Some of you who have me on FB would know this.. but I thought I would share.
If your dog seems funny take them to the vet..
So Dekka will be 9 this January. Gasp, I know. Where has the time gone? She has been 'slowing' down the past few years. I never thought anything of it. Time marches on for all of us. Dekka did a big TV gig this summer (The Nature of Things, ... its a documentary show and we did an episode called 'a dog's life' and Dekka is the 'main' star.. but that is its own post) So I took pretty much all the money she made from that and we did a big check up. We did all the blood work, so we knew what her 'normal' was whilst she was healthy. They took xrays of her back as I can feel it 'click' sometimes when I hold her.
The xrays showed that two of her vertebrae were nearly touching. So we assumed this is some of the reason she was slowing down. We were wrong. The vet gave us some arthritis meds and she perked up a bit so we assumed this was it.
Now to be fair Dekka was still eager to go out and run around the farm, play with balls, chase sticks, tell off other dogs etc. She just slept more, was less demanding etc. The things you could chalk up to simply getting older.
Fast forward to a few weeks ago. Once night I noticed Dekka flinched when I moved my hand toward her face.
My dog does not flinch. Like ever.
So that was strange. The next day her eye looked a little funny. You would really have had to know her to see it. But it looked a little.. bulgy.
The next day I handed both Quest and Dekka each a piece of turkey. Quest's disappeared like it had been released into a powerful vacuum. Dekka however took it eagarly and then carried it around keeping it away from Quest. She looked happy but wasn't eating it.
My dog never does not eat things. Like ever.
So I pried it out of her mouth. She sat her tail wagging wanting it back. So I tore off a small strip and gave it to her. She managed with some difficulty to eat it. Then she began to shake and look like I had just beat her.
I went to my boyfriend who was playing on the computer and said "Something is wrong with Dekka." And I was trying not to cry, cause, well this is DEKKA. He is not a dog person so he looked a little confused and said "OK" as I am sure she looked perfectly fine to him.
I asked if he could help me look her mouth. He held the light and I tried to get her to open her mouth. She gave out a little scream. I called the vet and they were booked up full. They could squeeze her in but they wouldn't be able to do xrays or surgery. So we made an appointment for first thing the next morning with the plan if anything more happened I would go to the emerge with her.
Laura (maf) came and sat with Dekka whilst I went to work that evening. Dekka seemed happy but subdued.
The next morning Dekka seems perkier. But of course no food because we have no idea what the vet will need to do.
Dekka goes into the vet tail high and wagging, she loves the vets, weird dog. She is up and happy looking. So as I describe it to the vet you can see her kinda thinking 'oh right, over zealous dog mommie type' Though they should know, I am not a frequent flyer at the vet and they have been my vet since before this dog was born...
The vet goes to look in Dekkas mouth, she fights then screams. Now the vet is taking this seriously. (I TOLD you something was up with my dog) So she says she wants to knock her out and have a good look. I figured its some abscess or something.
So they take her to the back (I hate that.. I much prefer working with horse vets.. I get to be there through everything) and put her out. THen they call me. There is a HUGE, HUGE mass in the back of her mouth. Its actually causing enough pressure to cause the slight bulging of the eye. You can't see it from the outside of the teeth. Its all at the back..
I ask what it could be. The vet says they dont' know and will need to biopsy. I ask could it be cancer. I and she said it could be. I cried right then and there. So they removed the lump and sent a sample off.
Dekka was instantly better. Her eye looked fine and she was in high spirits. Of course she was on antibiotics and a daily dose of metacam.. I however am anxiously awaiting the results.
Days pass. Slowly. What if its cancer? What if its treatable but I can't afford it? What if its cancer and NOT treatable?
Its not cancer. I can't remember ever feeling so relieved. Anything disapointing happens these days and all I have to remember is 'my dog does not have face cancer' and everything else seems trivial.
However.. the metacam runs out. And my dog is still super up and active. Its like she is half her age. I have no idea how long that might have been growing deep in her jaw (it was by the 'hinge part') causing her pain. Because she is now showing NO signs of 'slowing down due to age'. She is back to being demanding, sneaky, and snarky (to other dogs). She is truly her old self again.
I feel so horrible that for at least the past year or two she has obviously been in pain and I never knew. I had her in at the vets, its not like I am negligent. If I hadn't handed her a big piece of turkey I wouldn't have seen it right then either. She had been eating her food. Which shocked the vet as this mass was HUGE. For those who know my dog, and how tiny she is.. this mass would have been a good 2 to 2.5 inches in diameter from what I could see.. no idea how far in and back it went.
So.. if your dog slows down.. aging might not be the culprit.
and if you got through all that.. I pic of my dog from this summer (so she would have been hurting here but you never would have known..)
