Nyx: The Service Dog with Addison's

First recheck after an Addison’s Diagnosis is important. This is the determiner on if your dog fully pulled through the crisis, and what the next goals are in the process. Today was our first recheck. We anticipated bloodwork due for the day, and we had planned for it financially.

Blood was taken, and while we waited, I asked my thousand questions. “What should I be feeding her? What about the bloody poop? When can her activity level go back to normal? What would we be looking out for as far as another crisis?” More questions rolled from my mouth, probably overwhelming the doctor. He took it in stride and answered all of them. Her poop was probably bloody from her intestines being tore up during her crisis and shed. As she wasn’t bloody anymore, he wasn’t worried. She was cleared for activity, but within moderation. We are finally able to get her off the boiled chicken and rice and start incorporating her kibble into it (very slowly of course).

The things to look out for as far as a crisis though. There are so many symptoms. Lethargic, not eating, shaking, diarrhea, vomiting, and all the bad that comes with that. We will have to watch her for a while, but it’s okay because she was going to live.

Her bloodwork looked really good. Some things were a little high, but that is to be expected on the steroids. But her kidney values were high as well. Doctor became concerned that her kidneys were damaged with how high the levels were at the time she was admitted to the hospital. So, we ran an extra kidney panel to be on the safe side. All of that came back normal. Doctor believes that there is some kidney damage, but they are functioning above 50%.

This dog looks like a whole new dog. She is putting on weight, eating like a cow, and beginning to play. She had gone to the renascence festival with us the Saturday after her release. We were cautious, not pushing her at all. She made a solid 100 friends, scavenged food from strangers, and soaked up all of the love from people who heard her story. She captured the hearts of many.

We also had her first day back to work. As a psychiatric service dog her work is very light and not hard at all. The key to Addison’s it to prevent stress. After a lot of talking with my partner, the doctor, and others, we decided not to retire her. The stress from suddenly not being able to go to work would possibly cause another crisis. As her work is mainly alerting to an episode and providing deep pressure therapy and blocking, we felt it would be ethical to allow her to work. She was excited to work, doing all of her tasks with a wagging tail. You could see in her eyes that she was thankful for being able to be there with me still. I was thankful to have her as well, as I thought I would never have those little moments with her again.

The best part of her recovery thought has been her playfulness. While she was sick, we could not get her to look at a toy. Now, she picks them up and brings them to you. She is barking at the birds and running in the sun. She has been playing with the hose on hot days and spending her nights with me in my bed.

There is another follow-up on the 27th. This will be the day of her first shot since her hospital stay. We will also see how her kidney function improve even more. Please continue to follow my blog for more update on Nyx: The Service Dog with Addison’s!