Team Abby

06/12/2023

Its been a little while since I've posted about Abby. She's been living the good life, beating up Felon and barking at Ice when its her turn in the crate.

The good news is good living, lots of love, healthy food and medications have completely stabilized her heart. Her degenerative myelopathy continues to slowly progress. We never have to trim her back nails but she gets around just fine. Her cyst is back for the third time and she is currently at Palm City Animal Medical Center with Dr Rew getting it removed.

The bad news is the small mammary tumor that she had all this time suddenly started to rapidly grow and spread. This morning Dr. Rew took a chest xray and she has metastatic tumors throughout her lungs.

Her lungs have no fluid in them, she can still run and play, just not for as long, so with the blessings of Michelle Delaney and Big Cypress German Shepherd Rescue, we will continue to let her enjoy what time she has left. She has already lived longer than anyone expected so I'm not making any predictions on how long she has left. She is always full of surprises.

23/09/2023

Don't know why this didn't post earlier. Let's try it again...

Abby's Journey...
Michelle, say happy anniversary Abby!

Abby, one year ago yesterday you took your Freedom ride. Infected from head to toe, almost no teeth left, skin and bones, you stumbled out to the parking lot. After you took care of business and reluctantly let us snap a couple pictures, you laid down and said "I'm done". We lifted you into the car and drove you into the best and final chapter of your life.

The next day Dr. Rew from Palm City Animal Medical Center joined Team Abby and started you on the road to wellness. Your heart was so bad from all the infections, we were afraid you would stoke out on us with a heart rate of 220-240. Bad heart, infections, mammary tumor, only a couple teeth left, it was felt you "might" have a year. We were determined to make it the best year ever.

Step by step, problem by problem, with Dr Rew's help, you endured. Antibiotics took care of the infections, several heart medications stabilized the AFib and brought your heart rate into normal range. Twice a week medicated baths helped with the skin infections and elephant skin. Once a week flushes and daily cleaning got the chronic ear infections into a manageable realm. Good quality calories, probiotics and other supplements let you start to gain healthy weight.

One of your issues was you couldn't sit down. You would only stand or lay down. Time to introduce you to Wendy Coren
at Equalign Chiropractic. She took one look at you and jumped on board Team Abby. After just one adjustment, you were sitting down with no issues. Thanks to Doc Wendy, you continue to live your best life ever.

Little by little you continued to improve. Your AFib is under control, you are a healthy weight, you are free from infections and pain. You have learned to play & your true personality has come out. Now you have begun to steal food off the counter. First it was a whole pot roast and just the other night it was a freshly baked carrot cake and 2 sticks of butter that were softening! You've also started trying to boss around all the other females, so now you have Felon, my 8 month old male as exclusively yours.

For your one year anniversary, you got 2 pretty new collars, a gold/copper one and a black one too. What girl doesnt like new jewelry!

As good as all that sounds, we know that your DM is continuing to progress, and there is no stopping time. Whatever the future holds Abby, however long you will be with us, you will go out knowing you were loved and card for by many. So what do you say, shall we try for another six months?

21/08/2023

Michelle Delaney, Abby is in a time out right now...

When she had her cyst removed a couple weeks ago, we were instructed to give her some rimadyl for a couple days.

She was acting like she felt much better, so I kept her on it. She has been sassy with Ice, argumentative with Nauti, and is now getting pushy with Ice and not listening to us.

You'll never guess what that wretched dog did tonight...

She stole a POT ROAST off the kitchen counter while we were eating in the next room!!!!

I heard a noise, went out to check, and there she is, chowing down on a couple pounds of perfectly cooked roast!

She didn't give two hoots about my yelling at her. Just scooted out the door on her merry way.

And the stink eye she gave me when I put her into a crate....

Its not just the cost of the food, but it was also supposed to be dinner the next few nights because we're busy this week, and all that time & effort. Ugh! Arghhh!

As irritated as I am, though, I'm really thrilled she could get up there and get it off the counter!

14/08/2023

Abby is mad at me. Her cyst cane back and had to be removed again. Since they can only work with a local anesthetic, they could only go so deep and weren't able to get it all the first time.

She is back in her onesie and she is refusing to talk to me.

15/06/2023

Abby is feeling good this morning!

09/06/2023

Michelle Delaney, finally got some new video of Abby. She has gotten so playful since Felon came. She is grabbing anything and everything and playing with it, shoes, toys, Felon's balance balls, a paper plate. She is trying to entice Ice into joining in the fun, but Ice never learned how to play and isn't sure about her overtures, especially since they had a previous disagreement.

Her Afib is so faint it can no longer be heard by the vet. Weight is good, skin is good. Still having reoccurring ear infections, but we deal with them best we can. The cyst has come back just a tiny bit, and the vet can feel others under the bald spot but none of them are open or seem to bother her.

While all that is over the moon, her DM is still slowly progressing. She occasionally slips while turning, her back legs are beginning to cross and she has had a couple of potty accidents in the house. All these things are expected and manageable.

In the meantime, we just let her be the happiest she can be. She discovered the other day she liked Cucumbers! Nice cold healthy treat for this summer.

