Okay, I apologize. I haven’t updated the Piper story in a while, and I should have.
Pieper Memorial Veterinary Hospital in Middletown is a truly wonderful place for a sick puppy. They ran every test that could possibly tell them what was happening, and after all those tests, the tests at Bolton and at Tufts and eventually they (well, Dr. Winzelberg) determined Piper’s diagnosis. Her body stopped producing corticosteroids. Which are absolutely necessary for life.
She had none. Nada. Her muscles were disappearing and her strength was gone. So was her appetite.
On the off chance that she had an underlying infection that wasn’t showing up, she was put on two antibiotics. Because she had NO Appetite, she was put on an anti-nausea pill, an appetite stimulant and an antacid. Finally, because she has no corticosteroids in her system, 30 mg. of prednisone.
When she first came home, she still didn’t want to eat and was very quiet. Barely moving. I called Pieper, and we decided to double (!) her prednisone (up to 30 mg., three pills twice a day). Within 24 hours, she turned the corner. She was eating, she was up and about, and she was bright. Not quite back to herself, but much, much better.
I was warned that she would be drinking more and need to peed more. So she soaked through FIVE pee pads a couple of times over night. Not a big deal, at least she used the pads. I was warned that she’d be famished ALL the time. So I started giving her lunch, too. It is sad to me that I can no longer trust her when I go out, or leave a full waste basket in the kitchen, because her hunger will drive her to steal garbage from the sink, waste basket, and any food she can.
I used to be able to leave meat on the counter to thaw. I don’t dare anymore. But that’s okay. Piper’s worth it.
Gradually, Hyper Piper became more and more herself. Another visit to Pieper in Middletown (where they all LOVE her) and we’re now gradually reducing her prednisone to find the maintenance dose she’ll take for the rest of her life. One pill down each week. She’s down to 4 pills a day (20 mgs). Occasionally, she still has an accident overnight, but not so much (2 or 3 pads!), and she’s still famished. In fact, yesterday she and Tyson broke into the compost pile and they both left me presents overnight… bad fur-kids.
One other effect of the prednisone is that she has lost her temper with Tripp and Tyson – once each. While she hasn’t actually bitten them, she’s gone after them individually with full intent and anger. I’ve been able to separate them, and send them to their crates (in separate rooms, thankfully). She gets over her anger very quickly, is back to being sweet Piper, but it’s scary. I know it’s the overload of steroids in her system, at least I hope it is, and it should diminish/disappear once we get down to a maintenance dose. Until then, I keep a close eye on things, and when I go out, the boys are in the kitchen and Piper gets her room, the hall and bathroom. Blackie gets anywhere he wants, except the living room. When I get home, Piper is always at the kitchen gate, eager to see me and the boys.
She is still using “the climb” to get onto my bed, although she has leapt from the floor to the bed, once. She barely made it, and I continue to encourage her to “go around” and come up using the climb. She will also curl up on it (the climb) and sleep there when she’s not on the floor right next to the bed. That last makes it difficult to go to the facilities in the middle of the night. I have to get around her and she’s not small.
We go back to Pieper the end of the month, I hope we can continue to reduce her meds. She’s down to the prednisone, antacid, and Zyrtec. All the antibiotics are done, and she does NOT need any appetite stimulants!
Thanks for all your prayers and positivity.
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