YorkieTalk.com Forums - Yorkshire Terrier Community


Welcome to the YorkieTalk.com Forums Community - the community for Yorkshire Terriers.

You are currently viewing our boards as a guest which gives you limited access to view most discussions and access our other features. By joining our free community you will have access to post topics, communicate privately with other members (PM), respond to polls, upload content and access many other special features. You will be able to chat with over 35,000 YorkieTalk members, read over 2,000,000 posted discussions, and view more than 15,000 Yorkie photos in the YorkieTalk Photo Gallery after you register. We would love to have you as a member!

Registration is fast, simple and absolutely free so please, join our community today!

If you have any problems with the registration process or your account login, please click here to contact us.

Go Back   YorkieTalk.com Forums - Yorkshire Terrier Community > YorkieTalk > Sick & Injured / Emergencies Talk
Register Blogs FAQ Calendar JavaChat Mark Forums Read

Reply
 
LinkBack Thread Tools
Old 08-25-2010, 02:31 PM   #1
Yorkie Talker
 
Katie7075's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: England
Posts: 13
Default My little baby Candy is going to leave me - what am I going to do.!!!!

Hi all, I am new to this site and pleased
to meet you all. My little baby is so sick with a collapsing trachea. She is 14 years old and has had it for a number of years. She has coped with it so well and it has never stopped her living her life but the last month has been just awful for her. Her x-ray shows that she also has an enlarged heart and that is putting pressure on her trachea also. This feeling of helplessness is just overwhelming me and I just want to scream all the time. Her medication is obviously making her sleep
a lot. She has not eaten a thing for a couple of days and I just don't know what to do about it. The vet has just started her on new medication
She is hardly coughing at the moment but she woke up with just a little bit of coughing today and she totally keeled over. I thought I had lost her. I don't know what to expect
next or what to do to help her right now. She does
not appear to
be in any pain but her breathing is
very laboured. This helpless feeling is unbearable. Does
anybody have any idea what I can get down her to keep her strength up?
Am I expected to have her put to sleep at this point and am I being really selfish by putting that thought out of my mind. Please help me as i would rePly appreciate any advise that Anybody could give
me. HELP!!!!! X

Katie7075
Katie7075 is offline   Reply With Quote
Welcome Guest!
Not Registered?

Join today and remove this ad!

Old 08-25-2010, 03:36 PM   #2
kjc
I♥PeekTinkySaph&Finny
Donating Member
 
kjc's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Baltimore, Maryland
Posts: 18,865
Default

I'm so sorry you're going through this.... I'm off to do some research on this and I'll be back to post in an hour or two. What medications is she on now?
__________________
Kat Chloe Lizzy
PeekABooTinkerbell SapphireInfinity
kjc is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-25-2010, 03:41 PM   #3
YT 1000 Club Member
 
Tae1107's Avatar
 
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: MA
Posts: 1,252
Default

Can you let us know what medications she is one....
__________________
Kerrianne
Tae1107 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-25-2010, 03:44 PM   #4
Yorkie Yakker
 
babyteddybears's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Georgia
Posts: 47
Default

So sorry to hear about your baby. As far as putting her down, that is a personal choice only you can decide. I put mine down last Sept., he was 13. It broke my heart, but I chose to do it because of his quality of life. ( lack of ) I had him cremated and he sits on my dresser in my room.
Again, so sorry you have to go thru this, it is one of the hardest things I had to cope with.
babyteddybears is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-25-2010, 03:55 PM   #5
kjc
I♥PeekTinkySaph&Finny
Donating Member
 
kjc's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Baltimore, Maryland
Posts: 18,865
Default

The University of Tennesse is doing research on surgery for CT dogs... maybe your vet could give them a call, or email , and check out their website for current info on procedures....

Here's one link and a phone number...

Bronchoscopy

Hope this helps.
__________________
Kat Chloe Lizzy
PeekABooTinkerbell SapphireInfinity
kjc is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-25-2010, 04:22 PM   #6
Resident Yorkie Nut Donating YT 20K Club Member
 
ladyjane's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Texas
Posts: 27,448
Default

I am so sorry you and your Candy are going through this. I will say that for her to live to be 14 with CT is a feat in and of itself.

