We need prayers fpr Thorin

We are pretty sure our beautiful boy had a stroke a little while ago. He had what appeared to be a seizure, but was fully awake and alert. He can't walk and his body is a bit twisted. We gave him some rectal valium hoping it was just a seizure, but he still isn't able to stand. It just breaks my heart :( :cry:

Please send prayers and good vibes for our sweet boy, and for hubby and I. I'm afraid he does have another tumor, just not where they had done the ultrasounds. :cry:

Thank you :grouphug: :grouphug:

sending up prayers and sending good vibes out to you and Thorin:grouphug:

:grouphug::pray::fingerscr My thoughts are with you.

Rguerts I am sending every possible positive vibe and many many prayers for your boy! I am so sorry that you have been going through so much! thinking of you and DH and Nookie and Throin.!!

Rguerts, this is from all of us....coming your way.....:pray::pray::pray::goodvibes::goodvibes:

Oh Robyn,I am so very sorry:cry:of course Thorin,you,Nookie and your husband will be in our thoughts,you all are always:pray::pray::pray:

All the good vibes and prayers coming your way.:pray: All of you are always in my thoughts.

Dear Robyn,

We are so sorry that you and your dear Thorin have to go through such trials.
We hope for the best and send prayers and good thoughts your way.

Robyn, I'm so sorry to hear about this latest difficulty Thorin is having. I know this is heartbreaking for you. You and DH are in my thoughts. :grouphug:

Sending lots of :pray::pray::goodvibes::goodvibes: for Thorin that this issue starts to resolve soon.

Good thoughts, best wishes and positive vibrations for Thorin and your family :pray::goodvibes::fingerscr:pawprint:

:pray::goodvibes::pray:

:sorry: that you have to face this challenge....hugs to you

Robyn, this was the last thing you needed to have happen, my heart just sank when I read about it. Hugs for you both and prayers said here for your boy.

so sorry to hear. hope things get better

Robyn, my prayers and thoughts are with you and your boy :grouphug:

Aw, Reugerts, that's so sad.
For Thorin from all of us :pray::goodvibes: :pray::goodvibes: :pray::goodvibes: :pray::goodvibes: :pray::goodvibes: :pray::goodvibes: :pray::goodvibes: :pray::goodvibes: :pray::goodvibes:

Thank you all for the prayers and good vibes :)
After the incident (actually, while he was still having it) I was on the phone with our vet. He said it is common to have a seizure with a stroke. He is the one that advised to give him valium. He said at this point (about 12:30 am) it was just a watch and wait, so that's what we did. Thorin was alert the entire time, just rigid and twisted. Hubby helped me get him straightened and we made me a bed on the floor. He seems to calm down if we hug him, so I just snuggled up to him, put my arm over him and we both went to sleep. We were hoping it was just a seizure, but it definitely seems that he had a stroke. He was able to get up this morning, but his hind quarters are very weak and wobbly and he falls over quite easy. We are heading to the vet in about an hour. It's been really tough on Nookie too. He doesn't understand why "brother" won't play with him. I'm just praying that if it was indeed a stroke, he will be able to recover from it. He doesn't seem to have any brain damage (at least nothing noticeable at this point). Thank you again :grouphug: :grouphug:

Sending more :goodvibes: for the big boy! Glad he's doing a bit better. Please keep us posted on what the vet tells you. :grouphug:

Sorry about my spelling :o
Good luck at the vet, hoping Thorin gets his strength back soon.

praying it all turns out well, please let us know *hugs*

Robyn,:pray::pray::pray:that Thorin will get through yet another hurdle and :grouphug:to you!

All my :pray: :pray: :pray: :pray: and :goodvibes::goodvibes::goodvibes::goodvibes: heading your way Rgeurts.