If your dog seems funny take them to the vet..
So Dekka will be 9 this January. Gasp, I know. Where has the time gone? She has been 'slowing' down the past few years. I never thought anything of it. Time marches on for all of us. Dekka did a big TV gig this summer (The Nature of Things, ... its a documentary show and we did an episode called 'a dog's life' and Dekka is the 'main' star.. but that is its own post) So I took pretty much all the money she made from that and we did a big check up. We did all the blood work, so we knew what her 'normal' was whilst she was healthy. They took xrays of her back as I can feel it 'click' sometimes when I hold her.
The xrays showed that two of her vertebrae were nearly touching. So we assumed this is some of the reason she was slowing down. We were wrong. The vet gave us some arthritis meds and she perked up a bit so we assumed this was it.
Now to be fair Dekka was still eager to go out and run around the farm, play with balls, chase sticks, tell off other dogs etc. She just slept more, was less demanding etc. The things you could chalk up to simply getting older.
Fast forward to a few weeks ago. Once night I noticed Dekka flinched when I moved my hand toward her face.
My dog does not flinch. Like ever.
So that was strange. The next day her eye looked a little funny. You would really have had to know her to see it. But it looked a little.. bulgy.
The next day I handed both Quest and Dekka each a piece of turkey. Quest's disappeared like it had been released into a powerful vacuum. Dekka however took it eagarly and then carried it around keeping it away from Quest. She looked happy but wasn't eating it.
My dog never does not eat things. Like ever.
So I pried it out of her mouth. She sat her tail wagging wanting it back. So I tore off a small strip and gave it to her. She managed with some difficulty to eat it. Then she began to shake and look like I had just beat her.
I went to my boyfriend who was playing on the computer and said "Something is wrong with Dekka." And I was trying not to cry, cause, well this is DEKKA. He is not a dog person so he looked a little confused and said "OK" as I am sure she looked perfectly fine to him.
I asked if he could help me look her mouth. He held the light and I tried to get her to open her mouth. She gave out a little scream. I called the vet and they were booked up full. They could squeeze her in but they wouldn't be able to do xrays or surgery. So we made an appointment for first thing the next morning with the plan if anything more happened I would go to the emerge with her.
Laura (maf) came and sat with Dekka whilst I went to work that evening. Dekka seemed happy but subdued.
The next morning Dekka seems perkier. But of course no food because we have no idea what the vet will need to do.
Dekka goes into the vet tail high and wagging, she loves the vets, weird dog. She is up and happy looking. So as I describe it to the vet you can see her kinda thinking 'oh right, over zealous dog mommie type' Though they should know, I am not a frequent flyer at the vet and they have been my vet since before this dog was born...
The vet goes to look in Dekkas mouth, she fights then screams. Now the vet is taking this seriously. (I TOLD you something was up with my dog) So she says she wants to knock her out and have a good look. I figured its some abscess or something.
So they take her to the back (I hate that.. I much prefer working with horse vets.. I get to be there through everything) and put her out. THen they call me. There is a HUGE, HUGE mass in the back of her mouth. Its actually causing enough pressure to cause the slight bulging of the eye. You can't see it from the outside of the teeth. Its all at the back..
I ask what it could be. The vet says they dont' know and will need to biopsy. I ask could it be cancer. I and she said it could be. I cried right then and there. So they removed the lump and sent a sample off.
Dekka was instantly better. Her eye looked fine and she was in high spirits. Of course she was on antibiotics and a daily dose of metacam.. I however am anxiously awaiting the results.
Days pass. Slowly. What if its cancer? What if its treatable but I can't afford it? What if its cancer and NOT treatable?
Its not cancer. I can't remember ever feeling so relieved. Anything disapointing happens these days and all I have to remember is 'my dog does not have face cancer' and everything else seems trivial.
However.. the metacam runs out. And my dog is still super up and active. Its like she is half her age. I have no idea how long that might have been growing deep in her jaw (it was by the 'hinge part') causing her pain. Because she is now showing NO signs of 'slowing down due to age'. She is back to being demanding, sneaky, and snarky (to other dogs). She is truly her old self again.
I feel so horrible that for at least the past year or two she has obviously been in pain and I never knew. I had her in at the vets, its not like I am negligent. If I hadn't handed her a big piece of turkey I wouldn't have seen it right then either. She had been eating her food. Which shocked the vet as this mass was HUGE. For those who know my dog, and how tiny she is.. this mass would have been a good 2 to 2.5 inches in diameter from what I could see.. no idea how far in and back it went.
So.. if your dog slows down.. aging might not be the culprit.
and if you got through all that.. I pic of my dog from this summer (so she would have been hurting here but you never would have known..)
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So not your fault. Poor miss Dekka! Glad to hear it wasn't cancer.
