Epi4Dogs

Oh V... i am so sorry to hear about Nia..... my heart goes out to you.
You certainly did the best you can to give her the best possible life.................

Really sorry about Nia. That's sad. It's a good age, but still very hard You've got a lot with issues! That must be tough.

Thanks. It never gets easier. I'm glad she did have that rebound, though. She had a few days there where she did enjoy herself.
The two that are the main concern are Montgomery (EPI, IBD, and SID), and Flapjack (epilepsy). Mary has IBD but we are able to manage it well now, although it took a solid year to control it. Sylvia Rose and Thobias have some of the family yuck (they're related to Montgomery), which means they can be rather dyspeptic at times. Nothing seems to solve it, although it does seem to get better if they eat less dry food and less snackies.
Animals. They're all going to give us challenges, but I think they make us smarter and they make us better and I wouldn't trade them for anything.

hi V... i love that you love taking care of the less fortunate.....that being said......isn't it interesting that so many animals (and people) seem to rally a short time before their body gets ready to leave this earth. I've observed it with my parents and many pets thru the years.

Huge Kudo's to you for getting Mary's IBD under good control... i always felt that IBD and/or allergies can be much more difficult to manage than EPI over the long haul.

Nia went back to being like a baby kitten for a few days. She ate everything that came near her face. I had to give her a pie plate on a rubber mat because she was standing in her food, sticking her hands in it, and then flinging her dish around. She was more social and more interested in things, and then she just plummeted. Yeah, I've had this happen a few times (not so extreme). It makes that hard decision even harder, when they seem to be doing better. Your brain knows it won't last, however...

Mary was a barn cat, a shelter cat, then a shop cat. The person who had her didn't care that she was really sick. They let me take her on. In December she'll be retired two years, and she turns sixteen sometime this year. The game-changer was the red light therapy that we used with Montgomery. I'll swear by that and sing it's praises for the rest of my days. She is on a grain-free diet, about ninety percent of it being wet food (she will not eat home-cooked food and will not eat enough to completely ditch the dry). She looks good and has a lot of energy. I really didn't think we'd have her too long, so I'm so happy that she's recovered. When I brought her home, she was vomiting blood clots. She's still not quite tame. She still likes to punch people, scratch and bite, and will raise Cain at the veterinary clinic (last time they dropped her like a hot coal when she suddenly struck out). She will, however, come and curl up on the sofa with me sometimes. She runs mad zoomies all over the place, plays with her own feet, and loves watching birds. No more mousing. Lots of catnip. I think she's happy.

My goodness, you certainly take on challenging souls!!!!!!!!!

I too cannot sing enough praises for red light therapy, cold laser therapy and pulsating electromagnetic therapy..... i have personally seen amazing results not only with my pets, other people's pets with light therapy but also with my own body. Fantastic technology that has actually been around for many years, only just now becoming mainstream.

It's crazy how well that works, and both Montgomery and Mary really enjoyed having the red light therapy. The easiest, gentlest thing in the world. I lent it to a friend for her knee (recovering from knee-replacement, and not well), but she's scared to use it because it belongs to Montgomery...?! Does she think she's going to start meowing? Anyhow, I digress, these two are certainly proof that it helps!

Meowing is a possibility, I believe! My ex was like that with slippery elm once. I bought it for Chance, and although it's pills for humans, he wasn't sure about "dog medicine" he didn't start barking...but that would have been an improvement!

I've been thinking about red light, or cold laser. I know they've used cold laser on me, and I know it did buy some relief!

i have had one dog and three cats at the same time once, two of mine lived to 20 one with EPI

you certainly have your work cut out , does your room mate fill in for you while you work ?

maybe neighbours could help, or friends ?

what hours do you do , getting up at 3.30 is cruel at best , you are something else

We're back to normal now, so I don't have to be up until four. Normal is seven until four. I've had a three day weekend so I've been spoiled, up at ten to seven. It feels like I've slept until noon. Yes, she fills in while I'm at work, so Montgomery and his friends and relations don't miss out on things they need. Everyone here is a senior, so eating smaller, more frequent meals is a lot easier on them. It's also more natural for cats. There isn't anyone I'd trust to come in and look after them, and this crowd is a bit sketchy when it comes to visitors. The last thing I need is to hear that Sylvia, Thoby, or Mary bit someone, or that Flapjack panicked and injured himself. Montgomery is very particular about who he'll eat for, too, or who he will allow to give him his enzymes. He's nine pounds of stubborn.
I got the red light from According To Gospel, and they make them really tiny for cats and small dogs, up to very large sizes for horses. It wasn't cheap, but worth every cent. It really sped up Montgomery's recovery and I think it saved Mary. We've all caught our co-worker before she's fallen, or she's reached out and caught herself on us! I wish she'd just try it. Nothing to lose.