My girl Cleo

[jjefferjo]

Re: My girl Cleo

How fun and funny

[Judi]

Re: My girl Cleo

I would have loved to have seen poor Cleo getting stuck all over the house! And how sweet that they kissed. That Quentin is just a charmer isn't he?

Hope she is still feeling better!!

[MaryLea]

Re: My girl Cleo

What an experience! Glad Cleo is getting the attention and meds she needs.

"You are a GREAT mum!" ~Cleo

Mary

[Patty]

Re: My girl Cleo

Hope your Sunflower heals quickly Louise!!

[Shellie]

Re: My girl Cleo

Never a dull moment! Hope Cleo gets better quickly! Hugs!

[buddingartist]

Re: My girl Cleo

It’s been a few months since I have cried on everyone’s shoulder and I thought I’d thank you all for your support with an update on Cleo.

We are now at peace with our decision not to pursue all the suggested testing and biopsy for liver issues etc. Cleo has been doing remarkably well, many of the neighbours and at the vets are commenting and amazed at how good she looks. My girl is now 12 and aging gracefully and living the pampered life. There is no question that she has changed significantly since Buddy left us however, she no longer appears to be sad or wonder around every room looking for him. She hates to be alone but that OK because we had so dramatically changed our lifestyle because of Buddy and we haven’t reverted back to going out regularly. She hoards the king size bed, needs a cushion on her garden chair when joining us on deck, rides shotgun with daddy when he is running errands, needs/demands more cuddling from one of us, herds us regularly and let’s us know when she is in a playful mood.

She is eating well twice daily, seems to enjoy and digest her food well and has normal poops etc.,and hasn’t had any more flare ups on her paws. Thanks to HealthyMouth, her teeth are nice and white and gums are infection free. She still wants her twice daily walks (leash free) and just loves to dawdle and visit with the many dogs in the neighbourhood. She has shown on a few occasions that she still has some spunk left in her. She is definitely daddy’s girl cause mommy does all kinds of things that she doesn’t like… brushing her teeth, putting drops in her eyes, cleaning her ears, giving her meds, a bath, brushing. She may not be a pure Westie but she is a pure high maintenance drama queen.

After getting out of bed in the morning, this is where she slowly wakes up for about 30-45 min.

http://www.k9diabetes.com/forum/pict...pictureid=1924

We still take care of Quentin for days or weekends and they have learned to cohabit and to ignore each other. However, we made the mistake of agreeing to dogsit a 3rd dog (Oli) for a few hours. In that short time, he peed on the rug in the family room, living room, Cleo’s cushion, wood floor in the only room where the finish is wax, bit my husband and all hell broke loose in our house even after trying to calm him down by walking him for 1 hour ( I threatened my husband with divorce if he puts me through this again). This little dog was a little terror, and kept attacking Quentin and that really got Cleo mad and she was defending Quentin and nipping at Oli’s butt and legs. We put them in the yard knowing that Quentin can outrun any dogs and Cleo joined in and of course, she could barely walk the next day (thankful for daily Tramadol)…. But she was a pup for a few hours.

http://www.k9diabetes.com/forum/pict...pictureid=1926

The X-rays confirmed that both back legs are severely degenerated so we ramped decks, added steps to reduce heights, pick her up on/off the couches and the bed. Also, Missy won’t go pee and poop if the grass is too long so she does her business right on the patio.

PS: If anyone is wondering about her right ear being down. Some of you will remember that one of Buddy’s ear was quite a bit shorter because it was burnt on a heater at the breeder (?&&%?). When we got them both out of there at 10 weeks, Cleo’s ears were up straight and within 2 months, her ear came down (mirror image of Buddy) and we never bothered to do anything to correct it, concentrating instead in bringing them back to health.

We are thankful for every day we have her to fill the void of Buddy's passing as we very often talk about him and miss him dearly

Louise

[jesse girl]

Re: My girl Cleo

they are such loving spirits

dogs can be very territorial when a new member pops in and the new guy tries for dominance

jesse visiting one of her cosines in reno had a time of it the first couple visits coco a Yorki just wanted to be in charge and let jesse know it every chance she got jesse being a mellow girl just accepted it until one visit pushed jesse over the edge and she fought back after that no problems .

thats great cleo feels better life is quite amazing its ok its not perfect and thats expected with age and its nice to age gracefully as cleo does so well

enjoy all these beautiful times together they are so special

[Judi]

Re: My girl Cleo

It sounds like you definitely made the right decision for Cleo. Love hearing about her! And Quentin

[nibbles-mommy]

Re: My girl Cleo

That's the way life should be, she should expect...

