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Notes from Teddy's new family:
18 November 2012
RIP Teddy 25 May 2002 - 18 November 2012
It is with a broken heart and incredible sadness that
I announce that Teddy passed away at 1.20pm Saturday 18
November 2012. Result returned that all his organ were
effected by the return of a liver tumor taken out in
June. Teddy quickly slipped away in my arms surrounded
by love. We gave our best and Teddy responded the same.
He wasn't with us for long but he crept into all our
hearts. Rest in peace our old boy.
4 June 2012
Hi Gwenda,
Further news on Teddy. From last Wednesday our lives
have been crazy. On top of Teddy being diagnosed with
diabetes, he started going down hill very quickly. At
first the vet thought he had pancreatitis and Thursday
night Teddy was transferred to the emergency pet
hospital for overnight observation as our vet didn't
have this. He was in a very bad way, not walking and
just laying. The vet said that he may not make it.
Friday we picked Teddy up first thing in the morning and
he went straight back to our vet. By lunch he wasn't
picking up and further test result came back telling us
that he didn't have pancreatitis. The vet asked us if he
could go in and do exploratory surgery to see what was
going on and ask if he found anything bad if we want to
wake Teddy up. The answers were obvious. Yes do the
surgery, no don't wake him if it was bad news. An hour
into the operation and I got another call. Teddy had a
tumour on his liver the size of a twenty cent piece that
they removed and the other side of his liver was bruised
and unhealthy looking. They removed a total of 30% of
his liver and Friday night was going to be the most
precarious time for him in cases of survival. We have a
soldier on our hands..........Teddy pulled through and
he looks so much better. He came home Sunday afternoon
for the night and he is back at the vet today for more
tests. He will come home again tonight and we plan on
keeping him home if we can. We have given him every
change and done all we can, now it is up to him. This
afternoon I pick him up and also learn to inject him
with his insulin. We don't know the full results of
pathology but we have everything crossed and our little
man is a true Aussie fighter.
I will keep you updated and please let his foster
home that he stayed in that he is hopefully on his way
now to a full recovery and his health will now be under
control. Let's hope we have many more years with this
little soldier.
Pete
31 May 2012
Hi Gwenda,
I thought I would give you a little update on Ted.
Teddy has been taking his medication for Cushings for
some time now and we are still working on the correct
dosage with our vet. During this time, Teddy has been
doing well and he generally has been feeling and looking
much better. He and Ally, our first Beagle are the best
of mates and Ted has all his favourite snoozing places
around the house. He snores like a an old man but hey,
he has just turned ten.
Last Sunday Teddy started to go off his meals and by
Tuesday night I could only get him to eat by hand
feeding and even then he went off the food after a short
time. He was still drinking like a thirsty camel and I
decided enough was enough. I made an appointment for
first thing on Wednesday morning with our vet and it
turns out Teddy has developed canine diabetes on top of
his Cushings disease. He is being treated and is
starting insulin injections twice a day. I went to see
this morning on my way work. It was heartbreaking seeing
him having a glucose test and his little tail tucked
between his legs. He saw me and started to wag his tail,
coming over to me for cuddles and want to come home with
me. He will be in the vets for few more days and we will
bring him home on Sunday afternoon after learning how to
inject the insulin for him. With regulated food and
insulin along with his Cushings tablet, Teddy will begin
to become healthier and lead a great life.
Ted is so much a part of our family and his absence
last night was very much noticed. Ally was beside
herself looking for him and she sat in all his places
waiting for him, my partner mentioned how strange it was
with him not home. We love the old man so much, we are
so glad we happened to see Teddy the day we did and that
he came to be with us. Thank you to beagle rescue for
bring him into our lives.
Pete
27 February 2012
Teddy started his tablets on Thursday 23rd February.
The vet told us to watch for different things with him
and so far he is doing great guns. He goes back after
two weeks to check his levels but he his not having any
issues so for. In fact, I think Teddy is becoming a
little more relaxed and at home. We went to Sydney over
night last Saturday and when we got home we got a
resounding welcome from both Ally and Teddy. He was so
glad to see us. A lot of people have said that not many
people would fork out the cash to help a stray with vet
bills. We don't even think like that. Teddy is part of
our family. He has fitted in so well and he should be
happy and comfortable for the rest of his life.
OK, thanks again and chat soon.
Pete
23 February 2012
....all in all, we love Teddy and we think he
feels the same.