Please give Thorin and Nookie lots o big hugs. :grouphug: :grouphug:

Any news, Robyn? :goodvibes:

We just got back from the vet. They don't know what happened. They said it's very rare that a dog will have a stroke, but it does happen. I explained what he did last night and they were thinking at first that it may be vestibular disease (we were hoping for that), but said he shows no signs of it after examining him. She said a couple of things could have happened, one being disc related issues where he just cramped up so bad he couldn't move for the pain. Then I explained again what he did and she said she thinks it could have been a seizure that caused him some residual damage (muscle and/or spine). She put him on Metacam and Robaxin and said to monitor him closely over the next 3 days for any neurological signs/sezuires and to call her if anything else happens. She said if he seems better and has strength in his hind quarters, then it is spinal/muscle. If he still has weakness and is having trouble walking, then they will look at further testing for a stroke. Right now he can walk, but his torso curves (he looks like a little half circle) and his lil bum falls a lot. I'm :pray:'ing that it's just spinal/muscle as she said that will resolve with medications and time. Thank you again for all the thoughts, prayers, good vibes and hugs! :grouphug: :grouphug:

Sorry about my spelling :o


No need to apologize! They're just letters ;)
I, myself, am the typo queen :o

:fingerscr :pray: :goodvibes: that it's just a muscular thing, or a nerve pinched during the seizure, and that he'll make a quick recovery! :grouphug:

Hope he pulls through with flying colours over the next 3 days. :pray::goodvibes::fingerscr

Oh, Rgeurts, you of all people don't need to experience this right now :(. I hope whatever it was, Thorin will make a full recovery. You're always in my thoughts :grouphug:.

Oh, Rgeurts, you of all people don't need to experience this right now :(. I hope whatever it was, Thorin will make a full recovery. You're always in my thoughts :grouphug:.

Thank you LP :grouphug: :grouphug:

Thank you all :)
I have given him the Metacam and he's sleeping now, so hopefully we will see more improvement in the next few days :pray: :fingerscr

I didn't know that it was very rare for dogs to have strokes, Robyn. The first ACD I bred and titled, my lovely blue girl, Shady, ended up having a stroke at 15 years and 4 months and by the time I got the vet out to her she was nearly gone anyway. Then because my friend who bred my two red Ch's had a red female that started having small strokes from age 5 onwards, I assumed it wasn't uncommon. There is always something to learn here. Oh, that red girl walked with her head held on an odd angle.
Thorin sounds like my poor lamb that more or less crabs sideways a bit when walking because she is twisted around like that. I'd have put her down but the vet doesn't think she is in pain, she is holding her condition, can gallop with the others when I call them for their pellets etc.. I suspect, but don't know, that one of the ewes may have butted her and hurt her spine, I did have one acting aggressively at the time. If you wish to compare, pm me and I'll send you a photo.

Goldfields, YES! A crab... that's exactly what he looks like when he's walking! Poor guy :(

But he does seem to be feeling a bit better. He's still a bit twisted, but he's moving easier than he was an isn't as twisted as yesterday, so hopefully he will make a full recovery :pray: :fingerscr

The vet said they get about a half dozen dogs a year with an actual stroke, so not many at all compared to the amount they see. Hopefully Thorins is just muscle/spine :)

Nookie, on the other hand, had another seizure last night. It just doesn't seem to end. I just hope one day we will be able to enjoy them without wondering what's going to happen to who next. The vet tech told me yesterday that we need to give up on having dogs and maybe consider a cat :(
I have to say I get so very envious whenever we go to the vet, or daycare (or anyplace where there are a lot of dogs). Hubby and I see all the people with the happy, healthy babies who obviously take it for granted, and we tend to get a little sad for our boys (and ourselves, on occasion :o). But on the upside, they're both still happy, loving babies and still enjoy their food, and being with us, so I guess that's the most important thing :lovestruck: :cloud9:

I have pm'd you with my email address :)

So glad to hear Thorin seems to be a bit better. More :pray::pray::goodvibes::goodvibes: for continued improvements and a full recovery.

