I am so glad his surgery went well. I hope he has an easy recovery. Joey is lucky he has you and for having a vet that was proactive enough to do a BAT before his neuter

Thanks, you are absolutlely right, kudos to you, Dr. Weiner!!

Thats GREAT news about Joey!!! :bravo:
Here's to a speedy and complete recovery :)

Im so happy Joey's surgery went well. Bless you all and take one day at a time. You are truly blessed. Lissette

YAY ~ YAY ~ YAY ~ YAY

I am sooooooooooooooooo HAPPY they were able to close the shunt and that he is recovering well!!!! You are a GREAT MOMMY ;)

How is Joey?
 

How did Joey do with his surgery today? I hope all went well and he has a speedy recovery! I agree with the other posters that the breeder should step and refund some money or make other arrangements...with my recent ordeal with my TOBY, I felt like the emergency vets were telling me to pick between $$$$ or death for my baby. NOt sure why it has to be so expensive...just like human healthcare....anyway it was a horrible feeling..... I hope that your vet can work with you...keep us posted....

I just want to let you know that I have been following Toby's story and I admire you so much. I don't know how I could handle what you are going through. You are truly a hero.

I forgot to mention that I just spoke with the hospital, and Joey is resting comfortably, sounds like such hospital cliche, but that's what they said and all is as it should be at this point.

He probably is resting, LS surgery is major, plus the neuter and his teeth and the stones...Poor baby :(

drabinowitz43,

Will be waiting for an update on Joey today. Hope he had a restful night and is feeling better. Do you think he will get to come home by the weekend?

I couldn't wait to get on here this morning to check on Joey.
That's so wonderful everything went well. Bless his little heart.
What a little fighter he is Donna. He wanted to make it good for
you because you love him so much and gave him a second chance.
Buddy and I are wishing you Joey, a very speedy recovery and hope
to see on walking soon so we can say hi and give you a big hug
and Sophie too.

I am glad it's over for you Donna. I can just imagine how stressful
this must have been. Have a great day and remember I'm right
around the corner if I'm needed in anyway.

Hi Everybody,
 

:) I came home from work for a quick lunch. I spoke to the doctor, and they said Joey's vital signs are stable and he is moving around a lot, but has no interest in eating, which is not surprising. They are going to release him at 7 pm tonight. When I expressed being a little nervous, the doctor said he could stay another night but, as long as they are okay with it, I would rather bring him home where I think he will be happier. Hope that's the right move. There is a 24 hour animal hospital right around the corner from where I live if there is an emergency (but I am thinking positively). I have to find out about supplements for him and all that because I feel a little unprepared, sort of that feeling when you bring your first child home from the hospital. I will give an update later.

That is good news! Yeah, for Joey :thumbup:

As far as supplements NutriCal comes to mind first. I'm sure others will chime in with more suggestions. Since he also had some teeth pulled, he may not want any hard kibble...so maybe some baby food? I'm sure your vet will have a recommendation.

Great job, Mom :good job:

WONDERFUL ;)

Donna - here is some information that will help you....

When you get him home, focus on getting him to eat a few kibbles every couple of hours. If you have difficulty with this, you can force by syringe a little bit of Vanilla Flavored Childrens Pedisure. But try to get him to eat the RC H14 kibble. He might like the kibble that has been soaked in water for a little bit too. Or you can try the wet L/D ~ When you get him interested in food again, he should eat about 4 small meals a day. This special kibble is really ideal. I know you want to be able to handle feeding both dogs, so there are a few options that you can try. You can get a special home made diet created for Joey's needs, and add extra protein for Sadie. You can opt to feed Sadie a raw food diet and keep Joey eating the RC H14 kibble, and it wouldn't do Sadie any harm if she happen to eat a few pieces of the RC H14 (it just should not be her main food). Let me know what you would like to do and I can help guide you in the right direction...

For snacks BOTH of them can have a few tiny pieces of apply bits (no skin) and /or watermelon. Romaine lettuce is good too.

You have the lactulose and he should continue on that.

These are the supplements that are recommended to aid his liver function and repair. We buy them at: HomeVet© Natural Pet Care
I suggest that you call them for your first order. When you give them Joey info, they will write the dosage on the bottles for you. And this is where the Pedisure can come in handy. Alot of the folks on the Yahoo group give these two supplements mixed with the Pedisure and syringe it down OR you can mix into the Wet L/D - but you have to make sure he eats it.
1. Hepato Support
2. Vetri-DMG

Interceptor is the recommended heartworm prevention. We try to stay away from applying flea/tick prevention though. Minksheen shampoo is good to use to repel the bugs, or having your yard sprayed.

Vaccines should be avoided (if you can) - the problem is that he is still young and may need some still, but I would suggest discussing with your Vet that after his core shots are done, that you opt for titer testing, rather the booster shots.

