Carley was brought into the shelter with 5 puppies that were approximately 12 weeks old.
Carley means "FREE" "Little and Strong" & "Farmer's meadow" She is free, little, and strong from a cage into a meadow.
Day One in her new home~ 4-25-14
I saw Carley's pic on Facebook and that she was in a high kill shelter in North Carolina and needing out. I seen this beautiful girl and thought..how in the world am I gonna get her to Texas. Well thanks to a wonderful rescue group, A Shelter Friend; I was able to adopt her. She arrived with Wheels 4 Paws Transport in Texas on April 25th, 2014. That was a long ride for that girl. She ate alot and slept alot after that long trip here. Now she can relax and enjoy life with her new sisters.
For introduction to my pack and our first meet: Had a friend come over, a doggie friend of mine and she helped me. That was a Godsend let me tell ya. Hard to watch a bunch of dogs. Little Ms priss Carley was a little growly. Who could blame her, she wanted to be left alone after 1500 miles. But after about an hour or so..she started warming up and her ears went down. She stuck close to me as well. When I first picked her up, which was about 7:30pm...we went for a freedom burger (Sonic). I bought her two junior burgers and me a cheeseburger and she scarfed down both burgers and half of mine. Then we went on to the house. The intro didn't go as I planned in my head, but it still went ok. Anyway I showed her a bed she could lay on. Well that's her bed now. She has claimed it. She hasn't left it hardly. She was scared last night in the dark and the neighbors dog kept barking, but today she went out and finally pee'd. She has ate like a hog and slept alot. When we got home last night I gave her a little raw food and some cooked chicken breast. Also cottage cheese and some treats. She scarfed every single bit of it down. Today I fed her raw food again. she scarfed it down too. I fed her some tonight but she didn't eat but just a little. Maybe we reached a full point. I kept waiting for diarrhea and vomiting but so far nothing. I tried to put her in bed with me last night and she started panting. So either she was hot or nervous. Sydney wasn't hot (and she's hot blooded) so I think it was nerves. I showed her her crate and she was having no part of it and I don't blame her and was not about to put her in it. She traveled 1500 miles in one. I wasn't gonna do that to her. So I put all the dogs in my bedroom and shut the door. She slept in the living room on HER bed and stayed there all night. I left the doggie door open but I am sure she didn't go out. She may be partially dehydrated from her trip. She is a little cutie. She's all bones. I will fatten her up for sure. She is a tiny thing. Half the size of my big girls. I weighed her and she weighs 41 lbs.
Today she's doing good. No more growly's. OH..its sooo cute. She makes this grumble noise. Like a dog would do when whining. Its her talking to me. Its adorable. I gave her a sponge bath. She was pretty dirty and shedding alot. We sat on a towel in the kitchen and I had a pan of soap and water. I got a washcloth and washed her down best I could.. She sat very still the whole time I did this. So adorable and a sweetheart. She is great riding in the truck too. She hasn't quite figured out the big girls yet. Sydney is barking at the mailman and she is looking around like..what the heck is going on..she isn't sure whether to run or join in. Its been a nice intro and she will do just fine here. No food issues that I have seen at all so far either. I grabbed her food away and she was fine. Dogs were 3 ft away and no growling. That was a test. No odd behavior. Seems she likes having sisters. LOL.
before leaving North Carolina
Our first meet
At the Sonic for her freedom burger before going to her new home.
