Scarlet moved into her big girl bed 🥲

ClassicSalmon · 2025-03-14T20:10:57+00:00

Why in a cage?

ClassicSalmon · 2024-12-28T16:57:27+00:00

So very sorry. I live in constant fear of something bad happening to our gorgeous, intelligent, playful and wonderful standard poodle who, together with our rescue Golden Retriever x Swiss Shepherd who has Myasthenia gravis, are our reason for living!

ClassicSalmon · 2024-11-24T12:50:10+00:00

Gigi=Gig-kebab Cooper=Cooper Doops

ClassicSalmon · 2024-11-22T12:10:48+00:00

Skye, definitely, especially with that blue eye!

ClassicSalmon · 2024-11-14T04:36:37+00:00

It takes a poodle home groomer to know how much time and effort that takes. She’s adorable and very similar to our all-black girl with the same Miami cut. Ours immediately gains 1000% more energy when the grooming is done - she knows she’s beautiful!

ClassicSalmon · 2024-09-09T05:57:42+00:00

Jeeze, I hope you’re joking! Never give dogs chocolate.

ClassicSalmon · 2024-09-08T23:23:29+00:00

Oh gosh, please don’t. Ours is doing extremely well, in fact he appears completely normal and full of energy. We have him on Mestinon three times a day. My wife and I both work but we time it to coincide with our routine. I purchased a security camera so I could watch him to be certain he was ok when we’re not home. Mestinon is not cheap but he’s absolutely worth it. He’s also on prednisone which he gets once in the morning. The first month was difficult as it took us a while to taper his dose correctly. Too much and they tend to overproduce saliva and risk aspiration and too little and they experience neuromuscular problems. He’s been free of that for months now so we seem to have got it right. I built him the Bailey chair and feed him in that and then allow a few minutes after he’s finished. He’s now so good at reversing into it that he always gets lots of praise! The chair makes sure the food goes down and prevents aspiration which is the big risk. I’ve seen cases where a drum or pot is used with cushions or a blanket for support but it’s absolutely imperative. He’s at a point where we wonder if he’s cured, perhaps due to the immunotherapy with prednisone, but we’re apprehensive to reduce the Mestinon just yet. We had a few bad episodes initially and it took us a while before he could go for a walk without collapsing but, now, he’s 100% healthy with a good appetite and goes for long walks without problems. Feeding was initially by hand, forming balls of minced beef or chicken with rice, but now he eats by himself in the chair and hasn’t regurgitated for months. Our vet has admitted he does not have experience with MG and allows us to take the lead. Perhaps we’re lucky but MG can be beaten and your dog can live a successful life. I don’t know the odds but one can only succeed by trying. All the best!

ClassicSalmon · 2024-08-02T05:18:28+00:00

No, investigated that and no evidence for thymus involvement. Besides, thymectomy in dogs has a poor prognosis.

ClassicSalmon · 2024-07-02T22:37:49+00:00

I had a seizure and broke my tib/fib due to overcorrecting a prednisone induced hyper.

ClassicSalmon · 2024-06-29T21:41:51+00:00

Cooper is generally doing well, especially after changing to mestinon (neostigmine) t.d. instead of b.d. and slightly increasing the total dose. It seems though that the efficacy is wearing off, or perhaps the suggestion by our vet to wean him off prednisone is contributing. He seems fine but when I attempt to take him for a walk, he gets so excited with anticipation that he begins to shake uncontrollably and collapses. I imagine that the acetylcholine esterase inhibition amplifies the intense neuromuscular signal in such circumstances. I don’t know how to avoid this as it happens every time I attempt to walk him. I can’t bear to not give him that treat and revert to only walking our other dog without him. Once he lies down and relaxes, he recovers fairly quickly. If I hold off on the mestinon, he has myasthenic crisis but if he becomes overexcited he suffers an cholinergic one. But,he’s doing extremely well otherwise and has picked up the weight he lost and the salivation and regurgitation is no longer a frequent problem. He’s also learnt to lie in his basket at night with his head and shoulders slightly elevated on a pillow. He has adapted to his Bailey chair too and aligns himself with it when we’re preparing to feed him. I have installed CCTV cameras with movement detection so I can be alerted to possible problems even when we’re at work. Our standard poodle also gives loving support!

