCES and ask to be squeezed in today -- which they did.

Penny and I got a special room at ACCES too. We sat in Exam Room 1 and waited for the doctor. Doctor March, a young fast-talking woman who wanted to know when this all started. I explained the best that I could, and she went back to look at the x-ray that I had brought. She and the radiologist weren't sure that the masses weren't anything more than a kidney and an inflated tummy caused by gas.

We talked about whether we should do the ultrasound or not. We agreed to go ahead with it. The ultrasound looked good. But while Penny was back getting her ultrasound, her cough sounded bad enough to be pneumonia, which sometimes happens with severe cases of kennel cough, so they wanted to do another x ray of the chest. In for a penny, in for a pound. I agreed. Thankfully, the chest x rays looked fine.

So, Penny got more drugs, some fluids, and a shot.............

Not feeling well

I am so sorry that everytime that I think of updating Penny's blog, she's not feeling well. Well, I did want to update the blog with pictures of her on the Oregon coast during Valentine's weekend, but Rick has all the pictures -- and only about six of them. Both R and I ruined our cameras that weekend. This picture is taken with a cell phone.

But a couple of weeks before we left for our long weekend getaway, Penny had blood in her stool. I took her to Dr. Heino and there were too many variables to really pinpoint what was going on. Was it her new food, which had grain in it and made her poop lots more? Was it the salmon oil which was helping her coat, but could have been irritating her bowels? Was it visit to the dog park, where one of her favorite games was jumping in the mud puddles while I yelled, Penny get out of there! I had brought in a fecal sample so Dr. Heino sent it in.

I also went back to her old food and quit the salmon oil. The fecal came back positive for giardia, so Miss P was put on antibiotics. Metronidazole, which is about 70% effective. I was to provide another sample when the antibiotics was done.

So, she took her antibiotics, we went to Bandon, Oregon, and Penny had a blast. Her poop was normal. But a week ago, she had a bit of blood two times in a row, right after I started feeding her fish oil again. Suspicious timing so I quit the fish oil.

I brought in a fecal sample on Monday.

I also talked to a friend about her food on Monday. Penny eats Evo, a very high protein food that has all sorts of apples, carrots, alfalfa sprouts, etc. Since I was concerned about food sensitivity, perhaps I should change her kibble to a more simple one protein/one carb diet. So I bought a small bag. I switched to her new food (15% new food/85% old food at about 5 yesterday.

Today, she woke up puking. The vet called with positive results again for giardia. I asked for an appointment and I told Dr. Heino what I am writing here. Before we give her more antibiotics (either a stronger and longer dose of the Metronidazole or something else), perhaps we should do blood work to see if there's something going on that's causing her to be more sensitive.

So, here I am tonight, waiting for the bloodwork. I'll call tomorrow if I haven't heard.

In the meantime, Penny is occasionally dry heaving and looks uncomfortable.

UPDATE: Penny has kennel cough and will be on a new kind of antibiotic.

Penny with pup

I went with a friend to Kennewick to get a dog who was found in an abandoned pig pen. My friend is fostering her. While I was gone, Penny stayed with Theresa, who she adores.

This dog, originally named Chai by the people who found her, but now called Olive by Erin and her partner, arrived to her foster mom's house a little shy, a little unsure of herself. Penny did everything she could to get the little dog (38 lbs) to play with her. She rummaged in her best friend, Opa's, toys for squeaky toys. She walked around with a squeaky ball and then dropped the ball at Olive's feet. She lay on the couch and buried her nose in the pillows.

Finally, Olive played with her. She was a little intimidated by Penny's size and the compromise was for Olive to be on the couch, with Penny nosing her with her hind feet on the ground -- mostly.

Here are some shots.

A few days later we went to the dog park and Penny was able to really wrestle with another 100-lb dog named Max. I am hoping we see him again so I can take pictures.

Pitbulls on Parade

Penny, not pictured her, attended Pitbulls on Parade for only part of the 10 - 3 day. She came with her dad to help me set up, but when her dad left, she wanted to leave too.

No CGC test for her, unfortunately.

Maybe we'll take a class!

(photo courtesy of Kirstin Belinda Konrad)

Penny has a pedicure

Penny is scheduled for a pedicure today. She's getting ready to take her CGC test at Pitbulls on Parade tomorrow. Good thing she's not being tested for how well she takes having her nails clipped -- she'd flunk! No expectations on how she'll do on the test -- we haven't been training much. But after taking the test, we'll know what she needs to work on.

I'll be there, too, showing little watercolors at my vendor booth.

Kind thoughts

Thanks for the kind thoughts... Penny is feeling much better and is not nearly so grumpy as she was Friday... While she was in low energy mode, and while she's getting "treats" (pills covered in cream cheese), she's learning a couple new tricks.

"Bow" is downward dog on command. At this point, I still have to put the treat near the floor, but we're working on it and she's getting it.