First night in her new home...exhausted after a long trip
4-26-14
She was more relaxed today. She seems a little scared of being outside at night. So I have to walk out with her. She doesn't know how to use the doggie door so I am teaching her that. She went outside on her own today but I had the back door open for her to come in and out as she pleased. So she did go outside but she stayed within eye sight of me pretty much. I have not heard her bark yet. That's ok. I don't like yappers. LOL
sporting her new pink collar and tag
4-29-14
The last couple of days Carley has been coming out of her shell. Actually being a little mischievous. Little stinker. But she likes the sandbox and slung about half the sand completely out of the box. I just sat and watched her as she had fun doing that. Then she started doing zoomies and also playing with the stuffless toy. The little stinker chewed up a boot and she's trying to get to my flower bed. She also grabbed a small solar light decorative ornament sitting in my rock garden and took off running with it. So shes being a little stinker. She doesn't seem to care for walking across tile floors. She also isn't quite housebroke yet even though she uses the doggie door. She has been sleeping in the living room. She isn't sure about other rooms. She seems to stay in the living room and doesn't leave there other than to go outside. So she's still a little skittish about things. She's been barking at the neighbors and also running the fence line with Sydney barking at the lawnmower on the other side of the fence. She doesn't mind the mower at all though. I mowed today and she laid out in a spot I wasn't mowing and went to sleep. This girl talks. She is soooo cute when she does that. She's been kinda howling talking to me. Also when you talk to her and or get close to her..she grumbles. It's the same as a whine but she grumbles. You almost think it's a growl but it isn't. It's cute. We had a bad day yesterday. I had to run an errand and was gone for about an hour/hour and a half at most. I had put her in a wire crate with lots of padding and comfy bedding. I gave her a cookie before I left for her in her crate. When I got home..she has chewed the cover (canvas) in half at the bottom. There was a little blood on it. She also chewed at the wires. I had a leash laying on top of the crate..on top of the cover and somehow she got that and chewed it in half. Man I couldn't believe it. SOOOO I tore the crate down and put it to the curb because one of the wires had come lose or unwelded. (??) Well now I have to purchase a plastic crate to put her in. And those aren't cheap. So little Ms Priss has been a busy body tearing up stuff. But she will learn manners as the other dog's have. Seems this baby has never had a family. If she did..she was never an indoor dog.
relaxing in her new yard
5-2-14
Well the last 2 days Carley has really come around. She's doing so much better. Today was awesome. She walked across the tile floor without any issues and wanted to go out front for our nightly walk for the first time. She wasn't so skittish at all. Her and Callie played for like 2 hours and it was great to watch. They are both the same size and both around the same age. I was out working in the yard so all the dogs were out there with me. Today she finally got a bath and OMG..her coat now is so glossy and shiny. Just beautiful. At first she was not liking the bath. She was ready to dart..but after me scrubbing her and talking to her..she calmed down enough to half way enjoy it. I can tell she feels so much better. Tonight I cooked some steaks and she loved that. I know that pour girl has never tasted a steak. She is on a raw diet along with my other girls and getting lots of immune system building supplements. She is eating 2-3 times a day. I want to get some meat on her bones. But she is starting to blossom now. She sure is a talker. LOL OH OH, I am DNA testing her and I will post her results when I get them. Hopefully in a couple of weeks.
Hot blooded girl
5-7-14
Ms Carley is sleeping in the bed with me now. She sleeps right next to me. She loves playing tug a war with me. I love her talking. It's so adorable. I think she is finally housebroken. No accidents in a couple days. Guess I should say for certain after a week or so of no accidents. I can tell she's gained a couple of lbs. Her spine isn't so boney now. She is eating like a horse. She's settling in here. I think she gets mischievous when she's a little nervous. Otherwise when I am right here, she is fine. She's scared of my camera so she gets away from me when I have it.
5-12-14
We had some storms today and alot of thunder...well she's scared of storms. She shook alot and kept running to me for me to help I suppose. She eventually made a spot under the kitchen table for awhile...which all the rest were in there as well since I was cooking..but they were there cause they are all scared. Yesterday she was destructive. she shredded newspapers laying on the coffee table as well as a wooden coaster. I am thinking she does this when she is kinda stressed out. Had my roomie come home for the first time to meet her and she seemed very nervous for the first day. She did that here with me the first week or so. She is apparently housebroken. No more accidents have happened in a week. She is looking really good now. No more bones poking out anywhere. She's at a descent weight now. We go Thursday to get bloodwork done and a Heartworm test. Paws crossed she isn't HW positive. Did I mention her and Callie are BFF's now?
5-15-14
We went today for bloodwork and HW test. We should have the results tomorrow. Also we got microchipped. She was a very good girl through all of that too. The vet guessed her age at 18 months. We weighed her today and she has gained 5 and a half lbs in 3 weeks. She is now at 46 and a half lbs. She looks good now. She's slowing down on eating too. She isn't eating quite as much in one feeding. She growled at a dog that came and got up in her face at the vets office. Seems she doesn't like strange dogs in her face/space. ( I don't blame her).
gained weight
5-16-14
Carley is HW positive. We started her treatment immediately using the slow kill method.
