A few short updates

March 22nd-The boys were groomed. They look so freakin cute!! I can't believe it, but they said they found a few fleas on Cody's butt. He has NEVER had fleas before! So I had to come home, put Advantix on them, take all of the beds, pillows etc...to the car wash and vacuum them out. I had to vacuum the entire house too. He always scratches, so does Cooper, but I have never been told that they have fleas! I sure hope they aren't in the house. The groomer thinks we probably caught them early. Yet, I think she was wrong. It could have been poop for all I know...Cody ate sausage and a little lamb, coop ate turkey and a little lamb. Both were pretty stressed out after grooming. Ended up staying home the rest of the day with them as I was exhausted and stressed. Cody didn't get up all night last night to go potty.

March 23rd- Cody didn't really eat anything other than treats. Gave him a little nutri cal and 12 tsp water before bed. Even after all that water, he didn't get up to go potty overnight. Went up to "park" and walked around a bit. played very little frisbee because bandages came off. Obviously wrapping his dew claws is not going to work. Came home after 10 minutes. Will have to look for the doggy wristbands, however, I can't seem to find them online even though I have seen them before. Coop threw up today. Cody's been a little whiny today. I know they are both bummed because the weather is cruddy again after a few nice/warm/sunny days. Plus, I have been working from home which takes me away from them. I need to spend more quality time with them. Hopefully it's warm again soon and we can go on a walk...

March 24th- Today was a good day and it all started out a little worrisome. It's been a very dreary, rainy day and no matter what, I couldn't get Cody to get up and eat a treat. He has been eating treats every morning just so I know he has eaten before I go to work. I can't ever get him to eat anything else early in the day. So I was worried. Got home from work and he was in a really good, rambunctious mood, bringing me the toy, wagging his tail etc...Cooper on the other hand, was in bed, acting sick. He does this when I put hoodies on him. So, you are asking why I put hoodies on him then? Well I do it for his own good. When he is freshly groomed, he gets really cold and shivers all day. So I put a hoodie on him. Well, when he wears a hoodie, he acts sick, only laying in bed. Poor thing...As of right now, he isn't wearing one. Once he gets warm, I take it off and only put it back on if he starts to shiver again. Anyway, they both ate some alfredo noodles, nothing else, but that is pretty filling for them. They ate a few tiny bits and pieces of chewies...I need to get to the store to try to buy some that they'll actually eat. It's getting harder and harder to find chewies that A.) they'll eat and B) Cooper won't choke on.

Cooper pretty much layed around all night. He and Cody did wrestle a few times and it was so fun to watch! Cody and I played ball for a while, until he lost interest when he found a long lost chewie (from last night) he decided he wanted. I worked from home again tonight so our quality time was limited :(

I am soooo proud of my husband!!! It looks like this new job that he has been trying to get for over a month, could actually be his!! I don't want to jinx it, so I haven't told anyone, but he has been told they are going to offer him the position! So proud of him! He wanted to give up hope and back off but I told him not too...Looks like persistance paid off. Congrats babe! I know you can do it! You're such a smart guy with a great brain and a huge potential for learning! I know you'll do an amazing job!!

Quick Update

I will write more later, but right now I need to get to sleep as I have to be up early in the morning to take the boys to be groomed. Cody's vet appt went well. His dew claw is looking great! Dr. Peterson said that we will check his kidney values again in 2 months but other than that, we really won't go by his kidney values as his values have never been representative of how he feels (at least not lately). She said we will go more by clinical signs which I definitely know what those are. That made me feel better.

We DID get snow. About another 4-5 inches. And alot of wind so there were alot of drifts. I am so sick of the snow. Our yard is never going dry out...it's so soggy and gross out there right now.

Cody didn't eat a whole lot yesterday (Sat March 20th). Hubs gave him a jerky and he ate that. He did eat a few treats. Since he hadn't eaten Friday, I went ahead and made sausage which he did eat a little of. Thanks goodness...He wasn't interested in the new chewies I bought though. So strange because both he and Coop are just about sick of all the chewies I buy these days. It sucks because that is something that always excited them and I loved giving to them. :(

Coop stayed home with Dad while I took Cody to the vet. He was not happy and I felt so badly but it is REALLY hard to take both of them by myself. He was really happy to see Cody when we got home though!

