Miko's Health (updates and more)

dawns2shelties said:
One of the Senior Sheltie rescues has bought padded tiles that piece together like a puzzle (normally used in children's playrooms) to help the dogs who have issues with stability and slipping. She says they have really helped the dogs. Also you may want to look into the washable pee pads, they are sold in various sizes. I got mine at www.dogs.com I have also seen them at Walmart. When I got Hartley I bought 4' by 4' to use under his pen just incase he had an accident or water spill.

Praying Miko is doing better today and for you too.
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I didn't realize they have washable ones. I just buy the ones in bulk at Costco. lol. And he doesn't even use it!!! So, it's hard to justify them. I never thought about using those padded tile things. Good point. I could put them where he eats and just clean it up (he drops his food a lot). Versus using my mat (that I use at the sink). Thanks for the suggestion.
 
tentcamp said:
I'm praying for Miko and you... Could he be in pain, Louie wasn't able to lay down when he was hurting.
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The pain thing is hard to tell. I know we always talk about how Shelties hide their pain well. The vet will feel around and push and squeeze and the only thing he really dislikes is when she scratches his skin and is fun scratching (kinda like moving the skin is irritating or painful). Otherwise, he shows no discomfort at all.

But I wonder about that too, because dang, he will circle for over 5 mins. Sometimes I wake up and just push his butt down and he'll finally just go to sleep.

My poor baby, I admit, I wasn't ready for this.
 
Daipers!

Well, poor Miko had a diaper on last night for the first time. I put it on when I got home just to get him used to it. After standing around for a few mins, he finally started walking then lied down. Yay. That means he doesn't mind it so much.

All in all, he pooped in the house (I have no clue when since I was up at 4am for some reason and he had pooped already) and later in the morning when I was going to take him out, I took off the diaper thing and he had gone in it (it kinda soaked through, so I need to go get some pad/liners). Good thing I ordered two, hehehe.

So, it worked. I think I need to "manscape" him so his fur doesn't get urine soaked and skin doesn't get irritated because it's "wet". I wiped him up this morning and he peed a lot again this morning at 6am. Hopefully, he didn't have to sleep in it all night long, poor thing.

On the upside, last night was the first night that I got a solid 6 hours of sleep. Even though I woke up and have been up since about 4ish, I am feeling great (ask me how I'm doing around 2ish though, lol).

Anyhow. Thanks for all the suggestions. Honestly, poop is easier to clean up and sanitize the topical areas, than it is to soak up urine that's been there for hours and hope I get it all.

Of course, my newest concern is that he's not peeing a lot anymore. Does this mean his kidneys are working better? Does this mean he's drinking less? Does this mean he's becoming more dehydrated? Oh the joys of always wondering "what now".

I'm just grateful for the solid 6 hours. I haven't slept more than 3-4 hours at a time for months!
 
Quarterly Update

I took Miko in to the vet yesterday. Sigh. So much going on with him.

He's been pooping and peeing a LOT! But I don't notice him drinking any more than usual.

Blood pressure was good. Yay.
Vet said the peeing could be him basically going senile. Poor guy.
She said he's got spinal degeneration, which also contributes to him pooping a lot (guess his anal muscles aren't as strong as before, so out it comes).
All this is him just getting older. Sigh.

We did blood/urine tests. They're going to culture his urine to make sure he doesn't have a UTI and she gave me digestive enzymes to see if his body will take in more food since, jeez, he's lost more weight. Last I checked, he was up 1/2 a pound, so I was happy. Obviously, I hadn't checked in awhile.

He's not liking the powder (digestive enzyme) on his food. They say most dogs don't care. Obviously, Miko is super picky. I have options, but they don't sound any better (pills basically - which means I'd have to shove it down his throat cuz he won't take them otherwise). I'm going to try and see if he'll eat the remainder of his breakfast, at lunch today. I may add some butter to it (been adding butter to fatten him up).

His blood/urine work came back (minus the culture). She said it's basically a rubber stamp of the last one. I guess that's good since that means he's stable. His potassium is elevated as his platelet counts, but I guess those go together and could be a lot of things. For now, she said we'll watch it, but not worry about it.

I don't think he's got a UTI. She said there are meds for dogs for cognitive issues. As long as it's okay for his kidney's, maybe that will help. Hell, maybe it'll stop him from walking around in circles (so sad to watch).

Sigh. Miko will be 15 in May. His kidney's may be fine, but it sounds like a lot of other things are falling apart (due to old age). Big sigh.
 
Poor Miko. :(

I'm glad his kidney numbers are good but, unfortunately, after a certain point the body just doesn't want to go on. It's sad to watch because it's just a reminder that "the day" getting closer.

Cheryl, keep being a good mom to Miko. He's lucky to have you to love and take care of him.
 
Thinking of you. Merlin has similar issues to Miko - he frequently has accidents and went through a spate of walking in circles. My Auntie considered the medication but then he just stopped doing it anyway. I guess like elderly people, senior dogs have their ups and downs. I know how tough it must be for you and Miko :hugs
 
Cheryl, I've been down this road and I know how hard it is. Enjoy what you can and know that Miko is grateful for your good care. You are doing all you can that's in your power. Hugs to you.
 
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