Stopped using the loop for now

We have stopped using the Loop.  At least for now.  While I believe it certainly can help ease arthritic pain and have seen that with Buster and to some extent with Rex.. I believe it does a lot of other things too...

The stimulation that the Loop produces is so helpful, I think that you can't just pin point it to work on one particular thing.  Some of the things it affects are systemic.  This can be a good thing depending on what is going on. Or it can be a bad thing.. Sometimes too much of a good thing can have the opposite affect.

While we can't prove that any of these things were caused by the Loop, simply because we weren't setting out to prove / disprove additional affects of the Loop - other than hair growth (which I can confirm has happened with Rex!!!)

I believe, and most of our vets and specialists also believe that there is a likelihood that the stimulation from the Loop also either caused, or contributed to or possibly just sped up the calcium deposits the blood vessels that were growing into Rex's ulcer in his eye and the 2nd one forming in the other eye.   More so the blood vessel that was growing there, since the Loop does stimulate circulation and that can stimulate the growth of new blood vessels.

In Buster's case, we stopped it completely almost a week ago because he had started panting again. Each time we used the loop he'd pant more, and it looked like it was causing him pain.   Then we started to notice blood in his urine.. then his urine was all red and redish brown.  I ended up taking him to the ER and he had a raging bladder infection. This is a dog who has never had a bladder infection or UTI.  We are suspecting that because his panting increased when we were using the Loop, and we know it increases blood flow, that it was causing pain in his bladder. His bladder is also within the area of his back and hips where we were placing the Loop.  We suspect that bacteria also seem to really like the loop too (at least these Rods that were all over the place when they did the urinalysis).   So.. this is a key difference between HBOT and the Loop.  HBOT will help cure infections... but you can't go in there with an ulcer... or bleeding bladder, or anything bleeding for that matter.. So he's now on a good strong dose of antibiotics... He's still bleeding a little. We've added a special Chinese herb that stops bleeding.. and hopefully he'll be feeling better soon..

Now on the flip side.. the ER doc said that Buster was walking incredibly well for someone with the hip and back problems that he had on prior xrays.. so That's helped..   He is still falling over and his back right leg will still go out.. but he can run from a Vet... from Lightning, and from the Hose when he needs a bath..

One step forward.. 2 steps back..

So... we solve some problems and create additional ones in the process.

Day 11- eye problems

Hole in Rex's eye with blood vessel going into it...

About 6 days ago we started to notice a cloud forming in Rex's right eye... then his left. Yesterday...the cloud in his right eye ended up with a hole in it (ulcer) so we're now at the eye doctor.

He explained and showed me that calcium started to deposit in the cornea and then a blood vessel started growing towards the ulcer.  We are suspecting this has to do with the Loop. This is the only change in his treatment regimen and the formations started right after we added the Loop.

Soooooo.... we need to figure out if we still use the Loop.. or don't use it near his head... or use it less often.

Apparently circulation was increasing so much weird things were happening...

They say it will grow new stem cells... and increase blood flow... I guess Rex's body thought that his eye needed more blood flow?


 This is kind of a bummer... I was excited to see Rex's fur finally start growing back in...   

Pooped after our apt.. we got up WAY too early for this!!! But we did meet a REALLY cute pitbull and we kissed her and she kissed us!

 

Pooped after our apt.. we got up WAY too early for this!!! But we did meet a REALLY cute pitbull and we kissed her and she kissed us!

Day 9

Day 9, has been a great day for Rex and not too bad of a day for Buster...

Rex was a little messy this morning and needed a bath, so he started the day with a hose down in his wheel chair outside in the sun.  I'm not sure he was actually awake when I put him out there... Then he came inside for a blow dry (he really enjoys those!)  He had breakfast, and then took a nap.  When he woke up he was trying really hard to move his body parts.. You can see him focused, and a slight tremble each time he tries to move something.  He was able to move his arm a little bit, and he kicked his back right leg a few times. He even was able to push back when I put my hand under his foot!!!  ... of course the second I pulled out the camera he stopped.

He still doesn't seem to be able to hold himself up with his back legs.. but we're working on it.. at least there was a definite connection going to that leg where he was able to move it and push back!

And I swear!! His fur is growing more in the bald spots!!!

See that fur growing?!!!!!

Even the fur on his wrist is growing back finally!!!

Momma Deer

She's really good at eating weeds! She's very sweet!