Today was a laid back, sleepy kind of day. We played some catch/fetch both today and yesterday but most of the day today was spent laying around. Cody mostly slept at the front door, looking out at the snowy yard and Coop mostly laid on the chair downstairs with me while Hubs and I watched movies. I kept falling asleep...I am just so exhausted. I know a lot of it is the stress...I hope things get better, not worse. I feel so guilty for letting them sleep all day, but I really have to give my body a rest. Besides, Cody thinks I am his personal squeaky thrower now. When I get home, he greets me with a toy in his mouth. So cute :)

Coop has really enjoyed the snow. He goes out and instead of staying in the area that Dad has shoveled for him, he goes in the area that is a foot deep and goes sniffing and jumping around. Then he comes in COVERED in ice balls which I can NOT get off. I basically have to let them melt off which takes quite a while. He doesn't seem to mind though. Thankfully, I put a bright orange sweatshirt on him today so I could actually spot him in the snow. Good thing too, because he decided to go back in the bushes by the fence. I hardly spotted him even looking like a pumpkin.

Gotta get some rest. I had a great weekend with Hubs. We didn't get Kaylee which meant we got to spend some quality time together just the two of us. We had lunch, did grocery shopping, watched some basketball (KU let us down), and laid around watching movies all weekend. He still isn't feeling back to normal, so we just took it easy. It was really enjoyable. We were able to avoid any wars for the most part :) Love ya babe.

March 19, 2010

So after 2 almost 70 degree days, it is now sleeting and we're expecting 2-8 inches of snow! I swear! KS weather is so crazy!

Today was an ok day. Cody didn't really eat. For lunch he ate a tiny bit of leftover lamb and of course a few duck jerky treats. Then for dinner, I made skinless chicken tenders and lamb and he didn't eat either. He did eat his Texas Taffy chewie though which kept him busy for most of the night. We didn't play all that much today as they were busy eating their chewies and then once that was over, I de-matted Coop. Or at least I worked on him for 2 hours and got practically no where. I swear! I brush him all the time and yet he mats so terribly! I know it is because of the way he rubs on things to scratch himself...poor baby.

We have a vet appt tomorrow for Cody. Hopefully it goes well. I have also booked another new groomer for Monday morning. I sure hope it goes well. My worry is that the stress will do Cody a lot of harm. That is why I am doing it now, instead of waiting until he is feeling much worse.

Hubs and I are trying to figure out if we can make it out to the lake this year or not. I really want to go, but he won't go unless we go without the boys. Does he not realize how much I DON'T want to leave them right now?? I can't board them as no one will be able to give Cody the attention he needs. They aren't going to cook up some lamb for him. Not to mention, the stress of boarding them for 4 days could be what it takes to push Cody over the edge and I would never be able to forgive myself. I can't help but be mad at him about this. I understand that he says it isn't relaxing to take them, but does he think it is relaxing for me to leave them? SO either way, one of us gets screwed. And I can tell you how this one is going to end up. Me getting screwed. Plus...I would love to take one last family vacation. This could be our last chance. Yes, I brought up all these points and no it doesn't matter. Makes me cry...

Cody is currently curled up on his bed and Coop is at my feet. Hopefully we won't get as much snow as predicted and we will be able to have a good weekend. I need to get Cody to eat...It's time to break out the stuff that isn't healthy for him...Turkey sausage will be on the menu for tomorrow. I really hope it works. Coop did eat a bunch of chicken tonight, so that's good.

My husband said I should make this the 'Cody and Cooper are my life' blog. He said I never mention him. Well, that's because I am trying to keep track of how the boys are doing. But since I don't talk about him enough, I will give you a little update. Currently, Hubs is still sick. He is doing much better though. He went to work today for 1/2 a day for the first time since Tuesday. He has had some cold/sinus infection/virus and luckily I have not picked it up. I have had the sniffles, and generally felt crappy but that could just be due to the stress. He hasn't had much of an appetite, but has managed to eat nachos with raw onions twice since he has been sick. Strange choice, if you ask me.

