Powder

[Hilder420]

This is a thread devoted to my baby boy Powder. He was run over by a car and had to have a hip replaced a few years ago. Whenever the weather changes, or it rains he has really bad arthirtis to the point that he cant move, cant get off the bed, cant go potty, cant go get water, cant play. all he can do is sit on the bed or pillow and shake cause he hurts so much. he started taking some mild pain killers in the beginning, but now, he has to have post-op pain killers, his pain has gotten so bad. He turned 7 this past may (human years), and now he has a really hard time breathing. weve taken him to the doc to see why it is that he cant breathe. theres been x-rays, athsma treatment, tested him for canine infuenza, tb, anything and everything we can think of that might affect his breathing, but the docs havent found what could be causing him to breathe so hard, and if you put your ear to his chest, you can hear a low rumbling like he has phlem or something in his lungs. he had a tumor removed from his foot about two years ago, and we think, he might have some kind of cancer in his lungs, but we cant be sure. I dont know what to do, hes the sweetest baby you could ever ask for, and i dont want to put him down, but id rather he go back to doggie heaven than he suffer here on this earth. Hes had the best life my sis and i have been able to give him, and i knew one day he was gonna have to back to goddesses arms, but im not ready to let him go. hes only known love and affecton his entire life and hes spoiled beyond belief, but hes my baby. i havent been able to stop crying thinking about me waking up the rest of my life and not seeing him smile at me and feeling his beautiful little face between my hands. we discussed giving him up to the spca, or sending him to some sort of rescue organization where he can get treatment, or at least somewhere where his needs will be met, but hes never been away from home for more than one night, and i dont think its fair to him to be taken away from the only home hes ever known and the only mommies that have ever taken care of him. i dont know what to do. my heart literally hurts just thinking about handing him over to strangers. i dont think i could take watching him being taken away. we cant afford to give him too much more than his pain meds and his breathing treatments,whic arent helping. so im at a loss over what the best thing for him will be. i will try my hardest to make his life as comfortable as possible until i see that it is not in his best intrest to continue being here with us. so i wanted to share with all of you guys his pictures and ask yall to send all the good thoughts yall can muster to him and his getting better or at the very least he be the happies baby for the rest of his days.

[Hilder420]

heres one more pic

[Psycho4Bud]

Best of wishes your way.........they are like our children.

Have a good one!:jointsmile:

[Unknown American]

Wow, that is so sad. Just do what you feel is right.

My heart goes out to you.

[CanaDanKs Inc.]

ahh poor little guy
hes a cutie with that bed sheet on his head

but he also looks like he's got his wild side
i think hes a tough one, he'll make it through

keep supporting him with your sweet love
no matter his condition, he cant be too bad when hes got that!

:jointsmile:

[4gan2ja0]

i really feel for you, that looks like a dog that has a lot of love to give and take... i had a cat that i had since i was like 4 who had diabetes and all sorts of problems. it was a really tough choice, but we figured it would be better if he were put down, out of all the pain he was enduring. i really didn't want to, but we chose to put him asleep, and i think it was probably better for him, even though he was very well loved, and a happy cat, he could barely walk and would soil himself everywhere. i stayed in the room with him when he was being put to sleep, just patting him and making his last moments happy ones. im not telling you that this is what must be done, but it sounds like your dog is in a lot of pain most of the time. i don't want to sound like a dick, but it isn't all about you, if your dog is having trouble continuing with daily activities, maybe it is best to put him to sleep. don't get me wrong, i've had 3 cats and a dog, its never easy to say goodbye to a lifelong friend, but its better to let them go than to see them in pain.

I really feel for you, its always a tough decision...i hope you feel better soon

[Hilder420]

Thats why i cant make up my mind wether its best to just let him go now or wait.. he only seems to have pain when the weather changes and when it rains. otherwise hes happy and healthy and runs around and plays and jumps and is his normal beautiful self. About the breathing, i dunno cause since im never home i havent had a chance to really listen and watch him for myself.. my sister was the one who said that he was breathing really hard, but she exaggerates. i dont want to put him down unless its absolutely necessary, and i just dont have enough time with him to make up my mind...i dunno what to do!!!!!

[Weedhound]

Breathing trouble is not anything to fool with. The breathing issues could be due to anything from heartworm to some congenital flaw in his nasal passages. The most common issues that cause trouble breathing that I have seen (especially in your smaller dogs) is heart disease, collapsing trachea and stress from being overweight. There is also something called larygeal paralysis (usually big dogs but...)

Your dog does not have a pushed in nose so I would tend to think less about a congenital defect in the nasal area but nothing can be ruled out without a good exam. I have no way of reading your pups medical records so really cant comment on what was found....or not found as the case may be.

Do you see the dog have breathing troubles? Do they cause him to have respiratory "effort"? ...ie...does he have to WORK his abdominal muscles to breathe? Do you see him pushing with his stomach muscles to move the air and out? If so he needs treatment.....and quickly. No mammal should ever have to "work" at breathing. EVER.

Try it for a few minutes....pushing air in out with your abdominal muschles. Its exhausting. And exhaustion from working to breathe can kill your pet.....regardless of the original cause of the problem.

Watch his stomach area carefully when he breathes normally to give yourself an idea of his normal respirations. That will make it easier for you to pick out a problem when he's having one.

If you are interested.....I will post a few things for you to watch for in regards to his breathing etc....it would be a semi-long post so want to make sure you want the info before I write it.

