Hey Charles, do you want a little WHINE with that cheese?
{Turn up your sound}
All he does now is whine and bark and make a fuss. Crazy old man!
Watch Jolie during all this. Sometimes it gets too much for her and she trots into the other room and goes into her kennel to get away for him.
We love you to the ends of the earth, Charlie, but really can you stop!
What kind of mischief did you get into today?
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤ 
Tags: dog, DogBlog, DogDaz, Dogs, havanese, hungry dog, lorian lipton, Mischief Monday, Pet, pets, pomchi, whining dog
On February 17, Charles had a grand mal seizure. It was very scary for all of us. We started him on Phenobarbital, a drug that is used to treat seizures. He continued to have what we thought were smaller petite mal seizures every few days after that. The vet gave us Diazepam as a rescue drug for when the seizures happen, this was to try and stop what they call ‘cluster’ seizures (one right after another, which is common). But something continued to not be right. Even the smallest excursion was causing him to collapse. Was it the seizure disorder or something else?
You may not remember but Charles has a heart murmur and an enlarged heart. On March 7 we went back to the vet because of multiple collapsing episodes. She said his chest sounded OK and we should continue with the pheno as prescribed. Pheno can take several weeks to kick in. But…things still did not seem right.
I emailed the vet on March 15 and sent a video of him collapsing. Late afternoon, she prescribed a heart medicine called VetMedIn (pimobendan), which improves the efficiency of each heartbeat so that it doesn’t have to work so hard, in addition to the Pheno. I picked it up after work on March 16. I was worried about getting him to take it because it is a large pill for a little dog, so we decided to wait until the morning.
4 AM, Friday, March 17, before we could even start the VetMedIn, Charles went into congestive heart failure. His little heart was racing a million miles a minute. He was panting and wheezing. Off to the Vet we went as soon as they opened. On X-ray, the lungs showed fluid building up around the heart. The vet asked us if we were ready to make the very hard choice about his quality of life.
But… there was one other medicine that we could add to the mix and see if that could help – Lasix, a diuretic. We opted to give it a try. What was the worse that could happen since he already was so weak. We carried him up and down the stairs in the house; we carried him outside to the bathroom; we did not let him exert himself at all if we could stop him.
March 21 – SPRING – and he seems back to his old self. Hungrier than usual but stubborn and sassy and just being Charles. Now he refuses to be carried and wants to do everything by himself. Prayers are still needed, but right now we are extremely happy that he is still with us. Spring and medical intervention have given Charles a second chance. Bang those healing drums and thank modern science for medicines that work.
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Tags: congestive heart failure, dog, dog rescue, DogBlog, DogDaz, Dogs, lorian lipton, pets, pomchi, seizure disorder, Veterinary medicine
Hello. Charles here at the Zoo.
So much has happened in just a month since Mom had to take a break from blogging because of her eye stuff. We have tons to tell you about our holiday season. For right now, I want you to know that everyone did very well and did not destroy too much – though the pesty cats did try and play with the balls on the tree and Mini terrorized the Christmas village. I have recovered great from my bladder surgery and feel like a young dog again which is really the most important thing. Health and happiness is my motto.
Christmas and Channukah collided this year (which means more presents for us). It was exhausting with all the wrapping paper to play in and the boxes and bags. What awesome fun it was having our young human family around for food and festivities (Mom says ‘young’ is a relative term now that the kids are grown). More people to give us cuddles and treats! (Maybe food and fun should be my motto?)
Mom made us sit for a ton of silly holiday pictures. What is it with these humans and their photo opportunities?
More stories and antics to come in 2023. Happy belated New Year, blog friends. We missed you.
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Tags: Blog, dog, Dog People, dog rescue, DogBlog, DogDaz, Dogs, havanese, lorian lipton, Pet, pets, pomchi
Charles here – I am interrupting the Caturday post to bring you an update on my bladder surgery:
Everything is going great. The first day was hard and no one told Mommy to have ramps and things for me to get up onto the bed and couch and boy, did coming up the stairs hurt, But you know me, Mr. Biter, I would not let anyone carry me, even though the stairs were really tough.