This week was Kaylee's spring break. She got braces. I am curious to see how this is going to go. 18 months of it. She doesn't even brush her teeth now, how is she going to remember to brush her teeth every time she eats? I'll tell you how...she isn't. She is going to walk around with food in her braces at all times. I am calling it now.

Lots to do this weekend...my main goals are to A) get along with Hubs and B) get Cody to eat. Wish me luck.

By the way...Cody did take another play bath today. And did I tell you that I bought a new Syringe and he will take water from it? That is excellent news as I was afraid I had ruined the syringes for him with the hydrogen peroxide incident. Apparently not.

Catch up post

So I haven't posted in 2 days because, well, I have just been too exhausted an I would rather use my little bit of energy to play with the boys rather than write a new post. Plus, I wait until the very end of the day to post and sometimes I just can't keep my eyes open any longer. So anyway. A quick catch up.

March 16th- Don't remember much right now. I do know that Frank was sick so once again we quarantined ourselves in the bedroom which means we had a very boring night and I feel horrible about that :( But I needed the rest too. I haven't been feeling well at all. He ate chewies and treats and if I remember correctly, he didn't eat hardly anything else. I am pretty sure he ate some captain crunch and that was about the only "food" he ate that day. This is why it is important for me not to skip posts. I need to follow his eating pattern. Cooper on the other hand recovered excellently from the night before. He has been drinking alot, which is great. He doesn't usually drink very much. Oh now that I think about it...I did feed Cody some left over mac and cheese before lunch. I warmed it up and let him lick the cheese off of my finger a few times which got him in the mood for it and he ate it all. He did have to be hand fed...being hand fed is not a good thing because if he ever has to be with someone else, for instance, Frank, he will go hungry unless he eats for himself. BUT I have to feed him by hand so I can keep track of how much is being eaten AND to make sure Coop doesn't eat it all. However, Coop is being silly lately too. He hasn't been eating off a plate either and I am trying to break that. As long as I can make sure they both eat a little something, I am going to put the plates out for them instead of hand feeding. It's a catch 22 because Cody NEEDS to be hand fed to make sure he eats enough to stay healthy but Coop needs to eat from a plate...And I feel badly for doing for one and not the other...So what do I do? Like I said, I am going to try to break it...at least a little bit. Cooper doesn't seem to be eating at all unless I am feeding him by hand and that just isn't good.

March 17th- Frank was still really sick so we all hung out in bed for the evening. Only played with the ball for about 20 minutes. I made lamb again and Cody was CRAVING it! As I was cooking it, he was so excited and then when it was ready he ate a bunch. In fact, he even ate it off the plate. Cooper ate a bunch too. When I say a bunch, I only made 1/3 lb. But they ate every last crumble. I was really excited to see them so happy to eat. I hope he doesn't get sick of lamb...I don't have many other options. Not healthy options at least. Cody did eat quite a bit of captain crunch and a few treats too. Cooper wasn't interested in playing with us at all. I didn't force him as it was rainy and I was afraid he was in pain. When I got home from work, Cody jumped up on me as he always does and he was COVERED in mud!! I have never seen either one of them so covered in mud before! I can't tell what he did...His paws, all four of them, his belly, his tail and his mouth were covered, but not his back. I wish I had seen what he did to get so dirty. Hopefully he enjoyed himself :) Cooper wasn't muddy at all. After a bath, he shivered for a while so I put a warmie on him. I hope his infection is under control. He no longer pulls away when I clean his dew claw so I am hoping that means his infection is going away. He has a vet appt on Saturday so hopefully they will say it is looking good.

March 18th- So today Cody isn't really eating. He seemed to feel well but he had 2 walks today and now is exhausted and sleeping SO I can't tell if he is just tired or not feeling well. It's so confusing. Frank was home sick again today but he took Cody and Cooper on a short walk. When I got off work, I came home and got the boys so they could go with me to pick up some more lamb. Cooper panted the whole way. It was like 63 degrees so I am sure he was warm in the car. I need to schedule grooming for them. Then when we got home, I decided to take Cody on a walk since the walk he had earlier wasn't very long and I had planned on taking them both on a walk anyway. Cooper just can't handle too much of a walk though so I just took Cody. He seemed to go a little slower than usual...like he wasn't all out in front of me and pulling, but I am sure he was just tired. We had a long walk and he was exhausted when we got home. I don't think I have seen him drink anything since we got home...that isn't good. I need to make sure he does. I made them some lamb again tonight and he seemed excited but then hardly ate any. I tried to make them eat it off the plate and neither wanted to. Cody did eat a little...but Cooper didn't want it off the plate. I did feed him a little by hand but stopped, thinking he would eat off the plate, which he didn't. Gave Cody a little bit more mac and cheese and I think he has eaten like 10-12 noodles or so. He did eat his chewie, but not much else.

