I feel so bad for you going through this. I hope you can get an answer soon. She is a little dollbaby.

I know you said nothing has changed in your house but I was just wondering about something. What about any house cleaning chemicals?, air freshener?, laundry detergent?, perfume or cologne?, new carpet?, weed killer?, anything at all that you spray in the house that could be irritating to her? I have been seeing so much lately about harmful chemicals that I am considering making my own safer cleaners. It's just a thought. I am trying to wrack my brain thinking of something it could be.

I think I would also get another opinion from another vet. Maybe they can think of something the other vet missed. Even human docs miss things sometimes.

Hugs to you and baby Tate.

Thanks Nancy....you are so right :cry: I wish they could just talk and tell us what is bothering them. :cry: I find myself asking her, "What's wrong Tate? :(" and just WISHING that she could open up her little mouth and blurt it out! :cry: I don't even know what anyone would have to be jealous OF...I mean seriously. She is a Yorkie, I am a person. I don't get it :confused: But I tell you though, I DO feel like we are jinxed sometimes. Just because she constantly has something going on you know. I guess I just have bad luck and I am passing it on to her. :cry: My luck really does suck sometimes. :(

HUGS Brooke! We all Love yr silly little monkey, beautiful little girl! I have FAITH & no doubt that you will eventually know what is Best to do!!! Remember, it may not be as bad as you think. It is only happening occasionally at this point. I hope & pray it isn't anything serious. Sending kisses n hugs to Tate from Bella/me.:ittykiss:

I really have no idea but some thoughts.

Congestive heart failure can be associated with panting, especially at night. I don't want you to freak out but I would absolutely get a chest xray immediately if your vet didn't already do one. This would make sense with the "off" sound in her chest.

Has she ever had a complete thyroid panel and not just a T4?
Maybe she is having a temperature regulation issue related to her thyroid?

I don't see any real reason to "not" express the anal glands once just to see. I highlllllllly doubt that this is the issue and I do agree that once you start, you may not be able to stop, but doing it once may not be a big deal. A vet tech should be able to do it for about $10. You would be taking that chance though of it needing to be done regularly. If you are feeling brave you can feel them yourself to see if they are enlarged. They are at about 4 o'clock and 8 o'clock. Of course just because they aren't enlarged doesn't mean there isn't an issue but it can give you a pretty good idea.

Thanks. I understand what you're saying and I understand that everyone has their own opinions as to what this might or might not be. I am going to think about this and make a decision. If I take her anywhere with the anal gland thing, it will be to the vets. Even if it is just to check and see if they need to be done. Hopefully they will be honest and tell me if they DON'T really need it rather than just going ahead and doing it regardless. In fact, I may just call up there and talk to him and see what he says since he JUST saw her the other day. Trust me, at this point it isn't the money. It truthfully has nothing to do with that. Yes we have spent a TON on her lately (her surgery being part of that), but seriously....the money is absolutely no object at this point. I just want her to be ok, and that's all that matters.

Lol, I understand why people could be jealous, they want something you have, and they may even have bad thoughts towards you and wish you harm. There's' a lot of sicko's out there. These thoughts are meaningless, unless you start to believe you are jinxed. (That's how voodoo works.) Then, you begin to bring these "negative energies" into your life. That’s what I don't want you to do. God has blessed you with this adorable little girl that so many of us have fallen in love with, and by understanding that it is a blessing and not a curse, you will attract more positive energy. Not to say, she won't have more than her share of challenges, but there is something to be learned from it all.

A friend of mine once told me that life is like a patchwork quilt, and as we go through life we see just the underside with the various stitching going here and there, but someday, we can turn the quilt over and see how perfectly it all fits together. I haven't yet been able to turn my quilt over, but occasionally I get a glimpse of the other side.

Oh Brooke :(. I'm so sorry for all that you're going through. Okay, I hate to even mention this...but is she still losing fur? If yes, and if she is panting...you may want to rule out Cushings (I know you had been considering that before). Is she drinking more or peeing more? Is her appetite still increased? I really doubt it's Cushing's...but since some of those other symptoms were present before (increased appetite, fur loss etc), maybe it's worth it? The screening test (which doesn't diagnose Cushing's - that's a longer process - but it can rule it out) is the Urine test that measures the creatinine/cortisol ratio. The urine must be caught at home (I sucked Wylie's up into a syringe). Just a thought....maybe just ask your Vet's thoughts on this?

I will say that going to an Internist for us was what finally got Wylie on track (but we had a very poor vet to begin with, which I think is different from your case).

We send hugs and kisses...and Marcel sends his Tate all his wuv :).

