Hi everyone and doctors,
First off THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH for awarding me the scholarship into this program. I'm happy to finally be here, beyond excited for what's to come and promise to do my best to pay it forward. This has been long awaited so I do apologize for the very very long post I am about to make about my lovely soul pup.
#2-#7: Name. Age, Sex, Neutering Status, Bread, Weight: Apples, 12 Yr Old Spayed Female. Approx 7.8 Lbs, Chihuahua/Griffon Terrier Mix
I want to provide a short background on how we even got into the holistic pet world with my girl which hopefully will provide deep insight on her situation and background. Apples was a perfectly healthy for up to 8 years of her life on dry kibble and a hefty amount of table scraps with the exception of seasonal allergies and mild to moderate stomach aches throughout the years. At 8 1/2 she started having more severe stomach issues/episodes which in hindsight were probably mild pancreatitis attacks. Around that time I decided to switch to cooked fresh food, however it was a totally unbalanced style of home cooking which consisted of a 40% portion of either cooked turkey or beef, 40% ratio of sweet potatoes and 20% ratio of cooked vegetables ( no supplements or vitamins were added). That diet lasted for about 2 years or so when it all started. From the months of *[July-August of 2021]* she started exhibiting the first signs of diabetes; she was overweight, drinking a lot, peeing everywhere and was extremely hot and fatigued with non stop panting. Unfortunately it took me about 6 weeks too long to realize the symptoms before she ended up in the hospital in [9/2021] for 4-5 days with Diabetic Ketoacidosis that most likely could have been caused by feeding her a huge surplus of fatty treats the whole week prior. However one key thing to note was that prior to her hospitalization her hormones seemed to be out of control for at least several months. She was humping me with vigor (mainly after eating) and couldn't seem to get it out of her system and she also was willing to engage with male dogs, both activities she's NEVER done previously. It was extremely odd and I think plays a huge attribute to the imbalance that caused her to get so severely sick. She also had internal bleeding both times she got sick and they could never figure out what caused this. The first time she was discharged with the following diagnoses:
The second time she was discharged with the following diagnoses:
#8. BEAM:
Behavior: Energetic, Hungry, Begging, Playful, Feisty (mostly when diabetes is regulated)
Energy: Super High on good days, very low and fatigued on bad days (believe it's based on diabetes being regulated)
Appetite: BIG, Ravenous, constantly hungry. She eats her 1st meal precisely at 5 am and up to 6 meals after that until 10 Pm. Ever since her first hospitalization her appetite took a 360. She searches for food constantly and begs nonstop to be fed where as prior she wouldn't eat until late afternoon and some days miss a meal.
Mood: She has two moods. One is energetic, hyper, upbeat, alert, friendly, aware, active, playful, feisty and puppylike. The other is groggy, fatigued, moody, depressed, warm, hot, tired, anxious, annoyed, unwilling to move, and uneasy and unable to settle.
#9. DIET: She continues on DIY raw but her food is cooked fully now with the exception of steamed or raw vegetables. I balance out her meals and try to keep her on cooler foods sourced from trusted retailers. She is on a variety of supplements and asian herbs for her diabetes. I keep a list of all the supplements and foods she's on including brand names with links if it's helpful!
#10. Vaccination history / exposure to toxins, other medication: She had her initial round of vaccines when she was a puppy but we never continued with any other vaccines although we did regularly have her undergo allergy and flea/tick & heartworm preventive shots not exceeding over 6-8 treatments. The only prescribed medication she is on is 1-2 units of Prozinc Insulin once a day. We try to use no chemicals in the house and try to use greener products, I also use herbs for detoxing but could be using them inappropriately. I live in a suburban neighborhood and we take frequent walks at the beach and park so she is always exposed to the outdoor toxins. There is a lot of dust buildup in our house and we use air filters but it's constant and hard to get a handle on.
#11. Primary problem, when it began and if there was anything else happening around that time:
The primary problem is mainly regulating her diabetes. We've run several tests and her vet says it's very unlikely she has cushings or addisons however she's shown slightly low thyroid levels, high blood pressure at times and high cortisol. I know when I don't give her enough or maybe miss some during an injection she will start to drink more, urinate more, may have accidents, will be fatigued and her body temperature will become more hot. This "seems" to be easily corrected by just giving her the right amount of insulin over the next few days but sometimes she goes into this other mood that doesn't always seem to be related to regulating her diabetes. She's also had episodes of low glycemic attacks and I've had to reduce her insulin intake over the past year. However, that will last for a few days and then she's back to the normal amount of insulin. Her good weeks are just GREAT and she's like a puppy, she'll have insane energy especially for a dog of her age. It usually lasts a week or two and then she subtly will move into having one of her "bad" weeks and the symptoms are mainly the following:
I can't yet pinpoint if the weather has an impact on her but she seems to do slightly better in the cold. Before she became diabetic she hated the cold and would shiver at the slightest wind, but now she tends to run hot and likes to have plenty of air movement. She wakes up without fail every day at 5am to eat and I noticed a lot of liquid in her food or dairy products like colostrum or fermented milk make her digestion issues worse. She also isn't really good at eating large meals at once as it seems to really fatigue her which is why she eats multiple meals throughout the day. If she has to go through stress like grooming or seeing the vet that can put her system into overdrive since she's an extremely nervous dog and her systems tend to worsen. Her collapsed trachea does not worsen with excitement but more so when she has digestion issues.