I lost a CT pup on Christmas eve this past year. He was very sick in his last six months and had an enlarged heart.

This thread might give you some thoughts on this awful condition:

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/sic...g-trachea.html
ladyjane is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-25-2010, 04:37 PM   #7
Donating YT 1000 Club Member
 
143julz's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2008
Location: Largo, FL
Posts: 1,294
Default

So sorry you are going through this, you are not alone,
I hope you find some information that will help you!
__________________
Dudley Doo and Dexter too!!!
RIP (12/93-10/08) MY LIL JULZ!!!
143julz is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-25-2010, 04:41 PM   #8
My little Shadow
Donating YT Member
 
YorkichonBella's Avatar
 
Join Date: Dec 2007
Location: NC
Posts: 4,132
Blog Entries: 2
Default

I am so very sorry! You will definitely find support here, even though the decision is in your hands. We can all relate for your Love of Candy. She is still your baby even after 14 years. I think in your heart you will know when the time comes & you don't want her to suffer, not that it is going to come easy. Hoping that others will help with their experiences to ease your decision in knowing. Sending thoughts & prayers for Candy that the meds are making her rest and comfortable. HUGS to you Both!
__________________
Bella
Ganma-ma to ColeRIPNoahRIP
YorkichonBella is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-25-2010, 04:53 PM   #9
YT 1000 Club Member
 
Lizzie07's Avatar
 
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Ball Ground, GA
Posts: 1,262
Default

Katie, I am so sorry to hear your baby is so sick. I don't have any experience with CT, but I do have a dog that was diagnosed with an enlarged heart over two years ago, at age 13. She will be 15 in a month and a half. Also, Lisaly also had a yorkie with enlarged heart and she just lost Ashley at nearly 17 yrs old. There are things that can be done to help that, if it isn't too advanced.

My Opal actually has mitral valve prolapse, and it's the right atrium that is enlarged and pressing on her trachea, making her cough. She isn't having the problem with coughing right now.

Check out this thread http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/sic...ged-heart.html
__________________
Kristan
Lizzy's mom
Lizzie07 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-25-2010, 04:58 PM   #10
My Three Hearts
Donating Member
 
AprilLove's Avatar
 
Join Date: Mar 2006
Location: Wrapped around their paws :-)
Posts: 7,190
Default

I am so sorry for what you and your baby are going through
You will have lots of support here. I have not dealt with CT, but I am sure there will be others here who can relate their experience with it and what might help your baby girl.
Just want to offer hugs and let you know we are here for you and that you will know in your heart when/if it is the right time for your baby to move on. Big hugs
__________________
MaryKay
AprilLove Wubs Moosie
R.I.P. Bailey & BitsyRoo
AprilLove is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-25-2010, 05:54 PM   #11
kjc
I♥PeekTinkySaph&Finny
Donating Member
 
kjc's Avatar
 
Join Date: May 2009
Location: Baltimore, Maryland
Posts: 18,865
Default

Here's another link that may be useful:

http://www.yorkietalk.com/forums/sic...uture-use.html
__________________
Kat Chloe Lizzy
PeekABooTinkerbell SapphireInfinity
kjc is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-25-2010, 06:29 PM   #12
Ringo (1) and Lucy too!
Donating Member
 
Ringo1's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: On the Edge of Glory
Posts: 3,447
Default

I'm so sorry that your baby is ill. But, 14 is a pretty good age for a little one with CT. They say that you should pick three of your baby's favorite things (food, toys, walks, rides,whatever) and if she no longer enjoys them . . then possibly it could be time to think about humane euthanasia.

Unfortunately, it's one of those decisions that we as dog owners must face at one time or another.