I am not looking forward to the vet appt on Saturday. I just know I am going to get answers I don't want to hear. Ugh...I am just dreading it.

March 15, 2010 Another eventful day.

Honestly, having dogs is like having a perpetual toddler. I am worn out and exhausted to say the least. So Cody didn't really want to eat today. I think all I got him to eat was a chicken jerky in the AM, a couple pup corn treats, 1/2 a mini slim jim, some captain crunch, the juice from a fruit cocktail, a chewie and a couple marshmallows. I know this isn't the healthiest diet but at this point keeping him eating anything is the best thing. Believe me, I have seen what happens when he stops eating all together and I am terrified of getting there again. He drank normally today though AND guess what? Both Cooper and Cody had bowel movements today! Woo Hoo! Such blog worthy material, I tell ya. But remember, I am only writing this for my own sake, no one else is reading so it doesn't really matter if I make this funny or not. It takes too long to add funny :)

So Cooper got the hydrogen peroxide treatment today. This is where the toddler thing comes into play. They were eating their chewies like normal when I hear him choking...He does this a lot so I look at him to see if it is over or if he is still choking. Well he chokes and sputters another couple times then takes a big swallow and the chewie is gone. Now, he does NOT chew much. I don't know what is wrong with him but he just doesn't and never has. Last I had looked, his chewie was still full size which is about 5-6 inches long and 1 1/2 inches wide. Seeing as how rawhide isn't digestible, all I could think about was this rawhide causing an obstruction so off to the kitchen we went for a hydrogen peroxide treatment. Now Cooper, when he throws up, he throws up a lot. Cody only throws up a tiny bit. So I prepared the kitchen floor with a baby blanket covered in baby wipes and waited for the hydrogen peroxide to kick in. It ALWAYS takes more for Cooper. He had double what Cody had last night. And it took almost 8 minutes to make him throw up. And wouldn't you know, there were quite a few pieces of unchewed rawhide in it. The biggest piece was only about 2 1/2 inches long, but hopefully that was the biggest piece he swallowed. God, I hope it was. He was NOT happy to throw up so much but once it was over I cleaned him up and sent him on his way. He immediately drank some water, which relieved me to know I wouldn't have to fight to hydrate him. He has been fine the rest of the night.

And just so no one thinks I make my dogs throw up all the time...last night was Cody's first time and I have only done this to Cooper 3 times now. Once when he swallowed a hair band (with metal) and we all know how elastic can cause HUGE damage to the intestines! The 2nd time was when I thought he had an obstruction because he kept hacking but nothing was coming up...turned out he had kennel cough. And then the 3rd was today. It is a very useful tool though when you realize, in time, that something harmful has been swallowed.

Took the boys on a walk. 1/2 way around the block. Cody deserved more but Cooper couldn't go any farther. Hopefully I can take Cody tomorrow without Cooper realizing it, though this is almost impossible to do and Cooper gets really upset when he is left behind :( Spent the rest of the evening in bed, which they weren't happy about, but hubs was not feeling well and we quarantined ourselves away from him. Hopefully he feels better soon.

I got Cody's test results in the mail and one thing really scared me. His calcium levels have gone up. What I have read about this is that once the calcium levels go up, the kidneys fail quickly. Please, if there is a god, or if there is any higher power out there, please heal my little boy. He is so loved. He is the light of my life and I don't know what I will do without him. I don't know what his brother will do without him either. We want him, we need him around. Please let him live. He is only 4, hasn't even turned 5 yet. Please...let this little boy live the healthy, carefree life he deserves.

