About Jack

Come with me as we discover a diagnosis for our precious little Jack-Jack who is a 12-year old half Poodle/half Shih Tzu. I put together a few clips into one episode. It starts with me sitting at the vet. 

Intro music by Coma-Media obtained from Royalty-free music on Pixabay.

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Transcript

Carol: 0:35

Hey, I interrupt this episode because I want to tell you how much I love buzzsprout. And I hope that you start a podcast too. If you do, please, I suggest you use buzzsprout I love them so much. They're easy to use user friendly customer service is out of this world helpful. And if you follow the link in my show notes, it lets buzzsprout know that I sent you. It will get you a $20 amazon gift card if you sign up for a paid plan, and it helps support my ship. But here is what some things you can get with buzzsprout. You will get a great looking podcast website, audio players that you can drop into other websites, detailed analytics to see how people are listening, and tools to promote your episode and so much more. Your show can be online and listed in all the major podcast directories like Apple podcasts, Spotify, Google podcasts, and so much more within minutes of finishing your recording. podcasting isn't hard when you have the right partners, and the team at buzz sprout is passionate about helping you succeed. And now on with the show. Hello, everyone. How are you? I it's Monday. It's a holiday for me. I am not at work. I'm off today. It is Columbus Day. I think it's October 12. It's in the afternoon. This morning, I drove out to hartsel to have coffee with a friend and we had a great, great conversation. A good three hour visit. It was awesome. I always love having coffee with her. I always go away feeling inspired and motivated and uplifted. good conversation. Now I am sitting outside of the vet's office veterinarian office. I'm sitting in the car because they won't let both my husband and myself in. They can only they only let one person in with the pet. Often to stay out in the car. Our little jack jack is just not feeling himself. Now he is 12 years old. I still think that's fairly young for a half poodle, half shitzu. I know poodles live for quite a while but I'm not sure about Shih tzus. But he's just not been feeling himself. He's not been eating right. So we decided to finally make an appointment for him and bring him in just to make sure that everything is okay. Or if it's not okay, so we can get a handle on it. I don't know what's going to happen. So so your prayers. Oh, he just sent me a text message. Yep. I thought so. He has lost four pounds. He went from 13.5 to 9.5 25% weight loss. Mm hmm. My husband just sent me a text message with a picture of him and saying that he's lost weight. I knew it. He's like skin and bones now poor baby. But we did switch his food. We were feeding him like a store bought kind that you can find in the grocery store knows a higher end brand. But then we switched him off of that. And we because he did get sick. He did get like a stomach thing. And he got sick. So we brought him to the vet. This has been several months ago. And the vet suggested we switch food and of course they recommended their food. And so we bought their food which was like $50 a bag. But he ate it for a while he seemed to enjoy it and but then he stopped eating. And everybody's noticed that he lost weight. I noticed they lost weight. Anyway, so now that's why we're here. We don't know what's going on with our portal jack jack. I hope he's gonna be okay. Anyway, just thought I would pop in and say hello real quick. All right. I'm probably going to be out here a while I don't know what's gonna happen. I mean, I'm sure nothing's gonna happen today. I'm probably walk away with some medicine and stuff. We probably won't get any kind of diagnosis today, I'm sure. I'm gonna let you go for now. I don't know when I'm going to drop this into a to an episode. But have a good rest of the day and I will come back in just a few seconds.