1. Fresh cut grass to pee on
2. You stopping the world the stay with her all the time
3. A king size bed all for her (why else would you buy it, duh!)
4. Peace when she needs it

And yes, you are the bad guy and daddy's are good. That's how it was here too.

She sounds very happy and so do you.

[Shellie]

Re: My girl Cleo

Aw, this is such a wonderful update on Cleo! I'm so glad she's doing well and enjoying life! It IS the little things...like being continually catered to...that make life worth living, huh? ! LOL Glad you decided not to put her thru all the testing...sometimes it's just better to let them be. Great update! Hugs!!

[momofdecker]

Re: My girl Cleo

Happy to read such a positive update on Cleo! I saw her pictures in her album and she is adorable - love the one where she is all snuggled in her daddy's arms. Makes me just want to snuggle her too! Holli

[Abby's Mom]

Re: My girl Cleo

What a wonderful update on Cleo. Sometimes all the testing, medications are best to hold off.

My first dog, a German Shepherd was named Cleo. She is the reason why I have loved dogs so much.

[jenny]

Re: My girl Cleo

Aw Louise, I have just read through Cleos thread and wanted to say how wonderful she is. Loosing her sibling Buddy must of been so hard, but good to hear she is getting used to him not being there. Her new playmates seem like great fun too. She sounds like a very happy, spolit, opinionated darling, who has been through quite enough in her 12 years. Love that shes a daddys girl and loves cuddles, thats fab! Great pictures too, snuggled in her dads arms like a little munchkin.

My Pippa is a puppy farm westie too . Makes me sad to think of her poor start and wonder if thats why she has been more succeptible to diabetes? She also has a luxating patella, but its mild and transient so we have left alone for now, and to be honest bothers her very little. I know what you mean about not being able to leave them in those awful places, what would of happened if we had not taken them home?????? Thank goodness you happend on both Cleo and Buddy, Im sure their lives would of been very different without you and your husband caring so much for them.

I think that you are entirely right in your thinking re quality of life v investigations and treatments. We were thrown a dilemma right at the begining when my first vet found enlarged lymph nodes in Pippa and wanted to proceed to lymph node biopsys and kept mentioning lymphomas, scared me stupid too. I have changed vets and her lymph nodes are still borderline enlarged, but this may be a normal variation or it may be a nasty , but we are following a watchful waiting process and 6 months in no change. She seems so well in herself and I cant help but think this is a red herring. Time will tell. At the moment her diabetes is regulated, shes happy, naughty and active and we will watch this space.

So sorry I did not know Buddy, I must read his thread one day, and you must all miss him so much still, But your Princess Cleopatra is georgeous!

P.s. I also had a siamese cat called cleo, after cleopatra, she sadly died 2 years ago and I miss her still very much. Lovely name Cleo.

Thanks for sharing this update and look forward to more good news on Cleo.

Hugs, Jen x

[Patty]

Re: My girl Cleo

That's the way life should be, she should expect...

1. Fresh cut grass to pee on
2. You stopping the world to stay with her all the time
3. A king size bed all for her (why else would you buy it, duh!)
4. Peace when she needs it

Hahahaha . Love this update Louise! Glad Cleo is living well!

Sounds like Oli's visit will be a one time deal...you have to wonder how such a small dog can have so much in his bladder in such a short time!

[buddingartist]

Re: My girl Cleo

Debbie: that is so funny. We suspect the long grass tickles her tummy and she tentatively goes on the grass and walks out as if there were landmines all over the yard.

Patty: Yes, dogsitting Oli was a first and a last. The strangest thing is that our friends were at our place before with Oli. He tried harassing Cleo and she let him know in no uncertain terms to back off. We suspect the peeing was because of Quentin and it was territory marking. I suspect there is not much training going on, they both work, the daughter plays hockey and they travel a lot and have a very active lifestyle. I have very rarely seen such an aggressive and nasty dog.

Jenny: When I think of what the first 10 weeks of their life was like, I cringe. We wanted a male and we thought we were dealing with a breeder which had been recommended to us. It was only when we got there that we realized that she was a backyard breeder. She took them out of a barn, put Buddy on the floor and Cleo in my arms and Buddy just went crazy. It was only when I put Cleo on the ground that we saw she was limping. Buddy bald and covered in bleeding sores, Cleo with a hip fracture. We paid the ransom and got them out of there. We were often criticized for having done so but we never once regretted doing it.

Yes, we are happy that she is doing so well and that she is living her <golden years< in style and will not be leaving this earth the same way she arrived.

Tks people and extra belly rub for all your furbabies. It is so heartwarming to witness the care and love that is displayed in the various posts on this site.

Louise