Peanut the Magic Dog

Over the years, I have bought for Peanut all sorts of comfort items.  She remains a simple dog who likes simple things.  Her all-time favorite place to lie is not a dog bed, not a human bed, not a piece of carpet; not even a pile of down feathers would please her.  Her most coveted surface to lie upon is... concrete.  Really any cold, hard surface is desirable but concrete is her most preferred sleeping surface.  Strange, huh? 

Due to some quirk in her physiology, Peanut generates heat like a wood burning stove.  Maybe spayed female dogs get hot flashes just like menopausal woman?  Well, for whatever reason she is usually hot and in search of a cooling surface to lie upon.  (Summers are a bitch, by the way.) 

Tonight, in the basement, I set her on a piece of carpet.  Within minutes she drug herself to a little corner of concrete and rested her head on the soothing coolness of concrete.  It's where she is the most comfortable and sleeps the best.  Whatever makes you happy, Peanut!

Diabetics of any species are susceptible to bladder infections.  Peanut has been on a maintenance dose of 500 mg amoxicillin per day for several months in an attempt to prevent bladder infections.  The amoxicillin apparently stopped working as intended some time ago.  I concluded this because yesterday Peanut peed what looked like blood instead of urine and she had a symptom I'll call "urinary flatulence."

My first thought was that her body was shutting down, after all she did not pee blood the night before.  I semi-figured for an onset that quickly there had to be something major happening inside her frail little body.  I went in the house and cried.  I thought maybe this was the day that was supposed to be coming soon... for the last three years.  After I got over myself I started to think.  Peanut was eating and drinking normally.  She responds to her name, pricks her ears, and was excited to go outside this morning.  She was still doing her characteristic thump-thump of her tail.  She was not behaving like a dog whose body was shutting down.  So I thought some more.  Yes it was a very quick onset of bloody urine but she was not behaving like she was dying.  After her bout with pancreatitis a few years ago, I have seen my dog with little will to live.  Nope this was not the end... it had to be a raging bladder infection. 

With our relocation to Aitkin we don't really have a nearby vet.  Yes I could call our old vet or take her to the University of Minnesota if needed - but they are both over 2 hours away.  Once I determined this was a raging bladder infection I wanted to find a local option if possible.  Speaking honestly, here was my dilemma... I hoped to find a local veterinarian who was not a country bumpkin.  My experience so far in a rural area is that I have an equal chance of finding country charm with urban capabilities or just finding some country charm. 

I ended up choosing Lakeland Veterinary Hospital in Baxter, MN.  It was serendipity because the vet was youngish, intellectually and medically curious and competent.  He quickly concluded what I had diagnosed the problem to be.  In addition, he did an ultrasound and noticed that Peanut had gas in her bladder.  This is a unique enough thing that he suspected her infection was caused by e coli (remember the urinary flatulence?).  A urine culture was performed and we started her with an injection of Baytril.  This morning the vet called with results of the culture which confirmed e coli as the cause of the infection.  So today Peanut began a 14 day course of cephalexin.  Her urine is less bloody and the old girl has a little more spring to her technology-and-human-assisted step.  Probably tomorrow Peanut will remember what cephalexin does to her stools... you've seen soft serve ice cream poured into a cup, right?  Doesn't matter... old girl is on the mend and we will probably start routine urine cultures instead of maintenance antibiotics.

Photo: Bloody urine in snow. 

A break was necessary - more so for Peanut's human than for Peanut.  I - the aforementioned human - am still anguished by the death of Einstein, the cat I adopted as a kitten 9 years ago for Peanut.  Yes, you read that sentence correctly... I adopted a kitten for my dog.  There is a story to be told, but this human still can't talk about Einstein without crying.  He was the youngest, healthiest, and most active of my three critters.  The cause of his death was completely preventable and with a $5,000 surgery he could have possibly been saved.  I'll share more about Einstein and his time with Peanut... at some point...

Photo: Einstein the cat.  Affectionately called Einie Weinie and Pretty Boy.

