My Mups

Pets & Animals Pets & Animals: Chat / Discussions
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http://www.over50sforum.com/picture.php?albumid=521&pictureid=3588

Yes this is the ‘real Mups’ :-), my oldest one who is coming up 13 this year. I love every bone in her body, she’s my little mate.

Anyhow, I had a busy morning yesterday and got home from town later than planned. My hairdresser was waiting for me to do my trim, the dogs were leaping about because I had been gone awhile so I opened the back door to let them run off down the garden.
Only about 5 mins later, Mups came back in with her right back paw bleeding profusely. There was so much blood I couldn’t see properly what she’d done and thought she’d either sliced her pad open, or ripped a nail out.
It really upset her and she had her leg tucked up under her tummy and didn’t want me to look.

To cut a long story short, my lovely vet said bring her straight in, so off we go back to Wellingborough.
Turned out she had torn the whole claw right off. It was just stuck to a bloody soaked lump of her hair. I have no idea how she did it, she doesn’t hare about like the younger ones at all. Poor Mups.

She had an appointment today to see him anyway, because she has developed a bit of a worrying habit. The vet calls it “Pica”. Anyone heard of that? I hadn’t.

It is when an animal developes a strange eating disorder, and starts eating strange things e.g. hair, paper, soil, even metal!
I have been worried about her keep stuffing her face with compost lately, and have been getting increasingly concerned about her eating the fertilizers and plant food in this compost.

She shouldn’t be lacking in minerals etc as mine are fed well and have a good variety of things too. She has been doing it more and more and it has now become daily.

I did some research and it seems it can be a psychologic cause (is she getting senile?), or a thyroid problem, or kidneys . . . all sorts.

So while we were there with her poorly foot yesterday, he cancelled todays appointment and did all the appropriate blood tests to save us going back again today.
He is doing general “Geriatric” tests, plus kidneys etc and I asked him to check her thyroid as well.

The Lab will fax her results through to him today and he will ring me later.

Meanwhile it is salt water paw bathing twice a day.
At the moment, she is tucked up in bed (guarding her fresh marrowbone), and seems much happier and is putting weight back on that sore paw again. Phew.

2 Likes
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Ooo gosh Mups, poor Mups!
That must be painful! Perhaps she was digging for something and caught her nail.
I hope the vet sorts out her problems, I had one dog that used to eat leeks for some reason, I had to stop growing them.

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Hope her paw mends quickly Mups , on the subject of eating compost Ellie did this for the first time this year when we spilt some while potting up ,
I just thought it was something in the compost mixture .We stopped her and she didnt do it again .

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Ah poor little Mups, hope everything is alright with her.

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Aw poor little Mups :frowning: I have seen a dog rip a claw off in a gap on patio stones .

Mups :slight_smile: Pica is a very common disorder, it can be due all the things you mention and in puppies also boredom.
As with many things, if the dog does something once and finds the behaviour rewarding it will repeat the behaviour and it can become a habit.

If all medical causes have been covered and a blood test will usually show any deficiency the usual things apply, distraction so calling a dog away from the unwanted behaviour to do something else and substitution, providing something she can chew but I am sure you have those things covered already :slight_smile:

I hope Mups paw will be better soon, like ear flaps they do bleed a lot don’t they :shock:.

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We have had dogs do this Mups but it often looks a whole lot worse than it is because of the amount of blood. Anyway, I hope she gets well soon and here is a big (((( HUG )))) for you both. :wink:

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Oh poor Mups (Doggy one) - how worrying for you! I hope the results aren’t anything too drastic and that Mups paw heals soon.

How did the name ‘Mups’ come about?

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I really hope that Mups improves quickly and the pica is caused by something trivial… but even if it isn’t, she won’t get better care than she will from you.:slight_smile:

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Poor Mups, that must have been so painful for her :-(. Will another nail grow back to replace it Mups?

I so, so love her face, she looks so gentle :007:

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Your poor dog. I hope she gets better soon and the tests are good results.
Thats the problem with pets, if they are ill or injured they cannot tell you how their feeling or what happened just like human babies really.

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Aww poor sweet Mups, I hope she will be OK.

