Kodi Eye-- New Success!

Every few months, Kodi visits the Veterinary Eye Doctor so that her left eye can be evaluated and we can stay on top of what treatments she needs. In addition, she sees a Chiropractor regularly and she gets regular doses of eye medicines. (eye shown most prominently in photos is affected eye).

For those who don't recall, Kodi has some nerve damage that limits her eye's ability to produce tears, and, causes her to drool a bit when nervous (she can't swallow her saliva on one side of her mouth)

Yesterday we took her in for a routine exam and learned that her eye is producing close to DOUBLE the amount of tears it typically does. DOUBLE!! For a while, she was measuring a 3 to 4 on the 'tear duct scale' test (from 0-10). Yesterday, she got up to a 6. The more tears she produces, the less discomfort she is in, and the better equipped her eye is to fight infection.

And, last night, during a visit to the dog park, she not only interacted with others, BUT did not drool.

We are very fortunate that Kodi has an amazing team of doctors helping her out. And, what I love even MORE is that the vets she sees believe that the chiropractic care she receives helps keep her healthy.... hmm... perhaps human MDs can take a lesson from the animal community.

That's a 'wuff' for now!

-Colleen

Check out past blog posts on Chiropractic care, and history on Kodi's eye condition.

Kodi Goes to the Chiropractor

As indicated in earlier posts, I believe that Chiropractic treatment can ease many of the ills I experience, that are often instead treated with medication. Allergies, asthma attacks, migrates, swollen glands-- these are all afflictions to which I've turned to chiropractic treatment for relief, and found just that.

I began considering veterinary acupuncture as a possible method for stimulating Kodi's tear duct about a month ago, and have been inquiring with trustworthy sources about the viability of the option. It didn't occur to me that I should have her little spine checked- perhaps a subluxation (out of alignment) was causing or adding to the nerve complications that prevent her tear duct from making tears. But last Friday it did, and Kodi had her first mini-neck adjustment. We don't know that this is a solution, or if continued alignment will even bring about any marginal improvement, but it is worth exploring that option and others, to make sure we are doing all we can for our Rat Terrier.

Kodi still receives several eye drops a day including an antibiotic and light steroid and that will continue until the eye specialist decides to change the routine. We also give her regular doses of calming elixer. This milky syrup helps take the edge off of her nervous tension so she shakes and drools less, and so she is more equipped to handle new environments.

The warming weather has really brought out the athlete in Kodi. She is swift and graceful in her back yard sweeps and patrols. Oh, and our living room furniture brings out the monkey in her, as she jumps from sofa to sofa, to window ledge effortlessly to watch visitors coming to the door.

Thats a 'wuff' for now!

Aye, Eye, Kodi!!

Kodi's eye is fairing really, really well! She's had a few follow-up appointments with the eye specialist (Dr. Kelly Corcoran of Vet Vision in Fairfax, VA, who is simply wonderful), and right now, we believe her eye issue can be managed with medicine and a light, light steriod (we call it "the clear" for fun).

One of Kodi's eyes does not produce tears, due to an injury to a tear duct. The tear duct will not repair itself, so the situation will not improve. Instead, we give Kodi a combination of lubricating medicines each day to keep the eye moist, and to prevent any ulcers from forming. If the situation worsens, or if Kodi starts to experience excessive pain, surgeons can perform a Parotid Duct Transplant where the olifactory gland is re-routed to the eye, using saliva to hydrate instead of tears. This actually used to be performed in humans as well, years and years ago.

Kodi is tolerant of eye drops, especially since she usually gets a VERY special treat after each application. And, we can totally see the difference the medicine makes. Her eye is open for most of the day, and so bright and pretty. The camera flash still irritates her, so she looks squinty in the photo.

That's a 'wuff' for now!