5-19-14
DNA Test Results: American Staffordshire Terrier, Boxer, Bull Terrier and Bulldog mix. Also could be included in smaller amounts: Cairn Terrier, Yorkie, Bichon or English Springer. In that order.
6-5-14
Carley is looking great. A super shiny coat and she loves to play. She plays every day with Diamond and Callie. She's such a grunter. She even has smiled. She is finally not so worked up over riding now since we take short trips to the store or riding around. I took her into Home Depot one day and she did very well. She walked well with me. She sleeps right next to me every night. She loves the nightly walk we take to the mailbox which is just one house over. I have her on an extended leash but she hardly ever leaves my side. She shows way to much interest in other animals..cats, dogs etc so I wont let her off leash till that's under control and she no longer wants to bark at them or run off. The others learned it and so will she. She will probably get off leash quicker than the others have. She's doing really well. She does have a digging thing going on..and I am trying to teach her not to dig to China. Thats what the sandbox is for..for digging and I sit and watch her dig in it. She's smart so I know she will catch on soon. Same goes for chewing. Her chewing seems more separation anxiety than anything. I can be sleeping and she will chew up things. One day she chewed up everything in the house I think. OMG..that was not a good day. She stays with me now when i sleep so I think shes ok but I am watching her. Shes a little toot. I call her "Little Poot" cause she is..LOL She is absolutely stunningly beautiful though. She's a very happy girl. She's not broken like a lot that come out of a shelter. I am glad for that. She is napping alot now on my bed. Seems to be her favorite spot now.
Laying on her pallet in the living room
6-17-14
Carley is doing very well. She is still skittish of some noises and also doesn't like my camera's either.. She is playing alot and being a pure sweetheart. She hasn't destroyed anything in awhile. Thank God! LOL She sleeps right next to me and doesn't get out of bed now until I do. Such a good girl. She has slowed down on being a pig now. She eats normal like the other dogs. She's not big on treats unless shes hungry. She's hot blooded. Can't cover her up unless its cold in here. Finished her doxy treatment and now getting a monthly dose of Heartgard. Also giving her herbs for the heart. She is an awesome little girl. Love her!
6-26-14
Carley is doing wonderful. She seems to have finally settled in good and is one of the pack now. She walks off leash with us at night and stays right with me. She has stopped chewing and digging (occasional dig). She sleeps when I sleep and doesn't get up till I do. She isn't barking at every single thing she hears now. She's doing wonderful. She's still a little skittish about some things and of course scared of storms but overall..she has settled right in. She such a wonderful, sweet and beautiful girl. She's awesome. Can't be more proud of her progress.
7-11-14
Carley is now 50.5 lbs. She's nice and rounded now. Took her for a ride just her and I to Home Depot and took her inside. (Had to buy some more sand for the sandbox she has dug out). She was VERY scared. She walked extremely slow checking out anything around her. One of the female employee's sat down and petted and loved on her. Seemed like after that she relaxed just a little and picked up her walking pace some. A little time and a few more trips there and I think she will learn to relax. She's so beautiful. So glad to have her here with me. Below she had her first raw chicken leg and was unsure about it..but as you see..she ended up eating the bone and leaving the largest part of the meat. Goofy girl
7-28-14
We had some storms a couple weeks ago and this is her hiding from the storm. Very scared of them. So what I do with all the scaredy cats is, put them on a bed in the kitchen and cover them up with blankets for security. I also turn the TV up louder than normal to help drown out the sound as much as possible. Also I wanted to mention Carley smiling. This dog smiles and she smiles big. Her nose is so crinkled up, it looks like she's growling but she is smiling so big, it is just adorable...right along with her grunts for talking. She has such an awesome personality.
Can you say, Pitty Party? Here are the other dogs although the dachshund isn't scared, she's just always where I am.
Meany
9-2-14
Well after so much playing that she LOVES to do, she has been limping a little on her front right paw. I did some therapy on it tonight with a moist heat pack and a pain pill. Playing has been restricted for now. I don't see any swelling or injuries at all. In fact everything looks good. Seems to hurt upon getting up from laying down..which is also a sign of arthritis. She's really too young I think for that yet. I think its a pulled or strained muscle. I will watch her closely till she's feeling good again. I have strong joint supplements coming on Thursday so hopefully that will help as well. Poor baby..she isn't sure what it is I am trying to do for her yet. Anything different kinda frightens her so I was easy and gentle tonight while I talked to her and petted her. She did good.