You are so sweet Nancy! :hug: What an emotional booster that was :) Thank you so much hun. I love what your friend told you....you know, it really does make alot of sense. I am going to remember that, and heck, maybe I even need to print it out and stick it on my fridge! It was really good :) Thanks again hun for all of your support...what a wonderful person you are :hug:

Thank you so much for your help and concern and for your compliments on Tatum. She is indeed my little babydoll. :( I just want her to be ok.

I actually have not used anything different to clean with, no different laundry detergents, and hubby didn't put anything outside in the yard that would harm her. The only thing I did was buy a new candle that I burn in the house LOL...but wow, it would be pretty far "out there" for me to even consider this being the problem. Also, we have wood floors throughout our home except for in the bedrooms, but the floors have been in here for over a year now and she has been fine. I am cleaning them with the same floor cleaner I've always used. I am just confused :(

Thank you so much again for your help...I too am totally wracking my brain :cry:

Oh God, I can't say that this hasn't crossed my mind before.....but I guess I was just too scared to even type it out into words :cry: I am going to talk to her vet about this.

When she had her LP surgery, the surgeon did a Thyroid test per my request (because she had been losing hair), however, other than it being a "Thyroid test", I have no idea what "kind" it was :confused: All I know is that he did a "Thyroid test" and he said that everything checked out ok. The test was negative.

Thank you so much Ann :hug: I haven't really noticed her losing hair anymore, BUT....I shaved her down after surgery to even her hair out, so it is really, really short right now. Once it gets longer though, I will be able to tell if she is still losing it. I bet she is. :( BEFORE she started this panting business, I hadn't noticed her drinking anymore water than usual (just that ONE day that I told you about, back when she was still confined after her LP surgery), however, since she started panting, I haven't noticed (not so much today or yesterday, but the day before) that she was drinking ALOT of water, which I guess in turn was causing her to pee alot. But I figured that maybe it's because she was panting so much. I can only imagine if my tongue were hanging out for that long, how dry my mouth would be and how thirsty I'd get. :( So I don't know if that is what was causing her to drink so much or what. It seems like now though, she isn't drinking as much. She still has an appetite, but I think little Tator will ALWAYS have an appetite lol. She has pretty much been a piggy since the very beginning. :rolleyes: She just plain loves to eat. I will absolutely mention Cushings to her vet though and see what he thinks. If he thinks that we need to go ahead and run a test then by all means I will most certainly have it done. I just want so, so badly to get to the bottom of all this. :cry:

Thanks again for all of your help girl (always!) and give lots of sweet hugs and kisses to Marcel from Tator :hug:

I know :( - the not knowing is the worst part of it. But you are so diligent in her health care, I know you will get to the bottom of this. You are an incredible Mom to your babies, and they always get the best of the best when it comes to their care...so have faith that you will figure this out soon, I know you will. HUGS hugs and hugs. :)

Talked to the surgeon, and the vet
 

Just wanted to do a little update. I called and talked to her surgeon that did the LP surgery, and he really doesn't seem to think that her panting and shaking is related to her knees. He said just what I was thinking, that if it were related, she would be showing signs of pain in her knees by limping or not wanting to move around much. Or by doing what she used to do when her knees hurt her, which was sticking her butt up in the air to relieve the pressure from her back legs. He said that he think's it is something else medical and it could just have something to do with the infection in her chest that will take time to heal with the antibiotics. He said to just keep her on them until the bottle is empty (which I was planning on doing anyway) and he said that if we are ever up there again in that area, that he would like me to stop by with her and bring her in just so he can check her over.

Then I called Tatum's vet here. We were on the phone for a good while, and he said that he thinks it just may have something to do with that loose tooth of hers. He wanted to get it pulled this week, however I told him that I had concerns about putting her under anesthesia while she had the infection in her chest. He said he understood and said that I need to just watch her over the weekend and see how she does with the panting/shaking, but that he REALLY wants to get that tooth pulled on Monday for sure. He told me that if I don't want to have her put under (which I DO NOT) then he can just deaden it and pull it right out. He said it was pretty lose, so he doesn't think that just deadening it and pulling it will be a problem. I feel MUCH better about this at least. Also, he said that IF she is still panting/shaking by Monday when we go in to have the tooth pulled, we can do an ECG and also x-ray her chest, heart, lungs and spine. He said he really doesn't think that he is going to find anything, and I hope to God he's right. :cry:

So, that's the update so far. He seems to think that maybe her tooth is bothering her. I'm just a little concerned because when she was teething as a puppy, she had ALOT of pain and she wouldn't even eat her food. Which, if Tatum won't eat, you KNOW something's wrong. I had to put her on pain meds because her teeth hurt so badly and she flat out refused to eat, so I'm just thinking well if her tooth was hurting her, wouldn't she not be eating? I just don't know. :cry:

I am going to watch her like a hawk and see if she starts panting/shaking this evening. And if she does I am going to try and catch the exact TIME that she starts doing it, and what is going on around here when she does it. Which I know will be nothing cause there isn't anything out of the ordinary happening in this house :confused: Ugh! I just want an answer! :(

Poor little Tatum baby :( She has a lot of things going on all at once . My thoughts and prayers are with her.

