Ella & Rusty & Stu(GA)
Member Since 2010
Yesterday
Good Evening, L&LL,
As you probably know, Rusty's appetite has been only so-so for the last few days. Last night and this morning he hardly ate anything. It's probably owing to his congestion, which is always worse at night. Edward woke up last night to awful sounds coming from Rusty as he tried to breathe. But he was OK ("normal" for him) this morning. He was, however, quite weak. We are very worried about him, because we don't want to prolong his life if he is unhappy or in distress. But we decided that since we skipped a month of B-12 we would see if a B-12 shot would help him. So with this objective in mind, we took him to his vet. We also wanted to discuss "reverse sneezing" (which turns out to be fairly common, but more common in dogs), and whether he could/should have another steroid shot (Depo Medrol, 20mg). He had one in early January and it worked miracles for 3 days, but then stopped working (duration was supposed to have been 4 or 5 weeks). Vet said that by all means he should have the steroid. She couldn't find any obstructions in his throat (his noisy breathing seems to come from his throat). His lungs are clear. His elimination is good. And he hadn't lost any weight since the last time he was at the vet (16 Feb.). She agreed that for the time being we should carry on, but that we shouldn't hesitate to make the decision if Rusty were to go downhill quickly. That's where we are.
When we got home he went immediately to his bowl and began to eat his lunch (and, of course, his treats). He jumped up onto his perch and lounged on it while watching the yard. At our "happy hour" he ate his snack (the rest of his lunch). So far he hasn't eaten any of his dinner, but this is typical: he usually waits until I come downstairs to watch TV with him and hold the bowl. He got RAWZ turkey for dinner and I have observed over the past few days of poor appetite that he doesn't eat the latest batch as well as the previous one; I wonder if it just isn't a good batch. He's doing a bit better with the chicken at the moment. I went down to the basement and looked at our stash of foods that for one reason or another were liked for a while and then rejected. I brought up a few cans to try.
This is a long report, but everyone has been so helpful that I thought you would want to know where our little Chef and LagoonMeister is now. Please continue to send him vines and good wishes.
going down to hold the dinner bowl. bbl,
Good Evening, L&LL,
As you probably know, Rusty's appetite has been only so-so for the last few days. Last night and this morning he hardly ate anything. It's probably owing to his congestion, which is always worse at night. Edward woke up last night to awful sounds coming from Rusty as he tried to breathe. But he was OK ("normal" for him) this morning. He was, however, quite weak. We are very worried about him, because we don't want to prolong his life if he is unhappy or in distress. But we decided that since we skipped a month of B-12 we would see if a B-12 shot would help him. So with this objective in mind, we took him to his vet. We also wanted to discuss "reverse sneezing" (which turns out to be fairly common, but more common in dogs), and whether he could/should have another steroid shot (Depo Medrol, 20mg). He had one in early January and it worked miracles for 3 days, but then stopped working (duration was supposed to have been 4 or 5 weeks). Vet said that by all means he should have the steroid. She couldn't find any obstructions in his throat (his noisy breathing seems to come from his throat). His lungs are clear. His elimination is good. And he hadn't lost any weight since the last time he was at the vet (16 Feb.). She agreed that for the time being we should carry on, but that we shouldn't hesitate to make the decision if Rusty were to go downhill quickly. That's where we are.
When we got home he went immediately to his bowl and began to eat his lunch (and, of course, his treats). He jumped up onto his perch and lounged on it while watching the yard. At our "happy hour" he ate his snack (the rest of his lunch). So far he hasn't eaten any of his dinner, but this is typical: he usually waits until I come downstairs to watch TV with him and hold the bowl. He got RAWZ turkey for dinner and I have observed over the past few days of poor appetite that he doesn't eat the latest batch as well as the previous one; I wonder if it just isn't a good batch. He's doing a bit better with the chicken at the moment. I went down to the basement and looked at our stash of foods that for one reason or another were liked for a while and then rejected. I brought up a few cans to try.
This is a long report, but everyone has been so helpful that I thought you would want to know where our little Chef and LagoonMeister is now. Please continue to send him vines and good wishes.
going down to hold the dinner bowl. bbl,
It's so tricky with good days and bad moments. It sounds like you have a good partnership with your vet and all are mindful of Rusty's comfort and quality of life. 
