Allergies, Part 2 - The Intervention

So this is my follow-up to my previous post and it's not a particular happy one. I didn't realize the severity of this until after my vet had a chance to actually examine Jada. Well, here it goes ...

Jada paws are extremely infected, irritated, raw and dry. My vet, (her name is Dr. Mary Lombardo, V.M.D. and she has been wonderful with the treatment of Jada with all her issues.  Actually the entire staff at the Mahoning Valley Animal Hospital has been nothing but helpful to us!  I don't know what I would do without them!!), indicated she has never seen paws like this and that a major intervention was needed. She advised me that if this regimen of medications does not give Jada any relief, she may want to biopsy her pads to see if there is an immune system issue.  Dr. Mary also mentioned about a possible Zinc deficiency; however she should be getting that all in her prescription food.  As of right now, she is unsure of a definite diagnosis. Jada's condition will be treated several ways and each way is needed in her situation: 


1. Clavamox, an antibiotic for the infection;
2. Temaril-P, a steroid/antihistemine for the itching;
3. Sogelval Duoxo shampoo and spot-on droplets;
4. Derma-strength vitamins (probably will keep her on for life) for her skin; and,
5. E-collar to be worn 24/7.

The treatments numbered accordingly.

After Dr. Mary explained everything to me, I was a bit overwhelmed and upset.  I felt as if I had let Jada down by ignorning the issue and just continuing to do what I had done before.  Dr. Mary assured me that Jada is loved and cared for by me and that we can work with getting her better, it's just going to take some time.  I felt a little better but still worried.  Jada will go back for a check up in 3 weeks.

As soon as we had gotten home from the vet, I put the E-collar on Jada.  Less than a minute later and thinking she's Houdini, Jada had it off and carrying it around in her mouth.  I knew this was going to be challenging but only an hour after seeing the vet and I was already feeling defeated.  I'm open for tips on keeping an E-collar on a defiant dog! 

After a sleepless night of worrying and making sure Jada wasn't hiding to lick/chew at her paws, I was up at the crack of dawn determined to do what I can for Jada.  She is depending on me!  I sorted out her medications and I made a chart of what she gets daily.  It gets kind of confusing with her being on the different meds along with the shampoo and droplets being on on certain days of the cycle.  Plus with the steroids she will have to gradually weaned off so I want to make sure I don't miss a dose or over/under medicate.

I've been through so much with Jada, this is just another mountain to climb.  This time is seems a lot more challenging but I will do what I can for Jada.  I will take the 110% initiative to get her through this and get her back to healthy.  I made a promise to Jada and I won't let her down!

Allergies, Part 1

Every summer, like clockwork, Jada experiences allergies in her paws. This is due to allergens in the grass, such as pollen. If my memory serves me correctly, I believe it was the second year we had her that I started to notice this. She began to lick and chew on her paws and every year it seems to have gotten worse. Two years ago, she licked her paws so much that her paw pads turned white.  Last year she licked and chewed her paws until they were raw and hairless.  Now this year her paws are so raw it is affecting her walking and she is refusing to go out to the bathroom. I also can't cut her nails, or even touch her paws. She has them that raw and extremely sensitive to the touch.

After mentioning this to the vet and her pawdicurist, I was told to wash her paws after every time we came in from being outside to even giving her an over-the-counter antihistamine (i.e. Benadryl). It seemed to work for previous years but this year, things just seem to have spiraled out of control. Since we now live in the woods, our house is surrounded by grass, leaving Jada no choice but to have to walk through it and get whatever kind of allergen(s) on her paws.

I telephoned my vet this morning and she would like to see Jada today.  I made an appointment for her at 7:30 p.m.  The vet mentioned about possibly doing blood work and checking for lyme disease, something that has me worried. Of course I Goggled "lyme disease in dogs" and have gone into a major panic attack.  It mentioned it could lead to kidney/heart problems and possibly death.  I'm really hoping it isn't that serious.

Lately, I feel like a bad dog mom because I have been putting this problem off for a while now, just dealing with it like I had before :( I feel bad for yelling at Jada to stop licking her paws but I know they are really irritated.  I know she hides and licks them where I can't see. I just hope after this appointment we can get her better!

Here are some pictures of Jada so you can see how bad things are (NOTE: The pictures were taken on my Blackberry, so I apologize for the blurriness). I know other dogs suffer through allergies. Anyone else going through this with their dog?

Back Left Paw



Back Right Paw

 

Front Right Paw, raw and sore (this is the one she holds up when she limps)


I'm going to make this a two-part post. I will follow up with what my vet has to say after the appointment.  Say a prayer for Jada!



Wordless Wednesday - Chillaxin'



Chillaxin'

 

Happy 5th Birthday to Jada!!

NOTE: Friday, July 1st was Jada's actual birthday but I must not have schedule my blog to post right for that date that I accidently deleted it.  I had to redo it :(  I wish it would have posted on her actual birthday.  

Today is Little Miss Jada Kiss' 5th birthday!! I can't believe it's been 5 years of being blessed with my first furbaby! Let's all sing Happy Birthday to this special little girl ...



The Birthday Girl!



Must ... take ... hat ... off!!

One more picture with the hat!

Enjoying her birthday cake!

Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday to you,
Happy Birthday dear Jada,
Happy Birthday to you!





She got lots of treats (holistic and good for her belly!), Dingo bones and Dingo rings as a present.  I love you so much Jada and no matter how old you are, you will always be my little puppy girl!!

My First LOL caption!



My First LOL caption with Jada

Not that funny like some others on the website but it is my first one!  Also, I didn't put on the main page for voting but you can look under my profile MinPinMommie for whenever I make more!  To make your own LOL caption, visit the website ICanHasCheezburger-Dogs for dogs or ICanHasCheezburger-Cats for cats. They are totally worth a look and will make you laugh!!

By the way, Happy Friday!!

To The People Who Make Fun Of My Dog ...

Anytime I walk Jada, I'm always approached by people who want to pet her. This is totally fine with me and Jada but it never fails me that there is always that one person who has to say "look at the rat!" or "Oooooh, what a killer dog!" (said sarcastically, of course). I just have to get this off my chest ... IT'S NOT FUNNY AND I DON'T LIKE IT!!

Whew, now I feel a little better! But seriously, anyone else who has a smaller dog, do you get those kind of comments? I really can't stand it! I find it, well, offensive, but being the person I am, I just let it go and don't say anything back.  I just keep walking, ignoring the comments and not say anthing back. I still feel hurt though, for Jada, even though she could care less. They obviously aren't worth my or Jada's time. It's usually the older people, not children, who say it too! It almost feels like bullying to me. So they have to bully my dog to feel better about themselves? That's real mature!

Since we no longer live in town but out in the country, I thought I would no longer have to hear these silly comments but just the other day my neighbor called Jada a "rat." I just let it go, as usual. If they only knew that my husband and I got Jada because she was a smaller dog. This was because the house we owned when we lived in town was too small for a bigger dog and did not have a yard. We did research and made a smart decision to go with a small dog, rather than get a bigger dog and cram it into a small house with no where to run. That would have been unfair to the dog.

So to all those "funny" people out there, I will leave you with this quote:

"One reason a dog is such a lovable creature is his tail wags instead of his tongue." - Unknown

Wordless Wednesday - She Wore An Itsy Bitsy, Teeny Weeny ...

... red and white dot bikini!!