18/04/2023

Michelle Delaney, 7 months ago she was almost bald. Tonight she got a de-shed!

It is even more wonderful to see her with Felon. When the adults have tried to play with her, she didn't understand and thinks they are attacking, but with Felon, she is learning to roughhouse. More than any of the others, he is teaching her to be a puppy at heart. She is jumping on me and putting her front paws on the bed demanding attention. I'll try and get some new videos of the 2 of them soon. You know how it is, the minute you grab the camera, they stop what they're doing.

24/01/2023

Michelle Delaney, just a quick update on Abby. She is so amazing. She has enough attitude for 5 dogs. I think she is as healthy as she will get. While her heart and the DM will still cut her life short, we think maybe not as short as originally predicted.
She got so fiesty the other day she thought since she didn't have any pig ears to eat, then Ice's ear would have to substitute!

The cyst just refuses to heal despite all efforts so next week we are going to try and have it surgically removed. Since she's not a candidate for anesthesia, they will heavily sedate her and do it under a strong local. The plan is for me to stay at the clinic while it's being done so if necessary, I'm there to help keep her quiet and still. Fingers crossed.

The Apoquel has definitely helped with the chewing on her front legs so we'll continue her on that for a while.

She loves toys and continues to steal or demand every toy in the house. But she especially loves squeeky toys. The louder the better. I have to take the loud ones away from her at bed time or I'd never get any sleep!

Abby sends her love to Harper and wants you to tell her to hang in there. There is light at the end of the tunnel.

26/12/2022

Michelle Delaney, It was to cold to play outside so Abby and Kooper had to make do with playing in the house.

So proud of Koop for toning down her level of roughness to match Abby's.

20/12/2022

Michelle Delaney, Abby has another ear infection. Because of past infections, scar tissue makes the inside of her ear all crumpled and wrinkled like cauliflower so they'll be an ongoing battle.

On the other hand, Dr Rew was smiling while listening to her heart. Said she heard "runs of normal beats" and that her heart didn't sound like shoes in a dryer anymore.

She is now on Apoquel for the itching. If we can get her to stop scratching, maybe her body will have a chance to heal the cyst on her back and elephant skin on her legs.

We're also going to try a medicated powder called Neo-Predef to help with her itching and drying out the cyst. We'll reassess at February's checkup. We may end up trying to see if she'll be good enough to hold still under a local and do an excision since her heart won't allow for anesthesia. Fingers crossed the Apoquel, Neo-Predef and her own body can do it.

After I got her home, I went back out to the van to get her paperwork and I let her tag along. That was a mistake. She proceeded to take off trotting down the road and ignored me completely. I had to chase her half way down the block before she stopped to read some pmail and I could catch up! She is definitely getting a second lease on life.

This is Dr. Rew, (Palm City Animal Medical Center) part of Team Abby, that we couldn't do without. Abby's ears had just been cleaned so she wasn't thrilled with having to model right then. Doc says even her kids follow Team Abby and her progess.

I'll try and get some new video soon.

01/12/2022

01/12/2022

Abby making up with Kooper. She had snarked at Kooper for trying to play with a toy. How dare she!

26/11/2022

Michelle, Abby after her bath this morning. You can see the balls spot on her back but the rest of her coat is thick & healthy

26/11/2022

Michelle Delaney, it's been 10 weeks since Abby has come to stay with us and we couldn't be happier with her progress.

She is now at a healthy weight and down to 2 meals a day. She continues to take the 2 heart medications she'll be on for the rest of her life. The one medication, Vetmedin, is expensive (almost $5 a day!) but we were able to find a compounding pharmacy that is less expensive, making the cost easier to bear.

She is still on the antifungal medication as well. She has one spot on her croup that is still healing. It is also the area that has the cyst that doesnt want to heal so she remains in her onsies so she can't lick and scratch at it.

She is also still taking her Prozyme for digestion, B12 shots fir her anemia, Vertex for overall health abd wellbeing and the Tagamet for her acid reflux.

This morning was bath day and her coat is looking AWESOME! except for that one bald spot and a few small areas here and there still filling in.

She hangs out all day with Kooper & Ice, stealing every toy they are foolish enough to take their eyes off of. Ice is a very dominant female but 95% of the time she will give up her toys to Abby. Its that 5% of the time that doesn't allow them to be together if I'm not home. 😄. I'm very proud of Ice and how accepting she has been of Abby's hoarding all the toys.

While her heart is now stable, her DM continues to rear its ugly head from time to time. She can trot in a straight line very well, especially in the yard where she has good traction, but walking around the house where she has to turn and pivot, she'll lose balance and her back legs will go out from under her. She just gets back up again and continues on whatever she was doing. A good example of never giving up.

Stay tuned for the next episode in the life of Team Abby

04/11/2022

Michelle Delaney, Team Abby wants Dr Rew and Sandy at Palm City Animal Medical Center for all their awesome care. With their help, she has gained some 12 pounds and her most recent blood work is almost normal! We still have to get the anemia resolved, but everything else is looking really good.

