Grace is feeling a little better and starting to act more like herself. She is no longer too painful and sore to jump on the couch, so she’s been spending most of her time curled up sleeping on the couch. A few times she’s gone through her toy box looking for the perfect toy to cuddle with, which we think means she’s feeling better! She has not been coughing at all, which is a good sign. When the heartworms die and break down they travel to the lungs and can cause coughing (among other things.) My 7 year old daughter has spent a lot of time sitting next to Grace and reading stories to her. Grace loves the attention and is a great reading buddy. My daughter also wrote Grace a letter at school. I have included a picture of it, as it was too cute not to share!
She is now back to eating her regular food with a little canned food mixed in. The Prednisone steroid that she is taking is helping her appetite, which is good since she lost 5 pounds since she got her treatment. She is almost done with her medications. The Doxycycline (antibiotic) will be done this week, and the Prednisone (steroid) is being tapered down this week, with our goal of her being off it by next Monday. She has been completely off of her pain medication since last Tuesday and has done very well. Though she was very good about taking her medications, it will be nice not to have to give her medications anymore. At one point, she was getting 15 pills per day! (6 Doxycycline, 8 Tramadol, and 1 Prednisone, spread out throughout the day.) I would just put them in a pill pocket, and she would gobble it right up.
Last week we had a morning snow storm, and little miss Grace was excited! It’s a good thing I had her on a leash outside, as she wanted to RUN and play in the snow! Instead, she frolicked around as much as she could on the short leash and ate as much snow as she could get in her mouth. We only spent a few minutes outside, but she loved it. I was able to snap a good picture of her once she came inside with snow still on her coat. She was trying to lick the snow off her nose. She’s such a silly girl!
In all honesty, it hasn’t been too difficult to restrict her activity most of the time. She’s completely content curled up on the couch or oversized chair. She prefers a blanket to sleep on, and a pillow to put her head on is an added bonus, but she’s not too picky. (It’s so hard not to spoil her!) Even before treatment she was a pretty mellow dog, and I think she will continue to be calm and easy-going once she is completely recovered. I have been crating her during the day to keep her quiet, but this week I am going to gate her in my bedroom while I’m at work. She isn’t able to jump up on my bed, so she’ll just be able to sleep on the dog bed on the floor or the chair in my room. I would trust her with free roam while I’m at work all day if I didn’t need to restrict her activity. Though she would probably sleep on the couch all day, I can’t be sure she wouldn’t try to run around, which would not be good for her recovery.
Grace has someone who is very interested in her and will be meeting her once she is feeling a little better. We’ve decided to push back the meeting until she’s recovered a little more, since Grace gets excited when she meets new people and when people come over, and we need her to stay as calm as possible. She sent Grace a giant teddy bear, which Grace loves to sleep with (and she’ll occasionally try to de-stuff it!)
Remember that November 16 is Give to the Max Day! Go to RAGOM’s website, click on the link, and make a donation. You can chose to make a donation in Gracie’s name, or any other RAGOM dog that has stolen your heart. RAGOM couldn’t do what they do without your support, and there are so many dogs that are in need of basic or advanced medical care. Your donation is greatly appreciated!
