Saturday 10 November 2007

Today is a Good Day !!!!

The day or rather night started at around midnight with Yogi needing his first wee break of the 8 hours or so that I used to like to spend asleep. That's fine, I just wish he would give me a little time to drag something on before the barking becomes so urgent that I end up flying down the stairs hoping that all is well when I reach the back door! The second marathon was at 3. This time he also thought it was an appropriate time to lay down in the garden having a chew of an old bone. Patience somewhat deserted me then and I am afraid I insisted that he return - sharpish ! I know that it is all down to the steroids - he is on 7 Prednisolone a day. He also has a voracious appetite. It worries me how much I should feed him to satisfy his hunger and balance that without "overloading" him. If anyone has any tips, they would be gratefully received.
Yogi woke up nice and rested (lucky boy) and enjoyed his trundle around the village first thing. He is back to his old ways of snaffling any bit of discarded food that gets within snout distance. Deeply afronted if I spot it first and then deploy any avoidance tactics. Today is also "chemo day" where he has his 3 times a week dose of Endoxana, plus Pred, plus synulox and a pain killer (rimadyl) for good measure. (he will also go once a week for his intravenous Vincristine) Poor little chap positively rattles. These days it is a breeze getting his tabs down him. Dairylea and a smile work wonders :o)
He and the long suffering Larry went on an outing today. Lunch at Granny's (my mum). Big worry as to whether we should walk round. It is only a couple of miles away but John (vet) said that the steriods will make him feel pretty invincible and do things that maybe he shouldn't. We decided that the walk would do him good, nice and gentle and if the worst came to the worst and he appeared tired in any way, we would hitch a lift home with "granny".
All went well, and Yogi was back to his normal style of pulling almost like a small train. The last couple of days he has had to wear his halti again. I find that brilliant. Although lovely to walk a dog that doesn't pull, a dog that doesn't pull is not Yogi.
As soon as he walked through the front door without so much as a "hello" to the residents - mum and Fudge, he nicked her rawhide bone (Fudge's not mum's :o)) and settled down for a good old chew. Bemused onlookers a plenty.
All went well until the food started appearing. I had given him a snack before we left so he wouldn't feel too hungry. He was eyeing everything up and positively begging for stuff. Something he hasn't done for years. When we first knew him, he was pretty much starving and a terrible thief. A good feeding routine and teaching him some basic manners had stopped this over a period of time. Now the thief was back! Our backs were turned for a moment and his paws were on the table and he had nicked some buscuits. Ever so quietly too :o) Must say, I was rather impressed!
That is one of the things that worries me though. I absolutely HATE the thought of him feeling hungry, but am worried that he shouldn't over do it. Also, don't want to upset his stomach with all the drugs he is on.
Any ideas, suggestions would be most welcome.
One slight downer is that someone was sick in the night. Not sure if it was Larry or Yogi and nothing since but that's how all this started. So will continue keeping a close eye, try not to worry too much and enjoy them both immensely.
Now I am going to attempt to post some photo's so all can see what gorgeous boys they are :o)

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

I know just what you mean about the appetite and nightime pee-breaks as a result of the prednisolone. Also the delight at being dragged around by a newly re-vitalised pooch! I'm afraid that I didn't really find a great solution to the appetite problem. Prince had lost some weight by the time he started his treatment, so he could have a little extra food, which helped. I have to admit that to an extent he did get lots of treats, because at the time I was going through the 'he can have whatever he wants, even if it's caviar' stage. One useful thing was that he always had mashed carrots in his meals - and because they weren't fattening as such, I sued to give him a lot to bulk it out and make him feel full.

I'm so pleased Yogi's feeling good....!

Fiona said...

Thanks Graham, Yogi is eating like a king too. Mashed carrots is a great idea. At least I can give him something without feeling too guilty. I must admit though that he is a terrific fan of broccoli stalks (raw) the resulting wind is less lovely, but as you will appreciate it's a small price to pay. Yogi is feeling great today and he sends you, Prince and Tilly loads of licks!

Anonymous said...

Haha - windy miller strikes!