Bingo – likes to make me worry

[Vally]

I’ve spoken with the vet.  Crumbs  you know I am always such a mess whenever I speak to him, at the clinic, at home. He’s such a lovely guy and very calming but I’m always in such a state.  I’m expecting him to say, bring him in now, this sounds really bad.

Anyway he said that having checked his heart and blood pressure last visit for this reason, and there were no irregularities, he believes this is not life threatening – I repeated “NOT life threatening” and he said no.  If there are signs of it progressing, and he doesn’t think it will, we can have a monitor put on him to register his blood pressure over a few days.  He asked if I could film it, but I said no way as it (touch wood – hits self on head) it hasn’t lasted more than 1 or 2 seconds.  He said that’s a good sign, as it seems to be self correcting (I don’t know what that means, but I heard “good sign”) and he doesn’t actually faint.

He said the tight collar is a possibility if the fact that it happened twice in a row the day before and nothing since his collar was loosened.  Let’s hope that’s all it was.

I’m to keep an eye on him and keep a note of any future episodes and ring him if it’s starting to happen and we’ll go from there.

Okay I’ll probably start to calm down in a week or two – in your dreams Vally!!!

Love to all.

Vally & Bingo.

[admin]

Hi Vally

That sounds like good news, and I hope you are a little relieved. I know it’s tough when there are no definite answers, but I think Patrice has made a really good point about vasovagal attacks, especially with the tighter collar. I wonder if it was slightly compressing the vagus nerve when he was barking?

Has this happened AFTER his meals at all? Ok, so I know my anatomy is somewhat different to Bingo’s, but my pulse rockets in the evening after I eat a large meal. The doctor said it’s due to stimulation of the vagus nerve – the same as Patrice suggested. I don’t faint either, but I assume that’s due to the increased heart rate. I would therefore back up Patrice’s suggestion of giving smaller meals/drinks if possible, just to see if it makes a difference.

Self-correcting/self-limiting does what it says on the tin. It basically means the body snaps itself out of it without any need for intervention. This is a good thing :)

Anyway, great news and I hope Bingo gives you a break from worrying! Give him belly rubs from me, and his feline friend here.

Mary & Mable x

[Vally]

Hi Mary and Mable, no never happened after meals, always in the excitement of beforehand.

Starting another thread. Getting a bit long.

[admin]

Oh Vally – I have missed everything with Bingo.  I am SOOOO sorry.  When I got home this time from being with my daughter, in just two days, I was so behind that I haven’t been on the forum.  I do check on my phone, but I have “unchecked” many of the “Notify me of follow-up replies via e-mail” as I was getting so many updates that I couldn’t keep up that way either.  That’s why I was particularly glad you were sending e-mails re: urgent requests.  Again, so sorry.

I think I am caught up on all your posts, but still don’t understand the ‘harness’ thing and the possibility of making the barking worse?  Anyway, I guess by now, that’s more under control (ravenous pooch, Bingo boy!)?  I hope so.

I would agree with Patrice, in trying to elevate the food/water bowls.  I have done this with Sadie and it helps.  She’s now back to the floor and I really do need a permanent elevation, which you can buy – I just haven’t done it as we have NO extra room and it will certainly be knocked over.  My greyhound friends down the street, have all their dogs eating out of elevated bowls.  I need to practice what I preach.  ;)

Also, about the collar being too tight – I don’t have a collar on Sadie, day or night.  For walks, I grab the leash which has the connected collar, so only for walks does she even wear a collar.  I originally worried about her getting it caught and me not being here, but then it became an issue of it’s just too restricting to even have on her at any time, other than for walks.  I know they are needed to have their tags are on them, but as I don’t have a “call if lost’ tag on Sadie (dumb, I know) and since she has no vaccines (Rabies) – no tags.  I keep saying I’ll have her micro chipped, but I haven’t.  And as she does not go far from my darn side EVER, the worry of her ‘running away’ is not an issue either.  I am a big promoter of micro chipping, however, a small, additional problem with that is, if you move – you do have to update the address or it’s useless.  Maintenance IS needed.

Since this last weaning with Sadie, she is on a pretty low dose, 5mg of prednisone a day, once, in the AM.  Since taking her off the Atopica (10mg) several weeks ago, and then lowering from 6mg to 5mg of prednisone daily, in the last week I have noticed Sadie’s clicking joints being worse and today she missed the step and slammed right into it.  She’s done this before AIHA too, but not for a while.  Today, it may have been a combination of being asleep downstairs and running to stay on my heels as I went up the steps, but she definitely slammed into the bottom step.  And her creaking/clicking is definitely worse.

I still have not put her on the gelatin or GLM’s, but have it on order from my local, wonderful, health food store down the street.  They just called and said they have the gelatin capsules but the GLM’s are still on order.  Did your vet think this was doing good for Bingo.  Sheena – what about Ollie?  I’m still a bit afraid to add anything to Sadie’s diet, but will give it a try when it comes in.

The cartrophen injection that has been mentioned, is not currently available in the US?  So, again, I have looked into (and mentioned on this forum before) the Adequan Canine (started out being used on horses).  I found this about Adequan, and it looks like the main downfall is thinning of the blood.  Anyone use Adequan?

http://www.k9magazinefree.com/k9_perspective/iss3p17.shtml

Also, apparently Adequan is quite expensive and there is a strict loading dose necessary in order to for the treatment to work.  From my understanding, the injections start twice a week for a month, then once a week for the next month, then every other week for a month, to the maintenance dose of once a month for the rest of their life.  But if it works – it’s less that two visits to the holistic vet!!!  :)

I sure hope Bingo is doing better.  Let’s stay close through all this.  Again, so sorry I missed so much and were not here for you.  Hanging my head.  :(

But you know – we love the dickens out of you Bingo boy and want you feel like the rock star that you are, please!!!  Vally, you two hang in there.  We’ll do the same.

Lots of love and huge hugs, Linda and Sadie