Babies Born~May 16th-31st 2009 #4

[~*Niadalla*~]

Naomi- What a lucky little boy Bailey is to have such wonderful caring parents. You and hubby are doing such a wonderful job with him. I can only imagine how tough it would be. Something good will be just around the corner... I'm sure of it.

Hi girls! Can't stay long.... I have 2 cranky children. Going to try and get them into the docs either tomorrow or Friday if I can. Blah. We had better be well for our meet up!!!

[briggsy's girl]

Naomi - it's understandable that you're feeling it with taking Bailey to all the specialist appointments and things - he is your baby, and it's hard to be told these things - especially when they state the obvious. yes, bailey might be developing less rapidly with his gross motor skills BUT, you yourself have seen improvement of late, so you need to focus on the steps he is making, not hte ones he is still striving to achieve. plus, i've seen vids of B - he is a very switched on little boy - he's just struggling to catch up on the developmental stuff from being born early (physically speaking) - from what i've read of early bubbas, it can take a year or more for them to catch up - so if B was going to be a bit behind the curve for his adjusted age, he will be significantly behind for his actual (does that make sense??) thinking of you hun

AFU - i'm not having a great day - but them's the breaks. just gotta roll with the punches i guess. E is doing ok aside from the teething thing - it's heartbreaking seeing her in so much pain and not being able to fix it - so we're just taking one moment at a time. she's about to go out and water the vegie patch with daddy - so i will get a half hour ish break - yay me! might have to feed her first though

[MummyNaomi]

Thanks girls - I think I just want to be able to ENJOY my baby without having to remember to 'do this exercise' or 'pick him up this way' etc......

Parenthood is a hard enough gig without IYKWIM?

Nevermind, there are lots a million times worse off, we are blessed with a happy, smiley boy so we need to remind ourselves of that, but sometimes it just all builds up!!

BG - Bugger re the teething. You reminded me that I meant to ask you gals if your bubba's have had sore/red bums/genital areas with the teething? I remember my nieces used to get a bit red down there when teething and I notice Baileys a bit that way atm, but I think it may be the heat and a bit of sweat rash too. Have been using sudocream, that seems to be the tonic!

Naomi
x

[MummyNaomi]

Nicky - your poor family, you guys have had a tough run with sickness, I hope you guys all get healthy soon and you get a break

[Snacks]

Oh, Naomi, that sucks. And what a stupid thing for the physio to say! If Bailey does need the brace (and maybe he won't, but if he does) why would she say you wouldn't want it? No one wants to treat their kid for something cause often it's not pleasant. But as a health professional, you don't say, "oh, you wouldn't want that..." Dumb.
I am glad that you and Sean picked up some good tips as to how to encourage Bailz along. And he will get there. But I do understand what you are saying about wanting to just do things instead of focussing on how you're doing them. Hopefully they will just become habit and it won't take too much thinking after a couple of weeks.
Re the teething, Phoebe has been grizzly and difficult to settle the last three days. The second bottom tooth is just peeping through but hasn't fully erupted yet. TBH, I don't know if the problem is the teeth, the cold or just some sort of developmental thing. Either way, it's annoying! But we have had no nappy problems (other than very snotty poo while she's had this cold) and no rash or anything. I know some people say their bubs get really gross poo while teething, but Phoebe hasn't pooed all day today and I'm struggling to remember if she did one yesterday... and she usually has several a day. So I don't think yucky poos are going to be an issue here either. Yeah, the sweat rash is a bummer (pardon the pun!) but nappy-free time should really help with that. Phoebe gets really sweaty under her chin (or should I say, chins), right up underneath. It goes all yucky, like a red sore, and it STINKS! I have been trying to wipe it a few times a day and keep it dry, but with the heat and the drool it's definitely a challenge.
Nicky: Sorry you are all sick. Hope the dr can help and hope its nothing too major. And you'd BETTER be well again by the meet-up!
BG: Sorry for your bad day. We haven't had the best here either. Phoebs has hardly slept, is getting cross easily and just wants to be entertained all day. Hope you get some decent sleep tonight and that tomorrow's a better day.

We're going to the nurse tomorrow to have a chat about things. Mainly about feeding. Will post Phoebe's stats when I get home.