With all of the vet care that she has had in the last 2 1/2 years after her baby teeth were pulled, I am shocked that the vet never opened her mouth and noticed this tooth. Looking at their teeth is part of an exam and obviously somebody was not paying close attention. If she can handle the stress level of having a tooth pulled while awake, I would just deaden it also.

Has she ever had any heart testing before (EKG, ECG, etc.)?
How many days has she been on antibiotics?

Nope they haven't. Taking her in for a yearly exam they would check her teeth, but if I bring her in for a specific problem, they focus solely on that problem and don't look at every single part of her body. I don't even know how long that tooth has been loose. I have never even noticed it myself and I am with her every single day of my life.

She has never had an EKG or an ECG. But in my update reply above I said that she may have this done on Monday when we take her in to have the tooth pulled (ECG). She has been on the antibiotics since Tuesday.

Thank you so much for your kind words and support....they are greatly appreciated sweetie :hug:

Ann you are so sweet :hug: You always have the nicest, most positive things to say....thank you so much :hug: I really hope that with her vet and I working together on this, we can figure this thing out, whatever it may be, and kick it's butt! :mad:

Tons of hugs back to you hun...love ya. :)

My thoughts and prayers are for Tatum. I hope your Vet can find out what is wrong and give you some answers

Did I miss something? How did a sick dog turn into someone being jealous of you?

Lol, sounds like you missed a lot. Someone mentioned that some people are jealous because Brooke has two beautiful dogs, and they said something about maybe someone is hexing or sending a jinx out to Brooke and her dogs. Since Brooke has had a lot of really difficult things happen this past year, she was wondering if this could be true. My advice was intended to say, even if this is true, (someone is sending out bad thoughts) we should focus our energies on the positive, and count our blessings, and those negative energies will disappear.

So sorry to hear about all of little Tatum's problems. JoJo is a year old and still has a few baby teeth but he gradually takes care of them himself. I gave him an inexpensive shoe similar to a Croc. When he has a tooth bothering him he will chew on that shoe until it comes out. Also, he has a set of plastic keys he chews on for his "dental" work. I am hoping he gets all of them out without anesthesia. Maybe that would help for Tatum to do that too. Of course, that is the least of her problems - just thought I would let you know what JoJo does. I pray Tatum will soon be completely well. She is very fortunate to have such a loving family to take care of her.

Actually, Voodoo or Vodoun, is a religion, just like Christianity or Judaism, and it's mainly practiced in Haiti today; though it has originated in Africa and was brought there by slaves. A form of this is also practiced in New Orleans today, though it's quite different from the religion that is lived in Haiti. and saying: "That's how voodoo works," to me, is a pretty derogatory comment.

If you would like, I could give you more information about this beautiful and meaningful religion, or recommend a few books.

Also, people do jinx other people, and worse than that. They pray in their hearts for others to suffer, get sick, and worst. Some even light candles, and do other things to actually make their evil wishes come true.

And if one can attract positive energy through self-confidence, prayer or any other means, or send such energy to others (i.e. pray for them), so can negative energy travel.

Yes we can argue that people's thoughts or intentions are meaningless, but from my experience this is not so. I am a spiritual worker, and people often come to me asking to do all kind of horrible things to others who hurt them or just simply don't comply with their will. I have my own moral standing and would never do such a thing, but there are others who would.

WoW, That's yea

I don't think I ever implied that our thoughts and feelings are meaningless, far from it. I was saying a thought is meaningless unless you believe it to be true. Negative thoughts have real power only when people believe them to be true. I don't think we should live our lives worried about those who are jealous or want power over us. I think when we start to believe they have the power to do this then we have given them the power to do this. People have been going to see spiritualist for years to get curses lifted, I don't think a spiritualist has any more power than anyone else. Ordinary people can lift the "curse" when they start counting their blessings. Psychologists call it the power of positive thinking. The mind is a very powerful thing, and as we all know, it's very open to suggestion. In a way, what we believe to be true is true, so we all should be very careful in what we believe to be true.


