Daisy #19 Yellow Labrador Retriever Female 7 Years Old BLRR #2720

January 6, 2020

Daisy had her follow up appointment for her ear infection this evening. We saw a different Vet tonight. The Vet noticed an improvement in Daisy’s ear infection. The infection rages on! But I’m very thankful to hear the word “ improving”. She decided to try a more acidic antibiotic gel for Daisy’s ears. Daisy has another follow up for her ears in 2 weeks. The Vet would like to avoid surgery unless absolutely necessary. Daisy’s weight definitely puts her at risks for many complications. The Vet believes that the ear infection may be caused by food allergies & May recommend a hypoallergenic dog food in the future. The Vet recommended to try a little less kibble & more green beans to help with Daisy’s weight loss.

It’s has been a really long Monday! Daisy came home & went straight to bed. I tucked her in & called it a night!

December 21, 2019

Car rides are always a blast until the Vet has to wash both of your ears. Here we go with ear infection #3, poor Daisy Girl. The Vet cultured her ears. The results should be available sometime this week or next week. The Vet is guess- estimating that the infections may be caused by allergies. My fingers are crossed hoping that Daisy will only need some type of allergy medicine & routine ear cleanings at home.

On a good note! Daisy is just under 94lbs. She was 101 or so when I first started fostering her in August. The Vet complimented her fluffy fur & hugged her. The salmon Pure being dog food from Aldis is a winner!

Daisy made a grand entrance at the Vet. She walked in and smiled. She smiled & pooped in a circle. Yes she did! All I could do was laugh. Since Daisy broke the ice….We mingled a bit with the other dogs in the waiting room . She eventually rolled on her back with her paws in the air. We call this “ Daisy’s yoga”. I’ll need to get a picture of her “ Daisy pose” when she isn’t looking.

December 11, 2019

Hi Everyone,

It’s hard to believe that I’ve been Daisy’s foster mom for 4 months. We are still working on a few things, steps, weight loss etc. I’m am so happy to report that Daisy rolled over completely on her back! I watched her roll over & I thought why does this look weird to me to see her paws in the air. (It reminded me of when my daughter started to crawl). I was stunned for a minute. I then realized that Daisy has never fully rolled over due to her extra weight. Progress is progress! I hope one day she will jump on the couch! Just like Sarge our resident pup, but until then! She prefers clean laundry! Daisy will knock the basket over & lay in the clothes. If you ask “ who knocked this over?” Daisy looks the other way! She is a character! I’m really excited to see how she is blooming. The salmon based dog food has made her fur so fluffy. I’m ready to eat it😊

October 9, 2019

Well Daisy is now 96.4 lbs! She is being treated for her ear infection that doesn’t want to heal. I have had Daisy on a grain and corn free Salmon and Sweet Potato Pure Being dry dog food for about 5 weeks. The vet was very pleased with Daisy’s skin and fur. The last vet appointment we discussed having Daisy placed on special and expensive dog food due to her skin and fur irritation.Daisy needed to be lifted into the car. It was a struggle, but she feel asleep within ten minutes of the ride. The vet is pleased with Daisy’s slow and steady weight loss. I’m still looking for a dog washing facility that has a tub. The vet is concerned that Daisy could develop a skin infection in her belly rolls. I wash her outside with the hose and dry shampoo often, but a good weekly bubble bath would be golden.

Daisy has had a few “Daisy time” moments the past few weeks. She will lay in the wet grass instead of taking her short walks. It takes a lot to get her moving. Some days she looks the other way when I call her name ( just like the kids🙂). She kills me!

Apparently Daisy has an assertive side that comes out in the dark. During our night walks, she does not like anyone or anything that moves. She barks and stands her ground. I’m afraid that she could snap her collar, because she is very strong. She barks ferociously and loud! This is something new with her. Hopefully she will fit into a harness soon. I’d feel better having more control over her if she would start to pull. You just can’t move her until she is done barking. #Daisytime

Daisy continues to have incontinence events. I find her following Weight Watchers plan of drinking more water when you are eating less. I have started filling the bowl 3/4 full instead of 100% full. The BM episodes are usually the middle of the night. I’m guessing it’s due to the better dog food which is high in fiber.? I feed her by 4:30pm and the dogs’ last walk is 9:30 or 10. This has helped this week🙂

Daisy can hop down the steps, but she needs someone in front of her for safety. Daisy does over step some days. I still walk in front of her to keep her gait steady.

We are still working on car transfers. I needed to lift her into the car for her vet appointment.💪🏽

September 23, 2019

Miss Daisy is starting to walk down the steps! It’s more of a hop. We call it the “Daisy hop”. We still stand in front of her to make sure she doesn’t go too fast. Daisy is starting to climb up on the couch. She is half way there, but needs a boost. I’m looking forward to seeing her up there! One day soon.

Daisy is definitely shrinking and doing well with her weight loss. We have had a few #1 and #2 accidents in the house, so we are taking her out more frequently when we are home. I noticed that she drinks the whole water bowl in a short time. Daisy’s antibiotic continues.

