A community for special dogs... and their families and caregivers
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Lara Kretler
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- Columbus, Ohio
- United States
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Lara Kretler's Discussions
Sleeping solutions for ME dogs
1 Reply
Started this discussion. Last reply by Kolene Aug 25.
Lara Kretler's Videos
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Jack the wonder dog
Added by Lara Kretler
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Roxie the Agility Champion
Added by Lara Kretler
Megaesophagus on Twitter
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Mom to Jack, aka Mayor of Megaesophagus!
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Latest Activity
When Jack was diagnosed with Aspiration Pneumonia, he was having trouble breathing and also could not get comfortable. He was restless, listless, no appetite and could not or would not lay down - he just stood still like a zombie. Very scary! :( W...
Devon, I hope you're able to find some answers. I definitely understand not wanting to do anything invasive to Samantha. Hopefully her problem will resolve on its own or at least get a little better. Best wishes to you both!
Comment Wall (17 comments)
- At 8:05pm on September 16, 2009,
Alicia said…
- Thanks for the info
- At 9:19pm on September 13, 2009,
Alicia said…
- Sorry- I am trying to do this from an I touch- & I wasn't done. I can't find a whole bunch of info re: dogs with g-tubes; do you know of any sites? I can't tell you how glad I was to find your site! Thanks!
- At 9:15pm on September 13, 2009,
Alicia said…
- Thanks lara
- At 4:12pm on September 12, 2009,
Alicia said…
- Unfortunately we ended up having to get him a g-tube... :(. He's actually adjusted extremely well and is pretty much back to his old self. He's really an amazing boy! It requires some leg work on our end, but I think I have a system down. He's still on sucralfate and omeprazole for the regurge...hopefully all goes well :)
- At 12:06pm on September 12, 2009,
robin said… - thanks,just looking for some good food combnations and any thoughts on some high carb dog food thats best for dogs. we were tolded in april that he had mega E just not sure what kind. waiting till he is at least 1 years old to do any surargy.want him to grow a little more. he is a little on the skinny side so i need more thoughts on high carb food and any other thoughts would help. he is 7 months old right now. again thanks
- At 10:33am on September 11, 2009,
Debbie Lewis said… - Hi Lara, Thank you, I am sorry to say that I lost LULU on Aug 31 to Pnewmonia she weighed 5lbs and just could not fight anymore. She was a 11/2 yrs old and we loved her very much. But they told us that she would live on a feeding tube because she was so small. And she tried fighting but it was her time. My house is so quiet. But good news is that I am adopting a yorkie that is one and very healthy.
I thank you for your website, once I finally found out why LULU was so sick it helped.
- At 3:51pm on July 29, 2009,
Teri Ratzlaff said… - Hello Lara, Thank you for the welcome. I've been out of town for the last 8 days and Hubby has been home caring for Abbey. The test results for MG came back positive. Abbey will have nothing to do with the bailey chair. I think she's afraid of it. I'm going to have to patiently work with her and reintroduce her to it. I think my husband forced her into it! Men! Anyway, the lab that tested for the MG has added her to their study of MG and Newfoundlands. We can use all the help this group can offer!!!
- At 8:16pm on June 1, 2009,
lisa schaffer said… - Thanks Lara. It has been so hard for me to get past this one. At one time I had 5 dogs. Frosty was the oldest of the bunch but the 3 rd to go. We had a Shar Pei that one day was paralyzed, a husky who died of cancer and then Frosty. I still have 2 dogs (my 3rd dog Chico a Shiba Inu and my 5th dog the baby Bogey the Beagle) I love them dearly!!!!
- At 9:02am on May 9, 2009,
Laura Malone said…
- Thanks Lara,
I hope to be able to help with some of the newbies as I have been with the other ME group for over 4 years.
Laura and Corkie
- At 10:53am on January 26, 2009,
Peg M. said… - Laura K. wrote: "Welcome Peg! Glad to have someone so knowledgeable here. Question for you, have you ever heard of spontaneous remission of megaesophagus? Jack seems to be ALL better and we and our vet are stumped but elated. It seems like we got our Christmas miracle a month late - but certainly better late than never! "
Laura, I am glad to be here. I've thought of you & this wonderful new segment you've started nearly every day, and (smile) as the saying goes in Texas, "I got here as soon as I could!" With the 3 new pups (Zena, Kevlar & Ozzie)'s needs, plus now Draco, my 'free time' hours seem to disappear rather rapidly.
