Wednesday, January 21, 2009

6 Month Anniversary!

I'm a little late posting, but last week was Addie's official 6th month anniversary - post diagnosis. We bought her celebratory extra tasty (though no by-products or flour) treats to celebrate as well as gave her many extra kisses! As her vet said "she has beaten all the odds". We are definitely cherishing every day she is with us. She is still doing well - likes to hike, play with her toys, and cannot resist searching out squirrels (though hard to find in winter..). We are hoping for many more months of good health.

Thursday, January 8, 2009

6 Month Vet Checkup

With Addie's recent cold paw issues, we thought we would go in a few days early for her 6 month checkup with the holistic vet.

All seems to be going well. Her pulse is good, he couldn't feel any lumps (other than the old and new fatty deposits), and her gums, paws, and tongue were all good and pink during the visit. He confirmed that giving her Yunnan when she has issues and stopping after the episode has passed is the best course of action. Otherwise, effectiveness of the drug may diminish.

He told us that everything relating to her diet was fine but that we might need to add some trace minerals if the half cup of kibble we include with each meal does not have any. We checked the Orijen label and it does add some vitamins and minerals. We will check with him tomorrow to make sure they are enough. He also said cooked food was good as he didn't want to take a chance with salmonella or any other issues that may come with uncooked meat.

She has beaten the odds so far, and we cherish every day. I read so many sad stories every day of others that are not as fortunate. It truly is heartbreaking. We know that day will come for us as well. But in the meantime, we give her many kisses a day and try to make every day special for her and us. Every day truly is a blessing.

Tuesday, January 6, 2009

January 6, 2009


Happy New Year everyone.

2008 was a challenging time but we are grateful that Addie is still with us as we head into 2009.

It was wonderful having her with us at Christmas. I know others were not as fortunate. We did spoil her with new squeaky toys that she enjoys every day. Grandma was also able to visit for the first time since Addie's diagnosis. It was great to have the whole family (including doggie cousins Lucy and Mazie) with us over the holidays.

We have been a bit concerned over the past couple of days because Addie's paws seem to be cold and her gums are more pale than normal. We have been giving more frequent doses of Yunnan which seems to help. We believe she had an internal bleed and hope that it has stopped.

We made an appointment with the holistic vet to get her 6 month, post-diagnosis checkup. We have noticed some subcutaneous lumps but we are not sure if they are serious or just fatty deposits that she has been getting for years. We hope Dr. Friedly will calm our worries later this week.