Buster has been doing ok.. He's still panting quite a bit. His back legs are still stiff and that back leg lags behind him sometimes.. But I think he's a little less painful than he was before we started with the Loop.  He can get up, usually on his own, but he does still fall over.  The best part is even with all of this.. he has NOT been on Gabapentin at ALL since we started using the Loop!  He's also decided he no longer wants to eat his turmeric or Traumeel.. If either are in his food, he spits them out. Occasionally he'll take the Body Sore.   So.. as of Day 9, I can say that this has definitely helped Buster. I don't think he's pain free though...  I DO think I need to play around with the treatments a bit though.. I'm still trying to figure out the best places on his body to place the Loop and the frequency of treatments each day that will give him the greatest benefit.  There are so many places on his body that hurt!    This is the same issue with Rex too.


So.. there is a great Buster story to share!  We've had a Momma Deer who has taken a job at our house, trimming the hedges, eating the weeds, and edging the garden. She's actually VERY good at doing this and aside from doing a great job of pruning the Hydrangeas, she's left all the flowers alone and seriously only gone after the weeds!

Yesterday I opened the back door to let him out, he got down the ramp and started to walk around the corner of the house... while Momma was coming around the corner in the other direction.. and they ran into each other!  Both freaked out!  In 3 very graceful bounces, Momma Deer bounced right out of the yard and into the woods, while Buster tried to take off after her. Unfortunately his brain thought he could run faster than his legs thought he could... and he looked like he was running on his knees!  Momma got away, and Buster had a little excitement!

I'll try and get another video of him walking tomorrow to compare to.. I don't see too much change... but I do think he's in a little less pain  (at 9 days)

Day 7

We took yesterday off from the Loop.  Rex was getting really weak in his neck area and seemed to be in pain each time I administered the Loop.  I keep going back to what we do with HBOT and they like to give 1 session 5 days in a row and then rest for a couple of days before going into the next round of HBOT treatments. So, I decided to give Rex a couple of days off.

Below you can see Rex with the loop, breathing very deliberately... This is not how he normally breaths and a sign of pain (that and paler gums)  As soon as the Loop went off he went back to breathing normally.

Buster was experiencing something similar too, and was panting a lot, stiff, didn't want to get out of bed.  At first with Buster I thought it might be weather related.. but when he started to walk, he seemed to be walking ok and aside from being stiff and painful he wasn't limping as much.  He also was getting caught in corners and that made me wonder if maybe this is a neurological thing vs. the issues we've been having. (I did reach out to the neurologist and will schedule a check up just to be sure.)  I gave Buster a day off as well and he actually seems to be better today, aside from the heat panting.

Today...

Buster seems to be doing much better. He's been out for a few walks.. no signs of limping, no getting stuck in corners so far.. He's hot.. but that happens when it's over 100 outside and the AC is doing all it can!

Rex seems to be doing better as well. He needed a break from the treatments. He's had one so far today on his shoulder but wasn't shaking in pain like he was the other day...   His whole body seems to be a bit stronger, his front legs seem to be more stable. Last night he was moving them a little bit .. The last 2 nights I've also been seeing him struggle and strain to try and move his body.  It took me a little while to remember how important it is to let him do this on his own.. As much as I want to jump in and help, what has been going on is Rex trying to remember how to control his muscles again... It can be really frustrating for dogs.. Max went through this too when he came out of his Coma and was trying to do things during physical therapy, and after.. His mind would tell him to sit up, but he couldn't quite remember how to make his body do it.. but as he got closer, I could see his body tremble as it was trying to make it work the right way.

The other thing that I had to remember that helps, is moving his arms and legs in the motion that he wants to move them.. so his muscle memory kicks in.. The more he can repeat these movements, the faster his muscles will remember them.

Rex is also having issues drinking out of his bowl. Since his neck has been so weak, he has only been able to hold his head up for a couple of minutes to drink before it ends up collapsing in the side of his water bowl.. and he starts to cough (choke) because it's pushing on his esophagus / trachea... I tried a smaller bowl and that wasn't as effective.. So I pulled out Max's old water / feeding syringe... Then thought.. what about a squirt bottle?  Now that was a BRILLIANT idea if I do say so myself!!!  It's been so hot out, it actually turned into a fun game for both Max and Rex to catch water from the squirt bottle and drink it.. The cat even got in on it.. until I missed.

Rex moves his arm in this one.

On another positive note...   Rex's fur is growing on his head.  This patch was shaved Oct 2015.. it's now July 2016

Photo from a week ago

Taken 7/3/2016

Taken 7/9/2016

Day 5

Today is a double Loop kind of day! We did this twice yesterday and Rex started to move his front arms again and seems to be gaining some strength and can hold himself with assistance with his front half. His wrists are still pretty weak and buckle sometimes but there's a difference that is noticeable!  He also has been lifting his head a little higher.

No change yet with the back legs but we're not expecting ghat for a while.

Changing the position from over his spine to around his shoulders and legs seems to be getting more of a positive result. Not sure why or if it's a fluke or just normal from the cumulative treatments. But if you're trying g the Loop play with positioning. 