Sorry to hear Nookie had another seizure. I agree it doesn't seem to end for you guys. Hoping for better tomorrows for you and hubby and the furkids. :( :grouphug:

More good vibes for Thorin's full recovery :goodvibes: :goodvibes: :goodvibes: :grouphug: :grouphug:

Oh, no! :( Nookie, too! :grouphug:

Evan was our problem child...he taught us to never take our babies for granted and reminded us that our time together is limited and therefore very precious. So I can relate to how you're feeling :2huggers: Just keep in mind that you've done more for your boys than a lot of people would--and I think that's why they were sent to you. They know they're in good hands! :grouphug:

Rgeurts, big hugs to you and yours. If you ever search my threads you'll see what we went through with my little Tommy; trust me when I say that I really understand what you're going through with your boys. I agree with Hazel - there are reasons sometimes we get the dogs we do. I know that feeling of almost being angry at other doggy owners who have healthy pets as you sit and wonder what will happen next. You're doing such a wonderful job with your boys, and you can tell how much you love them... that means so very much, and I really believe that our babies feel that and know how much we are doing for them. Best of luck and I really hope you get a bit of a break soon from all of the trying times:grouphug:.

Sending prayers for Thorin and Nookie :pray: and strength for you and your husband.

We had an episode of vestibular disease with our oldest dog :angel2: and it honestly didn't sound like what you described. My vet also said strokes are not common in dogs. My sweet rescue Scottie :angel2: had a year of declining and critical health so I don't take good health for granted. When dealing with an ill pet, you realize that each day spent together is a precious gift.

:fingerscr for a full recovery.

Oh, no! :( Nookie, too! :grouphug:

Evan was our problem child...he taught us to never take our babies for granted and reminded us that our time together is limited and therefore very precious. So I can relate to how you're feeling :2huggers: Just keep in mind that you've done more for your boys than a lot of people would--and I think that's why they were sent to you. They know they're in good hands! :grouphug:

Thank you so much Hazel :grouphug:
I know you have been through a lot with yours as well. Hubby and I do the best we can, but sometimes I just wish there were more we could do. It just breaks my heart to see them scared/hurting. I know we won't have them forever, but hopefully at least a while longer :fingerscr :pray:

Rgeurts, big hugs to you and yours. If you ever search my threads you'll see what we went through with my little Tommy; trust me when I say that I really understand what you're going through with your boys. I agree with Hazel - there are reasons sometimes we get the dogs we do. I know that feeling of almost being angry at other doggy owners who have healthy pets as you sit and wonder what will happen next. You're doing such a wonderful job with your boys, and you can tell how much you love them... that means so very much, and I really believe that our babies feel that and know how much we are doing for them. Best of luck and I really hope you get a bit of a break soon from all of the trying times:grouphug:.

Tommysmom, thank you for sharing your experiences, and for the kind words... it's truly appreciated :) :grouphug:. And yes, angry at other doggy owners is exactly what I feel sometimes, even though I know what's happening to us isn't their fault in anyway, and they have no idea what we deal with almost daily lol. I try not to feel like that, but sometimes I just can't help it. I read through a couple of yours, and will read more tomorrow. How is he doing now? And do you know what started his problems (I haven't found a thread yet that says exactly what was going on :o)?

Sending prayers for Thorin and Nookie :pray: and strength for you and your husband.

We had an episode of vestibular disease with our oldest dog :angel2: and it honestly didn't sound like what you described. My vet also said strokes are not common in dogs. My sweet rescue Scottie :angel2: had a year of declining and critical health so I don't take good health for granted. When dealing with an ill pet, you realize that each day spent together is a precious gift.

:fingerscr for a full recovery.