[Hilder420]

yeah definately... do you really think it could be heartworms? i hope not.. any help you can gimme would be greatly appreciated.He isnt overwheight, he might be a couple of pounds over his ideal weight, but not enough so that he would be stressed by it.. ever since he was a baby, he would make noises while breathing, and only in the past year has his breathing become a problem

[Weedhound]

He doesn't look fat enough from his photos to cause an issue but file that one in the back of your head. Losing weight will make a pretty good difference in pain control too....a few pounds isn't alot to you and me but you're talking about a five or six pound dog there. ;) Heartworm is definitely something to think about......can have for quite awhile before issues become apparent. I would think it would be something your vet would have tested for.

When you do notice the breathing problems? Excercise? Sleeping? Gulping down dinner? Does it come in cycles and then disappear? Does it seem to match when he is in pain?

One thing to keep an eye in his heart rate. You can put your ear to his chest or even better.....but a (cheap) stethosope and keep it on hand. Normal heart rate in a dog that size is about 100-150 beats per minute. If he's playing or expending energy I wouldn't be upset about 180.....for short periods. Anything over 200....time for vet.....immediately. (so would anything under 60 in that dog)...an increased heart rate would be one of the things you would see immediately if he were struggling for oxygen. It's also a good indication of pain......you will see it rise when they hurt.....but not to 200 unless they are really in agony. Check his a lot at rest so you know what his normal is.

When he has breathing episodes.....watch carefully. DOES he have respiratory effort? If so....vet. If he IS having respiratory effort....is it on inspiration (inhaling) or expiration (exhaling).

Learn his normal gum color (pink) (also called mucous membranes...mm;s) look at them all the time....you will soon know what normal is for him....then check it when he acts ill. Signs of off gum color usually start with light pink and go to gray, then blue. I don't even like to see light pink in a dog but grayish or bluish tones signify IMMEDIATE emergency as he will would not be receiving enough oxygen to survive for very long.

Also check the "crt" capillary refill tiime. With your thumb push a bit on his mm's and see how long it takes for the blood to return to a normal color in the gums. It should take no more than a second to a second and a half.....slow refill time indicates reduced blood pressure and is NOT normal.

The trick in my opinion is not what you can do for you dog at home.....it's learning to recognize where responsibility for the animal's health ends for you and becomes time for your vet. Some of these hints will help you pick out the signs that tell you it's time for the doctor....and not just watching him at home. The more you know about your munchkin.....the more it well help his doctor. Then the more you both can work together for him.

Vets are afraid of owners I think because too many people misinterpret the signals that the animal gives out when ill...(remember...animals hide illness....natures way) ..if your vet can trust YOUR judgement about your pet you'll find there will be alot less issues between the two of you....(tests...more tests....lots of returns to the vet office....different meds......) ..which can only be good for Powder. :thumbsup:

[Hilder420]

ok hes been tested for heartworms.. negative... thank goddess! his gums are pink/ red with no discoloration, his blood returns within a second, his hear rate was normal at the time of his visit, we will start alternating hot and cold when his hip starts to hurt and reduce his pain meds. Poor little powder hes been poked, prodded, stuck with needles, and kept away from his beloved pillows for much too long. the doc took blood and theyre gonna do blood test for a bunch of shit including infections. another thing, when he breathes, you can hear a bubbling like he has phlem or liquid in his lungs.. could it be bronchitis? can dogs get bronchitis? how do u test for bronchitis anyway... and thanks weedhound for all the info and takin the time to worry bout my little one. also, thaks to the rest of ya for ur kind words - hilder

[Mrs. Greenjeans]

Poor Powder. I will send him some green energy.

[Weedhound]

Some dogs do get bronchitis or even pneumonia but that doesn't really sound like the problem or I don't think he would have episodes of feeling great....running around....eating happily....etc..... Anything inside the chest would usually require an x-ray and sounds like you and your vet have been on top of it so I'd think he did one already.

Speaking of......when you do see him have a problem...check carefully for the respiratory effort I was talking about. Is he having trouble getting air IN (inhalation?) or pushing the air back OUT (exhalation) Effort on inhalation usually means some problem in the upper respiratory tract....nose, trachea etc.... while effort on EXHALATION will lead one much more to the thought of a lung/chest issue.

With your (cheap) stethoscope make a habit of listening to his lungs, throat etc....then listen again when he's having problems. Where is that sound the loudest....his chest or his throat? Pinpointing that part will go a HUGE way in solving the puzzle.

Let me say that troubles in EITHER area can cause severe breathing difficulties but knowing your pets vital signs really helps your vet pinpoint what's going on......we hope. :)

PS...as far as pain control.....when he is having pain issues check his gums....sometimes (not always) SOMETIMES you will see their gums actually get more pink than usual....sort of a coral/reddish color due to increased blood pressure. Usually you will see the animals panting heavily if you are seeing this particular thing but not always. This would not be something I would consider normal either....just fyi. ;)

[LuckyG]

Animals can recover from some pretty bad stuff... I've had a cat that was hit by a car and paralyzed from the waist down, but six months later she was walking again. Pegleg was born without a left hind leg, but she learned to manage stairs just fine, and then there was one whose butt went necrotic... she pulled through too. For breathing trouble I'd recommend taking Powder to a professional, but do what you feel is right, and hopefully Powder recovers. Best wishes. :)

[Hilder420]

Its been decided, Probably this tuesday, I'm taking my powder to be put to sleep. last night he was breathing really hard and was swaying he was working so hard to breathe. I think he almost passed out or got dizzy cfrom the oxygen depravation. im so sad, i dont want to lose my little baby boy, but its for his own good. I hope to cremate him and keep him forever. Im gonna go cry

[MadSativa]

cool dog reminds me I gott feed m dog.