Eye Disease
9-17-14
Well we ended up going to the vet last Friday. We got some bad news. Carley appears to have a very rare auto immune disorder that is mostly common in Golden Retrievers. Although mixed information on the web says it can effect mixed breeds as well. It is called ExtraOcular Myostitis. It makes the eyes swell and bulge and turn outward like a bulldog's eyes. The only way to treat it is with Steroids. After the first dose..the swelling went way down. The second dose took all of it away. The turned out eyes finally went away as of Monday. She looks great. Although these meds are to be taken for a couple of weeks minimum and then wean her off over a period of 2 months. (So what the info said on the web). BUT we have a problem. These meds have made her extremely depressed. Doesn't seem to be a side effect although I have read in forums where the persons dog wasn't acting quite right after taking steroids. Well Carley is EXTREMELY depressed. She's a very bubbly playful fun girl and she has done nothing but lay around. Wont play, doesn't want to go outside where she loves to go every day and hang out for awhile. She just lays around or sleeps. Her appetite is down as well. My vet wants us to come back in for a recheck and discuss further options as to her progress with the meds. I am taking her in tomorrow. I can't stand seeing her so depressed. This disease was just discovered in 1991 and is so uncommon..not much is really known about it. So I have my work cut out for me to find more answers. Stay Tuned. (I took Carley out for a ride and to run around the schoolyard for a few minutes. This pic below was her yesterday. She looks great but depressed).
9-26-14
We have been to the vet twice since last update. The second vet we seen isn't sure exactly what caused this and there IS a possibility of it being a reaction from the Benadryl. It is undetermined the cause and diagnosis at this time. We are weaning her off the steroids since her mood is lousy. We should have her off of it within a week.
10-19-14
Carley is finally back to her old self. Being playful and hanging out outdoors alot like she use to. She DID gain some weight from taking the steroids but we will work at losing some of it. But she's being Carley again. We are happy.
12-9-14
Carley has had some limping issues for a couple months. We THOUGHT it was from a bee sting but it wasn't. She has either hurt her ankle while playing or she has had some previous arthritis from an old injury before she came here and the cold weather made it act up. I took her to the vet and had x-rays and nothing is broken. So it appears to be a sprain/strain or old arthritic injury. I will continue to watch her and try to determine the problem. In the mean time, she had a cyst pop up on her skin. It's the size of a pencil eraser. Vet says we need it removed. So we are saving for that. It probably isn't anything to worry about but we do need it removed. No pictures have been taken since its cold outside and we haven't really gotten out much for pictures. We will come spring. But she's a real love bug. She snuggles right next to me. She's so pretty. I love her talking to me like she does (lots of grunting) and her smiling. She played with me tonight for really the first time to play like she did. It was a lot of fun. I expected hard play bites but she didn't. She was gentle with me.
Ears
2-24-15
Carley is doing well and has had no limping issues for atleast a month now. She's doing great! She's my snuggle buddy. She sleeps right next to me very close. She is such a talker.
May 2015
Carley is officially heartworm negative
Oct. 15, 2015
Carley had her teeth cleaned today and xrays and a cyst/lump removed from her side along with full bloodwork. She has a fractured canine tooth. UGH! I think it probably happened before I got her since her teeth were pretty worn on the backside of them. She got 5 stitches on her side also where they removed the lump. She was totally out of it when I picked her up. We had to carry her to the truck. She slept the rest of the day and kinda laid around the next day. After that she was back to normal. We will watch those teeth. No chewing on anything hard.
2-2016
All tucked in for bed..right next to me. Back when Carley had surgery, she came home and began tearing up things. Chewing things up. So I started thinking it was surgery related. Well for several months this went on. About a month or so ago, it stopped. I didn't do anything different. It just stopped. So I feel certain now it was from the surgery. There is a medication that was used called Acepromazine (Promace ®) I had told my vet not to use this but he did anyway. I think he forgot because he didn't do any fluoride treatment per my request. This medication has some serious side effects. So even in a routine procedure, this was used for surgery purposes. Make sure your vet isn't using this. Some dogs have some horrible reactions to it. None of my dogs will EVER get this again..EVER!