[*TripleJ*]

J gets a really awful heat rash 2 its yicky

on another note got our little pressie today i'll just say the little bubba to get it will be very impressed lol

[Bella29]

Hi Girls,

Quick post...

Naomi- thanks for sending the teething gel for Jemima, I am sure she will appreciate it! She has had a couple of better night/days lately, but she's only got one tooth thru so I am sure we will have need of it. She didn't get a sore bottom but now that you mention it, her poo's have been worse. I use bepanthen when i do treat J's bum, but I only use cream when she actually has a rash. My sister has 4 kids now and reckoned that she used cream all the time with her first 2, but by the third she didn't and had less problems.

I went shopping today for just stuff generally and got a really cute little outfit for J for Xmas!!! In BigW, they r soooo cute, little santa helper!! I also ordered a spunky butt from Krystie's 'off your perch' the other day, one of the reindeer ones and i want to take a pic of J in it and use it as a christmas card for everyone. Jemima started saying Dadadadadada yesterday, after a bit of coaching from me. Much to the delight of her dad. You can tell she is really concentrating on the shape of my mouth when I make repetative sounds now.... amazing how bright these kids are!

We also found out the other day that we will have our relocation to the coast paid for us my DH's work which is a major load off my mind!!! I have been fretting about the amount ofcash going out and due to go out for things like that (cost us $3000 to move up here cos it was 1600kms) so that is a weight off. On the bad side our pooch hurt himself about a week ago. not wanting to panic we waited to see if it would get better. He didn't seem phased, just limping a little. Anyway the Vet I am sure was being paid a percentage by the surgeon!!! She said he had done his cruciate ligament, then said it would cost $500 to do Xrays of his knee, and we should do his hips cos they felt a little funny too. Then we should have surgery costing 1500-2000 bucks. I asked what it would do if we did nothing and she was like oh no couldn't do that, made it sound like it was mean and made us feel guilty. I said we just can't afford to have a $2500 dog! Anyway, then she wanted us to give him and our labrador joint medications. I said we get fish oil from the chemists for our lab cos it costs less, she was saying her formula would be better.... now call me crazy but it is exactly the same thing, can you honestly imagine that they save the best stuff for the dogs? Anyway I am of the opinion that our lab (who has bad hips) is ok. She doesn't limp anymore cos we did what our last vet said and didn't excersise her for awhile and put her on meds and now this other vet wants her on injections which cost $130 every 3months plus this medication at $120 for six weeks!!! Six weeks!!! so every six weeks another $120... does she think I am stupid? Our dog doesn't limp and is happy, the phrase if it aint broke don't fix it springs to mind.....uurrgghh! Ok vent over.. Just so frustrating.. oh and my cousin just told me that her dog had the same thing this yr and they told her just to not excersise the dog and it got better.... anyway

Back to babies.. J seems to be sleeping a bit better and therefore so am i!!! Getting excited about our meet up! Still haven't heard back from my cousins to see if i can stay on Sunday night so i am waiting to respond to you girls who have so graciously offered to have J and I..... promise I will soon!

Love to you all
Bella

[briggsy's girl]

morning ladies!

Bella - that sucks re your fur babies - i agree, if it ain't broke, why fix it? especially at such a ludicrous expense - keep doing what you're doing hun. i can't justify mammoth expense on our furbabies either - as much as i love them i just couldn't do it.

on the topic of babies and furbabies though - i must say - i am sooooo proud of my little chihuahua cross furbaby today! i am so scared, being the breed that they are, that they'll be snappy if E grabs at them - but she did this morning (well done for keeping them apart DH! lol) and TJ yelped, but didn't do anything apart from looking at DH as if to say "what the hell is she doing, make it stop!". i told E she wasn't being nice and she had to be gentle with the puppies...

the outfit you got for J - was it a little green and red one, almost fairy-ish? mum bought one like that for E - have been trying to get photos but she's not playing as nice as normal - damn teeth!

