Month: February 2021

Jessee is actually walking better than this indicates but she is such a drama queen diva and is taking real dramatic steps with the orthodic device.  Although it is getting better every day.  My rehabilitation vet Dr. Finn suggested the orthodic as a way to give her extra support on the right front leg and take some of the strain off the rear legs.  It was custom made for her with a huge fiberglass casting mold.  It’s very light as it’s made from fiberglass also.  And we had it made in shades of purple for Jessee.  The company that makes these is called Ortho Pets.  They are located in Colorado.  We paid a little extra for overnight shipping and fast production to have it in one week.  Jessee will not wear this all day, she gets around very well on her own without it, but when she wants to go for a walk she will wear it.  Very easy to get on and off and she doesn’t mind at all except of course for the dramatics!

Another Jessee update.  So I wanted to get Jessee on a good CBD product as well as appropriate glucosamine for her post surgery care.  I contacted a friend that also has a great dane who had cancer.  Stacy Ladnier works for Anahiem Hills Pet Clinic.  She is a Certified Veterinary Cannabis Counselor as well as a Registered Vet Tech.  She has been doing cannabis counselling for the past two years.  Since I’m in WA and she is in CA we worked via telephone during our first consulation as Zoom was down.  I completed a rather thorough package for Stacy describing Jessees medical condition and medications she is on.  After she reviewed this we discussed what our goals were for Jessee.  Stacy recommended ElleVet CBD+CBDA chews for large dogs.

I immediately placed my order.   Once I had the product in hand my diva decided she didn’t want to chew the chews!  So I chopped them up and put them in her nutritional diet which she scarfed  down.  On day 5 she started eating them like treats.  We are now on day 6 of 8 chews per day.  After the first week she will reduce to 4 per day.  As Jessee is 8.5 years of age she has a bit of arthritis in her rear legs and we want to protect those legs as much as possible as well as keeping her calm and some pain relief for minor stuff.  It’s my job to keep a log of how she is doing.  So far, aside from the initial (not liking the flavor?) she’s doing great.  My oncologist here in WA, Dr Rizzo, also mentioned that some clients had told her their pets did not care for the chews.  But after discussing with Stacy the quality of this product and the fact that I can mix it in her food, I’m sticking with it.  The CBD market is so overwhelming with oils, and addictives and it’s rather confusing to me.  I appreciated Stacy explaining what ingredients are in this product so I could make an informed decision.  There are other products Stacy works with available.  I’m pretty content that I have a solid source to go to for information on the CBD products.  So again, just wanted to throw this out there for anyone who might be interested.

Just wanted to add another post after some feedback from Jerry that it might be of interest.

After Jessee was diagnosed with osteosarcoma we were referred to Puget Sound Veterinary Specialists by our primary vet.  the oncologist, Dr. Rizzo suggested we might want to consider a nutritionist consult for Jessee to get the best diet for her.  A special diet was prepared for Jessee based on a review of her medical records.

The daily diet consists of the following:

311.85 grams of chicken breast (boneless/skinless)

351 grams of cooked oats (after being cooked in water)

300 grams of sweet potatoes, baked in skin without salt

117 grams of broccoli, boiled without salt

39 grams of carrots, boiled without salt

37 grams of blueberries or strawberries or apples/melon  She likes blueberries

6.8 grams of flaxseed oil, cold pressed

8.05 grams of Nordic Naturals Omega 3 Pet Liquid

4 teaspoons of Balance it Carnivore Blend

1/8  mL of pure encapsulated Liquid B12

The diet provides 1350.8 calories per day.

I supplement this with ElleVet (another blog post with more detail) and 5 Mushrooms supplment (capsule)

Jessee has had no hesitation eating this,  Bowels have been good even after chemo (hope that continues)

Anyway, just wanted to share.  It is alot of work but as with everyone who reads this or is a part of Tripawds, Jessee means the world to mean and I will continue making this every four days to keep her happy and healthy for as long as possible!  PS, I make four to five days ahead.  Each day goes into one container to make sure she has everything she needs.  I feed her three times a day, so she gets 3/4 lb at each meal.  Each recipe makes 2.25 lbs.