Carbón beats heartworm: treatment and recovery journal

Emily_Babbelhund

Emily_Babbelhund

Mama Red HOT Pepper
Location
Regensburg, Germany
We've been back to vomit-land the last couple of days. I just think he can't handle raw beef, end of story. I've got a nice fresh fish and veggie mixture for this evening and the first day of our travels tomorrow, then a fish/sweet potato dry kibble for the few days before we have a kitchen again next weekend.

We went to the vet today to get his worm treatments for the trip to the UK and he's nearly 2 kilos down in weight, so Operation Cornwall will be to beef him up a bit (without actual beef of course).

By the way, @snowbunny 's idea of letting him just eat what he's just brought up - if he wants to - got the official stamp of a approval from the vet. That makes me go a bit queasy, but apparently when it comes up looking just as it did when it went in and he WANTS to have a second go, then that's the best thing. Yuck...but hey, I'll give it a go.

The vet also said that if he vomits up his medicine less than 2 hours after eating, then he should get more food and meds. That can be the 'seconds' (ugh) or another meal and fresh meds, but he should not skip a dose due to dodgy tummy.

We also had a longer discussion about how much exercise is enough or too much. While this wouldn't be true of every dog, due to Carbon's specific situation (young, otherwise healthy, clear echocardiogram) he can walk as much as he likes and short zoomies or plays with other dogs in bursts of five minutes or less are fine. She said no mountain climbing or running a 10K. Ha, ha...I told her that wasn't really likely if he was with me! :rolleyes:

She also nixed his beloved Chuck It (tennis ball launcher) which is worse news for Carbon, but honestly I don't think he's missed it enormously in the last month since his diagnosis. Without it and a tennis ball, he engages more with his environment and me, which I really like better anyway.

He does seem a little low key today after his adventures in vomit land yesterday and today. Tomorrow we start our drive and hopefully a long day of rest in the car will do him good. (y)
 
Emily_Babbelhund

Emily_Babbelhund

Mama Red HOT Pepper
Location
Regensburg, Germany
Cath said:
Well good luck for tomorrow. Is it a very early start Emily?
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Thanks! :)

No, it's an easy drive to Metz (France), about 6 hours with the way I drive. I already repacked the main bit of the car yesterday, so I'll just shove my and Carbon's overnight bags in the boot, give the apartment a clean (though it's pretty much fine already so it's really just giving the floors a last swipe), have a good walk with Carbon and then on the road around 10-noonish.

We're staying in the same retirement home which sublets as a hotel as we were at in November, so don't even need to bother programming my Satnav as it's already in there. Easy peasy!
 
Emily_Babbelhund

Emily_Babbelhund

Mama Red HOT Pepper
Location
Regensburg, Germany
Jelinga said:
How exciting to be off on your travels again, I wonder what Carbon will think? Hope he isn't sick in the car! Those tennis ball throwers are not very good for dogs, gets them a bit obsessive and can damage their joints when they turn to pick the ball so my vet says.
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I doubt he'll think much of anything until we clear the gates at @Beanwood. :) We've moved six times in the last six weeks, so tomorrow he'll likely just roll his eyes and have a snooze. "More of the same!"

I agree with you on the ball throwers. Obsession city. He really loves his tennis balls and I thought it might be a way for him to get more exercise than just boring old me, but when I have the thrower he won't do anything else, even if I put it away. He also started 'mugging' other people with the things on the beach. We're going to have to work on that in Cornwall as I imagine he'll STILL mug people with them down there. :oops:
 
Granca

Granca

It’s probably a bit of an obsession after being deprived in puppyhood! Friends of mine have a ‘failed’ guide dog which they had puppy-walked. He wasn’t allowed tennis balls when he was in training, but when they eventually had him back he was able to play ball with their other lab. Now he’s completely obsessed and has to carry a tennis ball on his walk so that he doesn’t mug every ball thrower he comes across!
 
Emily_Babbelhund

Emily_Babbelhund

Mama Red HOT Pepper
Location
Regensburg, Germany
Welp, dinner just came up and then went back down again (vet's orders). I think I'm more nauseated than Carbon...in fact I'm sure of it as he seems quite pleased with himself. I'm afraid to feed him breakfast in the morning, as if that much comes up in the car, I really will be ill. :puke:

Hopefully it stays down the second time - if not, Irish pub evening is going to get exciting.

He was doing so well that now I'm wondering if it's something in this batch of food I made? I've got quite a bit left as I made enough for the trip tomorrow (froze it) but now wondering if I should just dump it all. The pre-made batch has no meat in it, but white fish, sweet potato, apples, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower and sauerkraut.

Poor pup. :sad:
 
Ashley

Ashley

Emily_Babbelhund said:
He also started 'mugging' other people with the things on the beach.
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Those throwers are the bane of my existence...well, of my training. Quinn is OBSESSED and if we bring hers she pulls like a train to get wherever we are going and can't think/look at anything else. I have to have her chuckit ball (a tennis ball will just not do) with me at all times in case she spots someone else with one and I have to bribe her. She will literally join another family if they have a thrower. It's the only time she will let me out of her sight. I did a training class specific to recall her from them, which worked for awhile but she cannot resist most of the time. We haven't used ours in months...possibly a year and it has not tamed her love.