More pics of my loves

Me and sweet Coop

Me and Cody Bear

Coop and Cody

Cody giving himself a back rub.

Coop's sweet profile.

Cody excited to have found the ball buried in the chair!

Cody hanging off the chair after finding the ball.

Coop just chillin.

Yummy chewies after Cody's day at the vet.

Some cushion in the kitchen for Cody's dew claw.

More cushion in the kitchen.

Natural beauties.

In the car after fun at the park.

Cody playing in the wind.

Coop smiles for the camera.

Sweet boy.

Worst dog mom ever...

March 14, 2010- I am feeling really down in the dumps. I have caused my boys unnecessary discomfort and I am really upset about it. A while back I was told to give my boys Kaopectate for their diarrhea. Well our pharmacies didn't carry it but the pharmacist told me it was exactly the same as Pepto Bismol. So...that's what I have been using. I told my vet this last week AND told her that I was following a pharmacist's advice. She was ok with it. Fast forward to today...now remember how I said I haven't seen the boys have bowel movements? Granted, I haven't been out with them every time but usually I can tell because they get a dirty butt and have to be cleaned off. Anyway, I decided to google it tonight and found out that A.) Pepto causes constipation and B.) I have been giving them a double dose. Cody has been given pepto every day for a little over a week. Cooper has had it on and off for a week. It actually says 1/4 tablet up to 20lbs every 6-8 hours so I guess they can have 1/2 tablet in one day, which is what they have been given...however, it also says not to continue usage after a couple days. So since I had just given Cody a dose (however, tonight I gave him 1/4 just because I wondered about the constipation) I gave him hydrogen peroxide to make him throw up, which he did. However, it may have been too late. I didn't see any pink stuff. Poor baby. Wouldn't eat any treats or drink after that. Come to think of it...that's bad. Excuse me for a minute while I make him drink a few droppers full of water so he stays hydrated for his kidneys...

OK so I didn't come back and finish last night. I didn't make it to bed until late. After giving Cody hydrogen peroxide with the syringe, he no longer trusted it for water and that was a BIG mistake. He usually loves taking water from the syringe and when he gets really sick, that is the only way I can get him to drink. Please...let him forget that hydrogen peroxide and like the syringe again. I can't believe I didn't think about that beforehand.

So after trying and failing to give him 5 syringes (about 4 total tsp) of water, he fought them all and only drops made it down his throat, I decided it was time for action. When he gets dehydrated, his kidneys suffer and he gets really sick. So at midnight, I decided to take him downstairs and play ball. We did for 12 minutes, and that may not seem like a long time, but at midnight, 12 minutes of playing ball is an eternity. Then we came upstairs and I decided to try to give him something to eat. No go. He wouldn't even eat his favorite beef jerky or reeses pieces. BUT amazingly playing ball had made him thirsty and he drank quite a bit of water (as I am typing this he is drinking more water!!) I did get him to eat 1 1/2 tiny pup corn treats, but he barely ate them. Then at 12:15 we came to bed. We slept in, he definitely slept in as he didn't even get out of bed when I got up to eat my cereal.

Anyway back to yesterday- It was a slow day, I was exhausted and we didn't do much which I feel awful about but I have to take care of myself or all hell will break loose. Daddy brought home some hamburgers for the boys for lunch. Between them, they split one (Cody hardly ate any) and another for dinner which again Cody hardly ate any of. He wasn't interested in food yesterday at all, even the duck treats he didn't want and those are usually one of his favorites.

Back to March 14th- Cody DID have a bowel movement. I couldn't tell if he was straining or just going alot, because it was dark. But he DID! YAY!! Now I am going to take Cooper and he on a walk to see if I can get Cooper to have a bowel movement. Guess it will have to wait until after work though as the Census workers are out and causing the entire neighborhood of dogs to bark their heads off.

We played for a total of about 30 minutes yesterday. Not much, I know. We slept most of the day. I just could barely get out of bed. Hopefully this week will be better.

March 13, 2010

I am exhausted so this is going to be short. The stress of all this has really taken it all out of me. I can barely keep my eyes open and can't think about anything else.

