Another Week In The Tropics Of Southern Indiana

Well I am feeling better at least this morning, I feel like writing, so this might be fairly long blog post covering a lot of different things. I'll explain later but I have not been to the dentist yet, I do have an appointment for Monday morning. The pain has ranged from zero to extreme, not every day. I'll explain after the hound photos why it took so long for an appointment.

But first before I get started, you might like the 'visitor' we had the other day in back eating the green grass that is growing back in the hay field. I had let the dogs out and had just finished hooking Sadie up to her 80' anchored rope. Glancing up I saw something out in the field but couldn't tell what it was without my glasses on.

I ran back inside to not only get my camera but swap out lenses to the 55-200mm. I took a lot more than those posted  here but these have the best focus, my arms must have been shaking when I didn't know it. I was surprised she was by herself but she was having a good time.

How did my hound do? You know the one with the best nose of all canine's? Sadie didn't even know about the deer, smell or glanced at the 'visitor'.  In the past when deer have been in the field she has taken off in a sprint for a long long aerobic exercise, and coming back home a very happy and proud bloodhound. Winston? All he did was lay in the grass and enjoy the sunshine.

Just another day in the life of a basset hound

Here's our visitor on Wednesday taken with my 200mm lens.

Since we are talking about hounds, I am a little surprised in the food change for Heidi. It's been two weeks tomorrow and her skin issues have gotten worse this week. With improvement in her coat and stools, I think her skin issues are due to environmental allergies. I do not think the change in Heidi's skin is due to the new dog food. I like the Earthborn food and will probably continue to feed it to her. Her coat has always been soft and shiny but the new food has made it softer and shinier. That tells me the ingredients are being used. Her stools are normal now. I THINK I can feel some fat (bulk) coming back in a possible weight gain but will not know until I use the vet scales this weekend.

What is disappointing are her skin issues but I know that it will take almost 4 months before there is any possible changes to her skin, after making a change in her dog food. Regular blog readers will remember this quest for a skin rash solution started last October. Her last steroid shot for allergies lasted only a week before the next hot spot showed up from her chewing her feet in September 2014. Since last October 2014 we have tried the following:

• 2 different vet offices, 2 different ideas, treatments ... no solutions
• October thru December - first new vet. Tried Atopica pills. After more reading, found the side effects to be too much. She was constantly lethargic. Had the best improvement. Once the pills were cut from daily to every other day ... skin condition went back to bad.
• January - changed to Merricks no grain food .. pork and sweet potato. Tried a baby diaper cream with zinc oxide.
• February - a new vet where based on his studies felt it was more of environmental allergies instead of food allergies. Still he suggested no grain food as duck, sweet potato or venison, sweet potato as the next choice. He gave me a bottle of Zinc Oxide liquid with a couple of his own additions.
• February thru April - Weekly shots of RESPIT, developed based on your specific location and environmental allergies. Slight improvement, then Heidi would have a flare up to go back to the original bad condition.
• May - stopped all medications, shots and no grain food. I went back to food with one protein source basic formula. Improved skin but was continuing to lose weight and had an UTI.
• June - One week of traveling, skin rash about the same but no raw spots. Digestive system having problems, loose stools. Had lost 13 pounds since September 2014 and 7 of those 13 pounds were lost from April to middle of June, after the trip.
• July - blood in stool. Changed food by vet recommendation back to no grain food. The vet and Fromm Dog Food had found that chicken and grains to be the leading causes of dog food allergies. Currently eating Earthborn Great Plains Feast with bison and lamb meal ... no potatoes.

As of yesterday her skin issues are no different than last October when I took her to a new vet. There has been improvement since March where hair is growing back in places the 3rd vet said the skin was so damaged that hair would not come back. He was surprised and happy to see that hair was growing in those spots in June.

New hair continues to grow back but as of Wednesday these are her latest photos of her problem areas. The only thing that has changed in her environment is the hay field in back was cut and baled plus any summertime pollens. She went on 3 different walks through that field for the first time in many many months.

So like I have asked myself before ... is it a food allergy or an environmental allergy?

These are photos from last Wednesday. Her skin was showing improvement but this flared up in just one day. Looking back through her photo file "Heidi's Skin", where photos are dated as their title ... there is very little difference from October 2014.

A few weeks ago I finally found an old friend I had looked for off and on for the past 20 years. I found out later he had been doing the same, looking for me. I found him by searching on Facebook and since he has an uncommon last name, plus spelled differently than others with that last name, he showed up on Facebook on my first search. I don't know why it took me so long to decide to use Facebook as a search.

Anyway he knew I was a fan of hounds and always had a basset since 1987, he asked "how many hounds to you have now" ... Long story short, he has a Mastiff from a rescue service that had skin problems much like Heidi's. He sent me a small tub of K9 Klear Up to try. He said it worked great for his Mastiff's skin problems. Yesterday was day one of the trial.

Here is what we are trying for Heidi ... K9 Klear UP

In the meantime the temps have dropped to the mid 80's, sunny every day except a day full of rain yesterday. It doesn't matter ... Winston continues to sleep his day away, he has always been a hog of the couch and won't move.

From the time he was huddled with his litter mates, to riding on the VW Bus bench seat in front, laying on a blanket or laying on the couch ... he HAS to be in the CENTER of it when laying down to sleep.

Center Of The Basket

Center of the Couch

Center in The Winter

Not Left or Right of The Rope ... Center

Center Of The Carport

Center Of The Tent

Center Of The Tent II

As you all know I am addicted to Excel spreadsheets. I lived with them for my job but I also had many of them for life outside of work. They range from dog food analysis, electric usage, tracking every penny I spend and where it goes, even one comparing trailers. Really anytime I have a problem or am trying to make a decision it usually ends up with a spreadsheet. I can see all the information in front of me, a better visual of facts.