I've developed numerous nicknames for Peanut over the years.  When it comes to her medications, I call her my little old lady.  She takes a number of medications and supplements to keep her comfortable, regular, healthy-ish and one keeps her alive. 

A dog who is so particular about where she will pee is bound to be particular about what she will eat.  Twice daily I wrap her pills in cheese singles and sqeeze until I have a 'cheese capsule' full of pulls.  In a pinch, lunch meat and peanut butter toast will work but nothing encapsulates the pills as well as the moldable cheese-food-product.  (Peanut can smell the stinkier pills (B complex!) and if I don't create a full cheese barrier, she will not eat the cheese capsule). 

Each morning and evening, Peanut takes 10 pills and gets one insulin shot.  And lest anyone be concerned, all these medications have been prescribed or advised by a vet ~ except the psyllium, I prescibed that for her!

A - Tramodol. A pain medication that works on nerves.  150mg twice per day.
B - Aspirin.  An NSAID pain reliever.  625mg twice per day.
C - Benadryl.  Antihistamine to alleviate skin issues. 50mg twice per day.
D - Famotidine. Generic for Pepcid AC to alleviate stomach issues with all these pills. 20mg twice per day.
E - B Complex Vitamin. To help her energy level. Once each morning.
F - Psyllium. Generic for Metamucil to aid in digestion which is necessary with her decreased activity and mobility.  Twice per day.
G - Humulin N Insulin.  To treat diabetes.  23 units twice per day.
H - Amoxacillin. Antibiotic for prophyllactic prevention of bladder infections.  500mg once each evening.

Photo: Am pills
Photo: PM pills

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Peanut's mobility is limited by her physical issues and even more so by terrain.  She can scoot herself much better on a hard floor but rarely can she get herself in a position to stand.  She can stand and walk about 10' while on carpet but really struggles to scoot with the added friction.  Outside, a cut lawn is the friendliest surface for my old dog because she can get somewhat of a foothold to walk a few feet and also scoot as needed.  Whether inside or out, the biggest obstacle for Peanut is the non-flat surface.  Inside poses little problem other than stairs and Peanut seems resigned to not mess with those anymore (although I still block the stairs when I leave her for long periods because... with her... you never know when she'll decide that she must go downstairs).  Outside is a big problem for us right now.

After a layoff over a year ago, I've had to move into my parents rural home.  Their home is built on a flat spot on top of a hill with little grassy ground to walk on.  The driveway is grassy/gravely but it's too steep.  The dirt road provides a little space for Peanut to toilet but she doesn't like the spot so she won't go there.  In the other direction on the road she struggles with the incline so I stopped trying to take her there.  That's it!  There is no other place to take Peanut outside here!  Woods and hills are beautiful to look at but they are true obstacles for senior dogs with only one good leg. 

After many struggles for both the one-good-leg dog and me, I decided to drive up to a field about 3/4 of a mile from my parents home to see if Peanut would willingly pee there.  So along a flat dirt road that runs through a field, I assisted my dog to walk long enough for her to inspect the location and approve it for her use.

One of Peanut's not so great physical strengths is her bladder.  She will choose to hold her urine rather than to pee in a place she does not like.  We refer to her bladder as the 'Ten Gallon Bladder' because she can hold it for 12-16 hours easily.  Her personal record is about 30 hours.  So I, as the human responsible for Peanut, really have to cater to her idiosyncrasies when it comes to toileting because if she is unsatisfied with the location, she will just hold it.  Seriously, she will just hold it.  Heck if I try to get her to pee and it's only been 8 hours since the last time she peed... she has 20 more hours to hold out for a more desirable pee spot. 

So given all this information, can you guess what we do when it's time for Peanut to "go outside?"  Twice a day, everyday, I load Peanut up into my car and drive the 3/4 of a mile up to the field.  We walk along the edge of the dirt road and Peanut will eventually urinate. 

Sometimes I wonder if she is just messing with me and laughing on the inside.