Hi Gwenda,
It has been almost one month since Teddy came to live
with us. He is one amazing boy to have been through such
a journey recently and still be smiling. I have looked
at the Beagle Rescue NSW site and have seen that Teddy
is listed as adopted. In our eye's, he has been part of
our family since day one. I just wanted to know
officially that he is now with us forever and if I need
to do anything more. I signed some paperwork and handed
over some cash when we got Teddy but I just need to know
about changing the microchip etc.
Some further background on Teddy since he came to us.
Oh, I would love to leave a "Happy Tails" on Teddy too
and will look into that at home once I get a chance.
Teddy came to us Saturday 29th January 2012. We were a
little concerned at his condition so we took him into
our vet the next Saturday for a check up. After a few
days were Teddy had to stay the day at the vet and doing
x-rays and blood tests, we have Teddy diagnosed with
Cushings Disease. It can't be cured but we can control
it and after a bit of a wait for his tablets, today he
will start one tablet a day for the rest of his life to
help with the disease. He will have more blood tests in
2 weeks to see if his dosage needs adjusting but overall
Teddy will start to look and feel much better. The vet
said that in three months Teddy will be a new dog. With
the disease, Teddy has a swollen liver which has pushed
his stomach under his ribs, his coat is dull, he drinks
excessive amounts of water, has a ferocious appetite,
slight incontinent and generally doesn't feel well. Now
with the tablets, Teddy will have a reversal of these
symptoms. We are so happy that we found this out about
Teddy and he has a chance to get better.
How is he getting on with us and his new friend Ally
McBeagle? We love Teddy. He is a little naughty with
coming into the kitchen but we will get that under
control and we realise he is food driven with Cushings.
Generally he has a great personality. He sleeps on a
couch or doggy bed in the bedroom and wakes to a wagging
tale every morning. He is always smiling. He and Ally
get a morning treat and yesterday Teddy was so eager he
went to the laundry cupboard where the treats are kept
and got the liver straps out and carried to me and
dropped them at my feet. He is so good, he didn't even
attempt to open the packet. Ally and him have had their
scraps but that is sorting out who sits where in pegging
order. I always catch them playing with each other and
often see Teddy wondering around the garden taking an
adventure. Teddy is great with visitors and is really
happy to be inside or out. We keep the door open for the
dogs and they also have a dog door in the laundry. Ted
loves his bell scratch or chest rub and even just to
cuddle up. We call our other beagle Ally McBeagle and
have taken to calling Teddy, Teddy McBeagle. It suits
them so much, lol.
All in all, we love Teddy and we think he feels the
same. We would appreciate if you could let us know any
final details in officially adopting our little man. Oh
by the way, we have contacted Shirley a few times with
updates on Teddy and she is wonderful. It is great to
know there are people like her out there.
Regards,
Pete
7 February 2012
....so I guess we would like to adopt the old
boy
Hi Sheryl,
Just thought I would send an update and some pics of
Teddy lazing aroung the house and exploring the yard to
see if plums taste great.
We took Teddy to the vet last Saturday. She was
a little concerned that he didn't look well and about his
large and tight belly. We made arrangements for Teddy to
return to the vet yesterday and have some x-rays and
blood tests. Bottom line is they think Teddy may have
Cushings Disease. We won't find out for sure until the
blood tests are back and they didn't want to do the
blood test without our nod because they say they are
expensive. I told them to do the test and lets find out
if it is or not.
When reading about Cushings Disease, it
all makes sense with Teddy. The most common symptoms
include: • increased/excessive water consumption (polydipsia)
• increased/excessive urination (polyuria) • urinary
accidents in previously housetrained dogs •
increased/excessive appetite (polyphagia) • appearance
of food stealing/guarding, begging, trash dumping, etc.
• sagging, bloated, pot-bellied appearance • weight gain
or its appearance, due to fat redistribution • loss of
muscle mass, giving the appearance of weight loss •
bony, skull-like appearance of head • exercise
intolerance, lethargy, general or hind-leg weakness •
new reluctance to jump on furniture or people • excess
panting, seeking cool surfaces to rest on •
symmetrically thinning hair or baldness (alopecia) on
torso • other coat changes like dullness, dryness • slow
regrowth of hair after clipping • thin, wrinkled,
fragile, and/or darkly pigmented skin • easily
damaged/bruised skin that heals slowly • hard, calcified
lumps in the skin (calcinosis cutis) • susceptibility to
infections (especially skin and urinary) • diabetes,
pancreatitis, seizures
Although Teddy doesn't have all these symptoms, he
certainly has a lot of them. They x-ray showed an
enlarged liver which has pushed his stomach up under his
ribcage. Cushings can't be cured but it can be managed
and it is often mistaken in older dogs for old age. One
to two tablets a day can help to reverse the signs of
this condition and it will give Teddy a better quality
of life. The vet said it may take three months to get
his medication correct and he kept telling me it may
cost around $1000 in the first year to get it right.