March 12, 2010- Cody threw up for the first time since he started taking his antibiotics. He threw up around 7am and then came back to bed. When I got out of bed at 9am I tried coaxing him to eat something, anything so I could give him his antibiotics and fish oil. He didn't want anything. He didn't even want one of his favorite things which is beef jerky. After trying my hardest to get him to eat and failing completely, I had Frank try and he was able to get him to eat some beef jerky. After he ate some for Frank, he then ate some for me but he still didn't want to eat anything else. I stopped by Whole Foods and picked up some ground lamb to try since it is the lowest in phosphorus. Guess what? He loved it! I had only purchased 1/4 lb though because that is what was already in the grinder and the guy actually gave it to me for free since I didn't know if he would actually eat it or not. Other than the not wanting to eat, he did pretty well overall. It was another cold, rainy day. He still doesn't seem to be pottying as much as usual. I also haven't seen either he or Cooper have a bowel movement and that is really strange. Need to keep my eye on that one. We played for about 40 minutes with the stuffed wienie and the ball. Really got their hearts pumping!

Back to March 13, 2010- Cooper isn't really eating today. He ate a little but not much and when I tried to feed him, he ran away. It is a cold, rainy day, so maybe he is tired and in pain. Going to keep my eye on him. Drove out to De Soto to a butcher shop to get some lamb. They were out of the frozen, which is what they actually carry, but he happened to have some in the back that he ground for me while I was there. I served it for dinner, made too much, should have only made about 1/3 lb. But I made a little over and with Cooper not eating, there was a bunch left over. Cody loved it again, but we're talking he eats about 1/8 of a lb. Cooper usually would have eaten the rest but he didn't want it. He did eat some chicken lunch meat though (Cooper) so maybe he is just sick of the ground turkey/lamb. I don't know if it is richer or something, but who knows? And again, during a movie, we played with the ball and the stuffed wienie as well as Cooper's baby. I am loving playing with them on the floor at their level. I do it all the time, but it's just so fun to do it while watching a movie because I am not missing anything and I am getting 2 things done at once.

I have emailed the lawyer for the pet food recall lawsuit to ask for some sort of letter that states where the lawsuit currently stands so I can give it to my vet so he knows I am not making any of this up. It really is taking this long. I hope they don't forget about us. There are some of us that are living this every day still. My Cody is not even 5 yet and in chronic renal failure. It isn't fair. We need justice.

March 11, 2010

Not much to report today. Cody really didn't want to eat much at all today. Basically he ate some duck jerky, pupcorn, chicken jerky, 2 mini dentastix and some noodles. I tried giving him the chicken thighs from the other night and he wasn't interested. Cooper was though LOL I have to keep something in his stomach to give him his antibiotic, which thankfully he has not thrown up yet. We also tried vanilla yogurt and strawberry yogurt to see if that would be something he would tolerate so he could take his meds. He liked the strawberry but not the vanilla. I called it "ice cream" because he knows what that is :)

He took another play bath this morning and once again, it didn't seem to hurt his dew claw. I have decided that if he acts like he wants to play in the bath, I'll let him. At least it's a bright spot in his day.

It was cold and rainy again so we were unable to take a walk. I did play with he and Cooper for about 40 minutes after dinner. Cooper wasn't too interested in the play time though. Cody jumped from the chair to the sofa over and over and over chasing the ball. He would burrow into the pillows, sticking his tail and hind legs in the air while searching for the little ball. It was hilarious! Cooper played a little bit with us, mostly with the stuffed hot dog. The way he plays with the ball is when he gets it he runs away with it which is not fun for anyone. We also played up stairs while I made dinner. Cooper was much more involved in that. We were playing with the reindeer squeaky.

I didn't give Cooper fish oil today and he didn't throw up. Wonder why fish oil is so hard on his tummy? Even when I give him Pepcid. Hmm...I forgot to mention that Cooper is currently being treated for a yeast infection in his left ear. I am treating it with Panalog ointment. Speaking of Cooper, he is currently licking my hands as I type and making it very difficult. I shouldn't let it annoy me...he is just giving me kisses, it just makes for alot of typos :)

It was a short night, unfortunately. I feel badly because I wanted to play more and spend more time with the boys, but I had work to get done and therefore the night ended at 8pm. I'll make it up to them this weekend.

