living life to it's fullest.

sleeping cutie :: 7/12 Jane, originally uploaded by sarah ....

Via Flickr:
even when she sleeps, she's cute :) jane is doing pretty good these days (a miracle really), she even got to go fishing last week and spent the day running YES running and trotting around, followed by some ice cream the next day. It was amazing to see her having so much fun. She still visits the vet weekly for her abdomencentisis (draining the fluid that builds in her belly because of her Congestive Heart Failure), it's still costs a car payment a month to keep her going - but she is more than worth it, as she still loves all the things she always has enjoyed, we're still cherishing every moment ... even the sleepy ones.

Here are a few photos from Jane on her mountain adventure ...

The photo that made the day all worth it .... Jane got to "catch" 3 fish :)

unconditional love.

So last night we had to take Jane to emergency - her belly had been getting bigger and by the end of day ballooned up - we were worried about her breathing - long story short, she was not doing well - she wouldn't drink, was woozy, and wouldn't take her meds. The fluid presses on her diaphram and causes her discomfort ... and having to wait until the next day to see our Vet was not an option, she was very restless ... so after hours Vet visit it was. They drained a large amount of fluid again from her - it is now a once a week occurrence - but it makes a huge difference - and she is amazing, she just stands there - not sedation, not a flinch, just takes it - it's like she knows it makes her feel better.

It's funny .. Pete made a good point as we left the clinic with a little dog who felt much better afterwards - and was taking treats, drank water, and exploring the vet clinic like she owned the place.

"It took us 3 weeks to decide on the lawn mower we wanted, and were trying to justify the cost and save a few bucks - should we even buy it, can we afford it? Then without thought or discussion, we drop more than what the lawnmower cost, without the blink of an eye and don't even feel bad about it."

That, my friends is unconditional love :)

shoplifting and ice cream

the recipe for a perfect birthday according to jane ...

shoplifting at your favourite pet store

(yes that is a cat toy) knows exactly where they are in the store and she immediately bee lines for the cat section, and sits and waits for me to get her one out of the bin.

topped off with diving headfirst into ice cream

OMG BEST F'ING BIRTHDAY EVER!

Jane had a great day and got extra spoiled! Grammy bought her an awesome stuffy, and a friend bought her a brand new fluffy soft bed - photos to come

... in my excitement I forgot to take my camera along - but I am amazed with how my iPhone pics turned out!!

Jane says thanks for all the birthday wishes ... I wish I was as popular as she is. Maybe in another life.

Today, she's 12!

Today, she's 12! Happy birthday to my best teacher. Honestly I didn't think we would get to see this birthday. Every month we pick up her meds at the vet there is a small celebration (it helps ease the pain of the cost - but she is worth it 100 times over).

Today we plan on hitting the DQ drive-thru as we do every year, go to the park, sit on a bench and share the ice cream :) and we'll finish her fun outing by stopping off at her favourite pet stores so she can do some shoplifting.

- - -

Excerpt from blog post "the dog that started it all"

Because of Jane, I have an obsession with all things dog - I do not like to fail, and it was NOT an option to give up on her. She is the reason I love to teach other people and dogs - if I can do what I've done with Jane - ANYTHING is possible, you just have to want it bad enough. She is the reason I have this blog, she is the reason I have an SUV, she is the reason I have Kaleb and Gyp, she is also the reason I have white sheets on my bed and an obsession with getting rid of those damn little white doghairs.

the price of love?

bad to the bone :: 47/52, originally uploaded by sarah ....

On my way home today, from my what seems like weekly vet visits, while crying at every stupid sappy song on the radio ... today was for an injection for Jane, due to the gradual fluid build up on her lungs this week. Her HR was 250 a minute ... her breathing rate even when sleeping has been 40 breaths per minute (should be 12 - 15). And this morning and last night, she is losing her breath running up the stairs - like she has just ran a marathon up to 70- 80 per minute. Up until this week she has been doing great. But last night she got us up 3 times in the night and was really restless, I could tell there was a fluid build up - which then causes her to breath heavier because she has to work that much harder to get oxygen.

Hello, Congestive Heart Failure, I fucking hate you.

Her meds are being adjusted the little bit they can, and we are going from there. Hopefully these next couple of injections will level her out again ...

Everytime I think about the literally, Thousands of dollars I spent at the Vet this year ... I have a small to moderate panic attack. But at the same time, I look over at my dogs, and that sick to my stomach feeling goes away. Who really needs to go on Vacations anyway, when I can be at home vacuuming up dog hair and picking up poop from the yard?

Where do you draw the line ....