Well, Teddy has become part of the family. He has his
naughty moments but by the sound of it, it may stem from
Cushing's Disease. We plan to take the action of getting
him straight on the medication if it is Cushing's and
trying to give him a better quality of life. I guess in
making this commitment to him we have decided that this
is the home for him and that he is one of the gang. Ally
and he are hanging out together a lot more, I have caught
them playing together and generally they know where each
other stands. Teddy loves to go into the kitchen but a
symptom of Cushing's is trash dumping. So I guess we
would like to adopt the old boy and give him his forever
home. If you can let me know where we go from here, that
would be great.
Chat again
Pete
31 January 2012
....we feel Teddy will be right at home very
soon because he is so relaxed already.
Hi Sheryl,
I just wanted to put you out of your curiosity and
let you know how Teddy has been over the last few days.
He is settling in really well for an old boy who has
been in such transition. As you know, he is with Ally,
our other beagle. He and Ally are still sniffing the
territory out and where each of them are placed here but
that is coming along at the moment. I will say that they
have had two scuffles. Both occasions were over food. We
expected that really so it came as no surprise. Yes
Teddy sure does have food issues and we are on our way
and set to help him out of that or at least try to
control the issue.
The first afternoon and evening he was fine. Teddy
explored the backyard and had some treats, all while
Ally watched and tried to ignore him. Dinner time was
the first scuffle. Teddy thought Ally's bowl looked
lovely after he finished his and went over to it. Ally
didn't like that so it all broke out. One bounce of a
ball and Ally was off chasing it and had forgotten about
the food. Teddy relaxed the rest of the night going
between inside and out. He is allowed inside all day
just like Ally but he is yet to discover the comfort of
the couch as Ally has along time ago.
On Sunday I made the mistake of giving them half a
marrow bone each. Teddy was ripping his apart and Ally
hadn't bothered to even get up to look at hers when
Teddy decided to take Ally's bone too. Again, Ally
wasn't impressed and they had a go at each other for
around ten seconds. I couldn't do much without being
knocked over or biten so I let them go. Soon it was
over, Ally had her bone and Teddy had set the scene as
the boss. From then on there has only been the odd snarl
but no fights. Ally is acting a little different and I
think Teddy put her in her place and is the boss. It
won't hurt Ally and she is still getting lots of cuddles
and pats just like Teddy. We have taken to feeding
dinner in different locations for now. Ally eats in,
Teddy eats out. They see each other through the glass
door and Ally now knows that if she doesn't finish and
walks away, the bowl is taken away and she misses out.
It is working so far.
Teddy has had a couple of "Teddy moments". He has had
a pee on the tiles inside twice but that hasn't happened
for a little while now. I put it down to marking
territory and/or anxiety. Oh, he also thought that
Sunday morning was a fantastic time to get stuck into
the barley sugar left out on the coffee table. He was
also caught trying to gain entry to the garbage bin in
the kitchen.
All in all so far he has been what we expected. He is
loving his belly rubs and cuddles and is learning about
the brush and not to go into the kitchen. We both feel
that the food issue can be controled and we are patting
him when he has treats or dinner so he knows we are not
going to take it away. Maybe he never knew where the
next meal was coming from. We are going to pop him into
the vet for a check up soon and he and Ally are both
going for a shower on the weekend. I am trying to
introduce things slowly for him so he copes.
He isn't a bad boy at all. He and Ally are settling
in together and snoozing not far from each other. We
feel he will be right at home very soon because he is so
relaxed already.
Well enough for now. I will update you again soon.
Chat soon,
Pete
28 January 2011
Here is the Tedster with his new sister, Ally and
then driving off (they brought 2 cars so that Teddy
wouldn't feel threatened). Gwenda, Ally is from Shirley
Fraser in Armidale and she is beautiful.
Teddy must have liked them - he looked them straight
in the eyes and said hello the moment he saw them.
Sheryl (Teddy's foster carer)
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