Saturday, December 4, 2010

Senioritis

It is no secret that our pack is aging. We are definitely running the Stumpf Elder Care. But one member seemed invincible. The tough little engine that could. So when Dante started becoming lethargic and drinking excessively, we were all a little shook up. We took him to the vet and after a few rounds of tests, it was determined that he has Cushing's Disease. It is treatable but not curable. He will be on medicine for the rest of his life and have to visit the vet every three months to make sure we have his cortisol in check.
We hope it makes him feel better. Having him be down throws everyone off kilter. But now he is on three prescriptions..so add that to Shiloh's prescriptions..our dogs' medicine cabinet is filling up.
But beyond spending a lot of time in the vet's office, we have been doing other things.
Washing dog beds..
Sleeping


Gazing at the beautiful Fall foilage

And this week we took the greyhounds to Lewis Ginter Botanical Gardens to see the holiday lights! Of course, it is hard to capture holiday light photos..unless of course (*blog fades out and "Dream Weaver" begins to play softly in the background*) you own a Canon D50 but (*blog snaps back in and "Back to Life, Back to Reality" blares*) I don't. So..this is all I have. ;-)
Jason and Cali walk down the sidewalkKristen looks out of the gazebo with Stanley, Stella and JaimeBob walks Dinah and Doc around a huge tree!And Cali enjoys the flowers in the heated greenhouse
We will keep everyone posted with Dante's progress. we go in a week to see how well this dosage of the meds are working.
Happy Holidays!

8 comments:

Michelle said...

Good luck to Dante. I hope the meds work. He will be in our thoughts. Holy Basil helped KC. The meds she was on made her feel worse.

houndstooth said...

I'm glad that you're getting Dante treated and that he's starting to feel better! I sure understand about the senior home! lol

I dream of a fancy camera, too! I think your pictures are great, though!

genji said...

It was weird to see Dante's ribs. Hope the meds help. We're right behind you in the elder care home.

IHateToast said...

the poor bruiser.

if you can find the giggles (humour, best med, blah blah), i thought about the scene in Priscilla, Queen of the Desert when the older guy has a cereal bowl full of hormone pills. maybe if you thought of your seniors as little furry ageing drag queens, you can find some giggles when you buy the meds.

so, does santa read your blog?

Trina said...

Katy,
I LOVE that movie..and yes thinking of them as furry drag queens (Cali would be on top of the RV with flowing skirt singing) helps. Santa does read my blog but Santa has made it clear he is on a budget.

Amanda said...

sending positive thoughts your & Dante's way! Blue's birthday was yesterday, and he's officially a senior now...but he's still my baby!

Heather said...

It sucks when you realize they are getting older. At greyhound gatherings I've seen people pulling their pups in wagons so they can still be a part of everything. Hugs to Dante. Maybe he just felt left out of all the excitement :(

Hiking Hounds said...

I hope Dante does well on the meds and starts feeling better. I Love the light pictures.