I wish you peace and comfort as you search for ways to make her comfortable. Spend as much time with her now as you can and doing her favorite things - IF she can still do them. Have no regrets when the time comes.
__________________
Mommy to Lucy, Ringo, and Matthew
Ringo1 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-25-2010, 08:22 PM   #13
Donating YT 500 Club Member
 
lisaly's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2009
Location: Long Island, New York
Posts: 5,891
Default

This is so heartbreaking and I am so sorry. I have a lot of experience with collapsing trachea, but there are different degrees of collapsing trachea. I can only go by what I know from my own experiences. I wish I can offer you more than this. My little girl, Ashley, had a collapsing trachea for years, and it caused her heart to enlarge. We discovered her heart when she was ten years old from doing x-rays prior to her yearly dental. She had no symptoms and the results of her echocardiogram were pretty good, so her doctor felt it was her trachea that caused her heart to enlarge. She was like your little girl. She had symptoms of a collapsing trachea, but it didn't seem to interfere with her leading a happy life. It created problems with her heart and also caused her to take in too much air into her belly, which gave her gas pockets. We treated her heart with enalapril and when she was 16 with herbal remedies that her doctor developed. I'm not trying to promote herbal medicine, but I know it worked for Ashley, not only with her heart but with her trachea. Ashley was extremely difficult to give pills to, and herbs are not the easiest thing to give a dog that's willfull. When she was 14, she had a bad flare up with a lot of inflammation when she was coughing a lot, and it took a lot to break that cycle. Ashley never got to the point where she her breathing was labored. She was active until a couple of days before she died and was still walking a couple of miles a day. I think gradually increasing her walking helped her a lot. I went from carrying her most of the time to her walking most of the time if I let her. She would have walked longer if I let her. She died right before she would have been 17. She simply lapsed into a coma while in my arms. Ashley's sister, Gracie, had major issues with her trachea all her life. Surgery was not recommended for her. As with Ashley, I took a lot of precautions with her. I carried her almost all the time when walking and kept ice on me at all times. If she got too excited, her trachea would start to close and her temperature would start to rise. That's why I needed the ice. Except for the times when she would have these problems, which was often, she ran around and played all the time. In the summer, when she got too hot (we always kept her in air conditioning), she ran to the back door to let me know she needed to go out. She would then run to the pool and hop into the first step of our pool. Gracie jumped out as soon as she was cool. She was the funniest little girl with the biggest heart and personality. She was very tiny, which meant there were many added precautions with her. She needed her teeth done twice a year, but it got to the point that her doctor thought it was too risky to put her under anesthesia. Prior to this, it was much more difficult for him to do her teeth and I know he was not able to use a tube with her. She lived to only 9.5 years old. She didn't have to deal with illness before her death. She was running around happily the day before and it was sudden. Though I knew she might not recover from one of her attacks, I wasn't expected it at all. It wasn't an acute attack that caused her death, but I think she got herself so revved up the day before that it was probably a strain on her heart. My heart is breaking for you. I know how difficult it is when you love them as much as you do your little girl. I wish I could tell you more conventional medicine that worked for my girls. I'm not suggesting you use alternative medicine, just telling you of my experience with Ashley. I've put a couple of links. One is a 5 minute video of our vet discussing alternative therapies. It's very interesting and heartwarming. Another is a link to herbs he has developed. Ask your vet what he thinks. These can only be gotten by a veterinarian, and I'm sure there are other alternatives to these herbs. I so hope things get better with your little girl, and I will be praying for both of you.

TODAYShow.com - The 'Miracle' Vet
Healthcare for furry friends - Bing Videos
White Crane Brand Herbal Supplements - Holistic Veterinary Medicine
__________________
Lisa and Katie

Ashley 6/10, Gracie 2/04, Kiwi 10/03, and Jolie 7/93 .
lisaly is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-26-2010, 06:30 AM   #14
Yorkie Talker
 
Katie7075's Avatar
 
Join Date: Aug 2010
Location: England
Posts: 13
Cry Thanks so much!!!!

Thank you all so very much for all your good wishes and advise and information.