4-2016
Carley looking beautiful for a photo
8-2016
Carley swimming
9-2016
February 2017-Carley chewing on her meaty raw rib bone. Diamond and Carley are best of buds now. Callie has decided to hang out by herself mostly. They play every single day. I didn't mention above, that fractured tooth she had..shattered. We had to have it removed. She was put into a twilight sleep to remove it. It was in pieces. She is doing well.
November 2017 - Carley is doing good finally. Her and her sister got into a fight about 6 weeks ago. They are buddies but we think a squirrel got them wound up and they go into it. Needless to say Carley got the short end of the stick. She was sore for 4 days and bruised up with lots of scrapes and marks on her. No stitches needed. One deep puncture on her lower belly but it healed nicely. She had a flare up on her shoulder/upper arm and it filled with fluids (blood and pus) for several weeks. I kept it drained and applied colloidal silver daily. She had a couple lumps pop up but vet said he felt it was from the fight. They have since disappeared. She is doing well now. As you see in the pic above..she's looking beautiful as ever. Her and sis are no longer left alone together.
(update: I discovered that Carley gets excited and will snap at another dog that's nearby. So her excitement has to stay contained and she has to be watched all the time)
1-7-2018
6-2018 Carley looking adorable
8-2018
Found a lump under Carley's front left leg (armpit). Same leg that had the puss draining out of it last year. Going to take her in for a check up and lump check. Otherwise she is acting and being normal.
11-2018-Lump shows a plasma cell tumor. Vet says most are benign and to just keep an eye on it.
3-2019-Carley's lump under her arm has gone down on its own. It went from a marble size to now a pea size.
April 25th, 2019 - Birthday
July 4th, 2019
August 2019 Carley's lump under her arm is completely gone
2020
2021
April 25th, 2021
She loves being in this spot watching out front
my youngin is getting so gray faced...
February 2021 - EARS
11-3-2021 Carley went in this week for bloodwork and teeth cleaning. No tooth extractions. Bloodwork was pretty good. No issues to worry about there. They gave her some Amoxicaps for after we got home and....she got severe diarrhea. I stopped them last night. She has not been acting right at all. No appetite etc. Today she is somewhat better but laying around more than normal. I think she will be ok tomorrow. Damn drugs are so dangerous sometimes. Anyway she gained some weight so we are going to focus on losing a few lbs now.
We did titers for immunity. Get results back first week of December.
12-3-2021 WOOHOO..Carley is immune to Distemper, Adenovirus, Parvo and Rabies. NO VACCINES NEEDED!
Ears and a gray face - 12-14-2021
April 25th, 2022
July 2022
4-25-2023
5-6-2023
Carley got a check up yesterday. We did blood work with heartworm test and ProBNP (heart test) but Dr G said it sounded good to him. We did x-rays, overall everything looked pretty normal. I had him check out a few things (lump on chest, gums looking odd around a back molar etc) for her. And we will get blood work back next week. Carley been a little off lately. A little more picky about food which isn’t normal and sleeping a whole lot more. Carley went with us on the entire trips yesterday with Diamond. Poor thing got drug around in the heat going to vet clinics where she didn’t want to be. LOL Overall she appears to be doing well.. Will update on bloodwork next week. I expect it to look pretty good but we shall see. I had Diamond in the front seat so I had to put the console upright. Poor Carley couldn’t see much. She usually rides in the backseat and looks between the seats moving forward.
5-9-2023
Spoke with vet on Carleys bloodwork. Her heart test was good, Heartworm Negative, and most all looked good. A slight elevation in Kidney numbers. Something to watch but her urinalysis came back fine. She has a couple small lumpy things around a back molar. He called it something and most are benign and common in Boxers. Well she has some boxer in her. Also I had him look at a lump on her chest. It COULD be a mast cell but he wasnt sure without checking it..but to keep an eye on it for now. So now with all of that, Carley is overall in good health for being 11 yrs old.
Standing watch now.....
