Chris passed away August 1, 2008

[forscooter]

Re: Chris - Turned 14, Heart Rate is Up, Going to Vet

Natalie,

I was just checking in to see how things were going over here....I am sorry Chris has to get more tests, but it does sound like you have no choice.

I am sending my very very best that it isn't too hard on either one of you and will be anxious to hear what happened! Lots of prayers and hugs! Beth and the boys

[k9diabetes]

Re: Chris - Turned 14, Heart Rate is Up, Going to Vet

So the ultrasound went pretty well - nothing found that was concerning. They were aware of his sore back so were careful in lifting him and got him through it as quickly as possible.

His back is very sore - he flinches with any pressure applied above his hips.

The vet suggested a fentanyl patch to avoid the gastrointestinal issues and see if pain relief helps bring down his heart rate and makes him feel visibly better.

So now he looks a little like a bus with a billboard as he's got a big piece of tape across the his right hip emblazened with the information about his patch. I'm thinking of shaving the other side and putting a "Your Ad Here" advertisement! Maybe he can finally starting earning some cash!!

The patch should get to full force tomorrow morning and last about 2 days at that level so we will see.

It was interesting... a lot of people have looked at me like I was crazy when I've said that Chris got stiff and sore in response to NPH and to a food allergy. His vet today said that he discovered the same thing in himself. He changed his diet for weight control purposes, cutting out some foods, and found that his aching and inflammation went away as a result. So the vet didn't think that was strange at all.

Chris' heart rate stayed pretty good through the u/sound too. I was there with him and checked it periodically, just with my hand.

I am relieved. Now will see what the pain patch does. I hope it works but it also costs $90 and is good for a maximum of 5 days... even by Chris' standards, that's pretty pricey.

Have to go email the cardiologist and then will be back to catch up on everybody else.

Natalie

[Denise]

Re: Chris - Turned 14, Heart Rate is Up, Going to Vet

Hope the patch works too and you will be able to see what is effecting what if the pain clears and ehart rate decreases.

I think he is trying his darndest to egt into the veterinary publications!

It's sad when you know they just hurt so hope this is his magic bullet!

[ladysmom06]

Re: Chris - Turned 14, Heart Rate is Up, Going to Vet

Hi Natalie,

Happy to hear that the ultrasound went well. Hoping the pain patch does the job and relieves his pain. Sending positive thoughts that he feels better real soon. Hugs to you and Chris.

[bgdavis]

Re: Chris - Turned 14, Heart Rate is Up, Going to Vet

Natalie,

I've never heard of a fentanyl patch. Do they have to shave the hair off to apply it? Crissy doesn't show pain as much. Never has cried out, but somedays just lays around and appears 'out of it'. She's taking Metacam, tramadol, and gets Adequan shots. I want to check out this patch thing.

I hope that Chris gets some relief from the patch and his heart rate will go down as a result.

Where did you learn to take a heart rate on a dog? I can't even do it with a human!

Bonnie and Crissy

[We Hope]

Re: Chris - Turned 14, Heart Rate is Up, Going to Vet

Bonnie,

This is used for people too:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/dru...ation/DR601815

Fentanyl--transdermal (skin patch)

http://www.duragesic.com/duragesic/s...c.pdf#zoom=100

Duragesic product insert--one of the two brands of fentanyl patches.

Natalie--

Let's hear what kind of hammy the boy got for all of this last night!

[k9diabetes]

Re: Chris - Turned 14, Heart Rate is Up, Going to Vet

Hi Bonnie,

Yes, poor boy did have to have an area about 5 inches by 4 inches shaved.

He's pretty silly looking at the moment with that and his bare belly from the ultrasound, though his skin is cute - all of his black fur corresponds to black skin so he's got a pretty speckled belly.

Our cat Winky had a fentanyl patch too during the last week or so of her life before dying from lung cancer.

We are using it because the one time we tried Tramadol he threw up constantly.

As for heart rate, in Chris' case I use a stethoscope. It can be done by feel on the side of the chest just behind the front leg (though with all Crissy's fur that might be difficult) but Chris also has pulse deficits (heart beats that don't produce a pulse through the vessels) and some very soft beats so I miss too much if I just use my hand. I put a stethoscope to his chest just behind his front leg at about mid ribs, wherever I get the strongest sound, and then count beats, usually 15 seconds at a time.

The cardiologist asked me to do this because his heart rate always goes up at the vet from anxiety so we can't get a clear picture of what his heart rate actually is unless I take it here at home. I check it every day, record it in my notes along with his insulin, and then send it to the cardiologist periodically.

She said that if he sustains a heart rate of 250 or more he needs to go to the ER.

So far so good with the patch - it doesn't seem to bother him, internally or externally.

Natalie

[eyelostit]

Re: Chris - Turned 14, Heart Rate is Up, Going to Vet

I'm so sorry Chris is having trouble, I did not notice it because of the Birthday topic and knew i had replied to that, so I will have to check when the title gets changed.

I hope things are better today.

