Wednesday, August 3, 2011
No ‘Roid Rage Here
I realize that it is has been some time since I shared an update on the status of Luna's slipped discs in her back and neck. Well, after the CT scan with the dye injection, the neurologist gave us a choice of trying a pain killer or going to straight to Prednisone. At first we were going to try the pain killer only option since we had had experience with Solsey being on Prednisone. Solsey balloon right up on it and talk about an insatiable appetite! Whoa! Even for a pug, Solsey was like an eating machine! And a demanding little cuss, too! (I mean this in the most endearing way because we loved Sol dearly but boy, she would just stand in the kitchen and bark and whimper to be fed, shortly after she had just eaten. She was truly like a bottomless pit!) Anyway, I digress...
So, with the experience we had with Sol, we were not quick to jump at the chance to put Luna on Prednisone. So, we opted to take the prescription for the pain killer. Well, of course, this medicine had a hitch, too. It had to be administered in a tablet form. It could not be given in liquid or caplet or capsule form. It had to be filled at a compounding pharmacy and it was a human medicine, just fyi.
So, we took the prescription to our local human compounding pharmacy. The only one of 3 or so that is within 40 or so miles from our home. Well, there the pharmacist attempted to fill it in liquid form. I explained that the vet was emphatic that it could not be in liquid form (something about it being in liquid form only made it toxic to dogs). Then the pharmacist shared that medicine only comes in liquid or capsule form. Well, already having been forewarned by the neurologist that this was not the case, I just took the prescription and left. At this point, I was getting more & more frustrated as I had also called around to other compounding pharmacies and been given the run around over and over again.
So, to make a long story short (like that is possible now as the story is already long and I really not even close to done....) we gave it more thought and discussion and decided to put Luna on the Prednisone after all. So, we started with the every day with 2 doses a day for a week, then every day one dose a day for a week then every other day one dose a day. So, actually today will be her last dose. We took her in for a follow up and the neurologist said she was doing much better. Her back seem to be all better and her neck has seriously improved but is not entirely better. It is as good as it will get, though. The vet really wanted us to keep her crated unless she was eating or pottying and she was not walk (on leash) or jump (on furniture or up steps) at all. As a matter of fact they wanted us to carry her from her crate to eat then out to potty after that. Sadly, we knew there was no way most of that would not happen. First, we are not of a mind that it is even healthy for her to be crated for those extended periods of time even if for medical reasons but that of course is just our own personal philosophy. But we did limit her movement as best we could. We would lift her onto the sofa and put her back down so that she would not jump up or down. We would carry her on our hip if we knew we would be moving about the house knowing she would likely follow. And she is crated for a few hours at a time when no one is home. So, we while we didn't exactly follow doctor's orders, we did what we felt was reasonable and manageable.
As for the Prednisone, it made Luna a little more hungry and thirsty (and full bladdered, too) but it did not make her like her dearly departed sister Sol. And you hear about how steroids makes you crazy with indescribable rage and anger. Well, fortunately, they did not have that effect on Luna, either. (I hope you all know, that I know these are not the same type of steroids and I of course am just joking.) So, with little tongue in cheek humor, I just wanted to make it clear that Luna's steroids gave her a little extra weight but not of the muscle mass variety, either.
Luna is on the upswing and never lost her princess mentality for one minute.