6-29-2023 I am a little nervous but I started Carley on Adequan. The Ostinol doesn't seem to be doing alot so I had to go to the Adequan. Due to her numbers on bloodwork, I am nervous about it. I am giving her some herbs for the kidneys though. I need to go back and look at her bloodwork to double check things.
Carley has really had a hard time with Diamond being gone. She no longer sleeps in the bdrm now. I don't know why. She seems lost. Even acting different about certain things. She seems to be ok at times though. She wants to go for walks but it's WAY too hot...even at night. It's still 80-85 at night and humid. I do take her and Callie for a ride though. I hope she gets better and comes back to sleep with me.
7-10-2023
7-23-2023
7-22-2023
7-24-2023
After 1 month of loading doses of Adequan, Carley is still not walking too great. NOW we are at watch and wait and see if it progresses. Sigh!
Carley not looking too happy....Maggie's first day here
8-1-2023
I have ordered a test kit I found and that can be done at home to check for Degenerative Myelopathy. Let's hope she doesn't have it but I think she may. I have now set up the pool to start her on water therapy. She needs to lose some weight as well. She still is not happy with Maggie being here.
Poor baby...it was so hot in the truck. Carley has struggled to walk in her back end. We are doing water therapy. I spoke to a vet. Could possibly be arthritis in her spine. I ordered some Green Lipped Mussel to start her on. Will be doing adjustments on her back as well.
8-14-2023
Carley with her frosty face. I take her next week for x-rays of her back. We will see if vet see's anything.
August 23rd, 2023
Took Carley to new vet today. She did x-rays on her back. A tiny bit of arthritis/spondylosis, a small chip out of her bone on her right shoulder and a little crackling in her right knee. Overall she looks pretty good. SO, either she has some nerve being pinched causing her to drag her feet or it is DM. I ordered the test from UC DAVIS that checks for the genes in DM patients. In a couple weeks I will have my answer. It is one or the other.....
Sept 8th, 2023
Carley does NOT have the DM gene. Thank God. I have put her on Green Lipped Mussel with Turmeric. Carley is also losing her hearing more. She acts different now.
Sept 23, 2023
Sept 27, 2023
Sept 30th, 2023
Nov 4, 2023
The last 3 nights I have gotten Carley to sleep in the bedroom with me again. She always slept on the bed with me but since Maggie is now there and Carley has a hard time walking, she is now sleeping on a bed next to the door. She seems to be doing ok with it. She hasn't slept in there since April of this year, before Diamond passed away. Hopefully she will continue. Her attitude has gotten better. She seems a little happier these days. She seems to have finally accepted Maggie now. Even caught them playing a little bit. I think I am about to put her on a strict diet. We need to get some weight off of her. Its harder now since Maggie is here and she now thinks she is in competition with Maggie so she wants every single bite of whatever Maggie is having.
11-8-2023
11-24-2023
12-4-2023
12-11-2023
Carley has slept in the bed with me now during our naps a couple of times. That's very good. I put her on Devils claw and a Chinese herb for spine support. We shall see. I also have been giving her Gabapentin this week. One capsule twice a day. Don't see a huge difference at all but she has kinda pepped up a little. May be my imagination though. We went on a walk last night and right at the end she started dragging her feet but did pretty good on the rest of the walk. I also am giving her adjustments as well. Trying to help her to walk better. Doubt anythigng will help. I think it is some sort of pinched nerve in her back, possibly herniated disc or something. My lil punkin. She's a sweetie. Oh that possible mast cell tumor on her chest..well I got rid of it a about 2 months ago. hehe. I used CDS spray on it 1-2 times a day for about 3 weeks. Poof..gone!
2023
A phone app - a friend made these for me. Doesn't look like her though.
Jan 3rd, 2024
Keeping Carley warm in the garage while she looks out. Just out of camera, is a heater blowing on her.
1-12-2024
1-17-2024
2-8-2024
Doing therapy on Carley. We started her on a new supplement. It's called Voltrex and Lumbrex by Gold Standard. We will see how all of this works for her.
3-11-2024
3-14-2024 Carley could barely walk about a week or so ago so I decided to increase dosage of Gabapentin, add in Rimadyl and also she had a bladder infection so she got 5 days of Clavamox for that. I ran out or would have given them a little longer. Today she showed some improvement and seemed to be feeling better. She had a lump area...more of a swollen area around her hip.spine are that was big. It has now since gone down. It's noticeable a little but not like it was. We go see the vet next week.