#13. Has any diagnostic work been done? Diagnosis if available (you can attach your diagnostic tests to the post if you have them):
We have conducted plenty of diagnostic tests, I can try to attach the ones from the last 12 months at least. We've done a full blood panel, urinalysis, and thyroid test. The thyroid test at Hemo Pet showed slightly lower thyroid and her vet said it could be related to non thyroidal disease.
#14. Current and previous treatment:
She is on herbal treatment and insulin therapy. We also do FMT transplants and ozone therapy as well as accupuncture.
#15. Other health concerns:
My other health concern would be her gut health and digestion issues. She also has IVDD and carries a lot of tightness around her body. I also want to make sure those episodes of low glycemic attacks and the regulating her diabetes can get under control and are not related to something else. I've always had a feeling that there was something hormonally imbalanced but not sure what testing could we conduct to put this theory to rest. We've tried a lot laltely to improve her overall health, including dental surgery and stem cell therapy but we still find that she goes in and out of those "moods" and stages which makes it very hard for me to just be at peace. I just always want to make sure I'm not overlooking subtle symptoms that could be the signs of a larger problem! Other than those things, thankfully and luckily Apple's is overall one lucky and healthy kiddo!
Thank you in advance for taking the time to read this and help us with our concerns! Much love from us both! ?
First off THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH for awarding me the scholarship into this program. I'm happy to finally be here, beyond excited for what's to come and promise to do my best to pay it forward. This has been long awaited so I do apologize for the very very long post I am about to make about my lovely soul pup.
#2-#7: Name. Age, Sex, Neutering Status, Bread, Weight: Apples, 12 Yr Old Spayed Female. Approx 7.8 Lbs, Chihuahua/Griffon Terrier Mix
I want to provide a short background on how we even got into the holistic pet world with my girl which hopefully will provide deep insight on her situation and background. Apples was a perfectly healthy for up to 8 years of her life on dry kibble and a hefty amount of table scraps with the exception of seasonal allergies and mild to moderate stomach aches throughout the years. At 8 1/2 she started having more severe stomach issues/episodes which in hindsight were probably mild pancreatitis attacks. Around that time I decided to switch to cooked fresh food, however it was a totally unbalanced style of home cooking which consisted of a 40% portion of either cooked turkey or beef, 40% ratio of sweet potatoes and 20% ratio of cooked vegetables ( no supplements or vitamins were added). That diet lasted for about 2 years or so when it all started. From the months of *[July-August of 2021]* she started exhibiting the first signs of diabetes; she was overweight, drinking a lot, peeing everywhere and was extremely hot and fatigued with non stop panting. Unfortunately it took me about 6 weeks too long to realize the symptoms before she ended up in the hospital in [9/2021] for 4-5 days with Diabetic Ketoacidosis that most likely could have been caused by feeding her a huge surplus of fatty treats the whole week prior. However one key thing to note was that prior to her hospitalization her hormones seemed to be out of control for at least several months. She was humping me with vigor (mainly after eating) and couldn't seem to get it out of her system and she also was willing to engage with male dogs, both activities she's NEVER done previously. It was extremely odd and I think plays a huge attribute to the imbalance that caused her to get so severely sick. She also had internal bleeding both times she got sick and they could never figure out what caused this. The first time she was discharged with the following diagnoses:
- Diabetes
- Diabetic Ketoacidosis
- Severe Neutrophilic Leukocytosis
- Moderate Anemia Progressive
- Hyponatremia/hypochloremia
- Hypokalemia
- Mild Elevated BUN
- Ongoing Vomiting and Regurgitation
- Bruising and Internal Bleeding in Abdomen
The second time she was discharged with the following diagnoses:
- Diabetic Ketoacidosis
- DKA
- Anemia
- Pyometra vs Mucometra
- Elevated Liver Enzymes
- Mild Elevated BUN
- UTI
- Gastrointestinal Dysbiosis
- Mild to Moderate Thrombocytopenia
#8. BEAM:
Behavior: Energetic, Hungry, Begging, Playful, Feisty (mostly when diabetes is regulated)
Energy: Super High on good days, very low and fatigued on bad days (believe it's based on diabetes being regulated)
Appetite: BIG, Ravenous, constantly hungry. She eats her 1st meal precisely at 5 am and up to 6 meals after that until 10 Pm. Ever since her first hospitalization her appetite took a 360. She searches for food constantly and begs nonstop to be fed where as prior she wouldn't eat until late afternoon and some days miss a meal.