I need to remember to order some joint supplements for Cody and Cooper...I hate to shove ANOTHER pill down their throats but Cooper especially needs it and the vet says it will help Cody's sliding patella. I sure hope so. They said sometimes it ends up needing to be surgically repaired. Any surgery is dangerous for Cody because of his kidney failure. I sure wish there was a way to surgically fix Cooper's poor legs. I want to cry when I see him run...his legs are just so much worse. Only 4 years old. I wonder how long his little legs will hold out? Poor baby. My goal is to get him to lose 1.5 lbs in the next 2 months (so that would be May 11th). I want him down to 17 lbs again which shouldn't be too hard once the weather is nice. Hopefully that will take a little weight off his poor little joints.

I just love my boys so much. They are the joys of my life. They make me smile a million times every day. They are the reason I don't need to take Prozac. They are my babies. No one can even begin to understand the bond that I have with these little guys. They're just amazing!

My husband is pretty awesome too :) I'll have to update on him later this week.

Keeping my fingers crossed for nice weather so I can take the boys on a much deserved walk.

March 10, 2010

Just a quick update. Cody had a good day. I have noticed that he is drinking more yet not going potty as much as he normally would. For example: last night he went at 8:30pm then again at 3:30am and then he didn't want to go out again until about 11:30am. Usually he would have gone twice as often.

His dew claw is looking less swollen and less red, but still looks bad. He took his first play bath today since his dew claw infection. It didn't seem to hurt him. He loves to jump in the tub and splash around, looking for the clear hair catcher we have. It's only purpose is Cody playing with it. He loves it!

Cooper hasn't seemed to be feeling well. I had started he and Cody back on the fish oil yesterday and both days he has thrown up. I am going to stop giving it to him and see if that helps. He is being active, which is good.

Cody, Cooper and I played with the ball, the stuffed hot dog and the brush for about an hour tonight. Got their heart rates up and got them panting while avoiding Cody chasing after toys and sliding. Last night we played the same way with the little green dog and they loved it. I am trying to keep them active even though Cody can't go to the park for 2 weeks.

Last night I made skin on chicken thighs in olive oil and tonight I made ground turkey in olive oil and a pat of butter for flavor. They both liked it. It is going to be hard to find a balance here. A high fat, low protein, low phosphorus diet is what Cody needs but a high fat diet is the last thing Cooper needs. So...I am giving him some of what I make for Cody, but trying to make more lean and cutting him off instead of giving him as much as he wants. Hopefully I can find a good balance.

I've been alternating giving Cody and Cooper both Pepcid and Pepto Bismol depending on whether they are having acid problems or tummy problems. Cody seems to be doing well with the anti biotics this way. As long as I can keep him eating some food/treats before I give him the antibiotics, I think it will work well. So far I have had to give him peanut butter cookie, captain crunch and treats just to get something in his tummy so he will keep the antibiotics down. Gotta do whatever is necessary. These $60 antibiotics have to stay down so they can do their job.

It's raining and the weather is getting cold again. Hopefully in the next few days I can try taking the boys on a walk. Hopefully Cody will do well with a walk since he won't be sliding around and chasing things. I know they would both really enjoy getting out of the house for something other than a vet visit.

Recent pictures of my boys

Too bad it takes bad news to get me to blog...

I have started numerous blog posts and one thing or another has kept me from finishing and hitting "publish." But now I want to make sure I keep track of what is going on with Cody so that I have it for my own records. It will be written for my own personal use so it won't be like my other blog posts. It will be more like I am taking notes and keeping records. Nothing fun is what I am trying to say.

Saturday March 6th- Cody and Cooper had their comprehensive exam with Dr. Peterson. She was the only vet on staff that day and was very rushed. She did mention to me that Cody's left rear kneecap is loose and most likely pops out every now and then. This would explain why when playing Frisbee, sometimes he limps for a minute and then is fine. I had tried to cut Cody's nails before the appt and he cried which he never does, so I specifically asked her if nail clippers needed to be replaced and she said "yes." She did examine him but somehow, with all of his fur, she didn't see his infected dew claw.