3-20-2024
This vet doesn’t know either Carleys thing with her back..which I totally expected that. I know its nerve related and I seen very little on her xrays that she had done in August. He mentioned MRI and I said yeah that’s not gonna happen..what $5000 he said around $2000. An MRI doesn’t always give answers and even if it does..then you are looking at a $5000 surgery. Not happening. Anyway we talked about her bloodwork done last May and a few numbers elevated..kidney related and I said yep and why I want to check them again plus its time. He told me keep Carley moving..walking mostly. Her muscle mass is good also. And this seems to be slowly coming on..so who knows how much it will progress.. I sent him also the DM test to make sure that was ruled out..cause he had that look like he was thinking it might be. He said if her hip swells again to bring her in..he may want to aspirate it..thinking possibly a tumor. The swelling has gone since I started her on those pain meds…which reduces inflammation. He gave me a few more pain pills. I told him I was good on Gabapentin. He said I can give both of those AS NEEDED and told him that’s what I been doing. I know she has some arthritis going on cause she is slow to get moving once getting up. Anyway the teeth., the front top canine is dead. He said he may or may not need to remove it. Depends on the root pulp and if any infection. Same for tumor on tooth. He can remove tumor but it most likely will grow back..but he could biopsy it. The worst case scenario on cost is $3000. HOLY CRAP! I told vet tech..yeah with this economy that’s probably not gonna happen. She said even for me working here that’s a lot. LOL. I told him we were working at losing some weight. He said I can still see her ribs so she isn’t too much over weight. I said yeah I think she needs to lose about 10 lbs..but she did get her nickname PIGLET cause she’s round..like a pig. Built like one. He said 5 or 6 lbs. And her tummy was there even when skinny when I first got her from having babies. That won’t ever go away. Told him I would get her in the pool this summer to keep her going. So anyway all I can do is work hard at keeping her moving..as for the teeth..most likely now isn’t gonna happen. She’s old and it’s not worth spending $3000, $5000 or even more on her.
Vet tech was like, I read her records..she said that was a lot. I said not really…she has had the least amount of visits..LOL It was her records from since 2014 since I got her from my former vet.
Carley had a bladder infection last week..and I gave her antibiotics also. This is the same time her muscle in her back was swollen. So either pain meds and/or antibiotics took away that swollen area. They did a urinalysis on Carley. They want a fecal. We did a full senior blood work up on her and will get results back in a day or two.
4-4-2024
Vet didn’t have a clue what was causing this. Recommended MRI..in which are $2500+...money I don’t have and won't have. Then once that would be done, they would recommend surgery ($5000+). I already know where that was going. Sooo I have myself also been trying something out on her. Yes, I am using dangerous meds..Prednisone. The one medication I cannot stand to give..unless it is urgent or last resort. Her back has swelled up. She had a lump on one side of her backend, lumpy all down her spine. I was doing adjustments every single day and feeling her bones out of place. Putting red light on her entire back, doing ultrasound and all kinds of different supplements. Not one single thing has worked..except for meds. And I hate to say that because all medications have dangerous side effects and I don't like using them unless I have to. First I gave her Rimadyl for about 5 days. I also gave her Clavamox for 5 days (it’s all I had)....an antibiotic in case there was some sort of infection in the spine. Her lump on her back went down. Then I took her off of those, waited the 72 hours in-between and started her on a low dose of Prednisone..twice a day. For two days I did that and it was knocking her out. She was sleeping the entire day and I even had to wake her to get up to go outside to potty. So I then went to one dose only at night..and that is much better. She's been on it since March 29th.
On April 5th I reduced it down again to half of that dose I have been giving. It’s weaning off time. I can say...she still walks the same but..she seems alot less stiff for sure. She was struggling just to stand and walk. Once she got going it wasn't too bad. On the prednisone, she is getting up and walking without struggling. And I havent had to give her any adjustments at all. Her spine has stayed inline. SO there is/was definitely something going on. We shall see how she is once back off the prednisone. You know what the vet said..keep her walking slowly. LOL Thats all he had to say for her. No meds, no nothing. She's having a birthday this month so I will make her an organic cake. A big 12 yrs old.