u/joojie

A couple of weeks ago I posted about my dog starting on phenobarbital, he wasn't doing very well at all. I totally expected the wobbliness and ataxia, but it was pretty severe for him. Everyone told me it would pass after a couple of weeks, and I was willing to wait it out. If it was just the ataxia, I would have been fine with it.

Gus doesn't do anything normally. He's had a few uncommon health issues in the past. I'm a vet tech and I've seen many dogs started on a phenobarbital, but I've never seen any get as sick as Gus was.

True to his nature, unfortunately, Gus developed the very rare side effect of phenobarbital: pancreatitis. He had liquid diarrhea, wouldn't eat anything and was vomiting. I woke up one morning to ten piles of liquid diarrhea throughout my house. Gus wasn't the dog I knew, he was miserable and so was I.

Gus has suspected microvascular dysplasia. This is abnormal vasculature in the liver, which makes it harder for the liver to clear medications from the body. With his reaction to the phenobarbital, I'm more confident that he actually does have MVD. It took about three days for him to come back around after stopping the phenobarbital. I had to carry him up and down the stairs, lift him up onto furniture, he wouldn't touch food and just slept all day. He was dragging his hind legs even two days after his last dose. I feel like every time we gave him a dose, we were piling up onto the last dose that hadn't left his system yet.

I spoke with all of the vets I work with as well as Gus's neurologist. We decided what was best would be to try to take Gus off of the phenobarbital. Gus has only had one episode of seizures. The episode involved 2 seizures about 5 minutes apart on June 16.

We decided that we will monitor Gus for further seizures and if they become frequent, we will revisit medications in the future.

Gus has now been off of the phenobarbital since June 26th, and he's back to his normal bratty self. We haven't seen any signs of further seizures so far. We do have emergency intranasal midazolam in case we need it. If seizures do happen in the future, I'll talk to the neurologist again about medication options.

He did have an MRI and we know he doesn't have a tumor or any other brain abnormalities, so that makes me more comfortable with this plan. (On brand for Gus, he's a rare case of idiopathic epilepsy presenting in a senior dog)

Just putting it out there that sometimes medications aren't right for every pet. You have to weigh whats right for your specific situation and you and your dog's quality of life.

Just looking for some commiseration, but I'll preface this with I am not a mechanic. I just like to dabble. Fixing stuff is a challenge to me.

2002 Mk4 Golf 1.8T GTI

So a while ago I had a coolant hose blow, led me to noticing the coolant was sludgey. Ruled out a head gasket (thank god) because oil didn't look contaminated. I think at some point the wrong coolant was added and/or my oil cooler is bad and is letting some oil into the coolant. So I do a coolant flush, run the hose through a bit then add a cleaner, get the majority of the gunk out. Along the way, I fixed the coolant hose that busted (crappy brittle plastic joint, thankfully just a straight connection)

Now it's time to replace the oil cooler, seems simple enough. I drained the oil, drained the coolant lines. I have the car up on jack stands, but not very high. I also don't have a creeper, so I'm just scootching on a dismantled piece of garage shelving on my back. I realized the clamps to remove the hoses from the oil cooler are much more accessible from up top. So I go up top, but some other coolant hoses are in the way. I don't have hose clamp pliers, so I'm fumbling around with a variety of other pliers to disconnect some other hoses that are in my path. I get the clamps loose, jiggle the hose to disconnect it...snap...freaking brittle hose connections! The engine coolant pipe T connector just crumbles at every connection, just like the other straight connector did. I spent way too long digging broken brittle bits of plastic out of the ends of 4 hoses and making sure none had made its way further in. So now I'm contemplating replacing all of the connections with aluminum. $30 on amazon, but I'm not sure the quality will be great...but at this point, it'll be better than it was.

So I let that be for now until I can get a replacement part. I decided the hose clamps on the oil cooler will be much easier to get at if I unbolt the oil cooler first, then I can move it around a bit more. But wait! I don't have a 27mm socket 🤦‍♀️ I have literal billions of other socket sizes, but not that one. Sooooo now I gotta buy that too.

And to top it off, I don't have a good shop light, so I'm doing all this with a little LED flashlight in my mouth 😆

I'm doing this because it's fun, right? 😖

Shopping list:

-already got an oil cooler

-hose clamp pliers

-creeper

-good shop light

-aluminum hose connectors

-27mm socket

-....? What next?

I'm a vet tech and I have a 10yr old Frenchie, Gus. He has a fairly extensive medical history, but nothing chronic (everything has been fixed with surgeries and treatment)

On Tuesday he had his first 2 seizures. (Well, he had a very mild one once at just under a year old, but he had been given the sedative acepromazine which lowers the seizure threshold)

We had a neuro consult Friday and he had an MRI yesterday. We were told the most likely differential was a brain tumor, and the least likely was late onset epilepsy, because it's fairly uncommon. Well, the MRI showed no structural abnormalities, so true to form, Gus decided to break the rules. This time for the better.

