Waving wildly from Phineas! (Update)

[Angel7292]

I've sat here for over an hour trying to decide what to type as an update. I wish I could tell you it's going to be a good one, but it's not. I'll give you some good news, then a quick update on his spine injury and then I'll just cut and paste most of my FB post to my family and friends about the rest. I just can't type it all out again. My heart is broken and I just don't have it in me anymore to hash it out once more.

Good News:
Phineas turned 6 in April. I missed his birthday post, I'm sorry. He had a wonderful birthday and ate lots of things he shouldn't have. LOL He was a very spoiled woofer who ate steak, had cake and a big bone to chomp on.

Spine update:
Surprisingly, he still is doing quite well. He is still managing it, but his rear end is quite weak. We've got him at the lowest doses possible for muscle relaxer, steroid and pain med. We are now at two years and 1 month post spine injury. Neuro is shocked we've got him doing so well, for so long. The key to our success is no mobility. He eats, drinks, pees and poops standing up and the rest of the day, he is lying down. He has his moments of happy feet when I get home from work, but it's very limited. He tires very easily, but we are ok with that. He'd love to get out and take more car rides, but he just physically can't do it anymore. Our idea of walking him even short distances was short lived. The summer in Southern Florida is too hot on him and ground has a temperature that will burn paws instantly almost. Perhaps when the weather breaks, we'll take some trips out the front yard, lay on a blanket and watch the world pass us by.

Fur Update:
Phineas is currently growing fur! LOL This last round of fur loss was the worst we've seen. He literally was bare on most of his body. About 2 weeks ago, I realized that he had faint baby hairs on his chest, stomach and flanks. When his fur falls out, it leaves behind a light dusting of coarse hair. He is even feeling a bit soft again. We've been down this road before and within the month, it'll probably all fall out again. We have no idea if it is the hypothyroid, the long term steroid use or something totally unrelated that has yet to be diagnosed. It doesn't matter. I'm fine with a bald / pink dane. We are never going to take him off the steroid, so we'll never figure it out and I just don't care anymore. For today, he is growing some baby fuzzy fur back. It'll all fall out again. For today, I'm going to enjoy him being softer then usual.

I literally just sighed getting to this part.... Here it goes:

Bad news cut and pasted:

Today... my heart is broken... and more then anything, we've discovered that Phin's heart is broken too... literally.

It is with more tears then you can imagine, that I write this to share with all you that have loved and followed Phin for the last 6 years, that he was diagnosed with dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) today. It is a diagnosis that isn't rare in our breed, but one that is like a swift punch to the stomach that just takes your breath away. The words from the cardiologist are just drowned out by the internal scream, as the death sentence crosses her lips. I am in shock... crushed... and currently unable to process all this.

We got up yesterday morning and went for a routine cardiac echo-cardiogram (ultrasound), EKG and blood pressure check. We have always gone directly to a cardiologist for these routine exams and today was no different. He hasn't had one in quite some time and since his insurance is about to renew and a new deductible would apply, I figured this was as good of a time as any. His previous cardiac US showed a perfectly beautiful heart with only a few ventricular ectopic beats (a few irregular beats). It was nothing alarming but just something we should watch over the years. It truly was nothing. These weren't even detected this time around.

All day long, I just kept saying to myself, What ....just.... happened? It was a routine visit. And my world just shattered.

For those that don't know what has happened and what will happen, let me give you the nuts and bolts of this devastating news:

Dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) is a heart disease that effects the hearts ability to pump blood. The upper and lower chambers of the heart become enlarged and the heart no longer functions properly. When the lower chamber stops pumping blood into the lungs efficiently, the lungs fill with fluid and the dog goes into congestive heart failure. There is a two fold issue that goes on with DCM and that is they can develop an arrhythmia because increased heart rate, poor heart function, decreased oxygen supply, etc. A cardiac arrhythmia predisposes a dog to sudden death. They are there one minute and gone the next. DCM itself will continue to progress, as there is no medication to stop it. The heart will continue to fail until the lungs fill with fluid and the dogs literally drowning. While some little dogs can get it, giant breeds are prone to DCM and great danes are on the top of that list.