Sunday March 7th- Took Cody and Cooper up the road to the "park" (church field) to play. Cody chased after the Frisbee several times before he started lifting his back paw (which he had done off and on over the past few days when we played Frisbee, but I always thought he had something stuck in his paw) and limping. I stopped and took him home and watched him. He continued to limp, but eventually stopped. I tried to check his paw but he kept crying and wouldn't let me near it (very hard to see through all his fur!) Had him rest and take it easy for the night.

Monday March 8th- Took Cody in to Banfield to have his paw checked out (right rear). Dr. Peterson was in surgery so we saw Dr. Tutemacher. She was able to inspect his paw while I held him. He wrapped his arms around my arms and held on tight. He is such a Mama's boy. She found that he had an infected dew claw. I had suspected the problem was with his dew claw as he has already had this same dew claw surgically removed before after being broken at the base. She shaved and cleaned the area and when we all finally got a good look at it, it was obvious that it was infected! Red, pussy, bloody, swollen and crusty. Poor baby. So 2 weeks of antibiotics and medicated wipes but no pain meds due to his chronic renal failure. So...we're about to leave and Dr. Peterson walks in and says she is sorry that she had been in surgery but she had wanted to talk to me about Cody's bloodwork from Saturday. It had come back and wasn't looking good at all. His kidney levels have jumped, big time. His BUN at this point is 92 and last time it was 60. Now it has been higher before but...this time his Creatinine was 7 and last time it was 3.4. Now the worst part is that both have gone up. His Creatinine has always been stable, now that it isn't, is a very bad sign :( I don't know how this is going to turn out.

As I mentioned, Cody remains very active and happy so this came out of left field and hit me like a ton of bricks! I am hoping that his levels will be lower when we check them again, but it looks like sub q fluids and a low protein/low phosphorus diet are necessary right now. I have to brace myself. This could be it. I am devestated and heart broken! Cody and Cooper are my babies and I would do anything for them! I would go broke to treat them, but my husband and I don't see eye to eye on this, unfortunately. The stress of knowing that my husband may not want to spend the money is really wearing me down.

So...if Cody were on a regular diet (he was taken off of dog food after the pet food recall which is why we are in this situation in the first place) he would be on a prescription kidney diet. But since he won't touch dog food, I am having to do a bunch of research and try to do what's best for him with human food. He mainly eats meat (protein) which is what needs to be restricted now that he is Uremic. Protein and Phosphorus need to be restricted. This will be hard because like I said, meat is his main source of food. He just won't eat much else. I am trying though...

I remembered that Sunday morning I had woken up and told my husband that Cody had been feverish all night and he had cuddled up under the blankets with me which he only does when he is freezing, which he was. He was shivering and shaking for a good hour. I wonder if the infection could be harming his kidneys? Hmm...question for Dr. Peterson.

So, we aren't able to play right now because of his dew claw, so I have just been laying around with both Cody and Cooper, loving on them, rubbing their backs and their bellies, rubbing their ears and their necks, playing with the squeaky (without throwing it which makes Cody chase it and he always slides which is why his dew claw gets ripped), laying with them while they eat their chewies and treats, telling them how much I love them and giving them millions of hugs and kisses. I don't want to take a minute for granted. I am going to try to keep track of how he is doing so I can compare.

Right now his symptoms are:
*Drinking ALOT of water. MORE than the usual.
*Some days he just lays around and isn't very active.
*Some days he doesn't want to eat. But he most always will eat treats. Sometimes he turns them down, but only the Pupcorn.
*He has been vomiting and having diarrhea. Been giving him pepcid and pepto bismol tablets off and on.
*Even though he is drinking more, he seems to be able to hold it longer. However, I hadn't ever tried this before so I don't know if it is different or not. At night, when he wakes me up to go out and potty, if it is either A.) close to when Frank gets up and takes him out or B.) not at least 4 hours from the time Frank takes him out, I will say "we'll go out in a little bit, Cody, lay down and go night night." And he will. Sometimes he even makes it all night, which is 8 hours. He never used to do this, but like I said, I never told him "no" I just always took him out.

This will be my outlet. My husband doesn't want to talk about it and I am sure that friends and family are already sick of it, so hopefully this will help me cope. I am not a crazy dog lady. I love these boys. They are my kids. I would do absolutely anything for them.