Photo: Peanut waiting on the side of the road for me (I have to go back and get the car to retrieve my Retriever)
Photo: Always ready to travel somewhere, Peanut is excited to get back in the car. She walked a few steps in her excitement.

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So what exactly does Peanut deal with every day in terms of her physical ailments?  This is a list to show her chronic conditions.  She has other ailments that pop up from time to time - dehydration from frequent panting and skin problems as a result of diabetes are the most common issues that arise.

A - right wrist: degenerative joint disease of the carpal joint.  Her right wrist is just plain shot.  It hyperextends with each step and gives out on her periodically.  Affects: Mobiliy.  Painful: Yes.  Medication Required: Yes

B - throat: laryngeal paralysis.  This became noticeable a couple years ago when she would make a retching sound after drinking water.  Symptoms of this problem (I guess it's fairly common in labs) include: retching after eating and drinking, phlegm build up, increased panting and coughing, and hoarse barking.  Affects: Breathing, eating, drinking, barking.  Painful: Yes when food or water causes gagging and coughing.  Medication Required: No

C - hips: bilateral hip dysplasia.  A very common condition for her breeds.  The x-rays showed that both hips are dysplastic. Affects: Mobiliy.  Painful: Yes.  Medication Required: Yes

D - spine: lumbo-sacral spinal lesion.  This condition is more of a ruled-out supposition.  I took Peanut to the University of Minnesota Veterinary Medical Center as her ability to walk decreased.  I presumed her hip dysplasia was getting worse, but upon examination, the vet determined the cause of her difficulty had to include a neurological component because her back feet were knuckleing.  This meant that when her toes were rolled under and her foot set back down, Peanut did not correct the placement of her foot and return it to a pads down position.  The vet did a very thorough neuro exam and based on his findings he suspected a lumbo-sacral spinal lesion.  The only way to confirm the diagnosis was to do an MRI, but the cost is so great that unless I planned to proceed with surgery, the MRI was just a very expensive confirmation of what the vet suspected.  At the time of diagnosis, Peanut was too frail to survive major spinal surgery so I passed on the MRI.  Affects: Mobiliy.  Painful: No.  Medication Required: No

E - pancreas: diabetes.  Diagnosed in March of 2008.  Diabetes is often diagnosed in pets once they reach a crisis state.  I brought Peanut to her regular vet and he sent us to the University of Minnesota Veterinary Medical Center - he though she was about to go into shock due to a leaking bladder.  After running tests, they found her to have a blood sugar level around 620.  She spent one night in the ICU, came home the next day and I began my own crash course in how to care for a diabetic pet.  Affects: Whole body - physiology, circulation, skin, coat.  Painful: Yes if unregulated.  Medication Required: Yes

F - eyes: bilateral cataracts.  Typical old dog eyes.  Affects: Vision.  Painful: No.  Medication Required: No

Over the last two years, Peanut's physical health has been declining.  This is to be expected for a 12 1/2 year old mix of two large breed dogs, right?  Of course.  Humans expect their old dog to stop running but what about when their dog can't walk anymore? 

Through the summer of 2008 as Peanut aged her gait grew to resemble a newborn horse.  Not so much on the front end, but on the back end which is afflicted with hip dysplasia and a lumbar-sacral spinal lesion that is causing progressive neuro deficits. 

In the early part of fall 2008, Peanut could no longer walk back after going outside.  She had enough strength and endurance to get outside and walk around some, but could not get back in the house.  I carried her a few times and even used my coat to support her back-end while peeing (yes she peed on my coat a couple of times).  My dog is not one to accept limits so she continued to walk as far as she could before finally succumbing to exhaustion - regardless to how far away from home we were!  I eventually stumbled upon the idea of getting a wagon to handle the to and fro of transporting Peanut to her favorite spots.  After I transported her, I'd lift her out of the wagon to let her wander as she wished.  Then I'd lift her back in the wagon and transport her back home. 