The problem with DCM, it's a sneaky bastard. It has a long pre-clinical phase, meaning it can go months to years without a single symptom. You're just trucking along and BAM... your dog is almost dead. Most dogs are diagnosed because they are in acute distress and are in congested heart failure. Normal folks don't just run out and chunk down a ton of money to test their dogs perfectly good heart. Most people figure out there is a problem when your dog starts coughing, unable to catch their breath, vet hears a murmur, etc and they learn they are in congested heart failure secondary to DCM. Or unfortunately, their dog just suddenly dies.

So let me give you the exact details of Phin's condition off the report:

Mild to moderate DCM with secondary mitral regurgitation. Mild left atrial enlargement. Today's echocardiogram documents a decline in LV (left ventricle) function and LV dilation. the dilation is leading to a small volume of mitral regurgitation which is the cause of the heart murmur. While the dilation is considered significant (particularly compared to his initial normal baseline in 2013), the function is also declined for this breed (13%). In a senior great dane however, these findings support occult dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). The left atrium remains only mildly enlarged, indicating a relatively low risk for clinical signs in the near future. No arrhythmia were appreciated, however this risk always remains in this breed.

Basically, he has DCM, but he is more mild to moderate. We feel blessed he is not advanced. His testing puts him about middle of the road in this disease cycle. He isn't good but he isn't at the end either. We have time with him before he becomes symptomatic, but not as much time as you think. DCM can be swift and there is no stopping it.

It's bad but we aren't in a crisis. Phineas will die from DCM. It is a fact. It is a fact I have yet to swallow, but it is a fact. Not 'some day' as I have always planned for him... he will succumb to this disease sooner, rather then later. This is my new truth. I have to figure out how to accept it.

So.... Prognosis... Phin has some things at play that will help him and some things that will diminish him quickly. Prognosis as it was given to me today:

Per the cardiologist: We have no idea how long he has had the DCM and so we have no idea how long he has been in a pre-clinical phase. At least we know when it was NOT DCM because Phin has had a previous heart ultrasound. While there is zero expiration date stamped on the bottom of his foot, cardio can only take a random guess based on his current condition. She says if we are lucky, we may get 6 months to a year if he does well on the meds. It's going to be a wait and see, and she'll know more at his next ultrasound. His size is to his detriment. He is an extra large giant breed and none of that makes this any better.

Per my regular vet: He doesn't think we have 6 months to a year. His experience is, we have months. He said he highly doubts I could get Phin a year, but he isn't even comfortable saying 6 months either. He thinks we have less then a year for sure. It broke his heart to say that to me, but he feels it is the truth. I get that, but he also doesn't find DCM during routine testing. He sees the dogs that are symptomatic. On the other hand, he knows Phin's history and he knows every hair on his body and his thoughts are that Phin is sick... he has been sick for a long time. He has many health issues that are VERY taxing on him as we all know and he feels all that will play a larger role in this.

While it's very very hard for me to find good news in any of this, there is a positive side to this. That is, I am a dane momma, who is hyper vigilant about her great danes care. We discovered the disease before the disease became acute. We are NOT treating from a crisis situation. We are NOT treating from a symptomatic phase. We are ahead of the flood .. for now. Not for long, but for today. That makes a tremendous difference. We aren't starting meds in heart failure and trying to treat him from deaths door, like a lot of danes that do poorly and have to be euthanized shortly after diagnosis. I have seen so many friends devastated by the short time between diagnosis and the passing of their dane. Trust me when I say, that we are ahead of this today. I honestly don't know a single dane friend that's dane was given 6 months to a year after diagnosis of DCM. It's always been, a few weeks, maybe a couple months or they never leave the vet's office at all. DCM is a cruel and vicious disease that shows up way too often in our beloved breed. The fact we've detected this early on, we can attempt to slow the progression and buy Phin more time.