Thank you very much ScottieDog :) :grouphug:
The time we do have with our boys is most definitely precious to us. Thorin has had good health, for the most part until about a year ago. Now with the cancer, bladder stones, colitis and whatever happened the other night, we realize how fragile he is. Nookie, on the other hand, has been sick his entire life (not that he's very old, 15 months now). He's been doing a lot better, but we know we could still lose him anytime, so we cherish every moment. I think it's just so much harder knowing we could lose them both. But we'll make it through this, we always end up ok :)

I'm so sorry to hear about both of the dogs! Wow, you sure have your hands full. Thorin is certainly in my prayers. I hope he recovers fully. It must have been so scarry for you. Of course Nookie too is in my thoughts. I just don't know where to begin or how to say I'm thinking of you all. I know having just gone through Shadow's recent issues it's scary as heck. But with Shadow, she's had a full life and I know I can't stop the inevitable. But your two are still so young, it's just got to be heartbreaking to see them struggle so. Bless you and your hubby for doing so much for them both. You are truly earth angels for your pups - and I have to agree, they were sent to you for a reason. :grouphug:

So glad to hear Thorin seems to be a bit better. More :pray::pray::goodvibes::goodvibes: for continued improvements and a full recovery.

Sorry to hear Nookie had another seizure. I agree it doesn't seem to end for you guys. Hoping for better tomorrows for you and hubby and the furkids. :( :grouphug:

Thank you so much :)
I'm hoping for a full recovery, but it's not looking like it at this point :(

I'm so sorry to hear about both of the dogs! Wow, you sure have your hands full. Thorin is certainly in my prayers. I hope he recovers fully. It must have been so scarry for you. Of course Nookie too is in my thoughts. I just don't know where to begin or how to say I'm thinking of you all. I know having just gone through Shadow's recent issues it's scary as heck. But with Shadow, she's had a full life and I know I can't stop the inevitable. But your two are still so young, it's just got to be heartbreaking to see them struggle so. Bless you and your hubby for doing so much for them both. You are truly earth angels for your pups - and I have to agree, they were sent to you for a reason. :grouphug:

Thank you so much DD :grouphug:
Thorin has had a good long life also (he's 11), but until all this happened recently, he was in great shape, and very puppy like. I'm just not ready to lose my precious boy :(


I spoke with our vet today. Thorin has improved a bit, but is still twisted to the right and somewhat walking like a crab and is still very weak in the rearend. She's thinking now, from the description we gave her, that the cancer has spread to his brain (it wasn't her we saw on Saturday). She did say that if the cancer has spread, the brain is a good place for it to go because this type of cancer, when spread to the brain, responds very well to CCNU (chemo). We have an appt. on Wed. She will give him a thorough neurologic exam and try to determine if it is skeletal, muscular or neurologic, then go from there. I'm :pray:'ing that we have more time with him. Him and Nookie have really bonded. Nookie will be heartbroken right along with us :cry:

Rguerts I just dont know when this is gonna stop for you! Again my prayers are going out to you and the boys! I am praying that he will come through this and give you some more time.

Stay strong MF! :thumbs up

I'm sorry, I thought Thorin was younger than that. But 11 is still too short a time isn't it. Poor sweet soul. Shadow is pushing 14 now, and it's so hard to watch them struggle. All my thoughts and prayers for your two "superloved" pups. They'll always be pups in our hearts. :grouphug:

I can with certainty say that all of us here,love Nanook and Thorin and that we all hope their will finally be a light at the end of the tunnel for all of you,it's been enough suffering.
Would you put Thorin through Chemo at his age,does the vet think he can handle it??