 

11pm Update

 Today was one of those days where it was beyond hot and humid outside, so Buster didn't get much outdoor walking time.. He also slept until he was forced to get up around 4pm (if we could all be so lucky...)

Buster had a pretty tough day. I think part of that was sleeping so long on his right side, part was the heat and humidity, and the other part was he had fewer treatments than he's been having because I've been doubling up with Rex and doing 2 at a time over his rear leg and front arm.

I think I can say that after 5 days .. there is definitely a correlation to Buster feeling better, yet.. how much better we can make him feel remains to be seen.  I would ideally love to see days without any pain panting at all.    Just the same - we HAVE gone 6 days without any pain medication which is a plus... I think he may like some tonight though... (He had turmeric and Traumeel tonight so hopefully that helps.. and he sleeps the whole night vs. walking the house until 4am!)

REX ... on the other hand seems to have been having a pretty good day for him.. He's moving his head more, he's holding it up more.. not as high as I'd like, but he lay across his therapy box and drank some water, he lay across my tummy with his feet on the ground and drank water.. He's holding his front half up MUCH better now - still needs support and can't stand on his own at all.  His right back leg seemed to be holding a little weight, but the left one wasn't doing anything.   He's moved his arms a little bit, and pushed himself a little higher a couple of times with his arms... but no major adjustments.  In his sleep he'll run with all 4 limbs... but he's been doing that all along.

He's holding his head up higher to drink - This video is from early today... he is doing even better now.. (I can't video while he's on his box or sitting on me b/c I can't support him.. sorry for not having those videos.. )

Rex also made it into his wheel chair today and was moving his front arms just a little bit..  He had a couple of perfect steps, but most were with his wrists bending under or knuckling..  

Here's Rex with both Loops on blinking...  (very exciting huh?)

 

DAY 4

Hopefully today will be better than yesterday.  It's not raining, the sun is trying to come out.. but it's humid out there... AC is working though..

Both boys got their first treatments... I did their hips

Buster is still asleep at 11AM...   Rex has been awake since 5:30 this morning... but when I brought him into the kitchen for breakfast he immediately fell asleep..   He seems sore... He is still having trouble with his back legs and doesn't seem to have any sensation with them - before he was kicking... so not sure if we're going backwards with that... ... He has a very hard time holding his head up, but his eyes are following.. and he did try and sit up a bunch of times.. unfortunately all he has been able to do is lift his head from the side... the up and down is still having some challenges.. but we've been here before... a few times.. so hopefully we can over come this.. not sure if it's Loop Related or not..

He is still drinking water well and I had him standing  over his Physical therapy box and he managed to keep his front arms straight enough for a little support for a period of time so he could drink standing until he dove nose first into his water bowl when his wrists gave out.. it's still early in the day.. I've been known to faceplant in my Capt Crunch (with Crunch berries of course)  and he hasn't eaten yet..

One thing I have noticed with Rex is that his neck is no longer skin and bones.. there is some fluid in there..not super strong muscle.. but some thickness to his neck... which he didn't have before...

The Loop does some things similar to Hyperbaric oxygen Therapy (HBOT) and Rex is usually exhausted on his 2nd, 3rd, 4th days of HBOT  (we go for 5 days in a row).  I have mostly attributed that to the 3 hour drive to get there, the added activity of going to the hospital every day, and staying in a hotel, as well as going to see his physical therapists one or two times while we're up there, vs. me doing it at home with him... just a lot more activity.. but maybe it's more... so I'm kind of curious to see if it's just the treatments that are pooping him out and if he'll regain strength in a few days like he does when we go for HBOT.. sometimes he has to be home for a few days to rest up and settle in  - HBOT has residual effects that will last a few weeks after a series of treatments.. I'm going to go on a limb and make the assumption that the Loop will too - it's a cumulative thing... .. so what I'm hoping to see is that his body gets accustomed to the treatments and adjusts to them and continues to get stronger...

When I've had electric acupuncture.. even though I'm not doing sit ups (if administered in my stomach) I will feel like I've been doing sit ups all day... I'm wondering if that is the same feeling he has.. that can poop one out who hasn't had much muscle tone to begin with... anyway- these are things I'm paying attention to... and will keep you posted...

HAIR ALERT - to me it looks like he's still sprouting more hair... in his shaved patches.. but the pictures look too similar.. so I'm going to post these  once a week (it is like watching paint dry isn't it?)  (see updates to the Hair Alert post 

AFTERNOON UPDATE:

After a little bit of a rough start to the day, things are picking up with the beasts..