I believe "spontaneous remission" is somewhat of a theory. That said, we are all born with a capacity to heal and when all factors are enhanced favorably to that healing, "miracles" seem to occur. "Science based medicine" will slowly continue to evolve and, subsequently, become accepted scientific fact. It sounds to me as though the diligent care you've given Jack in "lifestyle changes" has worked the needed "miracle magic" for Jack. Kudos to you and your Vet for pulling off the 'miracle' thus far :-) I will tell you a little story that was shared with me by a Vet after he'd first read Eva's case file (in a 4" binder...) and then met & examined her. At the end he said to me that in all of his years in practice, there were only two cases that totally defied logic and thus would stand out in his mind for all time. He named off one other dog who had been a patient of his for years, plus Eva. The other pup had been born without a functional liver - and was still going strong many years later. THAT defies logic for me, too. Was it "spontaneous remission" for E? Not on your life. My answer is that it was diligent guess work & effort, a thirst for ever increasing knowledge, challenges met by dedication, and a whole ton of positive energy and prayers.
Keep up the excellent work (and I'm betting your nutrition plan shouldn't be fussed with much...), many kudos and celebration hugs.
Peg
Profile Information
- What's your dog's name, breed and age?
- Jack is an 8 year old lab/pit mix
- When was your dog diagnosed with ME?
- Jack was diagnosed with ME on 12/1/08. He was further diagnosed with MG and thymoma on 5/4/09. He had thymectomy surgery on 5/13/09 at OSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital. He contracted Aspiration Pneumonia (AP) on 5/27/09 and is recovering nicely.
- What meds is your dog currently taking for ME and related syndromes?
- Mestinon for his Myasthenia Gravis (MG), Famotidine (pepcid AC) to decrease stomach acid, Metaclopramide to help prevent regurgitation and help GI motility, and Clavamox to whip his Aspiration Pneumonia (AP)'s tail.
- How do you feed and water your dog?
- Vertical feeding and elevated watering with lots of Bailey holds during/after. We also walk him after his meals to further help things move on' down the road. ;)
- What one tip or piece of advice would you give to families of newly diagnosed ME dogs?
- Be of good hope! These dogs can thrive and be happy even with this illness!
Jack has his own Facebook fan page!
Lara Kretler's Photos
Lara Kretler's Blog
Don't give up.
(Cross-posted to the ME dogs Yahoogroup list)
This is a note for any of our newly diagnosed folks who may be wondering if your dog can have quality of life with ME. I don’t want to call anyone out by name – I think many of us have had these doubts and questions. I can only share abou… Continue
Posted on June 14, 2009 at 11:17am — 2 Comments
Jack's back home again :)
This amazing dog of ours has done it again - somehow beaten the odds and fought his way back from death's door. The rollercoaster of ME has been harder on us than him I think! He handles everything so well. He hated the nasal oxygen tube and was so glad to get it out. He's now res… Continue
Posted on May 30, 2009 at 7:45am — 2 Comments
Jack is critical.
(This is a note I posted to the ME yahoogroups list - I am just too weary to type another update from scratch. Sorry for the repeat!)
Jack the triple-whammy dog recovered like a champ from his thymoma surgery and over the past two weeks has gotten healthier and stronger every day. No MG symptoms (still on the Mestinon though), a few MG symptoms at night but wearing a Pro-Collar helped with that, and he was doing *great* - we were thrilled and so grateful! He's been wanting to go on longer and l… Continue
Jack the triple-whammy dog recovered like a champ from his thymoma surgery and over the past two weeks has gotten healthier and stronger every day. No MG symptoms (still on the Mestinon though), a few MG symptoms at night but wearing a Pro-Collar helped with that, and he was doing *great* - we were thrilled and so grateful! He's been wanting to go on longer and l… Continue
Posted on May 28, 2009 at 7:30am —
One Week Since Jack's Thymoma Surgery: Success!
Jack had his thymectomy (thymoma removal surgery) at OSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital on 5/13/09 and by one week after surgery he was almost back to his normal healthy self! He has been eating like a pig, sleeping lots and going for walks morning and night (short walks at first, but… Continue
Posted on May 22, 2009 at 8:52pm —
Three days post-surgery
Last Wednesday (5/6/09), Jack was admitted to OSU Veterinary Teaching Hospital for a full day of testing and observation. He was diagnosed with myasthenia gravis (MG) and it was found that both that and his megaesophagus (ME) were caused by the presence of a thymoma - cancerous tumor… Continue
Posted on May 16, 2009 at 11:00am — 3 Comments
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