I'm confused on why you think my statement about Voodoo was derogatory. I only have studied it from a psychological perspective; I was not making a values statement, but I am sorry if I offended you.

This thread is about Brooke, and her little girl, and she's under lots of pressure right now, I hope this thread does not become a place for "bad vibes", as we use to say in the 70's.

I disagree with this perspective, and think that as much as we protect ourselves w/ sunblock because sun can be as dangerous as it is beautiful, we can protect ourselves from people who wish us ill. And it doesn't mean that we need to live our life in fear, either. We don't see the harmful rays of the sun, but we know them to be harmful because we can experience the results. In my opinion, if we close our eyes to something and pretend it's not there, it would not make it disappear.

All people have different gifts, talents, and abilities. If one can be a great mathematician, and utilize their gifted brain in such way, why couldn't someone else be gifted at healing for instance? I know many individuals that can work their mojo better than others.

I agree, we all have the power to pray. But some of us are more gifted than others, or have more knowledge than others when it comes to spiritual matters. Some of us can see and divine, others can heal through touch, and others have gifts of bringing prosperity, while yet others are talented at cursing. Yeah, there are those too. It might be hard to understand, especially when judging from a logical or psychological point of view.


I agree with your point of view to some extent. I often see it with my clients, sometimes they need help in believing that they deserve a better future, and when they start opening up to this idea things work better for them. Though the fact that we believe that evil people can't harm us, spiritually or otherwise, isn't going to change the fact that they can...

Thank you, Nancy. I appreciate the apology.

What offended me is the assumption that Voodoo is some sort of, what do they call it, "mumbo jumbo." You said: "These thoughts are meaningless, unless you start to believe you are jinxed. (That's how voodoo works.)" It's like saying that Voodoo practitioners are some sort of charlatans that make you think all kinds of BS to get your money at a carnival. (If I understand you correctly) So, yeah, I didn't appreciate the context, as much as I would not appreciate hearing that all loan sharks are Jews, or that all terrorist are Muslim.

And BTW, I am one of those "voodoo people" that help others to remove jinxes. LOL I regularly see lives shattered due to jinxing and crossing, and also restored with a help of an honest and gifted spiritista, rootworker, healer, guru, shaman, and so on. There are some of us who are truly gifted and are sincerely interested in helping others. I devote my life to the study of different traditions and modalities. And I believe my opinion deserves the same respect as another's.

When I suggested that a dog can be cursed, I spoke from experience. Anyone can think whatever they want of it. One can understand what I mean, another might find it interesting, someone else might think it's BS. But hey, this is my opinion, and I thought that it can be of use, as much as other suggestions in this thread. One of us could be an expert on anal glands, and another on spirituality. I think all is valid.

As humans, we all have different relationships with God/ Allah / Jehovah / Bon Diye / Oldumare/ Jesus/ Kali, Buddha, etc. Some of us call the All Mighty logic, others are worshipers of modern psychology, and yet others are atheists that believe in not believing. And for that we really should count our blessings because we can learn something valuable from each point of view and enrich our lives in unimaginable ways.

I totally agree, Nancy!!!! Lets not make it "a place for 'bad vibes,'" LOL Sorry for the long reply. I just had several points I wanted to address. I hope I haven't offended you, or Brooke, in any way; and I also hope that both of us came out wiser from this conversation.

I hold Brooke and her baby in my heart and prayers!!! May they both be blessed with health, peace, and positive resolution!!!

Nadezda

Wow.. I've been gone a couple hours and come back to Voo Doo talk...:D

I wanted to check on Tatum... hoping all is well and nothing has changed (unless it is positive of course)

Sending more hugs and prayers your way!

I hope Tatum is doing ok tonight. Cali has retained most of her baby teeth and due to her many health issues the vet and I decided to not put her under for her teeth. When she was well over a year 2 of her baby teeth were loose so I asked the vet if they could try and get them out without putting her under and they did and it didn't seem to bother her when they did it so hopefully the tooth will come out easily. I know how worried you are and will keep positive thoughts.

I am hoping Tatum is doing better. I know how you feel with the health issues. It seems that we get one of Conner's issues cleared up, and he has another one. Right now he has anaplasmosis (from a tick bite) and is on Doxycycline for 28 days. He has had liver issues (cleared up). I've had him on special diets. He has LP (which has gotten better since I have been giving him Happy Hips). He has gone to the emergency vet for impacted anal glands. He also had a double ear infection and conjunctivitis (at the same time). He is only 3 years old. I am hoping that both Tatum and Conner enjoy some good health after they finish their antibiotics. I will keep you in my thoughts. You and Tatum deserve a break.

Best Wishes!