That heart rate, would you do it like this, take the beats in 15 seconds then if it would be EX: 20 the heartrate for 1 min would be 80 correct?

take care

[k9diabetes]

Re: Chris - Turned 14, Heart Rate is Up, Going to Vet

Yup! I usually count for 15 seconds as his heart rate is highly variable right now and then multiply by 4. That gives me an average rate over a minute. Although if there's a lot of variation, I also try to give her an idea of the speed of the slow beats and of the fast beats that make up the average.

If his heart is going very fast, it's hard to count that long and keep up so then I usually do 10 seconds and multiply by 6.

If it's too fast to count... off to the ER. We have only had to do that once so far, last year.

Natalie

[k9diabetes]

Re: Chris - Turned 14, Heart Rate is Up, Going to Vet

I can't see any obvious changes from the patch, which is having a tough time sticking to his skin. The gauze tape peeled off at the edges pretty quickly but the heart of the patch still seems to be intact. And it's not that he's hassling at it. He doesn't seem to notice it at all. It's just having a hard time sticking. They often use staples to keep it on but were trying to avoid having to staple him.

His heart rate is sometimes a little better, around 120. But it's very erratic. This morning I got 10 seconds of 160ish and 5 seconds of 100ish that averaged out to 140. I'm leaning toward the completely unfounded opinion that this is just his heart's "new rhythm." Just like when he suddenly went from 100-120 to slow doubles of 80.

Sometimes he seems a bit perkier from the patch, sometimes a bit zonked out by it....

I think he has been... not sure what to call it... more relaxed? He hasn't wandered the house as much and sleeps quietly through the night. That may just be sedation from the patch.

Short answer is I don't know if it's made any difference or not!

It should be in full effect until mid-day tomorrow so I'll just keep watching him. I owe the cardiologist an email update.

Natalie

[Denise]

Re: Chris - Turned 14, Heart Rate is Up, Going to Vet

Where is the patch located? Could an elastic bandage be wrapped around that part of his body or the self stick wrap stuff to help hold it?

I'm glad he is more relaxed. Better to have them nap a bit more than to be hurting.

I saw a dog at ISU yesterday that I had no clue what breed he was so I asked them! Like you with Chris they had to know to and found out he was GSD, corgi, some terrior and pug! He looked like a corgi with GSD coloring. I thought it was funny. You aren't the only one that wants to know breed!

[k9diabetes]

Re: Chris - Turned 14, Heart Rate is Up, Going to Vet

Chris had a good day today. We planned to take a drive up the valley today and were going to leave him at home. I fed him his 11am meal and cut his insulin a bit since we wouldn't be home for a few hours. But then he looked so sad that we decided to take him with us.

He's not crazy about the car these days but he settled down reasonably well after a hammie... Carl's Jr today. And he got to get out and wander around a park type area at our destination. And then we bought ice cream on the way home and he had some of that too! He thought this trip was GREAT!!!

I know that his blood sugar tends to go low when he's very active, like on trips to the vet, but I was still surprised that after his normal meal, a smaller dose of insulin, hammie, and ice cream... his blood sugar was 126.

He's one tired but content boy this evening.

I took his patch off as there was very little of it still in contact with his skin. I haven't been able to identify any slowing of his heart rate from it but I think the pain relief was good for him. I'll check back with the vet on Monday and see if there's a long-term plan we can work out.

Natalie

[k9diabetes]

Re: Chris - Turned 14, Heart Rate is Up, Going to Vet

Interesting side note... the fentanyl patch upped his insulin requirement half a unit, which is a fairly large amount since he was on just 7 units per injection.

As soon as it started to peel away substantially his insulin needs started to drop.

[Dollydog]

Re: Chris - Turned 14, Heart Rate is Up, Going to Vet

Hi Natalie,
Just doing some catching up today....glad to hear Chris had such a lovely outing with his favorite treats. Hope things ease up for him, take care,
Jo-Ann & Lady

PS I do plan to put Lady's story on the story page...just haven't gotten to it yet.

[k9diabetes]

Re: Chris - Turned 14, Heart Rate is Up, Going to Vet

The DNA test result came today and it's official....






(wait for it)






Chris is a freak! And may not even be a dog at all. I've always had this suspicion... starting to think he is part cat after all...





None of the 130 breeds tested, including Australian shepherd, dalmation, am staff, Jack Russell terrier... came up as a significant contributor. There were no medium contributors.

He has trace amounts of bearded collie!, chow (am starting to think there's chow in everything), and, get this, Nova Scotia Duck Trolling Retriever!

Here's what they said about Chris:

Chris is a one of a kind, unlike any other dog in the world. Our analysis has shown that Chris is an extremely complex mixed breed dog. Results like Chris's are found in about 15% of mixed breed dogs in the U.S. Chris' ancestry contains distant traces of Bearded Collie, Chow Chow, and Nova Scotia Duck Trolling Retriever. There are also faint signals from other breeds which are not strong enough to identify.

He doesn't look anything like any of these dogs.

There are some hounds that aren't included that could account for his black spotted coat.

So there you have it. He's the mutt of mutts.