Candy had a reasonably good night. She was very alert and asked to go out a couple of times to the back yard. When she is in between medication she is much more alert and looks more like her old self. I think the medication is making her very drowsy and she seems to have a weakness and is sometimes like a floppy doll. I can only assume that this is due to her medication. Candy has never been good at taking meds and what makes it even worse is that she is still not eating. I give her her medication crushed and mixed with a little Coconut oil and Manuka Honey. Sometimes she will lick it off of her spoon and other times I physically have to try to get it into her mouth with my finger. Even though the honey is sweet, the tablets crushed in it are obviously very bitter and she shudders. She on the bed with me in the night and asked to get down to go to the toilet and when I put her down she had a little cough and keeled over again. I dont know whether it is the coughing, which is not much, that is making her keel over or the fact that the medication is making her so weak. Any advise on that would be really great.

The meds that she is on right now is;

Enalapril (5mg) - qtr tablet 2 times daily (I think this one is for her heart)
Prednisolone (1 mg) - 1 tablet 2 times daily (I think this one is a steriod)
Frusemide (20mg) - half a tablet twice daily (I think this is for fluid on her lungs)

Have I got this right?

How long can she last without eating anything. She has never been able to tolerate animal food so we have always fed her with fresh meats, rice chicken, turkey and she has always loved her treats and would eat them in abundance but it seems that when she smells the food or treats that the smell is making her feel sick.

She was quite bright earlier but she has gone back to how she was again and she does a lot of just sitting in her bed and staring at the floor and she looks so depressed that it is breaking my heart. I know that this is awful to say but I have lost a lot of people in my life, mum and dad and also all my 4 brothers and 1 sister. I have buried 2 boyfriends and numerous cats and dogs and through all I have never felt like I feel now. I dont know if that is because Candy & I have something special or just because I am getting older now.

Wil keep updates of how Candy is getting on.

Once again, Many thanks to you all. x x x
Katie7075 is offline   Reply With Quote
Old 08-26-2010, 06:54 AM   #15
Resident Yorkie Nut Donating YT 20K Club Member
 
ladyjane's Avatar
 
Join Date: Sep 2006
Location: Texas
Posts: 27,448
Default

Do you know if Candy has any renal involvement? Chances are she might since she is having cardiac issues. If she does, she might be having an upset tummy.

You might ask your vet if mirtazapine might help with her appetite. It is an antidepressant...in dogs it works to control nausea and vomiting and also increases their appetites. It really is a wonder drug in my opinion.
ladyjane is offline   Reply With Quote
Reply

Bookmarks



Thread Tools

Posting Rules
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts

BB code is On
Smilies are On
[IMG] code is Off
HTML code is Off
Trackbacks are On
Pingbacks are On
Refbacks are Off




Google
 

SHOP NOW: Amazon :: eBay :: Buy.com :: Newegg :: PetStore :: Petco :: PetSmart


All times are GMT -8. The time now is 09:38 AM.


Powered by vBulletin® Version 3.8.9
Copyright ©2000 - 2024, vBulletin Solutions, Inc.
Copyright ©2003 - 2018 YorkieTalk.com
Privacy Policy - Terms of Use

