Mara's travails

[Bill Ryan]

Posted by Casey Claar (here)
My goodness, Bill, that looks like quite a gash! Thank goodness you went in today and discovered this. Fortunate timing to be sure.

Yes, it was a nasty little wound. No wonder she didn't want to get back in the water.



Maybe the angels somehow stepped in again to nudge me to take her to the vet — the first time in a whole year.

Posted by Casey Claar (here)
Just out of curiosity, what do the monoclonal antibodies set you back?

The whole consultation (including her haircut, stitches, and the injection) was $185. I think the injection was $90. That all might be pretty cheap, I think, for dog owners in North America or Europe. (But here, ouch )

Here's what really made me laugh (apart from her ending up looking like a lion): We weighed her before and after. Her hair weighed almost nothing, of course, but the thick caking of mud totaled 1.5 kg (3.5 lbs).



She'd been carrying that around all this time, more than 5% of her bodyweight. (But like an athlete running with weights, it might have helped her strength!)

[RunningDeer]

Posted by Bill Ryan (here)

She'd been carrying that around all this time, more than 5% of her bodyweight. (But like an athlete running with weights, it might have helped her strength!)

Mara’s new haircut makes it easy to see she’s in GRReat shape.

Lots of coordinated effort with all kinds of angels.

[Denise/Dizi]

Poor Baby...

I am so glad that you found it... I have shih tzus and their hair tangles quite quickly. That alone can damage their skin... So I feel terrible for both of you, because how could you know?

I am so glad she is on the mend, that is one strong baby!

[Bill Ryan]

Posted by RunningDeer (here)
Mara’s new haircut makes it easy to see she’s in GRReat shape.

Yes! I'd never seen her body shape before. (Not once!)

Here's an unusual photo I just took. It's the view from above, Mara's furry head and shoulders to the right.

I never realized what an enormous rib cage she has. It's all ribs and lungs, no fat at all — as one might expect from a high altitude mountain dog who happily climbs to 14,000 ft most weeks, even when blind and 13 years old... just like the Sherpas on Everest, also with exceptionally large lungs.

[Bill Ryan]

An interesting update, maybe helpful to other dog owners. (I'm not an experienced dog owner, so I learn new things all the time.)

I put an old T-shirt on Mara's exposed skin, so that she was protected from the sun (which when it's out here in Ecuador on the equator at high altitude, can burn quite fiercely and quickly).

I posted here on the Mara returns to the Mountains thread how we'd gone out before sunrise to climb Cerro Amarillo, and that was so successful we then repeated that a couple more times. But here in the garden in the daytime, she needed some protection. (Human sunscreen is toxic for dogs if they lick their skin‚ because of the zinc oxide — so that wasn't a solution.)

Here's the only photo I took of her. (Not a good one! But it's the only one I have )



But she didn't like that one bit, and kept on wriggling out of it. So I gave up. It was really hard to keep an eye on her all the time, as of course she just loves to be outside.

But then she got burned, OMG. It didn't take much, just half an hour in the hot sun when I wasn't looking.

I never realized until the next day, as with humans sunburn isn't immediate and only shows up visibly later. And with her it was suddenly quite a serious thing, as her skin had never been exposed to the sun before in all her long life.

She was suddenly very weak, refusing to eat, drinking a huge amount, and she vomited a few times. Her legs were shaking, and and she was shivering and trembling all the time. I thought that meant she must be cold, so I kept her indoors 24/7 and warmed the house up as much as I could. I was actually worried I might lose her.

This was over the weekend, so I couldn't take her to the vet. On Monday she seemed just a little better, so I waited. But on Tuesday I realized she definitely needed help and took her in to the clinic.

The vet explained that she wasn't shivering because she was cold — it was because she was in pain. And she'd lost a whole kilo in weight in just a few days (2 lbs), which is a lot. But the good news was that her leg wound had healed perfectly — which meant that her problem wasn't an infection.

He gave her an anti-inflammatory injection, and just to be sure he checked her out with a blood test for everything possible. That showed everything was all fine and normal.

So now she's fully recovered, 100% once more with her appetite back and not shivering at all. The vet complimented her for how very strong she is, and what great shape she's in for (now!) a VERY old dog. (It's all because of her 100% meat and zero-cereal diet, plus all her supplements, plus a ton of regular mountain exercise.)