Carol Marks: 5:38

It is Tuesday morning of October 13. It no it's not morning. It's 1248 My goodness. Um, we did receive some bad news today about our little jack jack, our little half poodle, half shitzu he had not been acting his normal self. He had lost some weight. Now we had changed his food, we thought maybe that could be why he lost weight. But he just was not being his dorm itself. And I finally said let's take him to the vet and hits. We've had two blood tests now one they sent away. And then we did another one just to make sure but he apparently his kidneys are failing him. Now we have him in the vet's office right now for the next three days where he will get IVs try to flush. You know, if it's, if it's not natural kidney filler failure, if it's something he's gotten into, or something he's eaten or something like that, we're gonna try this first to flesh, flesh him out, flesh the kidneys out for the next three days. And then maybe hopefully, we can manage it with diet and you know, medicine. But the vet is not hopeful about that. But we want to try it. And if that doesn't help, then it doesn't look good for jack jack. So I may be absent for a while. I don't know. I don't know what else to say except I'm going to leave it at that. Good evening. It is the same day. October 13. Later in the evening, I'm at work I'm actually on my lunch break. I have to go back in and just a few minutes but just been thinking about jack jack a lot. My husband sent me a picture he's already in the bed. My husband is already in the bed. And normally jack jack sleeps with us business jack is that the vet, he sent me a picture of him in the bed and the bed being empty at the foot of the bed. You know if we had to put jack down the gent and I are going to be very lost. jack is our wheel his column our perpetual toddler, you know, your four legged babies are your babies. I know other people who have lost animals or had to put their pets down or or you know, unexpected deaths. It's not. It's like losing a real human being. I think to me it is. But you know, I guess I'm just trying to prepare myself. I've had to do it once before with our boxer many, many, many years ago, we had to put about our boxer down George. And it was fast. But it was so sad. So sad. And I know the jet is just gonna be tore up. It's not hopefully, I'm still trying to hold out a little bit of hope that these IVs are going to help them and we're going to bring him home this weekend. Obviously we have canceled our trip to Tunica. And we're going to bring him home and keep a good eye on him this weekend. But like I said the vet does not is not seeming hopeful about this. And he said if it is natural kidney failure and not something he's gotten into or, or something like that, then he will probably start failing quickly. And of course we don't want him to have to go through that. So we will obviously have to take him in and put him down. So I'm going to be by I just want to come and record myself a little bit and next time maybe I'll tell you about how we how we got jack 12 years ago. Anyway, I need to go back to work now. So I will talk to you later.

Unknown: 10:07

Good.

Carol: 10:09

Wednesday morning, everyone. It's 11 o'clock just finished rowing for about 20 minutes. I went to Publix this morning to the pharmacy to get my flu shot attempted to get my flu shot again. A couple days ago, I went to get my flu shot. And I went, you know, kind of late in the day? Well, I say late in the day I went about 10, maybe 1030. And they said it was a two hour wait, well, I couldn't wait two hours. So I thought come back another day.

Unknown: 12:04

And they said, Okay,

Carol: 12:06

so I'm back this morning. Before they opened, got there five minutes before the pharmacy open first in line walked right up. When they open, I said I'm here to get my flu shot. she proceeded to tell me that they don't give out their flu shots until 10 o'clock. I said okay, and she said, and then you'll have to make an appointment online as well. What he didn't tell me this couple days ago, and my husband came in like a week ago waltz right on in here and got his flu shot left. No appointment just to walk in. So I'm like Alright, fine. I go online to fill it out on my mobile phone, fill out an app fill out a online appointment. And it was kind of difficult and I'm pretty tech savvy when it comes to stuff like that on doing stuff on your phone and you know, filling out forms and whatnot but it kind of glitched up and I went up to the latest said hey, it won't let me set a date. How do I you know, she said, Oh, I don't know how to use that. My okay. I eventually got through it. I made my appointment for tomorrow at 1230. So that's three times I've had to sacrifice my time and my schedule to bend to Publix schedule. I am kind of irked. But I don't think I would be as eart if I knew my dog was okay. Our little jack jack has been at the vet's office getting constant IVs because the doc says he's in you know, kidney failure. So, the Jim and I are kind of worried about that, not kind of we are worried about that. We don't know what we're gonna do. If we have to put him down. He's hopefully we are hoping that these flushing with the kidneys of the IVs will help he's there all day today. I went and did visit him after I went to Publix. I did go up to the vet's office, they said I could come and visit him. So I did go and visit him. He seemed to do to be doing okay, even the vet or is saying stuff like he doesn't act like he's in kidney failure. He doesn't act like what the test results show, which is kind of bizarre. So he's on IVs all day long. And then they take him off of it at night. And he's gonna do that all day. They did all day yesterday, all day today, and they're gonna do it tomorrow. And then they're going to retest them. And then we're going to get him Thursday at tomorrow afternoon. bring him home and see how he does. But the vet is not hopeful. So the agenda and I have that on our minds right now.

Unknown: 15:09

Ah,

Carol: 15:11

so I'll be I'll be right back. Alright, I'm back. I had to get out of the traffic from the front of our neighborhood and now I am in the back side where it's quieter.

Unknown: 15:31

Yeah, so jack jack.

Carol: 15:35

I think I'm gonna dedicate this episode to him. I don't know how I'm gonna put it together. I don't know what's happening yet. I'm just recording a bunch of audio clips about him right now. We got him when he was about six months old. I say six to eight months old. And again, he's a half shitzu half poodle. He's a small dog about 10 pounds. Right now. He's 9.5 where he was 13 pounds and hit that's how much weight he's lost. He's lost four pounds. Since this has started. We thought it was because we switched his food as per the event ordered. And we do walk him a lot so he stays active. But there's too much weight for that little dog to lose. Anyway, we got him when he was about 16 Eight months old 12 years ago.