On the flip side... his overall health plays against him. He has been on immune suppressants for years. His spine injury takes a lot out of him. For the last two years, he has just been hanging in there but not much more. A dive in his health will probably take it's toll on him much more rapidly then the average dog. He is no longer a strong dog. When his heart condition progresses, it will be hard on him.

The crux of it is... we for sure have months at least. Maybe we'll get lucky and get 6 months .. a year... This is not good news. This is bad... very bad... this is the beginning of the end. While I have always known he was eventually be gone, this feels like someone flipped over the hour glass and I'm about to watch the sand fall... until the end.

So what are we going to do:

Well, there isn't much you can do. There is one med that the cardiologist says needs to happen to attempt to slow the progression of the disease. It is Pimobendan. She says it's the gold star for asymptomatic DCM in dogs. The problem with this med is, it's expensive. Now amplify that for a dog the size of Phin and the expense gets way bigger. A months supply is $350 for a 190 pound woofer. It's not a human prescribed med in the US. My regular vet is going to check on a price at a compounding pharmacy to see if we can lower the cost. As the disease progresses, there are other meds that will have to be added on and the expense will rapidly grow in coming months. The worse the heart function gets, the worse symptoms will be, and the more meds he will require. We will just treat as we go.

For now, we are going to take the Pimobendan and see what happens. We go back in 4 months for another cardiac ultrasound and EKG to see what progression has been like. Of course, any symptom, even small, they want Phin back in ASAP. While they hope we don't come back during the next 4 months, we just have to see how the med works and how fast the dilation progresses. A cough, panting, fainting or lethargy requires a prompt return for new testing. We are going to log his resting breath rate every day and we should see trouble brewing. When your heart is enlarged like his, the lungs can fill with fluid. As you start to retain fluid, you breath faster trying to oxygenate yourself. So if we watch his resting breath rate, we should be able to notice when he even starts to struggle a little. Of course, we'll provide prompt medical attention then. There isn't any real treatment for DCM, except to treat the symptoms. It will take him, we just want to prolong his life and make him comfortable. Also, he is to do no exercise at all. That's not going to be a problem for my couch potato.

Before you respond to this post, here is my flash point: I'm just saying it now. I'm sorry in advance. One more person tells me that my dog is old, I'm going to freaking snap. One more freaking person tells me that the average life span is 6-8 years (such bullshit), I'm going to flip out. Phin is 6 years and 4 months old. Yes, we consider him a senior dane, but he is not *that* old... I swear to God, tell me that shit to some how make this all seem ok, I'm going to go ballistic. NONE Of this is ok. I understand that times like this it's hard to know what to say. Just please.. do not say these things to me. I'm really at my breaking point and I can't hear that shit again today.

For all my dane owning friends, there are 2 very valuable things I want to pass on to you.

First, get your dane a full cardiac workup. Not just once. Get a baseline done by the age of 2-3. Then get it done again every couple years. If your dane is older then 3, then you should go soon and get it done. Phin's life span will (should) be dramatically longer because we caught the problem before it became a life or death problem. Cardiac care for your dane should be ROUTINE. When you have an echo done, it's only a snap shot of what the heart looks like TODAY. It is not a future telling test. It's good for TODAY, so you have to repeat it again later on.

The big three things that kill danes are bloat (GVD), osteosarcoma and DCM. We do gastropexy procedures for GVD. We are extremely watchful for limb lumps for osteo. You need to take care of the DCM. Do not wait until you are in a critical care situation. These dogs are too big to neglect the one part of their body that their size damages very easily.

Cardio said she has never seen a dane the size of Phin before and that plays greatly into the diagnosis. Since she had baseline measurements from previous routine echos, she was able to determine the EXACT amount of heart change / disease that has occurred. She can tell me exactly where the dilation has occurred and to what extent. His baseline made diagnosing his current status very easy. There is a lot of value in that.