Nicky - hope you and yours are feeling better soon

AFU - we're doing ok-ish. E isn't sleeping perfectly, but she's doing ok. her teeth seem to be giving her a lot of grief, but overnight it's not so bad. she has decided sleep in's aren't worth the effort - so is getting up anywhere up to 4 hours earlier. hmmmm. still fighting day sleeps, but mummy isn't giving her a choice lol. this morning she woke up for a feed and nappy change at 3, back to sleep really quickly, woke up at 7 - and has been awake every since. she went to sleep, i moved away (i leave her in our bed first thing in the morning) - she woke up - so i laid with her pretending to be asleep cos that usually makes her go to sleep - i guess mummy sleeping is boring lol. didn't work today - she kept looking over at me mumumumumum. when i tried to ignore that, i got a long drawn out hellllllllllloooooooooo a couple of times, which made me smile. i told her she was supposed to be going to sleep, put her dummy in and closed my eyes again - so she started saying booooooobfff, booooooooobfff, booooooooooooobfff, mumumumum, booooooooobf. hmmmm. so i asked if she was asking for more boobie - got a big smile, excited arm flapping - and she latched on as soon as i moved closer - so i guess we have a new word! boob - with a drawn out fffff at the end!

she went back to sleep on the breast -as soon as i moved away, she was awake again, so pretending to sleep again, she went off again. i got out of bed on DH's side, walked around to get my glasses - and got an excited little giggle! hmmmm - so we got up, went to say hello to daddy while he was watering the seedlings in the hot house - and then i put her in her highchair and told her to talk to daddy over brekki - mummy needed a break. there WILL be decent day sleeps today! after that effort, she WILL have a big sleep. it might be a fight, but i will win.

[MummyNaomi]

Hi Girls,


I went shopping today for just stuff generally and got a really cute little outfit for J for Xmas!!! In BigW, they r soooo cute, little santa helper!! I also ordered a spunky butt from Krystie's 'off your perch' the other day, one of the reindeer ones and i want to take a pic of J in it and use it as a christmas card for everyone.

Ooooh, I bought a little Santa one from Best and Less, then I saw these awesome mini baby santa suits (all fluffly) at Big W, but O well. I found those Xmas cards that you put your own photo in so will send them out once I get a good picture of Bailz

How exciting that its our Baby's first xmas

Naomi
x

[~*Niadalla*~]

OMG Allira slept for 8 hours last night!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
She hasn't done that for months! I couldn't believe it! I feel so rested. If she keeps this up we'll be better in no time.
Ahhhhh.

I'm on the improve. We got into the Doc's for tomorrow, so will see what he says. We're probably over the very worst of it now and he'll just tell me to go home and drink lots of water LOL. It's all good, going to get the kids eczema checked out while we are there.

Bella - My Mum got Allira the little red and green dress with the wings from Big W. Very cute. We've got a Santa suit from when DS was little too. I am tempted to get him the santa's little helper outfit if there are any left in his size.
They are so cute! We are going to dress the kids up for their santa photo in their outfits and then make the photo into Christmas cards.

Amy - Good luck at your appt today.

J- sorry to hear about the heat rash. DS used to get it alot when he was little, but sofar so good for Allira. I'm sure it's only a matter of time..... especially seeming as we are meant to hit 40 here today. BOO.

BG - I hope that E sleeps for you today, and maybe even has a good night for you tonight!

Hi everyone else! Hope you are all going really well!!

That's about it from me. Just waiting to hear what the Doc says about the kids tomorrow. I'm sure we should be right for next weekend. I will have to go shopping for a present next week... I hope my stupid brain remembers.

Have a good one.

[*TripleJ*]

hey hey
jamie is now a tummy sleeper lol but the only problem is for him to fall asleep he has to be put on his back everytime he rolls onto his tummy and falles asleep the last time he rolls over lol

i got a onesie from best and less that is red and says babys first christmas

well were definately coming next weekend just to figure out which way were going to be getting there lol i just gotta make up my mind coz im 2 fickle lol

[~ Mylitta ~]