Daisy does not rush. She will lay down in the middle of the road during our walks and stare at our house. She would probably stay there for an hour if I didn’t trick her with carrots or other treats.

Daisy prefers to wrestle Sarge as her form of exercise. Daisy & Sarge wrestle all day! If they get too noisy I squirt a mist of water in the area around them. They seem mesmerized by the mist and then chill out. They are more entertaining than the WWF.

September 2, 2019

Daisy went for her follow up vet appointment. The hardest part of the trip was getting Daisy into the car. She has trouble getting in and out of the car. It took about 45 minutes to get Daisy into the car to go to the Vet. She needed lots of encouragement to jump in. She missed the seat a few times, and landed on the floor. It is still very hard to maneuver her body due to the excessive weight in a tight space, but we persevered and eventually made it onto the seat. The vet staff helped me lift Daisy into the seat. Daisy moves on “Daisy time”

Daisy was the “mayor “of the waiting room at the Vet. Office. She walked around wagging her tail. Daisy decided to take a nap and started snoring in the middle of the waiting room. She showed no anxiety at all the whole vet trip.

On a good note! Daisy is no longer a member of the 3 digit weight club. Daisy weighed in at 99lbs. ( down 2.1 lbs) in 16 days!

The not so good news:

Daisy’s has a wicked ear infection. A new dose of antibiotics, ear drops & an ear cleanser have been prescribed. I think Daisy’s ears hurt her. She seems restless and fussy after the ear drops etc. This is the only time she doesn’t smile. I usually give her peanut butter and a few baby carrots as a reward.

Daisy may have allergies From the chicken in her dog food. She still has some sores from scratching.

but they are slowly healing. I’ve switched to a salmon based food. The vet discussed possible needing a prescription dog food as a worst case scenario. I’m hoping the salmon based food will due the trick.

Daisy has some type of bacteria infection in the folds around her belly and groin. The vet prescribed astringent wipes twice a day. I’m going to look for a dog tub that she can climb into. I think if she can get a good soaking once a week, the bacteria infection might clear up faster. I also predict more folds will develop from weight loss. A good weekly soaking and proper drying of the area might be part of her forever care plan.

Daisy has another follow up vet appointment in four weeks.

Daisy’s Progress:

Daisy continues to require back rubs to get down the steps safely. I think it’s because she can’t see her feet over her belly. I also noticed that she needs reminders to lift her back paws. I try to make every trip down the steps as productive as possible. She will bark at me if she needs to go down the steps for an unscheduled potty break.

Daisy is still walking about 10 minutes two times day. Im still hoping to try for three 10 minute walks once the cooler weather begins. She will lay on the middle of the street or she will turn her body to face my house when she is finished. Daisy moves on “ Daisy time”

August 24, 2019

Daisy smiles all day and moves at her own pace.

Going down the steps is challenging for Daisy. I have to stand in front of her and rub her back so she feels safe to take a step. I think she is nervous because she can not see her feet due to her “ shrinking tummy”. Daisy only goes down the steps with me at this point. Positive Reassurance goes a long way!

Potty training is going well. 1 accident in the house on day 2, I blame it on anxiety. For the most part she lets me know if she needs to relieve herself in between walks. Daisy starts wining and pacing, so that’s my cue.

Daisy can walk up the steps on her own, but still needs a cheering squad at times. If I’m cooking in the kitchen, she moves faster!

Exercise plan – currently two ( 10 minute walks daily rain or shine- mostly early morning or evening because of the heat and humidity). My goal is to stretch it to three ( 10 minute walks) this week, every step counts!

She is slow moving in the morning. I’m going to ask the vet about possible evening pain meds for arthritic pain.

Daisy still has sores on her paws that are slowly healing.

I am also going to try brushing Daisy’s teeth today. She smiles a lot!

For the most part Daisy does not eat much. 2 cups of dog food in the morning with a scrambled egg and one cup of food in the evening . She doesn’t always eat the whole cup, maybe half. She seems to enjoy raw baby carrots. I tried cauliflower. She was not a big fan. Daisy put the cauliflower in a pile outside of her bowl. Daisy is a big fan of ice cubes!

Daisy has lost close to 2 inches around her tummy. She snores loud at night, but I noticed that she seems a little less loud. She still struggles to roll over. It’s painful to watch, but she does it!

Daisy is great with the kids and their friends when they come to visit.

Daisy and Sarge bark & howl when they are crated. My neighbor who is a devout animal lover informed me that he doesn’t hear any barking or howling when he takes his 9am walks. Good news to me!

Daisy has barked at our cat, Rose. I think they were having a staring contest. For the most part they all seem to get along. Sarge does try to “ mount” Daisy. Daisy has no trouble reminding him of his manners.

August 14, 2019

Sweet Miss Daisy was surrendered to Brookline owing to her owner having medical issues. This poor girl was left to live in a warehouse all alone with someone stopping in to feed her. Luckily for Daisy, her luck has changed and Brookline is committed to getting her into a wonderful home that will cherish her. Stay tuned for updates as she settles into her foster home.

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