Buster Update...   He spent most of the day sleeping but it's also in the mid 90s and extremely high humidity... who wouldn't want to be in the AC sleeping today?  He got up... walked right over his brother a few times.. I think I"m beginning to see why Rex can't walk...  went out a few times. He has NOT fallen today... He is clearly feeling better than he has been.. He decided to navigate the front steps on his own again and hopped up them...  and then he took a flying leap to jump OVER the threshold at the back door.. luckly he landed on the welcome mat or he'd be spread eagle on the deck... He did NOT take his turmeric today.. he's apparently having a case of pill fatigue..and ate around them..  so we'll see how that is working out for him later today

Rex update..   Rex was also not enjoying the heat and is now laying on his cooling bed. He didn't look or feel dehydrated to me.. but really wasn't doing much this morning and could barely lift his head.  I decided a Vitamin B12 injection might help and figured some Sub Q fluids wouldn't hurt either being that it was so hot.. Sometimes when he's this lethargic, even if the skin pull test doesn't seem to look like he's dehydrated and his mouth isn't tacky.. he still seems to do much better with fluids... and 1/2 hour after the B12 and fluids.. he perked up and decided he wanted to eat, wanted to be taken outside, wanted to practice putting pressure on his legs, even in the 90+ humid weather... and he wanted to lay on my tummy and practice holding his head up and turning it to watch everything go on while I scratched his chin.. apparently some days his exercise ball and his exercise block don't quite cut it for him... hey what ever it takes to strengthen that neck..

I just called over to Assisi Pet Health to double check and make sure that the Loop wouldn't have much of an affect on the microchips these guys have (apparently it may weaken the signal of the loop just a little bit but nothing major) and Rex has a B.B. that some not so nice, trespassing, non-gentleman like hunter shot into his nether regions while I was yelling at him to get off my property.  I wanted to make sure that it wouldn't affect the BB either and heat it up...   We are good to go on both accounts. Neither will affect the Loop or the treatment. 

I also asked if I could use 2 loops at once and was told that I could as long as they were at least 7 inches from each other... which is great news too for Rex!

So far so good!! 

Day 3

First treatment of day 3 underway...

 

So far.. nothing exciting to report.. 

Buster went for his morning walk.. not much panting. He did fall over a couple of times but didn't seem to be in the level of pain he was in before. He has bad bone spurs in his right hip socket... so that's probably the cause of falling over.. but he definitely doesn't seem to be in excruciating pain any more. He also is on day 2 without Gabapentin or Traumeel (just turmeric and body sore chinese herbs)  and  I am very happy to have him off the Gabapentin!! He's not as loopy as he was. 

Rex is still asleep.. He was up and down last night. His arms and legs are still weak.. but he's much more cognitive of what's around him, he's watching things more, following things, more grunting when he wants attention, and trying to get some squeaks out and make whispering small barking noises which he hasn't done in years... This too may be attributed to less pain... Time will tell ... we're still very early in all of this.. and he's going to take a lot longer to see results..   I'm hoping to get him to a point where he doesn't have the pain and can be able to put up with physical therapy a bit more and rebuild muscle mass.. He still has a great appetite though!!! And will lunge for anything other than dog food 

More to come... 

 The rest of Day 3

So the rest of Day 3 was not all that exciting... Buster was panting more and more uncomfortable than he was for Day 1 and 2.  The weather was raining on and off...   Once it cleared Buster went for a walk to try and stretch his legs in the street, and he did ok there... when he hit the grass though he immediately fell over... and then he fell over again... but he did try and jump up the stairs on his own .. something he hasn't done in a long time.. he hasn't even attempted stairs (even just the 2 front steps) without a spotter in a long time... so while I think he was in more discomfort, it wasn't as bad as it has been... and there were a few times where his panting would calm down and he'd stop but he was still breathing heavier than he had been the prior 2 days.  (this is still without gabapentin or traumell - just joint support, turnermic.  I want to make sure we don't have any masking from pain meds so I can really see what's going on  and if the Loop is really helping for the first couple of weeks with him.

Rex was not doing too well at all today.. not sure if it was the weather either.. He slept most of the day.. He ate like a champ, even ate an entire extra big can of Weruvu Chicken in one sitting which he doesn't normally do and he did a lot of it on his own slurping the sauce.. which he also doesn't normally do.. He couldn't put any pressure on any of his legs  which is not normal - usually he can at least stiffen up his front legs if he's on his exercise ball or Box doing physical therapy. He could barely hold his head up, even to drink the remainder of the day... I'm guessing he was in pain.. At night he didn't want to sleep in his normal bed.. so I brought him up on my bed and he eventually fell asleep around midnight and slept until 5:30 - or work me up around 5:30.. not sure if he was sleeping the whole time but I didn't get the 2 am wake up... so hopefully he was more comfortable..