A little down tonight…I’ve got my grand old dame Puggy, 12, who has been living with diabetes for just over a year and insulin shots twice a day. Blind, but otherwise not that bad, but still aware her day may not be that far away, you know? But now my Fergie girl, who is just 6 had a very sudden onset of a collapsed trachea about a week and a half ago. And last night, she was yelping occasionally for no apparent reason. She did it some tonight too and I think it may be when she starts to bark instead of a bark it’s like a cry of pain? She’s very overweight and I know that’s bad. I was feeding her the same food as Kai and the lady where I buy his food (Acana) said it was too high in protein for a pug. I switched her to a weight maintenance or light food, whatever, but I think I’m going to go to honest kitchens site and compare their formulas and switch her because she doesn’t seem to be losing any weight. I think I may have her blood checked because she’s really fat. Until I got Kai, I had never really played with her – isn’t that terrible? And when I got him I realized how much she liked chasing a ball-she was such a vicious little tugger I said she was a GSD trapped in a pug body. I would kind of even lift her off the ground and I’m wondering if that caused it, or her obesity, or running so hard with him. I read that heat and humidity make it worse-Florida!-and only light exercise is recommended. This for a dog that desperately needs to lose weight. 🙁 And one who loves to play and has missed out on years of it and was excited tonight when I went out in the backyard with balls in hand. She was so excited but where she usually barks with excitement, it was yelping and when I threw the ball, for the first time, she didn’t even run after it at all. She normally tries to beat Kai to it, yeah right, and then she bawls at him for getting it.
Do you have a facility near you that has an underwater treadmill? They work well at helping dogs lose weight while not being strenuous. It sounds like losing some weight would really help her but its a struggle. Did you get any medication to manage the collapsed trachea? This is what I found on veterinary partner:
“In a recent retrospective study of 100 dogs with collapsing trachea, 71% responded to medication and management of secondary factors (obesity, irritants in the air, etc.), 7% had disease so severe that they died within one month of diagnosis, 6% had severe additional disease problems, and the other 16% were felt to be candidates for surgical treatment (see below)”. Medications included cough suppressants and steroids to help with the inflammation. Hope this helps some. Good luck and I hope she improves.
water sports could be great. Scarlett, does Fergie swim at all?
Jennie,
She swims….like a rock. Ha. I don’t know. It seems like they swim a short distance and then kind of tip backward and start to sink. Maybe I could rig up some kind of supportive sling but still get her to swim. I could get her floaties – or a life vest – she’d probably list to the side. Puggy likes to float around on a raft. Kai avoids the pool completely.
Thanks, Jennifer.
They did give me a cough suppressant. Steroids are tough because the vet told me they can cause weight gain. She said it’s not severe enough for surgery and that they do that as a last resort anyway.
I am taking her in tomorrow for bloodwork. I want to see if she has any thyroid or other issues.
I hope the cough suppressant is helping. I understand about the steroids causing weight gain. If she is hypothyroid, then meds could help her weight. Cushings disease would be another concern, although you would probably notice some problems with her muscle tone and skin as well. Diet and exercise will hopefully help her lose some weight.
Oh I’m sorry to hear about your Fergie. I hope a good diet and safe exercise regimen will put everything back in order. Diet and exercise tends to cure a lot of problems in dogs (and humans, too!), and it’s cheaper than medication. Let us know how she does. Batman has been on HK for a while and has always licked the bowl clean.
OH Scarlett, I am so sorry. 🙁 I do think it is really cool, that you discovered that she loves to play! I would switch to a homemade diet or a prepared raw diet. I hope Karen will have something to say.
Big hug to you. xo
j
Thanks Julie. I was putting salmon oil on her food, like Kai’s. I just quit doing that because I wondered if that’s adding to her weight. This past weekend, someone was extolling the virtues of coconut oil to me. Kai has made me a better dog owner. 🙂 Because of course she loves to play – all you have to do is observe nature to see that all animals love to play – so what a ding dong I was. Pugs let you be lazy is the problem. She also loved sitting on my lap while I watched TV. That’s not so thrilling it seems to Mr. Kai, hence – playing. He’s quite the clown. (April 19th one year ago is when we picked him up from the airport) Love him!
The coconut oil would be beneficial.
Yes, the GSD do not you be lazy!
Keep us posted.
j
So sorry to hear about Fergie’s troubles. I hope she feels better really soon. I’ve heard of the underwater treadmills and that would be a terrific way to rehab.
Hi Scarlett!
I am so very sorry about your baby. Since she is a small dog, the raw meat mix wouldn’t be too much trouble b/c you wouldn’t have to make as much as you would for your big guy. You can literally control a dogs weight to an almost exact amount with this raw diet. Let me know if you decide to go with HK or the raw….I’d love to help!
Do you remember when I told you that you would need “a new pair of tennis shoes” once you got a GSD pup????? LOL 😉
Thank you Karen for offering your help!
My pleasure!
Yes, Karen, I have thought several times of you telling me to get my running shoes ready! And a big Thank You for always being so willing to help! I took her in Friday and am supposed to get the results of her bloodwork Monday. I probably am going to go with the Honest Kitchen. I am planning to pick the one lowest in calories and protein(?) and as I said, I cut out the salmon oil. She’s about 29 lbs. At least the coughing has gotten much better.
Scarlett,
So sorry to hear about Fergie but pleased to hear her cough is getting better. I hope the blood results are good and that she does well on her new diet.
Thinking of you.
Lynda
Scarlett, Sorry to hear about Fergies troubles. I hope your Bloodwork results come back ok. Let me know if you need anything.
Thanks everyone. Fergie’s bloodwork all came back fine. I almost hesitate to say it, but she’s not even coughing anymore, which is great. But I’m definitely going to work on her weight.