New News on some Old Friends

It's been a very busy couple of weeks here at Old Friends. That coupled with computer issues (UGH!) has kept me from keeping everyone updated. Some of the news is very good, none is terribly bad, so here goes....

Toby

 Toby had an annual physical... he has lost 9 pounds since last year and still has a few to go. He is doing great, no problems to speak of. Dr. B thinks that he is younger than the 12 years that we were told by his previous owner because he is so spunky and doing so well.

Lucy

 Lucy was on Prednisone and antibiotics after a blood test showed that she was anemic and had high white blood count. She also had lost weight since last year, even though she eats like a horse. Her follow up blood test showed that everything was back to normal. She does have some new mammary masses that will have to be removed. She was diagnosed with grade 0, simple, mammary carcinoma earlier this year.

Layla

Layla went for an annual exam and to our surprise showed up as heartworm positive after having had a negative test last year when she came here and having been on preventatives since then. The worms that she now has are a year old and there are no new worms because she has been on preventatives. She is asymptomatic, so we have decided to continue her on preventatives and to let the adult worms die naturally rather than put her through the "fast kill" treatment. Other than that, we have perhaps gone a little overboard in helping her to gain weight since she came to us last year as a frighteningly skinny girl. We are working to get a few (5-10) excess pounds off of her over this next year.

Rannie

Rannie has been acting and feeling well since she was sick and we found out that her liver enzymes were high and treated her for that. Unfortunately, her levels have not improved. We are going to put her back on Denamoran, at a lower dosage than she was at after her sickness, to see if that will improve her count over time. If not, an ultrasound may be necessary to determine what is happening.

Lucky Penny

Lucky Penny has been doing great. She is eating well and has gained a couple of pounds. Some of her hair is growing back in and  she has gone from moving at a sloth-like speed to a normal pace. She likes to follow us around from room to room. She is still a little itchy, and needs medicated baths and ear cleanings, but getting better. House training is going extremely well. She has gone all day without an accident. She has figured out how to use the doggy door so she can go out when she needs to. She's a smart girl.

Charlotte

 Charlotte has continued to do quite well since she was switched from Novox to low dosage prednisone for her mobility problems. Her activity level and speed have both increased.

Hunny Bunny

Hunny Bunny has been shining star in the improvement category recently. She had been having severe mobility problems, often falling down and needing help to get back up. No matter how much we cut down on her food she was not losing weight and her future was not too promising. Switching her from Novox to low-dose prednisone helped her some, at least she was having a better time walking once she got up, but still she was not doing very well. At her annual physical, she was given a blood test and we found out that she was hypothyroid. Just a few days after starting on Soloxine, she had very significant improvements. She is getting up and down much more easily and walking quickly through the house, even off of the throw rugs. She is doing the "bunny hop" when she goes to her room for dinner. She is brighter in her eyes and we are pretty sure that she has already lost a couple of pounds. We have even been able to take her "bathing suit" (diapers) off during the day because she has had the energy and will to get up and go outside to relieve herself. She has even taken to barking at Leo.... it's annoying, but it shows that she now feels good enough to think about more than just getting up. We are very happy for her.

Everyone else is doing well. Exams are over for the moment, until Maggie goes in November. This doesn't mean that we'll be strangers to Dr. Benner and Village Vet. In between, we will be following up on some of the issues above.