"Ready" is harder. I don't think she understands what I want her to do. What I want ready to mean is that she faces the same way as I do, ready to go. I don't care what side that she is on, I just want her at my side. I am having difficulty with this concept, but I'm going to ask my friend Erin tomorrow.

Ouch

Poor Penny!

Rick doesn't think this needs medical attention so I've been cleaning it with soap and water and then annointing it with benadine. I don't see an improvement so I am going to take her in tomorrow.

I am also picking up medicine for a UTI she was diagnosed with. Her urine showed high white blood count and then they cultured it, revealing a staph infection.

Ugh!

Michelle's picture

Life with Penny has been pretty uneventful. She goes on walks with Amber most weekdays and once a week, she gets picked up in a van and taken to a dog park where she can run, roll in the grass, and sometimes even swim.

After such an event, she limps a bit. Her surgeon suggested I give her a pain reliever. When I took Penny to the vet for her annual checkup, I told her regular vet that she limped and he suggested she lose weight! She's already quite trim compared to immediately after surgery.

She does get to go to the massage therapist with me. I get the massage; she just lies under the table, happy and warm. She loves Michelle. Here is a picture that Michelle took in her massage office.

So, all was well until I got a frantic call yesterday from Kirstin at Ideal Pet Stop. "Penny has an owie on her cheek," she said. And sure enough, she did. Could be an insect bite or some other little wound that she's rubbed to irritation. Now, I wash her face and then swab Benedine on her owie.

Penny in the pool

Penny loves swimming. Here she is swimming in the pool at K9rejuvenation. She loves Rema. As you can see, she's becoming too active for the pool and will need to graduate to a larger pool.

Penny visits Whidbey

Rick, Penny and I celebrated Valentine's day (and Rick and my anniversary) by spending the weekend on Whidbey Island. Penny got to go offleash a couple of times.

We went to Saratoga Woods for a hike. It's listed as a leash walk, but all the dogs that we saw were offleash. I couldn't see a reason for Penny to be the only dog on leash. So, she was unleashed and made friends with a Golden Lab named Charlie. They chased each other through the woods. But, Penny would stop to wait for us. Toward the end of the walk, Charlie vanished, but Penny stayed close to us. Putting her on her leash was easy.

We also went to Double Bluff park. About 500 feet out, it's a dog park where dogs can scamper about unleashed. Penny didn't meet any special friends, but still enjoyed playing in the sand. It was a little cold to play in the waves, although she wet her ankles a few time.

Penny was either pretending to be a cat or pretending to be a lion. When she saw a large dog, she'd crouch on her forarms and extend her neck watching. THen, she'd run at the dog, just like how a cat pounces on a mouse. Has she learned this from the cats? Or is this something that Rhodesian Ridgebacks do? I'll have to do some research.

On Monday, we went to Ebey's Landing. Penny stayed on a leash then. But she still had fun, even though we didn't let her to roll in some foul smelling matter.

Hydrotherapy with Penny

Lately, Penny approaches stairs from the side, which cause her to use more muscles to lift her body and I've noticed that her front elbows bend like she doesn't have all the strength necessary to lift her body to the stairs. So, I proposed hydrotherapy to Dr. Walker when I saw her for hopefully the last time. She said that hydrotherapy would be good for her and would help tone her. (I've also curtailed walking her as much ever since my physica therapist told me I had bunions. I am going to get that checked next week at the doctor's.) She also said that she'd enjoy it.

So, in talking to a woman from the MS Dog alias, she mentioned that she took her dog to PT after his two TPLO surgeries. (It's nice to know I am not alone.) She provided me with the names of the two places she used as well as to a link to the Association of Canine Water Therapy which lists their members and pools by geography. I read through the list and then read each of the therapists web sites and looked at their prices. I really liked how Rema Strauss wrote how she discovered the world of canine water therapy and how she continues to learn as she develops her clientele. She's also a lot less expensive than some of the other people. More than half as much as expensive. Plus, we full time guardians (I do not own Penny) can get into the water if we want, although she still want to do the supporting. I emailed her and we had a delightful conversation about Penny and her recovery. After that conversation, I felt comfortable with making an appointment to go out to Milton for hydrotherapy.

I guess I should explain about geography, too. Many of the well known hydrotherapists live in north Seattle or the East side and it's about 20 miles to go to them. So, when I find out that Milton was about 20 miles away, I thought "What the heck?"and made the appointment, knowing I'd have to drive about that far to go east or west.

I took pictures, but because the little pool is heated, all I saw was steam. Maybe I'll get some better pictures next week.

Latest ACCES visit

Penny got the green light from Dr. Walker, the surgeon at ACCES that has operated on Penny four times now! She can be without her cone, roam the house, and exercise as much as she wants. She can be off leash in a couple of weeks, after she's worked out a few times.

She has hydrotherapy scheduled for 11 am on Saturday morning. A few of these sessions will get her in tip top shape and may encourage me to get back in the water, too.

