darkevilspirit
New member
Link to original thread:
There is a TL;DR background beneath the update.
The Update:
Photo of him today: (updated correct link)
The treatment is going fantastically!!! From originally having 750mls of 11.5% wine a day, my new doggo only needs 200mls of 7.9% apple cider (50mls 4 times a day). This dose is enough to keep him happy, follow me around and jump around playing with my other dog, to enjoying laying on my legs, under the covers on my bed, and just doing everything that a happy dog does. He has MAJOR anxiety issues if he can’t be with me or my partner, for example just going to the shop for 2 minutes and leaving him in the yard or inside (his pick) I will come home to him whimpering and barking in a distressed manner, only to then have him to try and lick my face off when he finds I’ve returned!
Just before the time of his next dose, he often slows down and shows some signs of agitation (i.e. increased pulse rate, not interested in playing or food) but once he’s had the next ‘dose’ of cider he picks back up again fairly quickly. Despite the taper going quicker than originally it was thought he would need, there has been no signs of the SERIOUS withdrawal symptoms. Because of his livers state, we want him to be off alcohol as quick as possible (without causing more than mild withdrawal) and thus are very pleased. The vet today considers it safe for him to take a small dose of valium, to be given ‘in between’ his drinks, 4 times a day. This should help with his agitation etc.
I’m so hopeful that this will work out, because he’s fitted in with our family and other pets (indoors we have 2 cats and 1 dog) perfectly and is such a sweet guy. We’ve already bonded so closely, it’s a perfect match!
The plan from here is to try and get him down to a very low intake (60mls of 7.9% apple cider per day, given in 4 doses) within 2 weeks, and then decrease at a slower rather (1ml to 2mls per day) as often in alcoholics they can wean down to low doses without TOO much trouble from withdrawals, but ‘jumping off’ is very hard to achieve without severe withdrawals. During this time his valium dose may be increased to help with what he’s going through inside.
I'm just so glad things seem to be going so well, and that he seems so happy. His temperment also has made him slot in with our existing dog and 2 cats nicely.
EDIT: And while I don't know details, I know a number of members of the family that previously owned him and other members of the community have been arrested, with some charged with offences related to drugs and firearms. No animal cruelty to the best of my knowledge though. I know I am also not welcome to visit that branch of my family again, not that I would want to :-/
TL;DR background: A family had been feeding their dog the equivilent of 1 bottle of full strength wine (half in morning, half at night) every day for more than 6 months as they thought it was funny to see the dog be drunk and classed it as a ‘trick’ that he must do or they wouldn’t feed him. When I met these people they were getting sick of the dog due to him no longer acting drunk despite him drinking so much, and were planning on shooting him. I saved them a bullet, but the dog was physically dependent on alcohol and needed to be given some regularly to stop him from becoming agitated and eventually just laying on the floor trembling, throwing up, with a glassy stare. After some initial hesitation due to laws against giving dogs alcohol, a vet (whom is a personal friend) decided to help me treat him and gave me meds to help the dog through ‘withdrawal’ and will help assess his taper. Liver and kidney tests show he has liver impairment, but not to an extent that is irrecoverable or that is likely to falter soon. His kidneys have a mild impairment but no immediate danger, though he may have issues in his older age.
There is a TL;DR background beneath the update.
The Update:
Photo of him today: (updated correct link)
The treatment is going fantastically!!! From originally having 750mls of 11.5% wine a day, my new doggo only needs 200mls of 7.9% apple cider (50mls 4 times a day). This dose is enough to keep him happy, follow me around and jump around playing with my other dog, to enjoying laying on my legs, under the covers on my bed, and just doing everything that a happy dog does. He has MAJOR anxiety issues if he can’t be with me or my partner, for example just going to the shop for 2 minutes and leaving him in the yard or inside (his pick) I will come home to him whimpering and barking in a distressed manner, only to then have him to try and lick my face off when he finds I’ve returned!
Just before the time of his next dose, he often slows down and shows some signs of agitation (i.e. increased pulse rate, not interested in playing or food) but once he’s had the next ‘dose’ of cider he picks back up again fairly quickly. Despite the taper going quicker than originally it was thought he would need, there has been no signs of the SERIOUS withdrawal symptoms. Because of his livers state, we want him to be off alcohol as quick as possible (without causing more than mild withdrawal) and thus are very pleased. The vet today considers it safe for him to take a small dose of valium, to be given ‘in between’ his drinks, 4 times a day. This should help with his agitation etc.
I’m so hopeful that this will work out, because he’s fitted in with our family and other pets (indoors we have 2 cats and 1 dog) perfectly and is such a sweet guy. We’ve already bonded so closely, it’s a perfect match!
The plan from here is to try and get him down to a very low intake (60mls of 7.9% apple cider per day, given in 4 doses) within 2 weeks, and then decrease at a slower rather (1ml to 2mls per day) as often in alcoholics they can wean down to low doses without TOO much trouble from withdrawals, but ‘jumping off’ is very hard to achieve without severe withdrawals. During this time his valium dose may be increased to help with what he’s going through inside.
I'm just so glad things seem to be going so well, and that he seems so happy. His temperment also has made him slot in with our existing dog and 2 cats nicely.
EDIT: And while I don't know details, I know a number of members of the family that previously owned him and other members of the community have been arrested, with some charged with offences related to drugs and firearms. No animal cruelty to the best of my knowledge though. I know I am also not welcome to visit that branch of my family again, not that I would want to :-/
TL;DR background: A family had been feeding their dog the equivilent of 1 bottle of full strength wine (half in morning, half at night) every day for more than 6 months as they thought it was funny to see the dog be drunk and classed it as a ‘trick’ that he must do or they wouldn’t feed him. When I met these people they were getting sick of the dog due to him no longer acting drunk despite him drinking so much, and were planning on shooting him. I saved them a bullet, but the dog was physically dependent on alcohol and needed to be given some regularly to stop him from becoming agitated and eventually just laying on the floor trembling, throwing up, with a glassy stare. After some initial hesitation due to laws against giving dogs alcohol, a vet (whom is a personal friend) decided to help me treat him and gave me meds to help the dog through ‘withdrawal’ and will help assess his taper. Liver and kidney tests show he has liver impairment, but not to an extent that is irrecoverable or that is likely to falter soon. His kidneys have a mild impairment but no immediate danger, though he may have issues in his older age.
If you have any pics of him, that would be awesome, too!