I was not very impressed with the ramp Mom made from pillows, but Joile thought it was a hoot!
I am making Mom crazy with going out a great deal, but maybe it is because I am just getting used to not having that big bladder stone anymore. The Doctor called and said that it was a CALCIUM OXILATE stone. That is what we thought and there is not much we can do but stay on the special urinary diet we are on and hope no new ones grow.
Mom says I am licking myself too much and she is going to the store to get a baby onesy. That sounds awful.
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Tags: bladder stones, dog health, Dog People, DogBlog, DogDaz, lorian lipton, pet blog, pomchi
Charles here: I just wanted to let you know that I am Ok and did very well with my surgery. The Doctor said I am a real trooper.
It is going to be hard for a few days until all the stitches heal but I should be as good as new, for an old guy. They aren’t going to get rid of me so fast. At 14-1/2 years old and 14 pounds, I plan to be around for several more sun rises.
The Dr said that the stone was so big and green and odd, that they are sending it to a lab to make sure it wasn’t some alien from outer space. Then maybe we can know what we can do to avoid more in the future.
I am having trouble with the stairs and don’t want anyone to touch me, so I am trying to bite people to leave me alone. It’s not that I don’t love them. Mom made me a ramp to get up on the bed cause I can’t even do my dog stairs. But hopefully I’ll be OK soon.
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Tags: cystotomy, Dog People, DogBlog, DogDaz, lorian lipton, pet blog, pomchi, vet care
I couldn’t pass up the photo opportunity when Charlie nestled between V and me. It is only on a rare occasion that he lets us sit next to each other without jumping in the middle. Usually, he wants me to move so he can have V all to himself. On this particular day, he just cuddled down and went right to sleep. We don’t mind his antics because he is so darn cute. How can you not love that face?
Have a wonderful Black & White Sunday!
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Tags: black and white photography, Black and White Sunday, dog, DogDaz, Dogs, lorian lipton, Pet, pets, pomchi
When you bring a new dog into the mix, you are never sure if the existing animals are going to accept it. And, we were concerned because Mr. Charles is 14 years old already and he doesn’t always feel the best.
But boy does he love Jolie. He even lets her lean on him! (And he doesn’t like anyone leaning on him.) I love that he gets a little prance in his step when he sees her coming and that he’s been coming for a walk with us in the mornings, which he hardly ever did.
Charles isn’t the only one that has taken to Jojo. Mini Cooper, who was always the other dog in the pack (even though she’s a cat), seems to never be far away. We could not have asked for a better transition for the new member. Hope you have a wonderful Wednesday.
Who’s your BFF?
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Tags: adoptdontshop, Best Friends, Blog, dog, Dog People, dog rescue, DogBlog, DogDaz, Dogs, lorian lipton, Pet, pets, pomchi, shih tzu
2022 has been a rocky year for Charles so far but it is only going to go up from here (or so Mom says).
14 years young in little dog years hopefully has a lot of runway left for adventures and treats.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MR. HANDSOME!
Just another DogDaz morning at the zoo ❤
Tags: dog birthday, Dog People, DogBlog, DogDaz, lorian lipton, pet blog, pomchi
I couldn’t pass up the photo opportunity when Charlie nestled between V and me. It is only on a rare occasion that he lets us sit next to each other without jumping in the middle. Usually, he wants me to move so he can have V all to himself. On this particular day, he just cuddled down and went right to sleep. We don’t mind his antics because he is so darn cute. How can you not love that face?
Charles isn’t the only one that has taken to Jojo. Mini Cooper, who was always the other dog in the pack (even though she’s a cat), seems to never be far away. We could not have asked for a better transition for the new member. Hope you have a wonderful Wednesday.
DogDaz Zoo 