On the bad side our pooch hurt himself about a week ago. not wanting to panic we waited to see if it would get better. He didn't seem phased, just limping a little. Anyway the Vet I am sure was being paid a percentage by the surgeon!!! She said he had done his cruciate ligament, then said it would cost $500 to do Xrays of his knee, and we should do his hips cos they felt a little funny too. Then we should have surgery costing 1500-2000 bucks. I asked what it would do if we did nothing and she was like oh no couldn't do that, made it sound like it was mean and made us feel guilty. I said we just can't afford to have a $2500 dog! Anyway, then she wanted us to give him and our labrador joint medications. I said we get fish oil from the chemists for our lab cos it costs less, she was saying her formula would be better.... now call me crazy but it is exactly the same thing, can you honestly imagine that they save the best stuff for the dogs? Anyway I am of the opinion that our lab (who has bad hips) is ok. She doesn't limp anymore cos we did what our last vet said and didn't excersise her for awhile and put her on meds and now this other vet wants her on injections which cost $130 every 3months plus this medication at $120 for six weeks!!! Six weeks!!! so every six weeks another $120... does she think I am stupid? Our dog doesn't limp and is happy, the phrase if it aint broke don't fix it springs to mind.....uurrgghh! Ok vent over.. Just so frustrating.. oh and my cousin just told me that her dog had the same thing this yr and they told her just to not excersise the dog and it got better.... anyway

I'm sorry that I don't have time for any persies, but I really wanted to help you out Bella with info for your dog (until I had Kyson I was a senior surgical vet nurse...). Unfortunately it's really common for labs to tear a cruciate ligament and also very common for them to have hips problems (and knee and joint problems). The most common fix for a torn cruciate ligament is surgery. There are a couple of different surgery techniques that can be done and the surgery would probably range anywhere from $700 - $3000 depending on which technique was used, where you had it done, and what surgeon did it (a specialist would obviously cost the most). If the tear doesn't seem complete, and the dog is not in too much pain (ie. can be managed with meds), then we always recommended complete rest for at least 6 weeks. This didn't just mean no walking/running, it involved keeping the dog caged/penned so that they couldn't really move much at all for the 6 weeks, and the only exercise they get is trips outside to the bathroom. I know that sounds awful, but even after surgery the dog is meant to be on cage rest for almost the same period of time anyway. Sometimes the cage-rest will fix the problem.

For the record, you can't see ligaments on xrays. The only help xrays are in this that the vet can rule out other causes of the limp, and also they can see how displaced the joint is (due to the torn ligament). If your vet is competent with orthopedics, then they should be able to diagnose a torn ligament just by feeling the movement of the joint with their hands. Also, at my clinic you'd probably be looking at about $250 for xrays on one joint (which would give you 2 xrays with the joint in two positions).

In general I would recommend having a lab on some kind of joint supplement almost from birth due to how prone they are to joint issues. Some of the supplements from the vet can be pricey for a big dog though, so if cost is a factor then the something like glucosamine tablets from the supermarket are a good alternative. The difference is usually some of the additional ingredients that are put in the canine ones, and also the vet ones often come in treat form, like biscuits or chewy sticks, that make it easy to give them. If you get the gel caps from the supermarket though you can pierce them and squirt them over your dogs food.

As for all the injections and meds that your vet is talking about, I can have a good guess at what they are. For the first 4 weeks our clinic would recommend Cartrophen (or Pentosan) injections once a week. This drug relives pain and also protects and supports the recovery of joint cartilage that has been damaged by the arthritic process. At my clinic these injections cost $30 each and are given by a nurse (no consult needed). Once the 4 week course the injections are then spaced out to anywhere from one a month to once every 6 months depending on the dog and it's response to the drug. Unfortunately each dog is different and it's response to these injections (and also to the glucosamine supplements) can vary greatly. It's the same in people too. Some people with arthritis see a huge improvement with glucosamine supplements, while others don't see any...

The other medication is probably something like a carprofen drug, which is a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug to help with pain relief. This is often given daily and can sometimes be used longterm for animals in ongoing pain. The downside is that it's not the cheapest medication and a big dog like a lab needs a larger dose, and therefore it costs more.

