Iva's Search Begins

We have cruised right to the middle of July. Summer is flying by. My little vegetable garden is just doing okay, flowers just okay too. The hot sun and probably my lack of attention is to blame. But that's all okay. 

The dogs are in good spirits. 

~Milo with Lily in the background~

Todd returned to Wholistic Vet for a follow up visit last week. He has had a few 'attacks' where breathing seemed a bit difficult for him -- But unlike it has been previously where his sinus is clogged and breathing is difficult for hours, any snorting, sneezing or coughing has lasted only for moments and is maybe occurring once or twice during the week. knock, knock, knock on wood that it stays that way.

~Waiting for Wholistic Vet~

But this makes me and Wholistic Vet really optimistic and so we'll continue both the tincture and the Chinese herbs as I note that it was almost exactly a year ago the problems with Todd's sinus began. 

~On the way home - A good once-over wears a Scottie out!~

Our foster girl Iva is now available for adoption via the Golden Retriever Rescue. We've had a few calls, but no one that I think is a fit for her. Some of Iva's needs are specific, and I think are important for her to have. One is her having a fun companion like Milo, to play with. 

And Iva requires a home with very few steps. Iva had a broken shoulder previously to coming into the rescue, and this old injury has left her with limited range of motion. She can manage a few stairs, but looses momentum on bigger flights. We'll see where all this takes this fun and energetic girl that we are very fond of. ❤

Finally, I'll also add these collages I did of Iva for the rescue - Seeing her every day, it can be hard to really notice her changes, until I put photos of her now, next to older ones. What a difference! 

~Iva - On the left, the day we met her in November  - On the right, taken June 30th ~

Below, Iva in June and early March

One Thing I Did

Todd has certainly been in the spotlight at our house lately, and I remain optimistic and hopeful about the direction and treatment I've chosen for him. Unfortunately we won't know if the Chinese herb and tincture is working until it doesn't. Time will tell. 

In between vet visits and work, I carved out time to do a few other things. 

One thing I did in May was to go to Lancaster Pennsylvania. My long time friend, Sid lives there, and I've not seen her since before the pandemic. We became instant friends years ago when she was also a president of the neighboring Golden Retriever Rescue. She's now housebound and unable to drive, so it was good to spend the day with my friend. 

I stayed in Lancaster for a couple of days and since I can't stay with  my friend, I stayed in the nearby town of Intercourse (yes, that it's real name) in a popular spot called Kitchen Kettle Village. It's a walkable village of local crafts, quilters, and all other kinds of shops. My favorites are always the 'foodie shops.' Can you tell why? 😊

But I stayed in one of the Inn's in the Kitchen Kettle Village, that was above one of the shops. 

With no elevator access to my room, the steps helped to ease any guilt I may have felt when I indulged  in the local fare. 

While there, I made time to go to a favorite local nursery for this year's bedding plants and a few vegetables too. Black Creek Greenhouse is truly one of the best in the area. 

I ended my trip to Lancaster with another longtime friend at an all women's conference in downtown Lancaster. 

~Roof-top parking gives a great view~

It was a much needed break for me. 

~Daisy~

But no matter what, it's always good to get home!

~Ree, Jack and Milo~

Wholistic Vet

Well, with Todd now having seen an Internist for a rhinoscopy, and an Allergist, for allergy testing and our vet who has been a big help managing Todd's symptoms, it was time to try one more thing. And that was to see our holistic vet. I called on Monday, and they happened to have an opening on Thursday. 

It has been a couple of years since I have taken one of my dogs to see "Wholistic Vet" and I'm reminded why I think she and her husband (who runs the office) are among the best -- They are both kind, caring and compassionate and so many other things. They've always taken great care of  our dogs and me too. 

~An anxious Todd waiting for Wholistic Vet~

Wholistic Vet asked a lot of questions, and she thought that Todd seeing the specialists was needed because having those results helps to know what the health of his sinuses are, and what he's sensitive to. Wholistic Vet is right of course - and by the way, she agreed about not putting Todd on Apoquel. 

After nearly an hour discussion and a thorough exam (more time than I spent with the Internist or Allergist)  Wholistic Vet is recommending one Chinese herb and a special tincture that she made for Todd. She told me that allergies can be hard to treat sometimes, but she has a few other things for us to try if the herb and tincture don't work. But we'll start with these two things first and see where it takes us. We have a follow up appointment in July. 

For the first time, I feel like my concerns, thoughts and questions have been heard and answered. Even if the herbs and holistic treatment doesn't work for Todd, I'm grateful that we have the chance to find out if it will or not. 

~Home and relaxing on the porch~

The Results Are In

Todd's allergy test results came last Friday via e-mail .... Drumroll please ..... 

Out of the 80+ things that the Heska test, tests for, Todd is allergic to only two -- Dust-mites and Ragweed..... 

Below are the results - click on the photo to see what the test tests for. 

And there you have it. The Allergist is recommending that Todd continues taking Apoquel. 

So, where does that take us?  

To start, thank you all for sharing your experiences and thoughts about Apoquel -- I could not agree with you more. But I feel like Apoquel has its place and there are dogs that despite its side effects, definitely benefit from its use because it's the one thing that improves their quality of life. Quality of life is what it's all about.

But Apoquel is not an antihistamine, and given that Todd's issue is with his sinus, I think that Todd needs an antihistamine and something a bit stronger than the Zyrtec that he takes daily. When I (again) mentioned to the Allergist my thoughts and concerns about giving Todd Apoquel, I could feel the eye rolls in my questioning the treatment plan and asking for another medication. After a couple of e-mail exchanges, the Allergist suggested more tests or return to the Internist who sent me to them in the first place. 

In the end, it left me feeling discouraged and with no plan or direction. But when I got over feeling defeated, I made one more call to another specialist. I'll tell you about that in my next post. Suffice it to say, I am feeling hopeful. ❤

***On a totally different topic, CONGRATULATIONS to Carol (aka Coppa's Girl) on the newest addition to her family, named Amber. I hope it's all going well as you get to know one another, and she settles into a new life that I know will be filled with nothing but the best days, making the best new memories! ❤❤