:grouphug: I keep praying you'll get better news. :fingerscr no one will be heartbroken for a very long time! :2huggers:

I'm sorry, I thought Thorin was younger than that. But 11 is still too short a time isn't it. Poor sweet soul. Shadow is pushing 14 now, and it's so hard to watch them struggle. All my thoughts and prayers for your two "superloved" pups. They'll always be pups in our hearts. :grouphug:

There's no need to apologize :)
He really doesn't look old at all. In fact, whenever we have both Thorin and Nanook together and talk about our "old" boy, people always think it's Nookie :eek: :eek:
Nookie looks the older (and acts, some days). Even the holistic vet we see thought Thorin was around 6-7. I had asked about putting Thorin on Recovery for arthritis and she said "well, once he's older I would consider it, but at his age I don't think we have to worry too much". I told her he was 11 (this was his first visit there) and she just couldn't believe it :)

I can with certainty say that all of us here,love Nanook and Thorin and that we all hope their will finally be a light at the end of the tunnel for all of you,it's been enough suffering.
Would you put Thorin through Chemo at his age,does the vet think he can handle it??

We initially said we would not do that as his quality of life is more important than quantity. Dr. Marsden had said he didn't think we should do it, so we didn't. But, Thorins last blood test and chest x-ray were great, so Dr. Marsden said it wouldn't hurt to try metronomic chemotherapy. If Thorin reacts badly to it, we will stop after the first dose and there is no permanent damage. The type of chemo he will be on is CCNU (Lomustine), which is about the mildest chemo treatment (and given orally), but the best for this type of cancer... so I guess we have had a bit of luck in all of this. For anyone who is interested (or may have to consider chemo at some point), the first two links are to metronomic chemo and the second to CCNU:

http://www.dogcancerblog.com/metronomic-chemotherapy/
http://www.nature.com/nrclinonc/journal/v7/n8/full/nrclinonc.2010.82.html

http://www.tirgan.com/ccnu.htm


It seems like metronomic is relatively safe and a great option for people who are against chemo for their babies, but want to extend their life (and still maintain quality of life) for as long as possible. If Dr. Marsden is for it, so are we. He hasn't steered us wrong yet and has done wonders for Nookie. Our family vet, Dr. Stelfox, is also very knowledgable when it comes to cancer. If I remember correctly, she is one of the founders of the cancer therapy subsidation society and the one who set up the chemo within the clinic. I trust her as well.

Thorin and Nanook prayers:pray: for the both of you and:fingerscr:fingerscr:fingerscr fodr the both of them

I'm sorry, I thought Thorin was younger than that. But 11 is still too short a time isn't it. Poor sweet soul. Shadow is pushing 14 now, and it's so hard to watch them struggle. All my thoughts and prayers for your two "superloved" pups. They'll always be pups in our hearts. :grouphug:

Has Shadow improved at all? And yes, they will always be our "puppies" :lovestruck::cloud9:

Robyn,that kind of chemo seems better,hopefully there will be some improvement in Thorin:pray:

I hope the meds work well for Thorin! :goodvibes: And I'm so thankful that you're getting such good veterinary support now! It helps so tremendously when you've got vets that listen and have open minds! :grouphug: When does Thorin start chemo?

Sending more :grouphug: to you and your DH and more :pray::pray::goodvibes::goodvibes: for Thorin.

I read the information you provided on the metronomic and it sounds very promising as well as being much safer than other forms of chemotherapy. I know you won't know anything for sure until the veterinarian runs further tests tomorrow.

Keeping you in my thoughts.:2huggers:

Robyn, this is the first time I have read this post and I am so sorry that Thorin is going through these troubles. You can count on us for good thoughts and prayers for all of you. :pray::grouphug: patti

Glad Thorin is feeling a bit better. Lots of hugs to all of you :grouphug:.