We might return to the mountains tomorrow or Saturday, after her week-long stay at home. (I need the exercise too! ) And her fur is steadily starting to grow back millimeter by millimeter, so the sun might no longer be an issue after another week or so.

[Richard S.]

Posted by Bill Ryan (here)
An interesting update, maybe helpful to other dog owners. (I'm not an experienced dog owner, so I learn new things all the time.)

I put an old T-shirt on Mara's exposed skin, so that she was protected from the sun (which when it's out here in Ecuador on the equator at high altitude, can burn quite fiercely and quickly).

I posted here on the Mara returns to the Mountains thread how we'd gone out before sunrise to climb Cerro Amarillo, and that was so successful we then repeated that a couple more times. But here in the garden in the daytime, she needed some protection. (Human sunscreen is toxic for dogs if they lick their skin‚ because of the zinc oxide — so that wasn't a solution.)

Here's the only photo I took of her. (Not a good one! But it's the only one I have )



But she didn't like that one bit, and kept on wriggling out of it. So I gave up. It was really hard to keep an eye on her all the time, as of course she just loves to be outside.

But then she got burned, OMG. It didn't take much, just half an hour in the hot sun when I wasn't looking.

I never realized until the next day, as with humans sunburn isn't immediate and only shows up visibly later. And with her it was suddenly quite a serious thing, as her skin had never been exposed to the sun before in all her long life.

She was suddenly very weak, refusing to eat, drinking a huge amount, and she vomited a few times. Her legs were shaking, and and she was shivering and trembling all the time. I thought that meant she must be cold, so I kept her indoors 24/7 and warmed the house up as much as I could. I was actually worried I might lose her.

This was over the weekend, so I couldn't take her to the vet. On Monday she seemed just a little better, so I waited. But on Tuesday I realized she definitely needed help and took her in to the clinic.

The vet explained that she wasn't shivering because she was cold — it was because she was in pain. And she'd lost a whole kilo in weight in just a few days (2 lbs), which is a lot. But the good news was that her leg wound had healed perfectly — which meant that her problem wasn't an infection.

FYI: Another sign a dog is in pain, they pant.

He gave her an anti-inflammatory injection, and just to be sure he checked her out with a blood test for everything possible. That showed everything was all fine and normal.

So now she's fully recovered, 100% once more with her appetite back and not shivering at all. The vet complimented her for how very strong she is, and what great shape she's in for (now!) a VERY old dog. (It's all because of her 100% meat and zero-cereal diet, plus all her supplements, plus a ton of regular mountain exercise.)

We might return to the mountains tomorrow or Saturday, after her week-long stay at home. (I need the exercise too! ) And her fur is steadily starting to grow back millimeter by millimeter, so the sun might no longer be an issue after another week or so.

You're gifted having her in such a healthy state, kudos to you for taking care of her so well.

[Harmony]

I am so glad Mara is getting better. I think many of us somehow feel connected to Mara in a way through knowing of her life experiences and how she has overcome so much, she can do the things she loves to do with her partner in life who she is very connected too for sure. I actually felt someting was wrong just lately, and thought I must be imagining it because she was better after her last vet visit and was out in the mountains again.



I had a little dog that had been abandoned when about nine months old. He was very old eventually and couldn't see in his last years, just light or dark. He just wanted to live and do his normal life stuff, no matter what, until he finally just wore out, no real disease. Sometimes I had to carry him home from a walk as he would fall unconscious for a while, then suddenly wake up and keep going. He just loved his life as he loved and was dearly loved too. How did dogs get so wonderful?

[Bill Ryan]

Posted by Harmony (here)
I had a little dog that had been abandoned when about nine months old. He was very old eventually and couldn't see in his last years, just light or dark. He just wanted to live and do his normal life stuff, no matter what, until he finally just wore out, no real disease. Sometimes I had to carry him home from a walk as he would fall unconscious for a while, then suddenly wake up and keep going. He just loved his life as he loved and was dearly loved too. How did dogs get so wonderful?

That's such a beautiful little story. Thank you!!