Do NOT neglect the ROUTINE cardiac care for your dog. Yes, it's not cheap. I get it. Listen... KNOWLEDGE IS POWER... It's much easier to make decisions when you have the information you need. You own a giant breed and with that comes a heart pumping blood around a giant body. Cardiac care for a dane should be considered ROUTINE. I can't express that enough. Without Phin's regular office visit to just get the 'ok', we would never have known until he was in congestive heart failure.

Secondly, and I've said this a 100 times... Get your dane health insurance. The cost of care for a giant dog is pricey. A giant dog comes with giant bills. Cardio today was very reluctant to tell me the cost of the meds monthly and suggested I think about what I want to do. "Medicate him.. that's what I want to do, he has insurance." It was a simple answer for me. You don't want to be making life or death decisions based on finances.

Today has been an awful day. I am 50% numb and 50% sobbing my eyes out. I just need some time to work this out and come to terms with it. Phin is like a child to me. He is like a giant toddler that brings me so much joy, each and every day. I wouldn't recognize my life without him. He brings color to everything that is so often just gray. Maybe tomorrow I'll be ready to fight this with him.. but for today, he and I will just snuggle and cry. I have always said that I was going to get Phin to 10 years old. I've joked with my vet that if anything happens before 10 years, I was blaming him. My kissing monster isn't ever going to see 10. While I am not stupid and I know danes don't live a long time, I'm just not ready. Not that I would ever be ready. This blind sided me. He is only 6... he is still so young EVEN for a dane.

I'm losing my goofy boy.. and my heart is just so broken.


There ya have it... The Phineas update. I am working super hard to process all this. I'm reading studies, medicine advise, etc trying to figure out his fate. Let's be honest, I'm trying my best to control the situation and know 'exacts' and it doesn't work like that. I'm not very accepting of all this at this time. I know for certain that Phineas and I are going to fight this until the bitter end. I won't let him go easily and we are going to do everything possible to stop the progression of this horrible disease. I need to pick myself up by my boot straps and hit this hard for him, but for today, I need to wallow. I'm just so heart broken, I can't manage positive at this time. My boy is dying and that is all I can think of ...

I'll update y'all as we go along, but for today he is ok. That's all I've got.

XOXO Love and miss you all.

[Sparrow]

Been thinking of the Phinster a lot lately. Rupert is 11 and slowing down a bunch. I just had him in for bloodwork to see what pain meds to get him on. It may or may not help, he may have nerve weakness which I don't think you can do much for. He's still pretty spry but we don't walk him anymore and he has poopy accidents while he sleeps like every couple weeks (basically, easy enough to deal with for now). Hope things are still 'status quo' for you.

[Lacey]

Hey! I’ve not been on much since the forum was reconstructed like ages ago lol. Glad to read through all of this thread and see that phins hangin in there. I remember him being such an insanely huge boy!!! Andross is 10.5 doing fine doesn’t like to leave the bed much but what do you really expect? Lol

[Gr33dyOctopus]

9 years old would be magical, indeed! you love him so much, and lost your other dog to soon. thank you for the update, as well as the advice you posted on my thread. Had considered putting down my dane, but will get him more meds, a chiropractor visit and a couple more weeks to see if he can come back from this. Your Phin sounds amazing, and you and your husband are terrific dog parents that obviously go above and beyond. ty for the update.

[Angel7292]

Sorry that I haven't updated Phin's post in forever. Back in October, I posted my last update on FB for family and friends. I'm going to cut and paste it, because it still applies today...



... I love each and every one of you that ask about my Phineas. I know I've been super annoying with vague answers, and haven't posted about his condition in such a long time. Want the truth? I'm not usually a superstitious person, but I feel like whenever I do post or say something, I jinx myself. I feel like his life is winding down so much now, I have zero room for being jinxed. Every day is so precious and such a blessing, he has no time left for bullshit. This is a huge post, but are the answers to all the burning Phin-Nin-Nin questions, then I'm going to let it all go. I can't change the path anymore, tomorrow will bring what it brings.