Last Tuesday the emerg doctor started him on Keppra, but on Friday the neurologist switched it to phenobarb, because the twice daily dosing is much easier (we don't have XR in Canada and they don't make it in his dose anyway - 250mg) She also said it's effective in a higher percentage of patients.

So he's been on 30mg of phenobarb twice daily since Friday and I feel so terrible for him. He's super wonky on his hind end and just generally unsettled and anxious. He's panting and restless and every hour or so he starts whining at me like crazy. I had him at work at the vet clinic with me today and he was super annoying. He would snooze for a bit then screeeeam at me for attention/food. (See video)

Honestly, we don't start a lot of patients on phenobarb at my clinic. We refer to neuro and they usually choose the right meds for them, so I wasn't super familiar with the extent of the initial side effects. I really empathize with clients who have to go through this now.

I feel so bad for him. He seems like he has most of his bratty personality in there, but he just seems kinda confused and agitated. He doesn't seem like my GusGus. I know these effects are temporary, but if anyone can share similar experiences and how long it lasted for with your pup it would help me feel a bit better 😣

I have pretty terrible anxiety. I also have a 10yr old Frenchie. These things don't mix well.

You may have seen my post back in Dec/Jan about Gus. He had just had an emergency cholecystectomy with a double whammy splenectomy. Almost exactly 1 year prior he had a nasty case of bacterial meningitis and needed a TECA-BO to remove the infected inner ear.

https://www.reddit.com/r/VetTech/s/C0rMYASgDN

Well, this past Tuesday Gus decided waiting a year was too long. He had a grand mal seizure. It was scary, but I was fairly calm and reassuring my husband while it happened. He came around, was a bit wobbly on his feet, then a few minutes later vomited, went rigid, and had another seizure that lasted a couple of minutes. I know one seizure isn't an immediate "right now" emergency. But two that close is no bueno. I started panicking, messaged my work group chat, and two of my angel coworkers rushed to meet me at the clinic to give midazolam (with verbal phone orders from my boss. So glad she lets us do that)

One of my coworkers drove me and my husband to the emerg clinic \~45min away, neither of us were in any state to drive. Gus was looking much better by then. He had a thorough exam, started on Keppra and booked a neuro consult for Friday. The ER doctor said she was concerned about a "structural abnormality (ie brain tumor) because of the quick cluster seizure activity. Begin super panic mode.

I didn't sleep at all Tuesday night, we got home at 2am. Went to work Wednesday morning. Couldn't handle it, I was so tired. Another angel coworker covered me for a few hours while I went home and napped.

Thursday Gus was SO sedate from the keppra, even though it was a fairly low dose. He could barely stand. I had a mild panic thinking it was actually something neurological making him sluggish and less responsive, lowered the dose a bit and by Friday he was better.

Friday neuro appointment. Neurologist doesn't mince words. "Frenchies like to get brain tumors" I'm panicked again. "But it could be something else." Switched to phenobarb because it's easier to dose and we booked an MRI for today. Dropped him off super early, had a horrible anxiety filled day.

Discharge appointment with a different neurologist. Great news! No tumor, no encephalitis, no fluid, just a small "spot" that could be a post-ictal remnant. She'll get a full radiologist report, but she's not super concerned about it. I cried from relief.

Gus will be on anti-seizure meds for life, but we know it's most likely late onset idiopathic epilepsy. The neurologist says that's very uncommon...but Gus doesn't like to do \*anything\* by the book. Gus is gorked from his GA today, but I'm sure he'll be back to his menacing self tomorrow.

Also, we've now maxed out our insurance for him for the 3rd year in a row 🤦‍♀️

Gus has added so much to my life, while simultaneously taking years off my life from anxiety!

I'm an RVT, so this isn't really an "owner question" per se.

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I have 3 cats, all DSH. Esmeralda, a 15yr old FS torbie, Stanley a (assumed) ~7-9yr old MN orange boi, and Carl, a 3yr old MN grey tux. Carl is peeing all over my house and it's making me mental.

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I adopted Es when she was 11 from the shelter, she had belonged to a lady who went into longterm care. She had some known urinary issues at the time, but just hematuria, which cleared up. She did eventually start urinating inappropriately. When she peed on my couch I finally decided it was time to try to medicate her, so I started her on 5mg clomipramine SID. It's a high dose, but it has worked a treat. She isn't a very active girl, so I haven't really noticed any kind of sedative side effects. I tried weaning her once and a week in she peed on the couch again....so back up to 5mg.

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I got Stan the Man (also a shelter special) shortly after Esmeralda, and she hates him. Honestly she kinda hates everyone 🙄 but they coexist. Stan seemed to want a cat friend, he seemed so sad and lonely. So I found Carl on an online ad. He was advertised needing a home from a family going through some hard times. Carl had lost his littermate brother to a genetic bone disease at 10 months old. That happened a week after the father in the family passed from pancreatic cancer in his 50s. They knew Carl was lonely, but they couldn't commit themselves to take on another cat at that time in their lives, so they wanted him to go to a home with a friend. Perfect situation for me. Carl was just over a year old at the time. Carl and Stan are buddies. Stan didn't like Carl immediately, but it didn't take long.

