Health Update

Last fall Katie became sick and after tons of tests the diagnosis is Protein Losing Enteropathy (PLE) but now she's doing awesome. PLE is a condition of the gastrointestinal tract that results in a loss of protein from the body and with Katie the fluid would build up in her abdomen. She might(we did not run an expensive test for confirmation) also have maldigestion: digestive system works improperly and malabsorption: difficulty absorbing nutrients from food. 

These issues were being controlled by prednisone and a raw diet but she was on such a high dose it caused many negative side effects and her condition would start to return when I tappered down the prednisone.
IGCA MN rep, Kristin, is such an amazing person and didn't hesitate to approve my request for Katie to see Dr. Levy at Holistic Veterinary Care. Dr. Levy started Katie on several supplements and a holistic remedy. After two and a half months and some tweaks we were able to taper her prednisone down to 3.5mg a day.  The power of holistic care and a raw diet has not only helped reduce the prednisone but allowed her energetic, fun personality to come through because she's feeling great! 

Katie's medical condition is easily controlled with Standard Process supplements and a raw diet. She's on an excellent prepackaged raw diet: Stella and Chewy's. Stella and Chewy's is completely balanced with organic ingredients all made in Wisconsin. The best thing about Stella and Chewy's is the fact that they use high pressure to remove harmful bacteria while retaining the nutritional value and taste. There are a few supplements for her raw food including: 
Animal Essentials Ocean Omega
Animal Essentials Plant Enzymes and Probiotics
Extra virgin coconut oil
Animal Essentials Milk Thistle/Dandelion tincture
Solid Gold Seameal 
Pancreatin enzyme

I know all this sounds like a lot but it's because holistic care requires many supplements to treat the whole body system, unlike traditional health care which only addresses one problem. Since Katie is a 10 lbs. dog all her food and supplements total around $100-$120 a month. 
We're confident that she will be able to taper off prednisone completely but it is a slow process that will take 6-8 months. Once she is off of prednisone her fawn coat should fill in nicely. We are already seeing great health benefits from holistic care and I'm sure she'll continue to amaze us. 

I'll leave you with some pictures of Katie falling asleep in the sun this week. Katie wishes you all a Happy Easter! 

The sun is making me sleepy...

Going....

Going....

Gone

Diva Talking

Don't be fooled by Katie's sweet face and innocent eyes; Miss Katie is a Diva. As the months passed she has become very comfortable and loves to be heard. Katie is a velcro dog and she'll follow me around the house to make sure I'm not getting my grubby fingers on some delicious food without her! I know what you're thinking, and yes, I'm in the bathroom sitting on the toilet but I'm completely dressed to show you Miss Katie visiting me like she always does when I'm in there. If anybody knows how to translate dog, I'd love to know what she's saying.
Katie is doing well on her new holistic supplements after seeing Dr. Levy (Holistic Veterinary Care in Blaine). We're still tweaking things and have seen improvements already. Hopefully, she'll be able to get off of prednisone for good in a few months *fingers and paws crossed* I'll do an in depth update on her health later this month. She looks skinny in the video but we've been trying to put a pound on her and I think she's getting close to her ideal weight.

Katie sends her love to her blog readers <3

If you're having trouble or if 'Diva Katie Talking' is not showing, please click on the direct link   Diva Katie Talking

Bully Stick

Here's a video of Katie enjoying a bully stick. Instead of laying down and enjoying a lovely chew, she likes to have her bully stick in downward dog pose, silly girl! It's so important for dogs to chew on things, especially little dogs since they're more prone to tartar. I don't let her ingest any of the bully stick though, just in case her body doesn't agree with it. After 10 minutes of chewing, I take it away and cut off the frayed end and let it dry up before giving it to her the next day. Hope you all are having a great 2013! Stay warm!

Merry Christmas

Baby It's Cold Outside

Minnesotans were hit with the biggest snowstorm in two years on Sunday. It looks pretty and we desperately need the moisture but poor Katie was freezing her buns off pottying. I made it a priority to keep her area on the patio clear so she didn't have to do her business in the snow. Oh the things we do for our (foster) pups :)

Katie's winter potty area off of the sliding glass doors

I shoveled a large circle around the shed for Lucy, my Weimaraner

Katie lured out by treats

Katie is too cute!

You can see in the second and third pictures the potty pads I have down for Katie. She has a choice between using those or going outside. Katie is great with her potty habits and has an iron bladder for such a tiny dog. Everyday Katie learns to trust and has blossomed so much in a relatively short time. We have no idea what she endured in the past, only that is was not a good life. But her ability to learn how to be loved and live life beautifully, one day at a time, is proof of her indomitable spirit. It is a privilege to foster and spoil Katie.

6 Months

We have been fostering Katie for 6 months and she has settled in very well.  She enjoys being spoiled and has become a little Diva.

For those who have been following the blog or facebook, you know that Katie had a rough September and October with protein loss and fluid build up. Thankfully, she has stabilized on prednisone and is doing really well. We're still tapering her prednisone dose and hope she'll either be on a very low dose or off of it completely. Tapering takes a long time so we won't know for awhile.

Katie has perfect potty habits. She sleeps the whole night through without needing to go out and holds it for 3-4 hours during the day. When I leave she uses her potty pad consistently.
Katie is wonderful with all aspects of grooming; she doesn't like it but will patiently stay still for whatever needs to be done. Katie still doesn't like to be picked up, but is fine with it. She's not a cuddler but is fine with being held. Katie always wants to be near and sometimes likes to hang out between my husband and me. Katie loves to stand up on us and get petted and does this all day long (she especially loves her eyes, head and back rubbed), sometimes she'll even give kisses!

Katie gets along wonderfully with our Weimaraner Lucy and they like to share dog beds, especially when I leave the house. Katie is a calm dog and her biggest passion is eating and napping. When it's time for feeding she gets vocal and excited, food is the only thing that makes her bark. I finally taught Katie to do down our flight of stairs but she usually needs treats to tempt her. She has been going up the stairs on her own for months. Our project for the next month is to try simple obedience training.

Katie is a beautiful IG and so easy to care for. Her adorable paintbrush tail goes all day long and is happy to be living the good life. With every passing week she continues to blossom. She would make a wonderful addition to any family. Are you that forever family?


Here is Katie in her 'Babushka' look. She is just too cute!

Walks

This was taken a couple weeks ago to show how wonderful Katie is on leash. Katie is loose leash the whole time and only stopping once in awhile to sniff things or use the bathroom(she rarely does this on walks). If she sees something (people/kids/cars) she stops to check it out but then moves on when I ask her to or give her a treat.  I'm using a harness for her because she was afraid of the martingale collar when I first started fostering her. I'll try using the martingale collar again in the spring when it gets warm enough to resume walks. Hope you all had a lovely November. I'll be posting a detailed 6 month update on Katie next week!