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Oh dear poor Muppsy, hope she gets better soon.

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Poor Mups, l hope her paw gets better soon.:slight_smile:

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Awww, I’m so sorry to hear about Mups and hope she gets better really quickly. Our fur babies are our family and when our babies hurt we do too, I can just imagine how upset you feel for Mups (hugs)

By the way, she is beautiful, I wanted to get in the picture and give her a cuddle.

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Thank you for all your good wishes for my Mups, you’re all very kind.

Sadly the news isn’t good tonight.
My vet phoned this afternoon with the blood results, and now it seems there is not just one problem, but possibly several, and all potentially serious.
He was so very kind and did his best to explain in a way I would understand, but it was so complicated. I will explain as best I can, but I need to do some more research myself next.

Her blood count was ok, so she is not anaemic - but her bone marrow is producing and ‘sending out’ young, immature red blood cells for some reason. He doesn’t understand why yet.
It could be that she is (or has been) bleeding internally. Her body seems to be thinking she needs more oxygen.

Her thyroid is ‘low’ and so is her TSH (thyroid stimulating hormone), and to top it all, there is a potential problem with her liver.

Don’t ask me to explain all this in detail, I am still trying to get my head round it myself. I do not know what’s going on inside her or why.
all I know is I am now worried sick about her and feeling very emotional at the mo.

He wants her in to x-ray her chest, and scan her abdomen and also do what he called a ‘Dynamic Bile Acid Test.’ This is where she has to fast from 8pm the night before, then he will take another blood test. She is then fed, and exactly 2 hours after she has eaten she will have to have more blood taken to compare the before/after result.

As soon as he said he wants to look at her chest and abdoman, I felt panic and asked if he was looking for a ‘mass.’ He said Yes.

To add to our troubles, he is off work tomorrow and next week, and I don’t want anyone else to treat her. I asked if he thought it would be safe to wait for him to come back or does she need her x-rays quickly?

In the end we have come to an arrangement. He said he thinks her problem is a fairly slow, progressive one, so it should be safe to wait a week before beginning the scans - BUT, he was also going to write explicit details on her records of exactly what he wants doing, and if she did start to get worse next week, I am to take her in straightaway and one of the other vets will see exactly what’s needed.

I said when I fast her, then they feed her, I don’t believe she will eat for them, I need to be there with some of her favourite snacks and I think she will eat for me. If they can’t get her to eat, they won’t be able to do the second half of the bile test you see.
So he said he wants me to stay with her for the first blood test, then I’m to feed her, and wait with her while they take the next lot of blood. I will probably have to leave when they x-ray though, but I wouldn’t mind seeing the scan if they will let me.

Sorry to have waffled on so tonight, but it is complicated and I am unbelievable choked, but I mustn’t let her see it though.
So I shall be watching her like a hawk for the next week and take each day as it comes. The worst thing about waiting for John (vet) to come back is now I have got the next 8 or 9 days to have my imagination running riot. :cry: :cry:

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Oh dear Mups, I’m so sorry the news isn’t so good for your lovely furry friend.:frowning: I’m keeping my fingers crossed that things won’t be as bad as the vet says. It must be so very worrying for you… hugs to you and your namesake. x

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Thank you Mags. I know she’s getting on a bit now, but I never expected this.
All this because I wanted her checked out for keep eating compost!

I wish you knew her, she is such a funny, complex little ‘person,’ but we understand each other, and know each other inside out.

Her paw is drying nicely now, thank goodness.

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Mups sweetheart
I’m so sorry that the real Mups and you are going through such worrying times
Fingers crossed that it’s all able to be sorted/treated x

Big hugs :hug::hug::hug:

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Thank you Rhian, not ashamed to say we need those hugs tonight. x x

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Awww poor Mups. That’s so sad.
I haven’t heard of ‘pica’ either but I hope Mups is ok.
She’s such an adorable dog
It can be frightening seeing blood from our fur babies
Hope she is ok

Edit: Just read the latest news. Awww. My heart goes to you. The ‘not knowing’ can be really tough.
Hang in there Mups. Getting all choked up here.