She was able to come off the antibiotics and should be able to come off the antifungals at her next vet visit. Having reached a healthier weight, its time to start slowing the rate of gain so she's gone from 4 meals a day to three and now is on two meals a day. She continues to take her supplements & heart medications to help on her journey to full health.

Her emotional health is also continuing to improve. Her group of acquaintances continues to grow both at training and around the house. She is still learning proper "play etiquette" but fortunately, Nauti is a great mentor and willing to give up the toys when Abby starts to show frustration. (Good girl Natui!)

Thanks to everyone that is following her joinery, cheering her on. We appreciate your being a part of Team Abby

01/11/2022

Michelle Delaney, Abby's play skills continue to increase. After training Saturday where she got to hang out with a bunch of the dogs, I let her play with Kooper for the first time in the backyard. They had a good game of chase!

28/10/2022

Michelle Delaney
Abby had been with us for 6 weeks now.

In that time she has gone from 56.1 #'s to 69.8. She has gained 13 1/2 pounds in 6 weeks!

Her hair is growing back and her infections are almost fully cleared up.

She is starting to show real affection and is learning how to play with other dogs. She even fetched a toy I threw her a couple times!

Next week she goes for a vet check where we'll see how well her labs have improved.

Now that she has gained some weight and isn't so pressured to hurry and eat, she has started to try and bury her food in her blanket and dog bed which creates a mess with the powdered suppliments and making sure she is getting her meds. We had to get a couple of bowls that attached to her crate. They just came in but so far, that seems to be working.

Enjoy the attached before and after pictures. I can't wait to see her after another 6 weeks of good food, good care & lots of love & pets.

15/10/2022

Michelle Delaney, Abby continues to surprise and amaze us.

She got to spend some time with her new found friend again today. Ana is teaching her how to play with other dogs. Poor Nauti, Abby's housemate, has been trying to entice her into playing for a few weeks but Abby just wasn't quite sure what to do.

A few more sessions with Ana and she should have a good handle on all this "fun stuff". Thank you Ana Banana!

12/10/2022

Abby loves her Grunt. She's pretty attached to her chew roll too!

10/10/2022

Abby continues to gain weight and is up to 63.2 pounds. She even had a little hair coming back on her butt!

She had a follow up vet appt earlier this week and her heart rate is now in the very very high normal range. Yah! She will continue on the antibiotics and antifungals for another month and the heart meds & suppliments she'll be on for the rest of her life

As she improves, we can better access her overall condition and it appears she also has some neurological issues as well, most likely degenerative myelopathy.

She came to training with us Saturday to increase her socialization. At first she showed a little aggression, trying to nip one dog, but once she realized that the dogs were friendly and it wasn't necessary for her to defend herself, she relaxed and started making friends. By the end of the day, she was hanging out with Ana, Kooper, Zak and Drutz.

It was a HUGE step forward for her.

Feel free to share Abby's story. It may move someone to open their own home to a geriatric dog needing a warm bed and full tummy.

03/10/2022

We're finally on the right track. Made some adjustments to her food, added enzymes to help with digestion and cimetidine to control her acid reflux and Abby is finally putting on weight.

After her last adjustment with Wendy Coren at Equalign, we stopped and weighed her and she was to to 61.3 pounds!

With the cool weather at night, she is feeling frisky! Michelle Delaney

27/09/2022

Abby all warm and cozy in her new pj's on this rainy day. Michelle Delaney

26/09/2022

Abby ( ) is still trying to put on weight (that will come in time and with her heart issues, it's better if the weight comes on slowly) but is settling in nicely with her new housemate Nauti. She is too fragile to be with any of the other dogs yet.

Her skin is healing well, scabs are starting to come off with nice healthy tissue underneath. No more crusty flakes.

Most importantly, she is healing mentally and starting to want to play!

Thank you Michelle Delaney & BCGSR.

22/09/2022

Thanks to Wendy Coren at Equalign Chiropractic, Abby can now sit! She also gave her a cold lazer treatment to help with her skin.

Afterwards, Abby felt so good, she was ready to protect us from the
monster (Wendy's horse) outside the door1

22/09/2022

Abby say 'THANK YOU" to Canine H**p Solutions! She is making good use of your wonderful care package. Her ears especially are doing much better and since adding the h**p pulp to her diet, she has really perked up!

22/09/2022

Owner surrendered to MDAS on Sunday, 09/11/2022, Abby was scheduled to be put to sleep in 3 days. Michelle Delaney from Big Cypress German Shepherd rescue facilitated her release and on Tuesday, 09/13/2022, Abby had her Freedom Ride.

As with most dogs at MDAS, none of the original information given to was correct. They said she was 14 years old with demodex. She is really only 10 or 11. While there is no mange, she has a slew of other health issues, the most visible being her severe skin infection and terribly underweight. The most serious issue is her enlarged heart, arrhythmia (afib) and suspected dilated cardiomyopathy.

Thanks to BCGSR, she had a full vet workup and is receiving treatment. We knew when we picked her up we were going to be her hospice home. If all goes well, we hope she will be with us for maybe a year.

Follow Abby during the concluding chapters of her life. Our goal is to make it the best part of her life's journey. We will post updates on her progress, but in the meantime, everyone, please welcome Abby!