Last week, Phineas turned 8 1/2 years old. So many years, I figured he'd be long gone by now. Nope, he is hanging in there. I use to joke to my vet that I was going to get my ginormous great dane to 10 years old. I'd tell him, "Anything sooner, and I'm blaming you". I've since gave him a break because of the DCM diagnosis, and told my vet that I'll take 9 years old. Nine... it's in April. So close, yet so far away. Phin turning 9 would be so magical, wouldn't it?

What makes 8 1/2 years old soooooo amazing is... Tomorrow, Phineas will be 26 MONTHS ---- YES, 26 MONTHS.. since his DCM diagnosis. My regular vet gave him a grim 6 month prognosis. Cardio said my vet was foolish, and she said that she'd give Phin a good year. Mmmhmm 26 months. **** you DCM! (UPDATE: SINCE I POSTED THIS ORIGINALLY... HE IS AT 29 MONTHS POST DCM DIAGNOSIS! Yeaaah us)

His DCM current status.... He is STILL pre-clinical. He has no symptoms of DCM with the exception of zero tolerance for any exercise. He pants going poop. His heart is in poor condition. It was in poor condition at his last echo in January. LOL It's not going to ever improve, we simply joined the crappy heart club. Speaking of our last echo, our cardiologist convinced me to wait until June (6 month check instead of 4 month) to see her again. She didn't actually return to the practice until end of August, and then promptly quit the practice. UGH! His last echo was in January. I'll discuss more below for the reasons of my next statement.... I tried like hell to get cardio out to echo him at the house, but there isn't anyone. I did find one vet who would do the echo here at home, and take the measurements, and send it in to a cardiologist for review. Since we already know he has DCM, we just need the measurements. That guy is a giant dick, who can't follow up or keep appts. I gave up on getting him an echo here at the house. I have found Phin a new cardio, but it's been decided that we are no longer going to the cardio again. If he develops congestive heart failure, my regular vet will treat. We are done chasing the DCM, because we have no other choice.

Here is the part that will make most sense for what I just said... Do you remember Phin's spine injury from when he was 4 years old? It never went away, it just took a back burner to his heart. He is STILL on pain meds, prednisone, and muscle relaxer. That has never changed, but the spine injury settled in and we were already on strict bed rest for the remainder of his life. About 6 months ago, the spine injury flared up so horribly, it almost took him out.

We took Phin to the vet for some bump and lump checks. He hasn't done well being transported since his spine injury, so we don't move him until we have no choice. We could do it, it just wasn't great. That day, we tried to get Phin out of the car, and he couldn't stand up. When my husband and I finally got him up, he couldn't keep himself up. This was way worse then usual. We knew then, he could no longer be transported again. We treated him and got him back up on his feet. Phin will no longer ever be transported for any medical care. He either gets it at home, or not at all. Outside of the cardiologist, I can have just about any vet or specialist here to the house, so he has great care. No worries there.

Not long after that car / transport incident, Phin went down hard. He was in a lot of pain. His back right leg was being significantly effected by the nerves that were entrapped from the spine injury. Think of it as leg pain, like a sciatic problem. Your leg hurts, but it's really your back. He had the same problem at the initial injury too. Always that back leg. We amped up his meds dramatically, vet monitored him closely, and we waited. As long as it was acute, and something we could treat and heal, I was willing to do so. Once pain like that becomes chronic, we'd have to let him go. Thank God it was acute, and after about 10 days, he was back to his normal self. NOT healed, just HIS normal. Since then, his normal has gone down hill. He had another acute episode recently, and he has since bounced back. His new normal looks vastly different from his regular normal though.

