Rags

[Rags' Mom]

New to this forum and would like to tell you a little about the little dog that could (and can).

Rags is a 13 1/2 year old Snorkie (1/2 schnauzer/1/2 yorkie). He came to us as a tiny puppy from the local humane society. Now he would be a designer dog - how funny.

He was supposed to be my dog, but went immediately to my husband. Later, it would become apparent that he was Heaven sent. In 1998, he became my husband's constant companion while he battled to live from an aggressive infection in his heart. Hubby beat the infection (with the care and love of a faithful dog) but is now an invalid, wheelchair bound, oxygen dependant. But Rags is still there for him.

At Christmas this year we noticed that Rags was losing a great deal of weight. He needed to lose a little, but this was way to much. As our vet had recently retired and sold the practice to a new vet, I got him in to be seen.

The diagnosis was Cushings - through me for a loop, but then the diabetes showed up. Sugars through the roof. Started small dose of insulin (3 units) and when the Trilostane was started (small delay there) the cortisol came within normal limits quickly - but the sugars are still horrible. Yesterday's was over 600 (meter read HI). He is now on 8 units. (he weighs 12 lbs - down from 21) I started checked his urine glucose this morning and it read 5000.

He is now blind, and appears not to see even light at this point.

We are hanging in there. He hates the shots, so I now have to wake up hubby each morning to hold him. He is still eating, but the drinking is a little less. We are making plans to enclose the deck for his safety without limiting his area. Thankfully the house is ramped, so that makes it a bit easier for him. He can still find the pet door on occasion. He is now barking when he gets lost.

We have another dog Scruffy who was watching him outside, but he isn't as devoted as I would like. The cats tend to purr up against him to keep him from the edges. Neat to watch.

If anyone has advice, would love to hear it. I really think that if he dies, it will impact negatively on my husband's health (not to mention my heart).

[bowens2]

Re: Rags

God Bless his little heart. My brother has a blind dog and she does just fine. She has gotten out of the yard once just a few days ago but luckly they found her not too far from home and they live on some backwood road. She goes in and out of a dog door even though she was originally an outside dog with very thick fur. They recently lost her mother and they think she was looking for her. But she does seem absolutely fine with being blind. Just don't move the furniture.

God Bless you, your husband, and Rags

[Rags' Mom]

Re: Rags

Bowens - Your brother must be my neighbor - we live on a real backwoods road. I am so glad that your brother found his dog. I have had 2 blind dogs before - one used sonar to get around. He was a huge black lab, Blue, and he would make a puffing sound and wait for the return echo. Then there was Gus, our Peke. He just out and out lost an eye in a fight with another dog and then didn't learn his lesson and lost almost all the sight in the other eye the same way. He thought he was a doberman.

Rags seems so much more confused than the other 2. I suspect it is the high sugars, hopefully that will get better when we get better control of those. He keeps getting "lost" in the same places both inside and out. Today it was sunny, so I let him figure out the way back up on the deck, watching closely. As the weather improves, he will have more time outside. The ramps for my husband's wheelchair do help, but I think I will have to ramp another set of deck steps, block off the steps to the area above the garage, and add railing in several places. At least he is barking when he can't get back. The backyard is about 1/4 acre and fenced. He can't get out of it.

Thanks,
Janie