Posted by Harmony (here)
I am so glad Mara is getting better. I think many of us somehow feel connected to Mara in a way through knowing of her life experiences and how she has overcome so much, she can do the things she loves to do with her partner in life who she is very connected too for sure. I actually felt something was wrong just lately, and thought I must be imagining it because she was better after her last vet visit and was out in the mountains again.

Yes, she had a hard time this last week. We ventured out to the mountains again this morning, the first time in 8 days. What I was mindful of was that it was a little like an enthusiastic but frail 85-year-old human heading out for a mountain walk again after being housebound for a couple of months... doggie duration really does translate like that.

We were out at dawn to avoid the sun, and it was cloudy and dry but very cold. We hiked uphill for about 15 minutes. Mara was clearly completely happy to be there, sniffling about in the bushes as she always does and keeping up with me with no trouble at all.

Then she just stopped and sat down. She does this very occasionally, and it's her way of saying:

"Nope, no more climbing today. Can we go home now, please?"

She wouldn't tell me what the problem was. She might have been cold, but more likely her legs were weak after having lost so much weight, even though she's eating normally now.

Our plan is to go back again tomorrow, trying the same thing again to see if we can get a little further. I always think Mara is immortal, of course, but I'm fully braced for when I might have to carry her home one day myself — just as you did with your very dear little old dog.

[Bill Ryan]

Posted by Bill Ryan (here)
Yes, she had a hard time this last week. We ventured out to the mountains again this morning, the first time in 8 days. What I was mindful of was that it was a little like an enthusiastic but frail 85-year-old human heading out for a mountain walk again after being housebound for a couple of months... doggie duration really does translate like that.

We were out at dawn to avoid the sun, and it was cloudy and dry but very cold. We hiked uphill for about 15 minutes. Mara was clearly completely happy to be there, sniffling about in the bushes as she always does and keeping up with me with no trouble at all.

Then she just stopped and sat down. She does this very occasionally, and it's her way of saying:

"Nope, no more climbing today. Can we go home now, please?"

She wouldn't tell me what the problem was. She might have been cold, but more likely her legs were weak after having lost so much weight, even though she's eating normally now.

Our plan is to go back again tomorrow, trying the same thing again to see if we can get a little further. I always think Mara is immortal, of course, but I'm fully braced for when I might have to carry her home one day myself — just as you did with your very dear little old dog.

~~~

And indeed, we tried again this morning, setting out at dawn but this time not quite so cold. With no trouble at all, we made it all the way to the high waterfall which was our goal.



And here's a NOT very good photo of today's high point. We didn't cross the waterfall to get to the other side (the only access to the even higher valley beyond with all the beautiful lakes), and so we just paddled about a little to celebrate by getting our feet wet.


That as about five times as far as our high point yesterday (which wasn't very high!). So it was a real success. And I confess also a bit of a relief, as of course it means that Mara is quickly recovering her strength.

Next week we'll see if we can make it past the waterfall to the many lakes beyond — and if so, we'll be quite some way back to normal.

But there are one or two things that still aren't quite right, so I'll be talking to the vet again on Monday. She's drinking a HUGE amount of water, sometimes literally for minutes on end — and then peeing a huge amount as well, sometimes even when she's asleep. This never ever happened before.

That kind of thing might possibly suggest an onset of diabetes, but that's highly unlikely as her insulin levels were normal and her diet is 100% meat with no grains at all. The other possibility is something called Cushing's Disease, which is a kind of cortisol malfunction. But because all this happened straight after her sunburn, it might just be a metabolic imbalance of some sort which will self-adjust quite quickly.

Of course, she may need a few more tests — but we'll cross every bridge (and every waterfall) when we come to it.

[Victoria]

Dear Bill and Mara,

Please have her renal levels checked! The renal values can change quite drastically and very suddenly when using NSAIDs, especially if there has been any steroidal (prednisone) use recently. If Mara's system has been taxed by slight dehydration, immobility or infection these can put the strain of processing the NSAIDs firmly on the kidneys and liver in an acutely toxic way.

An immediate sign of toxicity is often suddenly drinking excess water and urinating excessively, or having incontinence. Cats are far more sensitive to NSAIDs, but often dogs have similar outcomes. Vets like to use the medication freely because it addresses a variety of pain and inflammation with quick ease, however, sometimes the side effects are more severe than expected.

The usual first line of remedy for this is IV fluids to help flush the system and check her heart to make sure she can handle the fluids! Dogs recover from it more easily than cats.

I hope she can feel better soon and your vet will find a solution to help her balance her system. Sending love to you both.

[AutumnW]

Sincerely happy that Mara is recovering from the injury. Boy, she is super resilient!

I had to have my 5 year old olde english bulldogge put to sleep last Monday. He was super healthy up until cancer. He lived a relatively happy (though physically weak) 6 months after diagnosis which is pretty unheard of -- 2 months being the maximum for lymphoma, (without chemo).

It's incredibly sad. I will try to post a pic or little video later.

[AutumnW]

Posted by Bill Ryan (here)

Posted by Bill Ryan (here)
Yes, she had a hard time this last week. We ventured out to the mountains again this morning, the first time in 8 days. What I was mindful of was that it was a little like an enthusiastic but frail 85-year-old human heading out for a mountain walk again after being housebound for a couple of months... doggie duration really does translate like that.

We were out at dawn to avoid the sun, and it was cloudy and dry but very cold. We hiked uphill for about 15 minutes. Mara was clearly completely happy to be there, sniffling about in the bushes as she always does and keeping up with me with no trouble at all.

Then she just stopped and sat down. She does this very occasionally, and it's her way of saying:

"Nope, no more climbing today. Can we go home now, please?"

She wouldn't tell me what the problem was. She might have been cold, but more likely her legs were weak after having lost so much weight, even though she's eating normally now.

Our plan is to go back again tomorrow, trying the same thing again to see if we can get a little further. I always think Mara is immortal, of course, but I'm fully braced for when I might have to carry her home one day myself — just as you did with your very dear little old dog.