Phineas can no longer lay down on the floor or sit down. He can stand for a very limited amount of time, or he can lay on my bed. Outside of those two positions, there isn't much else. His ass starts to sink to the ground, and then he is over his threshold physically.

Here is all the truth I can give you... Phin isn't really mobile anymore. He is on his feet long enough to poop, pee, eat and drink. Most of the time, he can barely stand long enough to do all 4 of those things at one time. His back right leg is dramatically effected by his nerve damage and muscle wasting. His left leg has issues now too. The muscle wasting in his rear as a whole, is as bad as you can imagine. He is a 200 pound dog that is a hair shy of 40" at the withers. He is a gigantic great dane, and his body is failing him. What makes this so much worse is, he falls down. Not like falling to the side. His back legs literally give out, and his rear end ends up in the splits. He has no muscle to bring his back legs together and stand back up. Once he is stuck in the splits, he has to be picked up and righted. He can't do it himself. It is the most gut wrenching thing to ever witness. He went through a period of just falling all the time for no obvious reason. Slipping on the floor and falling too, and we placed rugs there. It's incredibly hard to pick up a 200 pound dog who is struggling to get up. I've re-injured my shoulder getting him back up.

Now, we never ever leave the house until we are certain Phin's been fed, drank, peed and pooped. We tuck him into bed, and that is where he stays. He doesn't wander the house. *IF* he was to get up while we were home, it would be for one of those 4 reasons. We make absolute certain that all those things are taken care of, and he stays right where we put him. It would be just heart breaking for him to fall while alone.

Phin also struggles to stand from a sitting position, on the soft squishy bed. Even when standing up, just to turn around on the bed, he often needs a butt lift. I do my level best to support his bum right leg, but he has a hard time weight bearing on it. The nerve damage is a major problem for it. When he stands on the soft bed, he stands on the top of that paw, so he doesn't do a good job righting it. Dogs walk on the top of their paws, it's neurological. It's always been a symptom of his spine issue.

We've increased some meds for him, and he isn't in chronic pain. Granted, I can't fix the muscle wasting or leg problem, but I have him very comfortable and spoiled. Also, a dear friend got me to order a cold laser therapy machine for Phin. It was pricey and the insurance refuses to pay for it, but I believe it is helping him. I can't give exacts, except for the following noted changes:

... He lays very spread out on the bed. Not curled up like he is painful. Very stretched out and relaxed. Hubs and I both noticed that Phin seems more comfortable.

... He was falling a couple times a week. Since we started the cold laser therapy at home every day, he has only fallen twice. That is twice in 2 months, instead of a couple times a week. One of those times, he actually tripped stepping over Buck, who was laying in the doorway. That shouldn't count. LOL His only other time falling was getting off his bed. He is having trouble from stiffness in the AM, and he slipped on the floor. I was standing next to him, so I caught him before he totally fell.

I think it helps. I'll continue his treatment every day. If it really helps or not, I can't prove it. I'll even take a placebo effect at this point. Jim and I both can see positive changes in Phin's overall movement, time he can stand up, and lack of falling down.

The nerves in Phin's spine has caused issues with him feeling the sensation to poop. He is NOT incontinent. He isn't pooping and not knowing it. We believe that he has lost the sensation up to the last seconds before he has to poop, then he knows it. So he is NOT pooping on himself. For example, he will go out to pee, and should be pooping. He no longer actively looks to go poop. He wanders the yard for a minute and then all of a sudden, he gets the sensation only a mere second before the poop leaves his body. Like, if he was in the house, he would be bolting for the door at the last possible second. We think the sensation leading up the rectum has been compromised by the nerve damage, but he has rectum sensation. Basically, he doesn't know he has to poop until that very second and then he panics. It took us a quick minute, but we've figured out how to get him to poop, and have him on a schedule. He does NOT poop on himself, and doesn't even have accidents in the house. Jim and I have him pooping like clockwork.. LOL

Every day I have to ask myself, is today the day? I worry that I'm not ever going to decide the 'when' because I never want the 'when' to get here. I cry every day over it. Thinking about losing him is this constant stress and deep sadness in my life.. every .. single.. day. Back at the beginning of September, I went and sat with my vet. We talk a lot via email and phone, but I needed to have a face to face conversation with him. I needed to know when to say when. I knew now was not the time, but I felt like he and I needed to identify clearly what is going to be the line in the sand.