...ok...I gotta get back to work, but I will be back again later with some more stuff for you an Joey of course :)

Joey is home
 

:D
Okay, what a dork I am, I wrote a whole novel about bringing Joey home and how well he is doing and then I lost it somehow in cyberspace. Anyway, he is home and doing well! He has sutures from his throat to his tush (big black criss crosses, not the dissolvable ones) and smells like a hospital, but he is great. At first he was writhing and howling when they handed him to me and I thought he was in pain, but then after a minute he settled into my arms and went to sleep. The vet thought he was just excited to see me. When we got home, he had a little bit of the canned Hills L/D and liked it warmed up a little. He had his antibiotic and will get his pain meds at 11. Sadie is acting very jealous and has tried to nip him a few times, so that's hard. I have to say she really enjoys being an only baby. She is very possessive of me.

Nicole, thank you so much for your post, what a help it is. It lays everything out beautifully and is giving me some good ideas. I am going to be working from home tomorrow and I will get in touch with homevet re the supplements. I'm a little leary of the raw food diet for Sadie, although I know lots of people love it. I might look into consulting with a nutritionist I think you've mentioned about homecooking, but I may not be able to take that on, we'll see.

I am soooooooo happy he is back in my arms, I missed this little guy so much.

I am so glad little Joey is home where mommy can take good care of him!

Morning Donna,
I sent you a pm. Buddy and I are here to help.
Send Sadie over and I'll give her some lovin!:p

So glad Joey's home and in your care.

Yes, I know raw food isn't for everyone and that's ok. Home cooking is good, but you need to make sure everything is covered, so speaking with a Pet Nutritionist is ideal. I have a Pet Nutritionist from Cornell. We speak through emails. I told him the 'diet that I created' which was modified from the Dr. Dodd's diet to what and how Roxy like the food. He was able to keep my ingredients and just balance it with vitamins, etc. and give me the correct portions. And he told me what to add as extra protein for TJ. The one diet cost $140. I'd be happy to share it with you, but if it is something you would like to do, I would suggest contacting the nutritionist to get it modified for Joey, as his needs are different than Roxy's. I like home cooking for her, but it can be a 'pain' sometimes preparing it all. I do make a whole bunch and freeze it to make it easier on me. - After about 6 months of the diet, TJ got 'bratty' and didn't want to eat it. His first BAT the post was 43, but after about 4 or 5 BATs his post returned to below normal, so I put him back on the Raw food diet that he loves.

Feeding Joey at least 4 times a day is really ideal. If you keep him on the RC kibble and L/D you need to figure out how much is good for him for the whole day and split it up for those 4 or 5 time feedings. (Olga can assist you on that part).

You can actually do the same for Sadie. If you have a kibble that she likes, split hers up for the day as well. Wet food can also be added, as it is good for the moisture content and wet food is less processed than the kibble. I know this is going to be work, but once you get them on the routine and schedule, it will get easier.

Some other tricks to get Joey to eat the RC are....Cottage Cheese or Goat Cheese. Friendship makes a Low Sodium 1% cottage cheese. You can take a tiny, tiny bit of the Cottage cheese or if you find a Low Sodium Goat cheese and you can coat a little on the kibbles to 'entice' his to eat it. Don't over load on the cheese though, while it is low in protein and low in purines, it is still 'extra' protein that can be too much...

The apple bits (no skin) – watermelon and romaine lettuce can be given daily as treats.

In moderation (just a few times a week) you can give sweet potatoes as a treat. Again, not too much b/c of the potassium and magnesium. But, I used to make Baked Sweet Potato fries (in the oven - no oil). Both Sadie and Joey should like them :p

Teeth. I don’t use Petzlife because of the grain alcohol, I am just too afraid with Roxy’s liver issues. Instead, I do brush teeth everyday. First I rub teeth with wet gauze (I buy the JJ gauze roll from Walmart and cut into small squares). Then I brush teeth with a little CET toothpaste. Then I rub on my finger Maxi Guard. If yearly professional teeth cleanings are a must, then your Vet knowing Joey’s condition with use the proper methods and precautions for him.

Joey is going to have to go back in about 8 weeks or so for a BAT and hopefully it will return to a normal pre and post. Sometimes dogs with LS can also have an underlying MVD, or in time they can acquire MVD or even another shunt. This can happen b/c these dogs have Liver Disease in their genetic makeup. So just because he had surgery to repair his shunt, doesn't take away from the fact that his genes have liver disease, so that's why it is important for him to eat the proper food, broken up through out the day and the added supplements and meds so that his liver has an 'easy job' and it will not be overworked....He should also have his urine tested often because of the stones. Yorkieluv is a member here who has an MVD dog. His BAT is in the 300 range, no shunt though. And he was also passing about 20 stones a day. But she has been able to get him on a diet and supplements that he hasn't passed any stones in *I think* 2 years. You should reach out to her for some more advice. She is also on the Yahoo group too.