Kodi Kommunications

When we first brought Bruschi home, Brian and i knew nothing about what to do with a puppy (save what people told us and what we read in books), but nearly everything about what Bruschi had experienced during his first 8 weeks of life. We asked a record number of questions from farm where he came, all in effort to learn more about what he couldn't say. He was the nutty puppy (shocker), who would try to explore, then whine and cry when he couldn't get what he wanted. Some might say we were maniacal in the questions we asked, and the records we kept about his puppyhood. But, we are analysts, and it's our nature to want to be "in the know" and make connections from oh, say, between the time it took him to finish his dinner to the time he passed out for the night.

Thankfully, our overzealous desire for details has subsided somewhat, and we are more level-headed when caring for the foster pups--which we know nearly nothing about when they are placed with us. And, we've learned that dogs tell us what they've been through, and what we need to know -- you just have to 'listen' in a different way.

In the past two weeks, Kodi was telling us a variety of things without speaking a word (unless it's a relative of Mr. Ed, dogs don't talk in English). She was saying "look how simply adorable I am" as she trotted around the house with toy-in-mouth. She was saying "what were you thinking not staying home with me" in her bark/scolding when we came through the door. Last Sunday she showed us just how athletic and graceful she can be running around the dog park, keeping up with the larger ones (such a beautiful site). Most importantly, she started to tell us that something else was going on with her face, separate from her eye injury. And, of course-- who knows better than her?

Earlier this week, our vet told us that he strongly suspects Kodi was attacked by a big dog and shaken around a bit at one point in her life. She has a mouth-shaped scar on the left side of her face, drools a lot when nervous, and is not producing an adequate amount of tears in her left eye. She also has nervous shakes that have been lessening, but are still present. And, she behaves differently when around bigger dogs. The vet believes this attack left her tramatized, and with some nerve damage. The nerve damage is responsible for her not being able to control the drool on one side, and probably the damaged tear duct. The nerve damage is probably also why she got a stick stuck in her mouth-- she couldn't feel it while chewing.

We don't need explicit details on the exact series of events between the time of the attack and the stick, but knowing what we now do know, we can better care for her, watching out for other complications that may result from nerve damage, and work hard at getting her comfortable and relaxed so she isn't as stressed. Nerves do not regenerate, but her quality of life will not suffer. She's told us what we needed to learn.

As I type this, Kodi is nudging my hand as if to say 'stop typing, start petting me.' So, I will!

That's a 'wuff' for now!

New Year New Dog: Welcome Kodi!

Brian (husband), Bruschi (resident Puggle) and I officially adopted our foster dog, Kodi. Kodi is a 10 pound American Rat Terrier who is about 2 years old, and full of spunk and personality.

We began fostering her in December when she was rescued with a serious eye injury. She was then placed a home that later became unsuitable, so she came back. We remained committed to finding a better forever home for her... until Kodi decided that our home was where she was going to stay-- permanently.

Kodi bonded with us quickly and wanted nothing to do with other adopters that were interested in her. And, we realized just how much a part of our lives she became. Since my plan as a younger adult was to have three laboradors, two years apart, one of each color--I figured a 10 pound tri-color dog was no trouble at all... heck, the combined weight of the Puggle and Kodi do not even equal one 6 month old Lab puppy!

Kodi was rescued from Georgia the first weekend in December 2007, with a stick lodged in the back of her mouth, protruding into the left eye cavity. She was in a great deal of pain for a while, but thankfully, the injury has healed and she can see out of the eye.

As with most rescue dogs, new families know little about them or their history. You glean insights here and there by their actions, and the behaviors they display. With each passing day, Brian and I learn a little more about Kodi, and what the early part of her life may have been like.

I've created this topic on Puggles 'n' Prose to share what Brian and I are learning about Kodi. It is simply fascinating to us, and we think others may enjoy our collective story as well.

Throughout the month of February (and maybe in to March), please check back here often to read up on how things are going, and what rascally little things the two dogs have accomplished (we learned that BOTH enjoy eating Brian's sandwiches). There is a chance Kodi will need eye surgery to resolve a tear duct issue, so we'll keep you posted on that as well.

That's a "wuff" for now!