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150 151 152 153 154 155 156 157 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 168 169 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 177 178 179 180 181 182 183 184 185 186 187 188 189 190 191 192 193 194 195 196 197 198 199 200 201 202 203 204 205 206 207 208 209 210 211 212 213 214 215 216 217 218 219 220 221 222 223 224 225 226 227 228 229 230 231 232 233 234 235 236 237 238 239 240 241 242 243 244 245 246 247 248 249 250 251 252 253 254 255 256 257 258 259 260 261 262 263 264 265 266 267 268 269 270 271 272 273 274 275 276 277 278 279 280 281 282 283 284 285 286 287 288 289 290 291 292 293 294 295 296 297 298 299 300 301 302 303 304 305 306 307 308 309 310 311 312 313 314 315 316 317 318 319 320 321 322 323 324 325 326 327 328 329 330 331 332 333 334 335 336 337 338 339 340 341 342 343 344 345 346 347 348 349 350 351 352 353 354 355 356 357 358 359 360 361 362 363 364 365 366 367 368 369 370 371 372 373 374 375 376 377 378 379 380 381 382 383 384 385 386 387 388 389 390 391 392 393 394 395 396 397 398 399 400 401 402 403 404 405 406 407 408 409 410 411 412 413 414 415 416 417 418 419 420 421 422 423 424 425 426 427 428 429 430 431 432 433 434 435 436 437 438 439 440 441 442 443 444 445 446 447 448 449 450 451 452 453 454 455 456 457 458 459 460 461 462 463 464 465 466 467 468 469 470 471 472 473 474 475 476 477 478 479 480 481 482 483 484 485 486 487 488 489 490 491 492 493 494 495 496 497 498 499 500 501 502 503 504 505 506 507 508 509 510 511 512 513 514 515 516 517 518 519 520 521 522 523 524 525 526 527 528 529 530 531 532 533 534 535 536 537 538 539 540 541 542 543 544 545 546 547 548 549 550 551 552 553 554 555 556 557 558 559 560 561 562 563 564 565 566 567 568 569 570 571 572 573 574 575 576 577 578 579 580 581 582 583 584 585 586 587 588 589 590 591 592 593 594 595 596 597 598 599 600 601 602 603 604 605 606 607 608 609 610 611 612 613 614 615 616 617 618 619 620 621 622 623 624 625 626 627 628 629 630 631 632 633 634 635 636 637 638 639 640 641 642 643 644 645 646 647 648 649 650 651 652 653 654 655 656 657 658 659 660 661 662 663 664 665 666 667 668 669 670 671 672 673 674 675 676 677 678 679 680 681 682 683 684 685 686 687 688 689 690 691 692 693 694 695 696 697 698 699 700 701 702 703 704 705 706 707 708 709 710 711 712 713 714 715 716 717 718 719 720 721 722 723 724 725 726 727 728 729 730 731 732 733 734 735 736 737 738 739 740 741 742 743 744 745 746 747 748 749 750 751 752 753 754 755 756 757 758 759 760 761 762 763 764 765 766 767 768 769 770 771 772 773 774 775 776 777 778 779 780 781 782 783 784 785 786 787 788 789 790 791 792 793 794 795 796 797 798 799 800 801 802 803 804 805 806 807 808 809 810 811 812 813 814 815 816 817 818 819 820 821 822 823 824 825 826 827 828 829 830 831 832 833 834 835 836 837 838 839 840 841 842 843 844 845 846 847 848 849 850 851 852 853 854 855 856 857 858 859 860 861 862 863 864 865 866 867 868 869 870 871 872 873 874 875 876 877 878 879 880 881 882 883 884 885 886 887 888 889 890 891 892 893 894 895 896 897 898 899 900 901 902 903 904 905 906 907 908 909 910 911 912 913 914 915 916 917 918 919 920 921 922 923 924 925 926 927 928 929 930 931 932 933 934 935 936 937 938 939 940 941 942 943 944 945 946 947 948 949 950 951 952 953 954 955 956 957 958 959 960 961 962 963 964 965 966 967 968 969 970 971 972 973 974 975 976 977 978 979 980 981 982 983 984 985 986 987 988 989 990 991 992 993 994 995 996 997 998 999 1000 1001 1002 1003 1004 1005 1006 1007 1008 1009 1010 1011 1012 1013 1014 1015 1016 1017 1018 1019 1020 1021 1022 1023 1024 1025 1026 1027 1028 1029 1030 1031 1032 1033 1034 1035 1036 1037 1038 1039 1040 1041 1042 1043 1044 1045 1046 1047 1048 1049 1050 1051 1052 1053 1054 1055 1056 1057 1058 1059 1060 1061 1062 1063 1064 1065 1066 1067 1068 1069 1070 1071 1072 1073 1074 1075 1076 1077 1078 1079 1080 1081 1082 1083 1084 1085 1086 1087 1088 1089 1090 1091 1092 1093 1094 1095 1096 1097 1098 1099 1100 1101 1102 1103 1104 1105 1106 1107 1108 1109 1110 1111 1112 1113 1114 1115 1116 1117 1118 1119 1120 1121 1122 1123 1124 1125 1126 1127 1128 1129 1130 1131 1132 1133 1134 1135 1136 1137 1138 1139 1140 1141 1142 1143 1144 1145 1146 1147 1148 1149 1150 1151 1152 1153 1154 1155 1156 1157 1158 1159 1160 1161 1162 1163 1164 1165 1166 1167