I'm not going to give you "my opinion", because I'm not a vet and because I haven't seen your dog. But... if I were in your position this is what I would probably do (assuming I didn't have the finances for surgery). Assuming that things have improved with minimal exercise, I would continue to restrict is for quite a few more weeks before gradually increasing the level of exercise. Reduce the amount of food that the dog is eating because it's not exercising as much and doesn't need as much exercise. If the dog is overweight then a diet is a MUST. Torn ligaments are more common in overweight dogs. I would start some form of glucosamine supplement as soon as possible, and I would also start the cartrophen/pentosan injections because I've seen what an amazing difference it can make in some dogs (don't get disheartened if it takes a few weeks to see an improvement). I'd also definitely get the pain meds because I would hate to see the dog in any pain. Hopefully your dog is not in too much pain, but they are often good at hiding it. Plus, lots of cuddles of course, hehehe

Ok, so I rambled on for a lot longer than I thought. I hope I helped you out a bit.

[Bella29]

Hi All,

Thanks for your info Krystie! I should clarify, our dog with the torn cruciate is Patton and he is a ****er spaniel. They r also supposed to be succeptable to torn cruciates. Our Lab Nimi, had bad hips which are so much better now, it isn't funny! We used to excersise them alot but now we only let her swim in our pool and run around the back yard. The ****er has been fine otherwise, but he has been squeezing himself thru the bars of the pool fence to go for secret swims (such a cheeky little man!) and I wonder if that was how he hurt himself? Anyway the vet did diagnose the cruciate ligament damage by feel, but she wanted to do xrays of his hips as well cos she thought they might be a little "loose too". Seeings as we didn't get our labs xrayed because we weren't going to operate i didn't agree to have the ****ers xrayed when he had no symptoms. We did agree to take home some NSAID's and his minimal limp dissappeared. Now we have him tied up on a lead next to our window/door into the livingroom, where he can see us, as he lives to be near us! He has about 1mtr slack on his lead but he mostly just lays on his pillow and watches me and Jemima. He's not very happy about it tho... He has been whining since we put him on the lead, but that is about all. Both the dogs are super slender as DH and I are concious of that with them... It is so much easier to put a dog on a diet than do it yourself! LOL Anyway I will talk to DH about getting the injections if you recommend them, but only for the ****er. The vet was recommending them for both dogs, even tho what we are doing for Nimi, our lab, is working. That was when I really felt like we were being given treatment options which were unneccessary. but if i do anything i will go and get the needles for him and give them myself, as I am sure it is just the same as giving them to a person.

Naomi- I meant to say that I was feeling for you with the whole issue with Bailey. This is something different but as it brings out my protective mother instinct I will share. It has been a bit of a joke since Jemima was born that she has red hair as DH and I don't. We were a little shocked at first but then kinda 'well it is a very pretty auburn" yadayadayada... A while back even though I know my Husband adores his little girl he said to her, "you know Daddy loves you... Even if you do have funny red hair" I could have torn strips off him!! It was a completely extreme response, cos he was only teasing, and he does love her to bits! But as her mummy I felt like a lioness in front of her cub, and the thought that came to mind was of a lionesses scream and a claw coming out to swipe his face! I read that back as I sit here and I kinda laugh. But I don't cos I do feel that protective of her and I never want anyone to make her feel inferior! Not that she is or ever will be, but people/kids are cruel. I do laugh when people comment and generally say "I know! Poor thing looks like her Dad too..... Lucky she will be smart" anyway the point I was making is it can be a really minor thing to bring out a mums protective instinct, let alone something which could entail some pain or frustration for Bailey and you all. So my thoughts are with you because if I feel like a lioness over the color of her hair then you must feel like a woman possessed. We love you Naomi and all our thoughts are with you.

Must go, had a problem with my passport replacement and so have to go get a new photo taken.

Bella

[~ Mylitta ~]

Bella - It sounds like you are doing a great job with the dogs! Yeah, I've seen quite a few ****ers with torn ligaments too, poor things! The swimming is fantastic exercise though. We usually give out a pamphlet at work to cruciate patients for a place where you can take dogs for hydrotherapy. It's very pricey though, but your own swimming pool is a great alternative! With the injections, it shouldn't cost you as much as they are quoting you. Maybe just double check with them what drug they want to inject him with, and if it's called something like pentosan/catrophen/zydax then I'd probably be calling around to see if you can get it cheaper. My clinic only charges $30 per injection and that includes the drug, disposable (syringe and needle) and the nurses time. It literally takes about 30 seconds so what they are quoting seems a little exorbitant! Good luck with it all though. You're a good puppy mummy

[Olive]

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