Back home, finally!

I really scared my mom this morning. She finally gets the call that I can be treated, then I go and have a seizure at the vet's office right before my treatment. It really scared mom, because the dog before me had seizures for 8 hours while mom was unable to get her to the vet's by herself in the middle of the night. Then she died. But mom was brave, she just ran for the vet, never letting go of Baby's leash, since we all know Baby will get in trouble on her own.

The vet took me to the back room where I do not like to go. I was too weak to fight it, so I just wagged my tail and hoped they would be gentle with me. The vets and techs there are always so sweet to me. They hug me, kiss me, and give me treats. This time, though, they stuck a catheter in my vein in my leg and gave me the medicine I needed. They said I was good, but really, I wasn't able to complain and they took very good care of me.

They made mom and Baby leave me there. None of us were happy about that, although I suspect Baby wasn't as unhappy as the rest of us because she got to go to the pet food store with mom and get me new treats and toys. I will get even with her for that later. I am the dominant dog around here. I come right after mom, who comes after the cat.

After a while, the medicine started to make me feel better. I got stronger, and was able to eat. I went outside and peed like a big girl. They made a big deal of that. Geez, I always pee outside at home.

Mom really doesn't understand my new disease very well. It's called Addison's Disease. It is the opposite of Cushing's Disease. It's also called hypoadrenocorticism, which is an endocrine disorder that results from a deficient production of adrenal gland hormones. There are two adrenal glands in the abdomen that lie just in front of the kidneys. Addison's Disease is uncommon in dogs. Beagles are not one of the breeds who are prone to it. Mostly younger and middle aged females are affected. I am six years old, which is coming up on middle age, but I don't like to think about that. Mom walks me three miles a day and I am in very good shape. My vet said that helped me with my event from Addison's, that I was so healthy to begin with.

Addison's causes a deficiency in two different groups of hormones, the glucocorticoids and the mineralocorticoids. The primary glucocorticoid hormone is cortisol, andit is responsible for combating stress, helping to maintain blood sugar. The major mineralocorticoid is aldosterone. Aldosterone regulates the water, sodium, potassium, and chloride concentrations in the body.

If my mom hadn't taken me to the vet's office on Tuesday, I would probably be dead by now. I will be on medication and susceptible to recurrent episodes for the rest of my life. I may or may not have seizures again. I know my mom will make sure I get the best care and won't forget my appointments or medications. I like to see my vet. She is very kind and gentle. She lets me lick her face. Mom doesn't let me lick hers.

When Mom came back to get me, she brought me a little stuffed lobster. By that time, I was ready for a real one. But I remembered what Remo told me and decided to put off the shellfish for a while. They cut and shaved some of my fur to get the tape off my leg when they removed my IV, and I didn't like that much, so I peed on the floor a little. I was scared, it hurt, and I wanted to just go home with my family. Mom cleaned it up. I was embarrassed.

When I got home, Baby was all over me. She smelled me all over and that drove me nuts. Then mom fed us dinner. I had some dry Science diet with chicken broth, and some fish with rice. Don't tell anyone, but Baby farts when she eats rice. Mom said she could have it this time anyway. Mom will have to start adding salt to my food, too.

Now I just want to take a nap, but I felt I needed to dictate this to mom so I could explain what happened to me and to thank everyone for being so wonderful of a support system for my mom.

I still don't know why she won't let me have a pen. Sheesh, get ink all over brand new carpeting just once and she just doesn't trust me again.

Love, Molly