If I can do whatever I can to keep my dog healthy and happy I will do it. This year really tested us and put alot of pressure on us emotionally and economically. It was literally one thing after another. I guess having 2 senior dogs will do that to you. Pete and I are on the same page, we don't want to see her suffer, but we will treat it if we can, and keep her happy and healthy at almost any cost if it works. What we aren't doing is an ultrasound (we know she has CHF), and we did bloodwork twice and heart stress test - margins were still good from being on the meds, heart is nearly maxed. We know the meds will be hard on her kidneys, we don't need a ton of bloodwork to tell us when they are starting to fail, she will be on the meds until they stop working - and for now, they work great. Our Vet agrees too. She has a couple old lady lumps "her lovely lady lumps" as we call them, well, those aren't going anywhere either.

Maybe we are naive because Jane is our first dog, but the hundreds of dollars a month it costs to keep to ticker-ticking are worth it to us. Good appetite, still has some spunk, loves her car rides, still keen as ever to do do little bits of training, and just cuddle and hang out as she always has.

Sometimes you are put to the test, as we were with Kaleb. As we found out there isn't much choice when your dog has Torsion. Please for the love of doG do what you can - now that is a suffering dog, an awful thing to see. It was a crap shoot 50% chance of him living through it. Signing the euthanasia form was not something I like to remember, but we had too if there was nothing they could do to save him. Unfortunately we would have had to pay the same price even if he hadn't survived, well he did - so it was worth it, or something.

Then there is Jane ... Gall Stone at the beginning of the year, and her Congestive Heart Failure. We didn't treat the Gall Stone with Surgery - just meds. All seemed good! Then the heart ....

No I don't have pet insurance. After this year, I am applying for it with Gyp, however.

All I hope is that 2011 is a better year. Last year I wished for good health for the pooches and me, and I didn't really get it. So this coming year, all I ask is everyone is happy, that's easy enough :)

a little of this, and a little of that.

it's the little things :: 38/52, originally uploaded by sarah ....

A little update as I've been asked by lots of people how Jane is doing.

Last week her Heart Stress Test Results came back, and her heart is in the mid-advanced Stages of CHF (Congestive Heart Failure) from what they can tell based on the scale they measure from, her blood work however is good meaning she can handle the Meds, and that gives us some hope as far as time is concerned. Back to the Vet earlier this week she had a Blood Pressure Test and ECG, we are still waiting for those results, but her Blood Pressure is so far so good. She does get a little cold in the mornings, so now we just put her little T-shirt on and that seems to help.

UPDATE: ECG Results back Thurs AM. No arrhythmia in Heart, which is he good news. But the heart is taxed like the Stress Test said, beating 190-200 all the time. Prognosis poor.

Because of the Pulmonary Edema (fluid in the lungs), that build up because of the inability of the heart to circulate efficiently through her body she is on Lasix 3xday (water pill). I've had to give her more Lasix on the odd day where her breathing gets really fast and laboured, it is amazing how fast it works to get the fluid out of her, and she feels so much better. But with those reoccurring spells that also tells us things are not completely stable, even with the Meds. She will be adding another diuretic one today, that is slower acting and will bridge the gap of the fast acting Lasix. She is up a minimum of 2 times a night to go out to pee because of it. It's been 3 weeks since I've actually slept through a whole night.

She is on all the Meds she can be to keep her strong and healthy. A regime of 3 - and today to be adding the fourth. It is a good thing she is only 12 pounds, as I couldn't even imagine the cost for even a 30 pound dog. But they seem to be working, and it is good know she can be managed with her disease's progression even though already she is on almost the high doses of all the meds. My Vet is great, he has spent atleast an hour on the phone with me this week, even on Sunday night after hours, it's nice to know they really care about Jane.

She is getting pickier with food ... we've gotten creative ... tripe, brown rice and Sojo's veggies, is one of her favourite meals, and then other times she will gobble down her usual food. She is always willing and eager to eat a pumpkin cookie however.

Gyp and Kaleb are really gentle with her and they know when she isn't feeling well, dogs are amazing creatures.

She still has spunky moments, loves to go for car rides and of course, cuddle. It's not a fun thing to deal with and I know it won't get better, only worse, but we have her, and we can help her, and that is enough for us.

Speaking of Seniors .... LOL

Gyp passed her St. John Therapy Dog Evaluation!! She was great, and I think she will really love visiting all of the Elderly people she will meet, I am looking forward to it too!! I was surprised at the intensity of the test, but Gyp took it all in stride, she didn't even spook at the lady with the Cane (which really surprised me), and she ran right up to the wheel chair. I can't wait for her to share her Gyppie charm with everyone!