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Fri 7 Jan, 2005 08:49 pm
So I took my dog, Tammy Faye Bakker, to the vet today.
Animal control had come by to warn me that her license had expired and that I needed to pay the fee and have my vet fax in a confirmation that she had recieved her rabies shot.
Alright already. No big deal.
Bakker has Addison's disease. We have successfully treated it for four years with monthly DOCP shots and a every other day dose of Prednisone.
We get back home and about an hour later Bakker has crawled under the bed and is trembling. Not like her. Not like her at all. She is not a little dog and the bed is not that high off of the ground. She hasn't behaved like that since back in the days when she first got sick and we were trying to find out what in the heck was wrong with her.
I call the vet and he goes through the warning signs of a reaction to the rabies shot (No. No. No.) and suggests that she may need extra doses of the prednisone to counter any extra stress.
I gave her the extra prednisone and she now seems back to normal.
Next month she is supposed to get her Parvoblahbedeblah shot when she goes in for her DOCP.
I'm thinking of ditching the Parvo shot and building my beautiful old dog an elaborate cocoon.
Nothing makes you feel like you might have taken something for granted than to be scared out of your skull like I was today.
Some days beg for distractions.
I'm really just musing.
But may I suggest extra belly rubs and biscuits for your favorite four legged friend tonight?
'nuf said, done again and again. Sally is now sleeping in her bed behind my desk chair.
And here I thought this thread was going to be a satire on religion and was wondering why it was posted under Pets&Garden. Ah, well, glad your doggy is fine, Boomer.
Our dog is the biggest pain in the ass in the world...I go between rubbing her belly and wanting to kill her...many times a day...she sleeps with me and squinney though.....she likes to watch...
My dog will not be ignored or taken for granted. No way she would allow that.
Aw, boomer. (You give your pets the best names...)
Bakker is a total babe.
She seems to be feeling much, much better this morning. Usually she does feel great after she's had her shot so that added to my freak out yesterday.
Bakker is nealy 10 years old and is just one of those really mellow dogs. I don't really think I take her for granted but I had come to believe that her condition is so managable and as long as she got her regular fix that all would be okay. I would have never thought that something as routine as a rabies shot could cause her problems.
Two questions: What is Addison's disease? What kind of dog is Tammy Faye Bakker? I picture a standard poodle for some reason.
Addison's disease is where your adrenal glands don't produce the right amount of hormones like cortisol, which is what helps your body handle stress. The shots and the meds she takes replace the hormones that her body won't produce.
FYI: John Kennedy had Addison's disease.
(Note: John Kennedy is not the name of another dog of mine - I mean the real President John Kennedy)
Bakker is a dalmation.
Re: What would Tammy Faye Bakker do?
boomerang wrote:I'm thinking of ditching the Parvo shot and building my beautiful old dog an elaborate cocoon.
Did you know the real Tammy Fayes dog house was air conditioned? Is that why you said that?
So much for clergy people living a
humble existence.
Bakker does lead a very cushy life but not quite the air conditioned dog house cushy!
Heck, my house doesn't even have air conditining (yet another reason to love the Pacific Northwest).
No, really I'm thinking of ditching the Parvo shot because I don't want to cause her anymore problems like we had yesterday. I'm certainly going to discuss it with her vet in a bit more detail before she gets the shot.
When she first got sick we really pretty much did build her an elaborate cocoon. Addison's disease is pretty rare and she was first misdiagnosed with Cushing's disease - really the opposite disease. She lost half her body weight (from 70 pounds to 36 pounds) and was nearly dead before we found out what was wrong with her.
I will cocoon her again if I ever need to.
boomerang wrote:I will cocoon her again if I ever need to.
I don't blame you. It's so easy to love pets as if they were children.
I hope she gets better soon!
Boomerang - If you were my client, I would not recommend booster vaccinations. Considering the fact that she has reached double-digit age, and is receiving regular doses of corticosteroids, there is a pretty good chance that she is unable to mount a lot of immune response from any vaccinations. I seriously doubt if the booster would cause any harm, but I doubt even more seriously that it will do any good.
Hi CowDoc!
Thank you and welcome to A2K.
That is EXACTLY what I was wondering whether Bakker would do!
I believe I will call Bakker's specialist to see what he has to say about this Parvo vaccination.
The specialist is affiliated with the regular vet's office but is $$$$ more to see for something simple like shots.
The "harm" might lie in just the additional stress.
Thank you!
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