Even with global climate changes, we still get a lot of snow in Minnesota.  I worried how I was going to handle a wagon with snow.  The logical solution seemed to be to get a sled.  The sled was easier on my back because through the winter of '08-'09, Peanut was able to step into and out of the sled herself.  As the snow disappeared we resumed the use of the wagon and continued with the same methods of loading, transporting, and unloading I described earlier. 

I should mention how well Peanut does with both of her pieces of assistive technology.  From the day I brought her home, she has loved, loved, loved to travel.  It doesn't matter where we are or where we're going... she wants to go!  She immediately adapted to her new human-powered methods of transportation and seems to understand they are essential for her mobility.  The only time she tries to disembark is when she feels compelled to chase something - she forgets she can't anymore but the drive is still there!

One morning in the spring of 2009, Peanut could not walk.  Undeterred she drug her backend around as needed to get around inside.  But what about outside?  I had a wagon but how would she pee and poop if she couldn't walk.  Thus began a couple days of drama that reached an apex when Peanut was 3 1/2 hours away from euthanasia.  The appointment was made and a last effort to toilet a bloated dog who couldn't walk started her current phase of assisted mobility.

Peanut in her Radio Flyer and resting after walking. January 2009

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In her prime Peanut looked like a full Black Lab.  Her heritage is mixed with a little Rottweiler - according to the Humane Society, one parent was 100% Black Lab and the other parent was 50% Black Lab and 50% Rottweiler.  Her Black Lab heritage was well represented by her endless drive to chase a tennis ball and swim.  Peanut's Rottweiler blood often shone through in her tenacious demeanor (plus a barrel chest, and smaller Rotty ears).  She has never been a happy-go-lucky Lab.  Her love of a tennis ball or drive to swim after Canadian Geese always had an extra layer of obsession that was likely the Rottweiler in her. 

A perfect story comes to mind to exemplify her lineage; Peanut had been living with me for two weeks at this point.  One morning  before work I walked her to a nearby park for a little bit of off-leash running.   Peanut was reasonably obedient on the walk to the park (a puller, but nothing too horrible). Once we got to the park, I unleashed her and Peanut ran about smelling all the smells as fast as she could.  Squirrels and geese and ducks, oh my!  She seemed happy as her tail wagged and she ran everywhere, zigging and zagging as the smells shifted.  Then... she saw them.  Those geese were flaunting their existence as they swam in the pond.  Faster than fast, Peanut abandoned her scent-hound skills for her sight-hound skills.  She ran straight to the pond and crashed into the water on a mission to capture or kill all the birds in the water. 

I yelled for her to stop but not for the benefit of the birds.  This pond is not a natural pond but a sewer run-off pond that looks harmless from a distance but in reality is smelly and gross.  And I knew that Peanut's swimming adventure would make for a smelly and gross dog.  She swam out to the geese and they just swam away from her - sometimes flying off if she got too close.  Back and forth Peanut went after individual birds - too overwhelmed by all the potential prey.  I yelled from the shore for my new dog to come back to land so we could go home and I could go to work.  I don't know if she heard me, she gave no indication that she was registering any sounds.  I suppose exhaustion was the only thing that eventually allowed her hearing to start working again.  After 45 minutes she finally relented to my calls and swam to shore.  At this point I was exasperated because I still felt like I was babysitting somebody else's dog who at worst would drown and at best would reek - plus I was late for work! 

Looking back at that little ditty, to me, shows Peanut's heritage perfectly.  She found joy in the chase and hoped to retreive some birds.  But that working dog Rottweiler part of her added an intensity that turned fun into compulsion.

Peanut needs to be known to the world.  Why?  It's fair to wonder why this dog requires any attention from anyone other than those she already knows.  Her life is a story that is unique because of her strength and perseverence.  This is a dog that has had many reasons give up but she just won't quit!

In April of 1999, at the age of 2, Peanut went to live with her 4th human.  The years since have become the story of this gutsy dog who struggles with evident emotional baggage and obvious physical problems.  In honor of Peanut, her human decided to document her life and times.