Emily_Babbelhund said:
apples
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Is there just a little apple? Too much apple makes Quinn sick. I forgot, and recently bought dried apple treats and she puked after training class...I have no idea why. Sugar maybe?
 
Emily

Emily

Location
Melbourne, Australia
Emily_Babbelhund said:
By the way, @snowbunny 's idea of letting him just eat what he's just brought up - if he wants to - got the official stamp of a approval from the vet. That makes me go a bit queasy, but apparently when it comes up looking just as it did when it went in and he WANTS to have a second go, then that's the best thing. Yuck...but hey, I'll give it a go.
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I find that it's a good indication of whether Ella is really feeling unwell. When she had gastro the other week, she wouldn't go near the vomit so I knew she was really feeling rough.

Even though the thought of eating vomit makes me feel queasy, the fact that I don't have to scoop it up is a real bonus!

I also find it quite amusing that Ella will sit down Infront of the pile and waits for me to tell her to "have it" like she does with dinner :LOL:
 
M

M.F.

Safe travels! Always exciting embarking on a trip—albeit stressful having to prepare for it.

Snowie was obsessed with balls. Stole many a ball (someone just asked me yesterday where I buy Snowie’s balls. Um...). When on vets orders he was not allowed to chase a ball (slipped disc), very quickly he lost the obsession. Like drug rehab? He still loves retrieving a ball, but I hardly throw one for him anymore as he’s learned to enjoy other things. Just this weekend I was remarking how amazing it is that he can lie down and watch another dog retrieving a ball and not need to join in—we were away with a few dogs, and one of them, a tiny Yorkie x Maltese, is so obsessed and retrieves at a sprint for about an hour a day.
 
Emily_Babbelhund

Emily_Babbelhund

Mama Red HOT Pepper
Location
Regensburg, Germany
M.F. said:
(someone just asked me yesterday where I buy Snowie’s balls. Um...).
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:giggl:

M.F. said:
Just this weekend I was remarking how amazing it is that he can lie down and watch another dog retrieving a ball and not need to join in
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Thank you, this gives me hope! I'm really not much of a ball person - Rotties in general just don't love to retrieve and mine certainly didn't. I got the tennis balls and thrower for Carbon because he loves them so much and it makes me happy to see him happy. But I had concerns about ball obsession, his joints...and I must admit, find throwing a ball over and over to be mind-numbing.

He's been ball-free for the past month and doesn't seem to miss it, but if he sees another dog with a ball he'll still try to steal it and you can see the absolute joy he gets from the darn things. Hopefully that will recede over time like it did with Snowie.
 
Emily_Babbelhund

Emily_Babbelhund

Mama Red HOT Pepper
Location
Regensburg, Germany
After a three week doxycycline break, Carbon is back on the hard stuff for another six week cycle. So far he seems to have no nausea, for which I'm deeply grateful given our new house has wall to wall carpeting.

Hopefully the immune boosters and tummy health probiotics are helping. Plus the sauerkraut, miracle of German cuisine. :LOL:

The hardest bit remains finding a balance with his exercise. I feel like I've taken some of the life out of him as he doesn't even try to zoomie anymore except with another dog (like Reuben last week). It's almost as if he's gone from adolescent hooligan to middle aged dog in the last two months and that makes me sad - even if it is better for his health.

I can also really see that he's lost a lot of muscle, both in his body and face. I really liked when he was a chunky little muscle-boy last summer...I hope we can get that back at some point.

Otherwise he seems quite healthy - which is kind of ironic with the heartworm and maybe Leish. He needs his vaccinations in the next couple weeks, so I'll be interested in getting a UK vet's opinion on his case, though I thoroughly expect to get an earful on slow kill method. I would imagine most vets wouldn't go for something that out there. Frankly I'm still not sold on it myself!
 
Emily_Babbelhund

Emily_Babbelhund

Mama Red HOT Pepper
Location
Regensburg, Germany
Four days back on doxy and Carbon has not had one vomiting episode, hooray! :monkey:

Knock on wood, but I think the supplements and sticking to mainly a pescatarian diet have really helped. I'm supplementing his protein with fresh (cooked) chicken breast for training treats and then his meals are mainly veggies with some fruit and 1-2 small white fish filets.

I also wonder now about the raw food I was getting in Germany at Carbon's favourite shop. It seems like a good quality but maybe too tough to digest while he is going through treatment. We had his urine tested back in January and the vet said he needed much less protein, so maybe the diet change has been good on that side as well.

I have to admit, I'm from the "more protein is always better" school when it comes to home made dog food, so Carbon's recent diet still makes me a big panicky thinking I'm not ticking all his nutritional boxes. But he's sleek, healthy, and above all not vomiting, so we'll go with it!
 
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