Wednesday, June 9, 2010
For the last few months we have been noticing a trend with Luna. Specifically, that you have to drag Luna out of bed in the morning. She has no interest in anything going on around the house that happens before 10am. And why is Luna so tired in the morning? Because she stays up all night chewing!
Well, not all night because we take her bone away from her when we go to bed, but from 9pm to 11:30ish each night, you can find Luna chewing one of her bones.
The boys are usually sawing logs by 8:30pm, but little Luna, she is just getting started at that time of night. You can even see Henry sleeping in the foreground of the picture while Luna steady chews.
Whoever named Luna could not have picked a better name her because after dark she is the only one stirring around here.
Friday, June 4, 2010
One day, when we were out and about, we spotted these sun and moon garden stakes. Of course they reminded us of Luna and Sol. And since we are always looking for ways to spruce up the garden, we bought them and couldn't wait to get home and find a perfect spot for them in the garden. Luna enjoyed posing by her moon and the sun is a perfect reminder of Sol.
I also wanted to share with you the garden flag that Sue VDB had made for us. It could not have been a more perfect gift and when we get home from our walks in the evening I always make sure to say hi to Solsey Baby. Thanks so much, Sue!
Wednesday, June 2, 2010
I know I talk a lot about Luna's eye drops and how I need a spreadsheet to keep track of them all, but I don't think I have shared a recent rundown of all the eye medicines she takes. But before I list all of her medicines, I think it would be helpful to list what ails her.
Diagnoses Right Eye
Diagnoses Left Eye
And to combat the above issues Luna is on the following drops:
- Tacrolimis 0.03%: 1 drop in the left eye, 2 times a day
- Cyclosporine 1%: 1 drop in both eyes, 2 times a day
- Pilocarpine 0.2%: 1 drop in the right eye, 2 times a day
- KCS Solution/NPD: 1 drop in the left eye every other day, 1 drop in the right eye 2 times a day
- Genteal Gel: As needed
Once I learn the routine, keeping track of the number of times each day she gets a drop is not a problem. I mainly get confused in determing if it is an "every" or an "other" day. I used to make a spreadsheet but that got too tedious. Then I tried marking things on a calendar, but frequently I forgot to mark down the days so that plan didn't work too well. So, I came up with something that has been working well for about 4 months now.
I took a regular piece of paper, folded it in half and created three boxes by drawing lines. The first, and largest box, is labeled "NEEDS". The second box is labeled "ONCE" and the third box is labeled "FINISHED". Inside the finished box, I have an area labeled "NOT TOMORROW".
At the beginning of each day, I move all the appropriate drops to the "NEEDS" section. Then as I give her a drop during the day, I either move it to the "ONCE" section or the "FINISHED" section depending on if she gets the drop once or twice a day. If it is an "every other" medicine and it is done for the day, I move it to the "NOT TOMORROW" section. That way I know not to put that eye drop in the "NEEDS" section the next day. Instead, the next morning, I move it to the "FINISHED" section so I will give it to her the next day. It is hard system to explain, but it has worked very well for us so far.
I have also color coded all the drops so I can figure out if they go in the left eye, the right eye or both.
A few people have asked me why Luna is on Tacrolimus & Cyclosporine in her left eye. To be perfectly honest with you I don't know. I asked the eye vet and she gave me a perfectly reasonable answer, however, I can't recall what it is.
On paper, it seems like I am sticking a drop in Luna's eye every hour of the day, and I probably come close to it, but Luna is an absolute trooper about taking her drops. She sees me coming with a bottle of drops and she just sits down and waits for me to plop it in her eye. I think she doesn't mind the drops because ultimately they make her more comfortable. A chronically dry eye is irritating and can become very painful. But the drops keep her eyes moist and make her more comfortable. And if you miss a few drops a day it is amazing how dry her eyes can get. Luna sees the drops as a good thing, not as a bad thing.
Cost wise, the drop regime adds up quickly. The KCS Solution and Tacrolimus are each $48.00 a bottle. The Cyclosporine is $42.00. The cheapest is the Pilocarpine at $22.00 a bottle. Luckily we can get the Genteal over the counter for about $9.00.
But seeing the difference they make in little Luna's eyes makes the cost and the crazy systems all worth it.
Friday, May 28, 2010
Things went fairly well at the eye vet yesterday with Luna. Luna was a trooper as always.
The eye vet agreed that Luna's right eye is extremely dry. However, she noted that it is not because Luna is not producing tears (Luna tested at an 8 in her left eye on the Schirmer Tear Test this visit). It is because of all of the built up scar tissue on the eye.
So, we have added one more drop to our arsenal and have been instructed to give Luna the Genteal drops as often and as frequently as needed. The Genteal drops will help keep her eye moist.
The good news is her right eye is doing great. There have been no changes since our last visit, which is extremely good news.
I hope everyone has a fun and safe holiday weekend! Perhaps some lucky puggies out there will get to crash a few barbecues. 
Thursday, May 27, 2010
Luna goes to the eye vet this morning for her usual checkup. I know the news is not going to be good. Her left eye has very low tear production and despite our best efforts we have not been able to get it to improve. We have been tweaking her drops, trying new medicines but nothing seems to work. There is just too much scar tissue on the eye for anything to be effective. So, we have been giving her lots of Genteal Severe Dry Eye Relief drops to help keep some moisture in her eye.
I'm anxious to hear what the eye vet suggests as our next steps because the drops no longer seem to be working in her left eye. They worked well for a few years, but starting late last year they have gradually started becoming less and less effective.
The good news is that her right eye seems to be staying the same. She appears to have good tear production in that eye and the current treatment appears to be working well. That is very good news because that is her "good eye", the one that pretty much gives her all of her vision.
I'll let you know how everything goes.
Wednesday, May 12, 2010
When we first rescued Luna she would not venture out into the yard without one of her brothers. Well, she would got out to go potty of course, but she always went right out, did her business and then came right back. The boys always like to go out and linger in the early morning sun. Luna would always join them, but would never go out unless they went first. However, now that she is more comfortable, she is usually one of the first ones out to soak up the sun. Now her brothers follow her around!
Wednesday, May 5, 2010
How Luna prefers to enjoy the pool.