Unknown: 16:34

And

Carol: 16:37

when we got him he had long hair. And it was matted.

Unknown: 16:43

And he you could barely see his face. He

Carol: 16:48

you could tell he was miserable, he would not walk on a leash. He did not want to leave

Unknown: 16:55

my lap.

Carol: 16:58

He he just didn't want to move a whole lot. So we made us get We made an appoint with him to see the vet and of course the groomer, the groom was shaved all that hair off because you could not even comb through it. That's how mad it was. So shaved him off. And he became a totally different dog. Immediately. He was bouncy, he was happy. He was alive with spirit. And he quickly became the gents little buddy. And then of course, we least trained him and he has just been the perfect frickin dog. He is so smart,

Unknown: 17:50

obedient, happy.

Carol: 17:53

Just, oh, he's such a good dog. And then we had him for maybe a couple of years before we decided he needed a little playmate. But we really didn't want to get another dog. So we got a little we rescued a little kitten, a little black kitten. And I mean, when we brought her home, she was about as big as a chipmunk. And I thought, oh god, he's gonna kill her. Because I was it. I didn't know I was thinking how small she was until we got her home. And I thought, Oh, God, because he had killed a chipmunk before I think out on the back patio. And I said, Oh, God, Jack's gonna kill the cat thing. And it's a chipmunk. But no, he did not. Thank goodness, he knew. He knew immediately that she was not to be harmed. And those two took to each other. Like, I don't know what, and the cat actually thinks she's a dog, I think because jack raised her. So their names are jack and jill. And I don't know, I don't know what's gonna happen. I don't know what's gonna happen. It's I just keep praying, everything's gonna be okay. I'm hoping this IV flushing thing is going to help and he's going to be okay. That's what I keep telling myself anyway. But I'm also trying to look at reality too. You know that he is 12 years old. He probably does have some kind of kidney failure, and it's just not gonna be good. Anyway, I'm gonna let y'all go. And I'll be back with an update. Stay tuned. Good morning, everyone. It is Saturday, I think August not August. Why do I keep wanting to say August, October 17. And I am out walking check jack on our normal regular walk in the mornings we there how I would say almost a half a mile walk. Now I did have to pick him up and carry him for about 30 yards maybe. But put them back down when we get on the backside to come home and he seems to be doing very well. He's got a little pep in his step. He's leading. He even barked at the bumper says dogs. So right now we haven't home for the weekend. We do have to take him back on Monday to get him rechecked. When we took him on Thursday, his numbers came down a little but not as much as the doctor would want. And and he seems to go up and down. He's eating though. That's good. He's going to the bathroom. So you know, who knows how long we will still have him hopefully a while if he feels you know, good, I hope but right now you wouldn't think anything was wrong with him the way he's walking. That's, that's good. We will take it. The jet is going to come home early and he's taken off Sunday and Monday so we will have some good time with jack jack. Hopefully, hopefully, you know maybe this was something else. Maybe it's not kidney Maybe it was something else. Maybe he got a bad treat from somebody or something? I don't know.

Unknown: 21:37

I don't know. He is 12.

Carol: 21:42

I still think that's kind of go. But I don't know.

Unknown: 21:46

Well, we are almost home.

Carol: 21:50

And I will end this little clip for now and be back shortly with perhaps an update. Y'all have a good weekend. What I have planned for this weekend for myself is do a closet purge, clean and wash my car. Set up the trackers in my planner. And those are the three major things that I wanted to get accomplished at this weekend. And of course, just spend time with jack jack here. Y'all have a good weekend. He'll be back shortly. By the time this comes out, it will be Monday, I think October 26. Right now it's October 20. And he's good. He seems to be doing well. He's on a lot of medication though. He's on three different medications. Of My gosh, are bees one of these these wasps out today. Last bees, whatever they are, I don't know. But he's doing good. I figured I'm and I recorded a bunch of clips from like, the last week or two about him. So I'm going to string those all together and put a note in an episode and go ahead and air it for Monday the 26th which is today for some of you here. Bottom line is that jack is the same. We are managing his kidney failure with medication he's on three different medications. He will go back to the vet on Tuesday, day after tomorrow and take more blood work to see if things are the same or if they're getting worse or or what. And then figure out some things from there. But he's doing well. He's walking. He still likes going on his walks. He's eating he's drinking.

Unknown: 23:58

So yeah, he's doing okay. Thanks for listening.

Carol: 24:34

Ladies and gentlemen, the real life bump passes.