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However, Stan does "dominate" Carl sometimes. He gets on his back and pins him down and bites his neck. I stop the behavior if I witness it, but obviously I'm not there every time. Esmeralda also seems to hate Carl more than she hates everyone else. She'll grumble at Stan if he walks by her, but she'll banshee scream if it's Carl. Carl is kinda dumb, and two years in, he still attempts to be friends with her. She wants nothing to do with it.

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I also have 2 dogs, a Frenchie who was here before all the cats and a senior poodle we inherited this past October when my husband's grandma passed away. Carl loves the dogs. He tries to play with Augie the poodle, but gets ignored. He lets Gus the frenchie lick his ears until he's absolutely sopping wet.

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So, moral of the story. Why is Carl peeing all over my house?? I have 2 neakasa automatic litter boxes. They clean almost immediately after they're used. They're on different floors of my house. Esmeralda uses one and the boys tend to use the other one more, but will use both. Carl will use the box sometimes, but pretty much daily there's a piss situation somewhere. A few weeks ago I started him on amitriptyline, but I've seen zero difference. I clean the areas he goes with an enzymatic cleaner, but it makes zero difference. I'm at my wits end.

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What drugs have you found work best for inappropriate urination? Some of my coworkers say their cats have been gorked on clomipramine, and I don't really want to do that to a young playful cat. Any suggestions, whether pharmaceutical or otherwise would be appreciated. (I am allergic to feliway, though. It makes me sneeze like crazy, go figure)

I'm an avid thrifter, but I've never really been too into collectable glass. I saw this the other day and it caught my eye. It's probably one of my more expensive thrift purchases at $32.50(CAD) but something about it called me. Now that I'm getting more curious about glass I realize they're quite collectable.

Mk4 (2002) - My hood latch cable is loose. The cable is no longer attached to anything inside the engine compartment, so it needs to be pulled very hard to open the hood. I've removed the interior pull handle and I'm able to grab the ball on the end of the cable with pliers and pull to get it open...so I know the cable is good and nothing is broken at the actual latch.

It seems the clips holding the cable in place along its route have failed. I don't know exactly where they were previously attached and I can't think of a good way to resecure the cable.

Lots of googling found hood latch issues, but not this specific one. Any ideas? 🙏 I have a 3D printer, so I could potentially "manufacture" a solution.

I'm a thrifting addict, and lately glass has been catching my eye. Admittedly, I know very little about glass. I saw this interesting piece today and was wondering if anyone can ID the maker. I didn't buy it, but it's been on my mind so I might go back for it.

I had wanted to try one of these out, but thought their $220 price tag was a bit steep. Then a while back I found one for $10 at a thrift store. My ADHD put it on on the back burner, it had just been sitting in my garage for months.

Back in March my town had the annual "spring clean up." Unlimited garbage collection that has turned in to tradition of people putting out things in good working condition 3-4 days early so people like myself can find some good free treasures and keep stuff out of the landfill. I got so many great things this year, including another buddy rider in perfect condition! I happen to have 2 dogs, but we only had one bike. But wait! We also found a very nice bike during spring cleanup! (The one with the white floof riding on it)

Today I finally got them all set up and took the pooches for a test ride. They loved it!

Bonus POV video

I have a 2002 Golf Mk4 1.8L Turbo GTI 2dr. Automatic, leather interior (in absolutely pristine condition). Unfortunately it has a power issue. The battery won't hold a charge (brand new battery, even returned one to Costco because I thought the battery might be the problem) I brought it to the mechanic to see if it was an alternator issue. He said it wasn't, and that my dome light was on and that was drawing power (mind you, I never saw the dome light on, even when I jumped it and it was running) But, he assured me that was it. Then it had some issues turning over, it would take a few tries. Now the battery is completely dead again after sitting for months. It also needs an O2 sensor replaced (shutters when idling) and the driver side door needs to be tightened up because it sags a bit. I feel like these are all fairly straight forward things that a car savvy person may even be able to fix themselves.

Moral of the story. I want to sell it, but I don't want to fix it. My husband is mechanically inclined, but we don't have garage space to work on it and we have another project car I'd like his energy to go into. I know there is a market for these cars, but I have absolutely zero idea how much I should price it for. The body is by no means flawless, but it has no major rust (some speckling on the hood from rock dings)

I can't really find comparables in my area, so thought you guys could help. I'm located in the Vancouver area of BC of that makes a difference (feel free to use US $ though, I'll figure it out)

This is not an ad for my phone camera, but maybe it should be. 🫨

Such a beautiful weekend in Vancouver 🌞

I was so disappointed that I missed the orcas in the harbour by minutes, but Van Dusen didn't disappoint.

🌸🌼🏵🌷