I think of more later! Give him a kiss for me :animal36

P.S. Get some baby onies (new born) you can cut and sew if needed, but it should cover up his belly so that he can not 'play' with the stitches. I know how the cone can be such a pain, so the onies may help! The black and blue on his belly may be normal b/c of what he went thru LS and the 'digging' around for the testicle. But def. contact his Dr. and ask them as many questions as you need too ;)

I have been reading your posts and am so glad that your babies surgery went well. I have just returned from Tennessee on Sunday having Dr Tobias close my little females shunt, also. I did get the onesies and used those for a few days and they did help - she preferred that over the collar! My little girl is just about 2.5 lbs, so it has been a challenge to get her to eat the last few days. I have kept her on the Hills LD and the Royal Canin 14 - University of TN recommended adding sweet potatoe, carrot, or green bean baby food to it - any with 0 protein, or a small amount of plain yogurt to make it a little more tasty. I have to keep her and my other little male separated for 2 weeks to let her little insides heal - this, too, will be difficult. They also put her on the lactulose 3 times / day to help get rid of the toxins. She seems to grow a little stronger each day. Good luck with your little one, I know what you are going through and how stressful it is at times. I am sending thoughts and prayers your way!

Thank you so much and same goes to you. Were you the person who posted that your pup was crying and shaking when jumping off the sofa? I may be confusing it with someone else, I have been reading so many threads lately. That's wonderful that you were able to have Dr. Tobias close the shunt. I am going to try the baby food. I didn't get any diet guidance from Oradell, but many who have shared our anguish, have become quite expert in this area and give so much great advice. I hope your little girl gets stronger and more robust each day. She's even tinier than Joey...Joey likes the canned food warmed up a little, I think it softens the consistency and may make it more palatable for your pup. Good luck and keep me posted.

Thanks for the tips. Joey seems to like the Hills and RC, so I am pleased with that. I've gotten Sadie a couple of doggy playdates so the house is more peaceful and Joey can get some rest. Oradell finally called to tell me that they did pull the four baby teeth, so I feel better about that. I think it's a great idea to break up the portions and pre-measure them. Olga told me he can have a 1/4 can of the Hills each day spread out over 3 to 4 meals, but I just asked about the RC, so I'll see what she says. Are romaine, watermelon and apple bits the only treats Joey can have? Nothing like a little Peanut Butter mini zuke or something like that? He used to get those after pottying outside, but I will toss them if it's a no.

That's great that you don't have a picky eater ;)

Treats...I would stay away from most of the store bought treats. I wouldn't feed him anything that has Meat or Organs in it. Chicken and Fish are iffy too and Peanut Butter is probably no good b/c it is high in protein.

If you have a speciality store by you, they may have some cookie/biscuit treats that are low in protein and do not contain meat/organ products. That would be the route I would go. OR you can bake your own treats ;)

If you need something like training treats: Cheerios's are good :thumbup:

I'm not sure but I think peanut butter has a lot of protein. Check the bag for protein content. I brought nutrical to the hospital (University of TN) "just in case" when I picked Lola up, and they said absolutely no nutrical - it has too much protein, also. They said if I had to give her something, karo syrup was better. You are very lucky that he is eating the prescription diet. I wouldn't veer off of that too much if I didn't have to, you know that is what he is supposed to be eating. Lola just does not eat much of anything...she must still associate eating with feeling sick.

Oradell told me I could use nutrical because I asked the same question in case he wouldn't eat, it's pretty scary how little follow-up they do. They know how to do the procedure, but as vets, I don't think they see the big picture. Luckily he didn't need any. Ok, I'll nix the pb treats, I see your point re the protein, I was thinking no meat. How about banana? I just ordered those banana YorkieYummies from Cindy and I'm not sure if potassium is a factor. I can always just give them to Sadie. No more bully sticks, flossies, texas toothpicks, ah those were the good ol' days.

What about sweet potato?
I just bought a bag of organic sweet potato cookies for Buddy from
Pet Nutrition. That's the only place I shop for Bud.
He won't eat them do you think you might like to try them for Joey?

Was Joey actually diagnosed with ammonium urate stones?

Banana and Sweet Potato has to be in moderations. They are high in Potassium and Magnesium :(

Thanks, Carol, sure we'll try them.

I am going to sound really dumb right now, but they said kidney stones because of the ammonia in his urine (ie what would cause urine crystals if he had been tested) because his liver wasn't working properly to filter toxins. Does this make any sense? Is that what ammonium urate stones are? Also, as an aside, when they do this surgery at UT and Cornell, do they use actual thread sutures, not the dissolvable ones? His wound looks pretty nasty, not infected, just so swollen. Maybe the dissolvable ones are underneath?

Also, they said there were only a couple and they were small enough to go away on their own.