Dogs



She looks like a cross between Groucho Marx and a dust mop, and she’s a bulwark against despair.

Millie desperately wants to trust her new life, but she can’t. To her, the world remains a dangerous place. Months after joining our family, she is still reluctant to poop, apparently afraid to make herself so vulnerable. On walks, she pulls on the leash, straining to reach the neighbors who are walking at the same time, but when she reaches them, she trembles violently. Simple trembling is the best-case scenario, actually. Sometimes she still drops to the ground, flips over onto her back and pees on herself.

For Millie is not the only one who is sad and worried and afraid. Last summer, five weeks apart, I lost two beloved dogs — the aging hound-shepherd-retriever mix who helped us raise our children and the aging dachshund who was my mother’s greatest comfort in her own last years. They were old, beset by infirmities, but when they died I was undone by grief.

Late midlife is invariably a time of loss. If you’re very lucky, the losses are utterly ordinary, completely predictable — parents who die of old age, children who grow up and move on, dogs who live a long time and then can’t live any longer. But being ordinary doesn’t make loss less painful.

Millie reminds me every day that life isn’t only a casting off, that it can also be, at times, an accruing. There will always be friends to make and seeds to plant. There will always be ways to help alleviate suffering. This, she reminds me, is no time for despair. This little rescue dog is rescuing me, too.

Last week, an unfamiliar noise woke my husband and me in the night. We sat up, puzzled. Then we heard it again and got up to follow the sound.

It was Millie, standing at the back door, barking. A possum had climbed up onto our deck, looking for spilled birdseed. It was a clear night, a full moon, and we could see the possum’s toothy grimace as clearly as we could see what woke us. She was standing at our feet, looking into our eyes and wagging her tail.
 
[Anyone have any experience, comments, etc. on Apoquel?]

[Apoquel] Long-Term Compassionate Use of Oclacitinib In Dogs with Atopic and Allergic Skin Disease: Safety, Efficacy and Quality of Life

Background - Oclacitinib is safe and effective for treating dogs with pruritus associated with allergic and atopic dermatitis, based on randomized trials up to 4 months duration.

Hypothesis / Objectives - This study considers long-term safety, efficacy and quality of life of oclacitinib-treated dogs enrolled in a compassionate use program.

Animals - Two hundred and forty-seven client-owned dogs with allergic skin disease previously had benefited from oclacitinib therapy.

Methods - Dogs were enrolled in an open-label study at 26 veterinary clinics. Dogs received 0.4-0.6 mg / kg oclacitinib twice a day for 14 days, then once a day for up to 630 days. Assessments were performed at ~ 90 day intervals. Owners completed a quality-of-life survey and assessed pruritus using a Visual Analog Scale (VAS) at each clinic visit. Veterinarians assessed dermatitis using a similar VAS. Abnormal health events, concomitant medication and clinical pathology results were summarized.

Results - Visual Analog Scale scores improved from baseline at all time points. ≥50% reduction from baseline on day 90 resulting in 63.9% for pruritus and 66.4% for dermatitis. Owners saw a positive impact on quality of life in> 91% of all dogs. > Urinary tract infection / cystitis, vomiting, otitis, pyoderma and diarrhea were most commonly reported (> 5% of dogs) abnormal clinical signs. Hematology and serum chemistry remain within the normal reference ranges. Concomitant medications were well tolerated.

Conclusions and clinical importance - Results indicated that oclacitinib was safe and efficacious for long-term use and improved the quality of life for dogs in this study.

Cosgrove SB, Cleaver DM, King VL, et al. Long-term compassionate use of oclacitinib in dogs with atopic and allergic skin disease: safety, efficacy and quality of life. Veterinary Dermatology 2015;26:171-e35. https://doi.org/10.1111/vde.12194
 
We had an emergency this evening. Sweet Emma was not her bright happy self. She was lethargic. Her interest in eating or going outside was nil. An emergent visit to the vet revealed multiple splenic tumors with a probable bleed. Labs are pending. She is the absolute definition of Sweet. For all that have pets, you know. This hurts.

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We had an emergency this evening. Sweet Emma was not her bright happy self. She was lethargic. Her interest in eating or going outside was nil. An emergent visit to the vet revealed multiple splenic tumors with a probable bleed. Labs are pending. She is the absolute definition of Sweet. For all that have pets, you know. This hurts.

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I'm so sorry Dr. It sure does hurt, hurts bad. I miss my girl every day. Our walks were the best. Please keep us posted.

Emma sure does look like a sweet girl.
 
I'm so sorry Dr. It sure does hurt, hurts bad. I miss my girl every day. Our walks were the best. Please keep us posted.

Emma sure does look like a sweet girl.

Thanks. Spent the night with her. She is not herself.

She has been with us less than a year. We found her on the street while walking my other dogs – clearly abandoned and neglected. In that short time, she has undergone some remarkable changes - weight, fur, infection cleared, and more. Boy, it hurts not seeing your pet normal, healthy, happy, …
 
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Rue. Dorian Grey / Newfie hybrid.

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Shea (White) Rue's big sister and Dakota - Dingo / Collie hybrid.

We've also got a black 110lb German and a white / black husky in the house.

The howls are epic.

Snapped a better shot of Dakota and Cas. Kira's hiding somewhere.
 
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