So after blogging last Saturday a few things happened concerning my dental problem. I finally made contact with my old friend from college who is the semi-retired dentist. A friend stopped by with some great books and ideas to help with the pain in my jaw ... both of them explained why that pain was occurring and what I could do when it flared up. The 3rd thing that happened "paintracker.xlsx" was made.

After implementing some things my friend gave me ... UNrefined Salt mixed in water 2x per day, and the pressure technique to the jaw vortex to relieve that muscle spasm ... I spent 4 straight days with little to no pain. I DID find out the culprit. By accident I bit down on a baby carrot on that lower left molar ... the carrot was suppose to be on the right side of my mouth ... how it got to the left side I don't know but I had pain like a knife blade, where you feel yourself elevating through the roof of your house, not just your mouth.

The next night by accident I bit down on a soft fresh cherry ... on that tooth again, same result. Monday night I decided to test that tooth. I intentionally placed some crab meat on that tooth and bit down slowly ... same intense paint, instantly like a knife. After the pain went away I spent the rest of the night sleeping without interruption. Yet, I can brush my teeth on top and each side of that tooth with no pain. When I swish mouth wash afterward in that area, no pain.

Those days and nights of no pain continued until Wednesday at 1am ... when I woke up with severe pain in my jaw and lower teeth. After some ibuprofen, some Orajel and an ice pack to my jaw ... the pain subsided and I slept the rest of the night with no pain.

I had little to no pain, unless it was self inflicted, Saturday thru Tuesday.

By Wednesday at 9am ... that no pain theory disappeared and severe pain blew in with a fury ... I spent the next 24 hours in what I called "severe jaw and teeth pain". No meds, no pressure points, no ice packs, no warm packs ... nothing worked.  I finally get to sleep around 3am on Thursday, spent all day and night yesterday with no pain but some soreness in my jaw.

I sit here this morning after two cups of hot coffee with zero pain ... go figure.

When I talked to my friend, the dentist, on Saturday .. I told him everything that had gone on, everything that I had either taken or done to relieve the pain. Now remember he is doing this diagnosis as a friend over the phone ... nothing official. He did say he would like to see the xray later on. He told me no matter what an xray would be needed before the dentist would go to the next step. He also said it will not be a quick fix as they might have to do the same process I am doing, "process by elimination".

Still, by my description, he feels I might have a "vertical partial fracture". It will not show up on a normal xray. Also, it will not cause more damage than what is already there and I could live with this for 4-6 months if I needed to ... but I can't handle this for 4-6 months.

He said he had the exact same thing but due to his circumstances at the time he could not fix his for almost 4 months. He also said a good dentist will be able to figure out that it is a vertical fracture and will probably put on a crown instead of an easier root canal.

I have a good dentist ... one that I do not want to leave. The problem is, when I retired I bought my own dental insurance where my dentist was listed AT THAT TIME .. this past week he was not listed. So while my pain subsided earlier in the week ... not only did I look at all of the different dental plans for people that didn't have a plan through their employer ... but I also READ THE FINE PRINT this time.

I was amazed what that fine print would not pay for. I'll not go into it but basically if my issue is what my friend described, most insurance companies will not pay for the type of crown material he suggested. Some companies will not even pay for a porcelain crown. I realized the fine print was the reason I spent months and months fighting over the phone with Delta Dental in 2008 trying to get my dentist bill paid after an emergency on that 2008 Saturday morning.

Luckily his office was only blocks from the IU football stadium, he was not only a season ticket holder and wanted to see the game I was on the way to see ... but he is also the team dentist for the university athletic teams and coaching staff. It was actually my best experience ever in a dental chair. That is the reason I do not want to change dentist. I'll change insurance first.

That leads to a "waiting period" that most insurance companies have for major dental work. They do that so when people like me sign up needing immediate major dental work done, will cancel their policy after the insurance company pays for only part of the bill. So, some companies will have a 6-12 month waiting period before they cover major dental work. Yes, some will waive that waiting period but I had missed the cut off date to use a waiver.

What did that lead to ???  LOL ... you're right ... if you have read this far ... the "DentalPlanAnalysis.xlsx spreadsheet. I listed many different companies, sorted them by total cost which included deductibles, all the different kinds of dental work for a total cost. After that I did an estimate of the type of work my friend thinks might take place, plus the exam, xrays and cleaning.

The sad thing is ... unless you have constant, like annual MAJOR dental work, the premiums paid are either the same or more than what it would cost to do a one time major dental procedure. In some cases the "free" preventive maintenance like exams, xays, cleanings and fillings would cost less than the premium they would require. Like the insurance companies I have had to work with the past 5 years ... they LOVE your premium payments but HATE paying your bills when needed.

Anyway .. in summary. I have a dental appointment on Monday morning. I can decide at their office what kind of insurance I want if I change my mind and sign up on their iPad before I sit in the dental chair. I still do not have any pain to deal with today but I know it can rise up at a moments notice. When it happens, thanks to my friends, I know the causes and what to do to relieve the pain.

BTW ... my spreadsheet showed that my intense pain took place most of the time between 1am-4am fop the past 6 days. Only Wednesday is when I had severe pain all day and night ... I rarely had any pain after 12 noon on those other 5 days. I was able to mow the yard this week, no pain. I was able to drink coffee every morning except Monday and Wednesday mornings. I was able to sleep thru the night uninterrupted 3 out of the last 6 nights.

I know this may be a weird topic (dental) to blog about but it's just "another week in the tropics of southern Indiana".