Here is the thing... Phineas is VERY aware and so full of life still. His body is giving up, but he is all there mentally. He is very alert, interested in life around him, and does not want to be left out of anything. He still loves to chew toys in bed, demands cookies all the time, and loves his food and to eat. His mind is super clear and very attentive. He and I spend tons of time together, and he isn't ready to go. He still gets out of bed for visitors to the house, even though it's so hard on him.

One word that I think sums Phin up is... frail. He is just so very frail. Do NOT think he is miserable. He is not. He has a lot of challenges, some pain, and is very limited in the mobility department, but he is actually a joyful dog. Some examples... his favorite is butt scratches while he eats breakfast. He even wags his tail while you give said butt scratches. Tail wagging isn't easy for Phin, because his spine injury is just above the tail. Phin will also not go back to bed after peeing, until he gets his pee-pee cookie. He doesn't care if his ass is dragging and about to fall over, he says, "You owe me a cookie!" If he poops, we have a giant party and he semi-gallops into the house because he is a happy pooper! Poop cookies are extra large and delicious. His favorite poop cookie is a dehydrated piece of cow lung. Way better then a pee-pee one.

When it's time, the line in the sand looks like this..... chronic pain that we can't manage, when he can't get up and go out under his own steam, or he becomes incontinent. We won't allow him to be humiliated, suffer in pain, or struggle relentlessly. I've spent at least the last 4 1/2 years saving him, and I worry that I won't know when to quit. Those are the deal breakers. When it's time, which will unfortunately be soon, our vet will come to our home, where we will let him go. I've already found a crematorium that can take a dog Phin's size. It use to be a human facility. I'll take Phin, wait for him, and take him home the same day. I've never left his side before, and I won't in death either. Everything is planned, and we just wait... praying for days to turn to weeks, and hoping weeks turn to months. I'm not ready and neither is he. I'll never be ready though.

He is my best friend, and my faithful companion. When he is gone, it will forever change who I am. Until then, we will snuggle, watch tons of telly together, eat all kinds of stuff that neither one of us should have, share scratches and kisses. Nine years old... it would be magical, wouldn't it?

Ninners sends slobbery kisses to each of you.
xoxo

January 2020... All of this really still applies. His 9th birthday is in April and we are cautiously optimistic about him reaching it. He's actually pretty stable ...but HIS stable. It's the best I can ask for.
Our pittie mix rescue with the attitude, Buck, died in December. He lived only about 4 weeks after his lymphoma diagnosis. Even the vet techs at the office were shocked that Phin outlived Buck. Our hearts are broken by his loss. Buck was a big pain in the ass, but he was ours and we loved him. It's funny, our house is so quiet and like no dog lives here. Phineas let Buck do all the talking. Buck was the one that asked for the back door be opened for a potty break, for someone to feed them, or just for cookies. We never noticed how much Buck spoke for both of them. Now that Buck is gone, Phin is very quiet and doesn't make a peep. His side kick is gone.

Miss all of y'all.

[Sparrow]

It's fine. Was just thinking of them and wondering how things are going. Sometimes I'm glad when there's no news as well!

[Charlene]

she's been pretty busy dodging the hurricane down there so it might be another couple of days before she posts. or maybe i'll just light a fire under her! lol

[Sparrow]

Thanks Charlene!

[Charlene]

Hoping all is well in Phinlandia. ❤️️

i'll contact troy and let her know she needs to update!