Mood: She has two moods. One is energetic, hyper, upbeat, alert, friendly, aware, active, playful, feisty and puppylike. The other is groggy, fatigued, moody, depressed, warm, hot, tired, anxious, annoyed, unwilling to move, and uneasy and unable to settle.
#9. DIET: She continues on DIY raw but her food is cooked fully now with the exception of steamed or raw vegetables. I balance out her meals and try to keep her on cooler foods sourced from trusted retailers. She is on a variety of supplements and asian herbs for her diabetes. I keep a list of all the supplements and foods she's on including brand names with links if it's helpful!
#10. Vaccination history / exposure to toxins, other medication: She had her initial round of vaccines when she was a puppy but we never continued with any other vaccines although we did regularly have her undergo allergy and flea/tick & heartworm preventive shots not exceeding over 6-8 treatments. The only prescribed medication she is on is 1-2 units of Prozinc Insulin once a day. We try to use no chemicals in the house and try to use greener products, I also use herbs for detoxing but could be using them inappropriately. I live in a suburban neighborhood and we take frequent walks at the beach and park so she is always exposed to the outdoor toxins. There is a lot of dust buildup in our house and we use air filters but it's constant and hard to get a handle on.
#11. Primary problem, when it began and if there was anything else happening around that time:
The primary problem is mainly regulating her diabetes. We've run several tests and her vet says it's very unlikely she has cushings or addisons however she's shown slightly low thyroid levels, high blood pressure at times and high cortisol. I know when I don't give her enough or maybe miss some during an injection she will start to drink more, urinate more, may have accidents, will be fatigued and her body temperature will become more hot. This "seems" to be easily corrected by just giving her the right amount of insulin over the next few days but sometimes she goes into this other mood that doesn't always seem to be related to regulating her diabetes. She's also had episodes of low glycemic attacks and I've had to reduce her insulin intake over the past year. However, that will last for a few days and then she's back to the normal amount of insulin. Her good weeks are just GREAT and she's like a puppy, she'll have insane energy especially for a dog of her age. It usually lasts a week or two and then she subtly will move into having one of her "bad" weeks and the symptoms are mainly the following:
- Fatigued and tired mood, grumpy and unenergetic
- More Thirsty, Drinks more water
- Unbelievable Hunger
- Doesn't want to walk or engage in activity
- Will show signs of poor indigestion like really hard to pass stools, acid reflux, regurgitation, and more signs of collapsed trachea
- Makes grunting noises like her tracheal tube or esophageal tube is backed up or stuck (not fully processing)
- Gets warm really easy and will paint in cool or cold weather, usually when her body is "warm" she has a very hard time getting comfortable
- Occasional Humping
I can't yet pinpoint if the weather has an impact on her but she seems to do slightly better in the cold. Before she became diabetic she hated the cold and would shiver at the slightest wind, but now she tends to run hot and likes to have plenty of air movement. She wakes up without fail every day at 5am to eat and I noticed a lot of liquid in her food or dairy products like colostrum or fermented milk make her digestion issues worse. She also isn't really good at eating large meals at once as it seems to really fatigue her which is why she eats multiple meals throughout the day. If she has to go through stress like grooming or seeing the vet that can put her system into overdrive since she's an extremely nervous dog and her systems tend to worsen. Her collapsed trachea does not worsen with excitement but more so when she has digestion issues.
#13. Has any diagnostic work been done? Diagnosis if available (you can attach your diagnostic tests to the post if you have them):
We have conducted plenty of diagnostic tests, I can try to attach the ones from the last 12 months at least. We've done a full blood panel, urinalysis, and thyroid test. The thyroid test at Hemo Pet showed slightly lower thyroid and her vet said it could be related to non thyroidal disease.
#14. Current and previous treatment:
She is on herbal treatment and insulin therapy. We also do FMT transplants and ozone therapy as well as accupuncture.
#15. Other health concerns:
My other health concern would be her gut health and digestion issues. She also has IVDD and carries a lot of tightness around her body. I also want to make sure those episodes of low glycemic attacks and the regulating her diabetes can get under control and are not related to something else. I've always had a feeling that there was something hormonally imbalanced but not sure what testing could we conduct to put this theory to rest. We've tried a lot laltely to improve her overall health, including dental surgery and stem cell therapy but we still find that she goes in and out of those "moods" and stages which makes it very hard for me to just be at peace. I just always want to make sure I'm not overlooking subtle symptoms that could be the signs of a larger problem! Other than those things, thankfully and luckily Apple's is overall one lucky and healthy kiddo!
Thank you in advance for taking the time to read this and help us with our concerns! Much love from us both! ?
).