~~~

And indeed, we tried again this morning, setting out at dawn but this time not quite so cold. With no trouble at all, we made it all the way to the high waterfall which was our goal.



And here's a NOT very good photo of today's high point. We didn't cross the waterfall to get to the other side (the only access to the even higher valley beyond with all the beautiful lakes), and so we just paddled about a little to celebrate by getting our feet wet.


That as about five times as far as our high point yesterday (which wasn't very high!). So it was a real success. And I confess also a bit of a relief, as of course it means that Mara is quickly recovering her strength.

Next week we'll see if we can make it past the waterfall to the many lakes beyond — and if so, we'll be quite some way back to normal.

But there are one or two things that still aren't quite right, so I'll be talking to the vet again on Monday. She's drinking a HUGE amount of water, sometimes literally for minutes on end — and then peeing a huge amount as well, sometimes even when she's asleep. This never ever happened before.

That kind of thing might possibly suggest an onset of diabetes, but that's highly unlikely as her insulin levels were normal and her diet is 100% meat with no grains at all. The other possibility is something called Cushing's Disease, which is a kind of cortisol malfunction. But because all this happened straight after her sunburn, it might just be a metabolic imbalance of some sort which will self-adjust quite quickly.

Of course, she may need a few more tests — but we'll cross every bridge (and every waterfall) when we come to it.

This is exactly what I went through with Charlie. Thought it was diabetes, then Cushings. It turns out it was hypercalcemia, which can tip off vet to get to further diagnosis. It's such a worry huh? Sorry Bill.

[AutumnW]

symptoms of hypercalcemia.

• ncreased thirst (polydipsia) and increased urination (polyuria)
• Lethargy, weakness, or listlessness
• Poor appetite, anorexia, or weight loss

[Bill Ryan]

Posted by Victoria (here)
Dear Bill and Mara,

Please have her renal levels checked! The renal values can change quite drastically and very suddenly when using NSAIDs, especially if there has been any steroidal (prednisone) use recently. If Mara's system has been taxed by slight dehydration, immobility or infection these can put the strain of processing the NSAIDs firmly on the kidneys and liver in an acutely toxic way.

An immediate sign of toxicity is often suddenly drinking excess water and urinating excessively, or having incontinence. Cats are far more sensitive to NSAIDs, but often dogs have similar outcomes. Vets like to use the medication freely because it addresses a variety of pain and inflammation with quick ease, however, sometimes the side effects are more severe than expected.