Thank you all SO much for the good thoughts, hugs and prayers! You have no idea how much it helps the soul to know people do care :grouphug::grouphug:

Hazel, we are set to start his chemo tomorrow evening. We have been trying for over 3 weeks now. The first appt. was cancelled as he and Nookie had Kennel Cough, then the 2nd appt. was cancelled because he had a bout of Colitis and the last was cancelled because he was still having mucousy poos and had licked the pads on his right foot completely raw :eek: :eek:, so he's stressing about something. He did that a few times when he was younger, but this is the first time in a few years :shrug:. He's my neurotic boy :cloud9:

We have our appt. with Dr. Stelfox tomorrow evening for a neurological exam, blood work and urinalysis, then if all is well and the sores on his paw are healed/poos back to normal, we will start the chemo. :)

Good luck at the appt tomorrow. Hopefully it will finally be the right time to start treatment! :fingerscr

Well, we started the chemo tonight! I just hope and :pray: that he can tolerate it. She did a neurological exam and said he's doing very well. She thinks he definitely could have had a stroke, but if so, it was minor. She thinks the cancer may have spread to his brain, which is another reason to start the chemo. Apparently the only tumors it's effective on is brain tumors, otherwise, chemo is usually only effective on the free floating cells. So I think we're doing the right thing by trying. Like she said, if he doesn't tolerate it, or it drops his white count/raises his kidney values, we will discontinue and no permanent damage from 1 dose. Just the thought that we could have him another 18-24 months, in relatively good shape, makes me very happy :lovestruck: :cloud9:

If he doesn't tolerate it, are there any signs you're supposed to look for :o?

I so admire you and your dh, Rgeurts :grouphug:. :fingerscr this works for Thorin :goodvibes:.

If he doesn't tolerate it, are there any signs you're supposed to look for :o?

I so admire you and your dh, Rgeurts :grouphug:. :fingerscr this works for Thorin :goodvibes:.

That's what I asked her too :)
She said vomiting/diarrhea is acceptable for the first 3 days, as long as it isn't excessive. So if he vomits more than a couple times in a 12 hour period, or has consistent diarrhea, those are some of the signs and we will take him in to keep him hydrated. She said the biggest signs will come from the blood test and urinalysis next Thursday. If his kidney values have increased or his white blood count has dropped too much, we will discontinue it. If the blood work is at acceptable levels and the vomiting/diarrhea aren't too bad, we will go back 3 weeks from this Friday for a second dose. There will be 6 in all. We decided not to do the metronomic dose, but instead, opted for smaller doses of the normal therapy. The reason for this was Nookie. He's at risk for contamination, so we have to keep him and Thorin apart for the first 72 hours. After that, the risk is gone. If we do metronomic, we will have to keep them separated permanently, until the chemo is done (about 4 months). She said she would rather not do chemo than to separate them for that long, not to mention it would be almost impossible. 3 Days every 3 weeks is hard enough. So, we'll see how it goes. If it looks like he's going to suffer on it, we will end it :)

LP, the admiration is mutual, you're a wonderful human being :) :2huggers:

... we have to keep him and Thorin apart for the first 72 hours.

I hope this isn't going to be too difficult for you :fingerscr. But yeah, it's a much better option than 4 months. Is Nookie still at daycare? Maybe that'll help at least during the day.

Wishing all the best for Thorin's treatment :goodvibes: :fingerscr :goodvibes:.

I hope this isn't going to be too difficult for you :fingerscr. But yeah, it's a much better option than 4 months. Is Nookie still at daycare? Maybe that'll help at least during the day.

It won't be too bad. Hubby and I will rotate staying in the basement with Thorin and we will keep Nookie upstairs. The basement isn't bad, it's a walkout with picture windows along the entire south wall, and it's finished, so comfy and bright! I think the hardest thing will be that Nookie will keep trying to get to Thorin, he just adores him. But it's only for 3 days :)
And yes, Nookie still goes to daycare, so it's only the evening we will have to worry about. I work tomorrow, then I'm off until Monday, so lotsa time to take care of them!

Wishing all the best for Thorin's treatment :goodvibes: :fingerscr :goodvibes:.

Thank you TeriM! I'm hoping for the best! You never know unless you try, and the chemo regimen he's on is the mildest, and given orally, so I'm :pray:'ing he will tolerate it. Once it's done, we will have up to 563 days (average lifespan with chemo) instead of maybe a few months. :)