Canine respiration rate

[jusdooit]

Just wishing you luck with the vet visit. I am also a big sucker. Who can walk away from beautiful big brown eyes?

[BikeMomma]

That does sound shady, I have to say. But, at the same time, you have to hand it to the lady...she loves dogs and probably does not agree with her employer's non-rescue policy either. So she decided to take matters into her own hands -- (somewhat) admirable, really. But, what's not admirable is that she didn't go beyond that to explain to you that there may be something wrong with Lucy. That's the shady part there.

And may I say that your willingness to take on Lucy like you did is more than admirable. Beyond that, to be willing to take it from there with her treatment is just the awesomest. Thanks, from a fellow animal lover.

I used to work at an animal hospital many (many) years ago and we'd have those kids of cases dropped off every so often. We usually would keep them isolated from other animals just in case they had something contagious and give them a thorough exam. We wouldn't euthanize a dropped-off stray unless we found something fatally wrong with the animal (hit by a car, leukemia, etc). If the animal WAS sick but treatable, we would actually start treating them and at the same time, post their pic/story on our rescue board in the reception area to have the dog/cat adopted. They usually were eventually.

I took home such a rescue -- a spunky, charismatic little black terrier puppy (then seven months old) that I named Roxy. She was abandoned at the hospital AFTER the family brought her in initially. Her leg was badly broken and they couldn't afford her treatment, so they just left her there - so cruel. But we kept her there at the hospital for a long time. We didn't cast the leg or do surgery, but it healed over well on its own without treatment beyond antibiotics (a minor miracle). By the time the doc said he'd have to find a home for her to free up kennel space, I was already smitten. During the ride home, she gave me the best, heart-melting look of thanks for taking her out of that place. It's like she knew. A year or so later, she was able to use her leg fully, after her muscles had become stronger. I had my little best friend for many happy years. She died of cancer about three years ago...November 8th is the 3yr anniversary, actually. Coming up. I miss my Roxy, as you can probably tell from my long ramble (sorry!).

But I digress! When I talk of rescuing dogs, I always speak of her.

Karen, just a gentle reminder though -- if it is heartworms and they are very advanced, the veterinarian may advise euthanasia. If she has a weakened heart already, it will be pretty hard on her and she might not make it. Hard to swallow, I know.

I'll be crossing my fingers for Lucky Lucy tomorrow. Sending positive vibes...
~BikeMomma

[ibcycling]

Fingers are crossed here too. I hope everything turns out ok at the vet's office.

Lora

[Hub]

Nothing original to add, I just hope your furbaby will get a good report.- Good for her, good for you and your pocketbook.

[Velobambina]

Been thinking of Lucy Bear and wondering how she's doing. Please give us an update. In the meantime, my goldens (Maud, Maeve, and banshee-puppy Fiona) my angel golden (Agnes, up there keeping St. Peter company), and I are sending you lots of good wishes.

[Tuckervill]

Thanks, everyone. I was unable to get her to the vet today because it is my son's birthday and he has a herd of teens coming over tonight and I have not sat down all day for the getting ready. Lucy is first on my list for the morning, though. Luckily, our vet is a walk-in clinic, so she will get in tomorrow.

She's doing just fine, however--except for the fast resps during sleep. My middle son brought his dog (Tybalt, Prince of Cats--how's that for a dog name?) over to play and the three of them were like crazy dogs for a couple of hours. That's just the thing--you'd think a dog with some kind of malady would not be able to play like that.

But, it is best to get it checked out. First thing tomorrow!

Karen

[Tuckervill]

I took her in, and the vet took blood and put it in a little device that tests for lots of stuff. She came up negative for everything except Ehrlichia, and that was mildly postiive. That means she could be developing it from a recent tick bite, or have had exposure in the past. So she's on a round of doxycycline and then it should all be okay.

The vet suggested that if she's fighting the Ehrlichia she might be having recurring fevers and that could cause her breathing to accelerate for cooling even if she's not panting. I don't think that's it, but it could be.

I'm more of the opinion that she could be like a newborn baby who doesn't have the ability to regulate her breathing and sleeping, etc., and that she will grow out of it. She gets the hiccups all the time AND she's the first dog I've ever heard belch! She was starving, after all, so it could be that she developed some kind of neurological glitch or something like that. Since it doesn't bother her, and I'm positive there's no heartworm, I'm going to ignore it unless something else related pops up.

Thanks for your help!

Karen