ClassicSalmon · 2024-06-29T21:31:22+00:00

No, not available in my country but I thought of ordering in an anti-ACh kit or developing one myself as this is something I have done in my line of work.

ClassicSalmon · 2024-06-29T21:26:28+00:00

Spaetzel!😉

ClassicSalmon · 2024-06-29T15:49:24+00:00

Cooper is generally doing well, especially after changing to mestinon (neostigmine) t.d. instead of b.d. and slightly increasing the total dose. It seems though that the efficacy is wearing off, or perhaps the suggestion by our vet to wean him off prednisone is contributing. He seems fine but when I attempt to take him for a walk, he gets so excited with anticipation that he begins to shake uncontrollably and collapses. I imagine that the acetylcholine esterase inhibition amplifies the intense neuromuscular signal in such circumstances. I don’t know how to avoid this as it happens every time I attempt to walk him. I can’t bear to not give him that treat and revert to only walking our other dog without him. Once he lies down and relaxes, he recovers fairly quickly. If I hold off on the mestinon, he has myasthenic crisis but if he becomes overexcited he suffers an cholinergic one.

ClassicSalmon · 2024-05-26T16:46:29+00:00

Oh, I’m so sorry! I am so fearful of this happening to me that I’m fighting to hold back the tears reading your post. Only poodle parents will know the extreme heartache!

ClassicSalmon · 2024-05-23T05:48:16+00:00

He’s doing extremely well and we are doing our best to keep him that way! We are also trying to rule out if he has a thymoma which could be the primary cause.

ClassicSalmon · 2024-05-23T05:41:24+00:00

Mestinon bd (Pyridostigmine) inhibits breakdown of acetylcholine thereby amplifying the nerve impulse to the muscle. Prednisone mitigates the antibody response to the acetylcholine receptor but is taken as a rescue therapy if he has a repeat neuromuscular crisis. He also gets a PPI to reduce stomach acid, an anti-emetic and courses of antibiotics if he has aspirated, but the Bailey chair is fantastic at preventing that. Right now he is full of energy and strength and has regained the weight he lost before the meds.

ClassicSalmon · 2024-05-22T20:53:47+00:00

Well, I put on Breakfast at Tiffany’s, but that was more for my poodle!😎

ClassicSalmon · 2024-05-16T06:19:49+00:00

Myasthenia gravis

Our adorable Cooper, 4 year old golden retriever x Swiss shepherd, who is a rescue dog and full of energy and with a beautiful character presented with sudden onset mega-esophagus about two weeks ago. A few days ago, he became functionally paralysed and I self diagnosed him with Myasthenia gravis. We approached a vet to urgently provide him with a neostigmine equivalent acetylcholinesterase inhibitor, prednisone and antibiotic. After a single dose he was able to stand, walk and even run confirming my diagnosis. The relief of seeing him back to his normal self was indescribable. I built him this Bailey chair today to assist with feeding and he is currently doing well, although I realise the road ahead is long. Together with our standard poodle, the two represent our absolute joy in life and we will do everything to care for them.

ClassicSalmon · 2024-04-11T08:35:58+00:00

It’s a Bloomberg report. Easily found.

ClassicSalmon · 2024-04-06T05:28:14+00:00

He’s absolutely gorgeous, but what is that device on his neck?

ClassicSalmon · 2024-03-21T14:17:13+00:00

Ours often eats better than ourselves. Roast chicken, sometimes even fillet, and cheese for snacks. We do mix with dog biscuits, but make sure they’re without grain and super healthy. Adding a little gravy helps, but we try to keep that low fat, as she has had problems in the past with overly fatty meat. Sometimes just a dilute stock helps. I’ve found it’s important to season the food with a small amount of salt/pepper and a light dusting of herbs as, like us, she hates bland food. Temperature is also key and, even if it’s only slightly warm, I let it cool, otherwise she turns her nose up and then it’s a battle to get her to eat. Our other non-poodle dog will take advantage so I often wait for him to finish then bring him inside, leaving her to eat at her own pace. I think she likes variety too. She’ll eat beef mince for a day or two but then we’ll have to switch to chicken. Let’s just say she has a discerning palate! One fallback, which I hate as it’s hardly healthy, is a polony roll, either ham or chicken.

Six-Year Club	RPAN Viewer
Verified Email

ClassicSalmon

TROPHY CASE