The usual first line of remedy for this is IV fluids to help flush the system and check her heart to make sure she can handle the fluids! Dogs recover from it more easily than cats.

I hope she can feel better soon and your vet will find a solution to help her balance her system. Sending love to you both.

Dear Victoria, many many thanks, and that makes a lot of sense: she started her excess drinking soon after her anti-inflammatory injection.

I have a question, though — if you can answer it! If she's flushing out the NSAID by drinking a lot of water, is that likely to remedy the toxicity all on its own after a short while? (The vet told me that the effect of the anti-inflammatory injection would last maybe a couple of weeks.)

If she's handling it by drinking a lot, would a sign of her own successful detoxing be that her thirst gradually gets less and goes back to normal?

And — while this all happens, is there a real risk of kidney damage?

[Bill Ryan]

Posted by AutumnW (here)
symptoms of hypercalcemia.

• Increased thirst (polydipsia) and increased urination (polyuria)
• Lethargy, weakness, or listlessness
• Poor appetite, anorexia, or weight loss

Thanks!! I'll definitely bring this all up with the vet on Monday. (Victoria's info about NSAIDS and the effect on the kidneys, too.)

So so sorry about Charlie.

I've been completely aware for years that many Avalon members have had all kinds of experiences, joyful and sometimes otherwise, with their own beloved dogs. Just yesterday I was thinking that we really must start a new thread, maybe called Dogs' Tales, where everyone can share their stories and photos.

I merely post a lot about Mara because

• She ended up in all my photos years ago when I was searching for the Wawa Grande (Ecuador's Bigfoot, which has been sighted several times in the mountains where we hike all the time);
• Then she had both rear tendons replaced with platinum ones;
• Then she lost her eyes (first one, then the other);
• Then miraculously, she returned to the mountains despite not being able to see a thing, navigating everything with her nose and (I truly believe) other senses we humans know nothing about;
• And as all this rolled out, I gradually grew to realize that because of her 12 years of mountain hiking for miles and miles often a couple of times a week — always above 12,000 ft and often up to 14,500 ft and higher, the last several years of which she's been blind — Mara very likely holds several doggie world records.
• I really think she does. Of course, I know that for everyone their beloved dog is so very very special. But regarding all her exploits in the mountains, I confess that I do dare to believe that Mara really might be unique.

[Arcturian108]

Posted by Bill Ryan (here)

Posted by AutumnW (here)
symptoms of hypercalcemia.

• Increased thirst (polydipsia) and increased urination (polyuria)
• Lethargy, weakness, or listlessness
• Poor appetite, anorexia, or weight loss

Thanks!! I'll definitely bring this all up with the vet on Monday. (Victoria's info about NSAIDS and the effect on the kidneys, too.)

So so sorry about Charlie.

I've been completely aware for years that many Avalon members have had all kinds of experiences, joyful and sometimes otherwise, with their own beloved dogs. Just yesterday I was thinking that we really must start a new thread, maybe called Dogs' Tales, where everyone can share their stories and photos.

I merely post a lot about Mara because

• She ended up in all my photos years ago when I was searching for the Wawa Grande (Ecuador's Bigfoot, which has been sighted several times in the mountains where we hike all the time);
• Then she had both rear tendons replaced with platinum ones;
• Then she lost her eyes (first one, then the other);
• Then miraculously, she returned to the mountains despite not being able to see a thing, navigating everything with her nose and (I truly believe) other senses we humans know nothing about;
• And as all this rolled out, I gradually grew to realize that because of her 12 years of mountain hiking for miles and miles often a couple of times a week — always above 12,000 ft and often up to 14,500 ft and higher, the last several years of which she's been blind — Mara very likely holds several doggie world records.
• I really think she does. Of course, I know that for everyone their beloved dog is so very very special. But regarding all her exploits in the mountains, I confess that I do dare to believe that Mara really might be unique.

That's a gorgeous picture! Worthy of publication.... Come to think of it, my organization is holding a short story contest, where the winner will win $1,000 prize. You have so many stories about Mara, any one of which fleshed out a bit could be the basis for an entry to this contest. 3,333 words or less, is not hard to do. Please Bill think about this, and let me know soon. The deadline which could be extended is currently December, 31, 2026. And anyone else reading this qualified to enter as well.