[Sparrow]

Hoping all is well in Phinlandia. ❤️️

[Sparrow]

Oh, that is wonderful news! I am so happy he is doing well. I do think of you both often and always hope he is holding his own. Things here are mostly non eventful which is always nice. Rupert had a nasty skin thing going on this winter but I started him on Omega 3 and it had him healed up in a week, fur grown back in a month. I couldn't believe it worked so well. I also switched food since the taurine deficient DCM thing seems to have built some steam. Rupert will be 10 in June.

We lost one of our dogs in January. Had to put him down because of lymphosarcoma but he lasted 5 months post diagnosis, which pleasantly surprised me. I loved that dog so much and I realized that I do not want to get anymore animals when ours are all finally gone.

Well I can't wait to see the Phin-man's b-day pics. And sincere wishes for continued "all is well" with him! <3

[Rootlis]

I just checked in after a long absence and can't tell you how happy I am that you and Phin are still making the most of things. Good for both of you! Wishing you and Phin the very best -
Lisa

[Angel7292]

Cage rattled!

Phin's hanging in there! Thanks for asking about him. We see cardio in June, so nothing to report on that front except.. he is STILL pre-clinical. Yeaaah him and us! Next week, we will be 19 months since his DCM diagnosis. How awesome is that! And... On April 17th, he will turn 8 years old. Something I never thought he would ever live to see. I told my husband that we are throwing him a birthday party. He says I'm crazy!

He is completely exercise intolerant, his spine injury has caused tremendous muscle waste, so he has no mobility. He sleeps 20-22 hours a day. I had to take him physically into the vet twice in the last two months (broken toe nail (see next paragraph) and suspicious lumps). His last trip was so hard on him, he couldn't get up to get out of the van. By the time we did lift him up, he couldn't stand up under his own steam. It was probably the one time I was at the closest of saying, "He's done". The travel in a car, getting in and out at the vet, etc. is so hard on him. As long as we don't transport, he does well and can get around our house well. Some mornings, he is even a bit bouncy and playful. Going to the vet takes so much out of him physically, he just can't do it anymore. He has to go to Cardio in June, but we will no longer transport him for anything else. Our vet will either treat from pictures, or will come to the house. That last car trip about did him in. It also really taxed his heart and it took hours to get his resting respiration rate and heart rate down. SMH.. He is best left to snooze all day. Oh and suspicious lumps.... a couple lipoma, an encapsulated lipoma (the one I was worried about) and 2 cysts. None were anything to worry about or do anything about.

The only really problematic issue has been, that he broke his toe nail again. Same nail.. again. He ended up with a bone infection in that toe and we've struggled for 1.5 months to heal it. What starts out as a broken nail, turns into this dramatic non-healing issue. We did six weeks of antibiotics (two kinds) and I THINK we have it licked. We are waiting out this week and see how it progresses. It was puffy, swollen, bleeding for weeks, nasty and just angry and ugly. I THINK we have turned a corner. It's not perfect but our vet and I decided we were going to stop treating it and see what goes on. Worse case scenario, we go on an even stronger antibiotic. It's been 5 days and I think it's looking good. It just needs some more healing time.

Considering everything, Phin is doing very well. He has an appetite like a horse, begs for cookies many times a day, is full of spunk in his own way, and loves being kissed and cuddled. He is a very happy boy. He sleeps a ton, but we are ok with that. Outside of that really bad day he had going to and from the vet a few weeks back, we've not had to even speak of quality of life issues. He really is VERY good. I know it doesn't sound like it, LOL, but he is! While his heart could change overnight, I really don't see him going anywhere any time soon. Anything can happen, but truly, he is a happy boy today.

I'll post birthday pics in April and then will post an update in June after cardio!

How is your crew? Things well? What's going on with you? Fill a gal in ..

XOXO Thanks for caring about him.

[Charlene]

she's slacking. i'll rattle her cage again! LOL

[Sparrow]

Glad to know, thanks!