How did I pick her hydrotherapy pool and canine therapist? I guessed. A woman at work sent me a list of pools and treadmills in Washington and I looked at web sites and compared pool sizes, prices, and regulations. I wanted a pool where I could get in the water too, I wanted it to have wide steps, and I wanted the therapist to be excited about my dog.

I went to some of the web sites. Wellsprings in West Seattle was close to me but I heard they had lots of rules and were expensive. I thought I'd try a little bit further out. I liked the write-up of k9rejevenation and the fact that many of the dogs pictured were big dogs and several were boxers and other bully breeds. I emailed the owner and she was excited about meeting Penny. So, we'll see how it goes.

In the meantime, I'll fold up her x pen and put her cone away.

Running in circles

Penny is healing up just fine. She gets her stitches out on the 2nd and hopefully will be told she doesn't need any more antibiotics. at $88 for 10 days, I have lots of hopes!

She is still a little picky about her food. After she quit eating her food, I bought her some Innova Evo Red Meat as some people both at work and off work had recommended it. And it rated high at Dog Food Analysis. She loved it. I bought a big bag. Then, she stayed with my husband for 24 hours while I went out with the girls and did errands. When she came back, she turned her nose up at the food. Rick had fed her Natural Balance Venison and Sweet Potato.

So, after a few days of hand feeding her the Evo, I went back to Ideal and bought a small bag of the Natural Balance. At least it's not poultry.

This may be too much info, but while she was in the Evo, her poops were much firmer than when she's eating the Natural Balance.

Penny at my feet

As I type this (after reading some reviews about Norm's Eatery and Alehouse, where I want to go tomorrow night), Penny is 6" away from my gas fireplace, staring at the flames. I am still drugging her more than I did with her other surgeries (more tramodol any way) and she's sleeping quite a bit, which I want.

There is no big news. Dr. Walker called and said that there was definitely more bacteria in the specimen that she sent to the lab and that I should reach out to her assistant to find out the results and to know that the Baytril is still the best medication for her infection.

Penny is staying at my house in her X pen while I am at work. Amber is coming to pill her and let her outside. It's nice -- it feels like I can put in longer hours with Amber coming at 2 than when I have her at Ideal during the day. I am sure Penny will get bored quick but at least she's resting a lot.

I cut off her bandage this morning. I wasn't able to keep a plastic bag on her wrapped leg and so the toe quickly got muddy and wet. My release instructions said I could cut off her bandage if it got wet or slipped, so that is exactly what I did. She was sooo good about sitting quietly while I cut it off. Good girl

Drugs for Penny

Penny is home and I'd like to say she's resting comfortably. But I don't know. She looks uncomfortable and I've decided to give her more pain killers and anti-inflammatories. She's on Toradol for a few days, which makes her woozy. And she's on Deramaxx as the anti-inflammatory.

Her leg is wrapped in a green bandage that I can take off when it starts slipping (it has) and she has a cone collar on. I took pictures but they're pretty similar to the pictures I took after her last surgery. She's in a cage, she's stoned, and her foot's bandaged.

Plate is out, she's coming home

In the ultrasound, Penny's pancreas looked slightly inflamed, but normal so Dr. Walker went ahead and took the plate out. Penny's had a bit of morphine but will be coming home, hopefully, this evening.

An infection was obvious when Dr. Walker opened up the knee. When Dr. Walker took out the plate, she sent a little piece of the flesh and a screw in to the lab to double-check that there's not another bug that's not responding to the antibiotic that she's on.

Dr. Walker wants to wait to see if Penny's eating habits improve before saying she needs to be treated for inflammatory bowel disease. Yay!

I said I'd go to a naturopathic vet for her diet before I put her on steroids. I need to do that for my little Horace, too.

More complications

I dropped Penny off this morning at 8:30 am. Not bad for a night owl. I received a call from Dr. Walker, who told me that Penny looked pretty good, but asked how she was doing. I told Dr. Walker about Penny cherry picking her food, her peeing in her bed, and looking like she was a little under the weather. Dr. Walker wanted to do bloodwork.

So, while I was working my core muscles for my little back injury at PT, Dr. Walker was trying to get in touch with me. She called my house, my cell phone, and even my husband! When I finally came back to work, I had three messages on my cell phone. I called her back and she was on the phone. When I finally got in touch with her, she had results from the bloodwork.

One of Penny's pancreas chemistry values is elevated. Normal range for Lipase is about
200 - 700 U/L and Penny's is about 4 times that amount. This means she could have pancreatitis or inflammatory bowel disease.

If she has pancreatitis, she should not be anesthetized. If she has inflammatory bowel disease, one of the treatments is a low dose steroid, which affects the autoimmune system and should not be taken with antibiotics, which she needs because she currently has an infection. So, surgery would need to happen fairly quickly so that she could get rid of the infection, quit the antibiotics, and get started on treatment.

Next step: ultra sound to see if it is pancreatitis.