Grey was ill this last week but ok now

Back to the vets this week. Just when I thought we were going to break the cycle of at least one yearly major trip to the vets. He started being sick lots after meals. Throwing up undigested food. We thought there was a blockage so we took him in. Two hundred odd quid later, 2 xrays and whatever else goes on the bill and we clarified there was no blockage but it might have been caused by pork bones. On the way home in the car, grey had explosive diareah in his crate. Not pleasant for both of us on the half hour journey home. He had another accident in the house so really not a happy slovak.

He spent the next two days resting and eating small portions of chicken and rice. He then quickly bounced back to his full Slovak self.

While under sedation the vets cut his nails and emptied anal glands. The glands were really full. He was sadly really stressed at the vets and really won't let anyone touch his bum there. So we're going to have to really work on vet handling or he will become a dog that always has to be sedated for minor procedures. Such a shame as he used to be fine at the vets.

 

 

 

 

Back to the vets tomorrow

I'm taking Grey back into the vets tomorrow. he may have to stay in and have xrays again. This is just so shitty and depressing for him. He's generally more insecure now while he's ill. I don't think he's feeling too happy in himself today. He stood and had a howl when some unusual noises came on the radio and growled at a sock on the floor that he'd left there earlier. His limp is worse today and I just hope we can find what is wrong with him.

Back in action

Happy, funny running boy Grey after 1 month of house arrest.



I had thought he might be more of a bugger to get back. But actually his month attached has improved things. We're working on more proactive lead training than I did before. His recall is good (not perfect by all means!).

Welcome back hairy boy!

Update: Grey still has ongoing pain issues

I've been meaning to post back following Grey's trip to The Animal Health Trust last Weds. I truly hoped that we'd be in a different position by this weekend. Unfortunately, despite getting thoroughly examined at AHT and coming out with clear MRI scan results, he had a further set back this last Friday when he started yelping in pain again when pressure was on his neck. So he was then put on Metacam along with everything else and we have to speak to the vet on Tuesday to see what we do next.

The Animal Health Trust were absolutely fantastic. That place is like the set of ER or Gray's Anatomy for animals! He had a full spinal MRI and spinal tap. They found nothing wrong with him. We may have caught an infection early and are now dealing with the residual pain from inflammation. We heard from someone else who got a slovak pup that was a litter two weeks older than Grey and Gunner. I remember peeking over at them to have a look. The owner said her dog had had a bad spinal infection the same as Gunner and had to have specialist treatment for months. This is the same litter that someone I met who had a pup called Freya who was rehomed at the 2008 slovak fun day. I remember the owner having lots of problems with Freya having the runs too.

More news from the vet on Tuesday. For the moment, we still don't go running. He rests.

Day 7 of the mystery illness - how to manage a bored slovak?

Woke up this morning to Grey sat on the bed barking at a cat sat on a wall in the garden. No yelps or squeals today. Generally he's quite bored and finding ways to amuse himself in the house like collecting up a range of objects into his bed. He's eating and going to the loo fine. He's still quite a bit more reactive to noises outside even when in the house. He's also stood a few times barking at me which he doesn't normally do at all in the house.

I waited until the morning school run had finished and the green was all clear to take him out on the halti. We went to say hello to his friend the decorator who's now working on a house near us. He really loves this guy. He was much safer and manageable on the halti. We just mooched across the grass with lots of sniffing.

Off to the vets this afternoon.

I'm now giving him his dinner in frozen kongs to keep him busy longer.

Day 6 of the mystery illness - normal service is resumed

I woke up this morning to Grey hovering above me licking my arm to wake me up. So pretty much back to normal in terms of inside the house. he has only had the odd yelp for going down stairs. otherwise, he's behaving as he would have done before he was ill. He's had just one painkiller tablet and his antibiotic this morning.

This now raises the next issue of what to do with him while he thinks he needs to go out and he's not really allowed out to go running. And lead walking a dog that doesn't lead walk very well is an obstacle to get over.

What equipment should I put on him?

So for now we've been amusing ourselves with lead training with treats and keeping an eye out for things that might set him off in terms of reactivity. Don't want him rearing up on the collar etc.

We've been following the Dogs Trust videos for 'close' in the back yard and looselead walking with the premack principle on the green. Roll on tomorrow for test results.

Day 5 of the mystery illness - ups and downs and ups

Today has been such an up and down day. Last night he had basically refused to wee or poo all evening. We had to carry him up and down the stairs and out into the back yard, where he just stood looking sad with his back curled up so he looked like an oversized beddlington terrier. I woke up at 4a.m to him crying so I gave him some more painkiller tablets. I managed to get him to lick some water from my hand while he was in bed. This morning at 7.30 he was no better. He was very distressed if one of us leaves the room. Again wouldn't wee or poo when he was carried outside. He ate his tripe brekkie no problem and had a new antibiotic. Then he turned around for a while. We'd left the front door open and he took himself off up the front steps to look out the gate at the front. So I asked him if he wanted to go out for a wee and he did. Popped on his fleecy harness on, checked there were no dogs around and lead him over onto the green. He greeted two lady neighbours wagging and pleased to see them, then onto the green cheerily had a wee, a poo and decided to lie down on something he thought smelled nice. He seemed very engaged and actively came back to the house when I asked him if we should go find his dad. He then snoozed for an hour or so. I gave him his next pain meds at 10. A bit later he was back to crying and whining and being a bit lost. So I popped a Ttouch body wrap on him and did some Ttouch on him. He wanted to lean into me and generally be sure where we are. So after he tried to sit on the bench with me at the dining table, I moved to the dog duvet with him with all my paperwork! He seemed calmer and slept a while stretching out.

I popped out at lunchtime and on my return found a much more alert and relaxed Grey. He was in bed with a nicked butter pat pot off the side. Woohoo! He's interested in thieving again! He then went outside to the garden and dug up his raw hide chew that he continuously has a bit of a chew on and then buries in the garden. To finish it off he went up the front steps and barked at something across the green. Don't want to tempt fate but a big improvement on yesterday.

He's had chicken for dinner tonight and more painkillers and his second antibiotic. He's now fast asleep.

Grey is really ill for his second birthday

Not the way I'd hoped we would spend Grey's second birthday tomorrow. He's been realy ill for the last three days. Started on Thursday night when he yelped suddenly when I touched his shoulder. This quickly progressed to him yelping when he moved to him being unable to lie down or get up on his own. He spent the night whining lightly and twitching. It was awful. Friday I took him to the vet and they said he has an enlarged lymph node on his right shoulder at the base of his neck. They said they couldn't find any evidence of injury or strain. Worryingly they said that in an older dog this could be linked to cancer, but given Grey's young age this would be really rare. But still, scary that the 'C' word was brought up.

I spoke with the vets again on Saturday as he wasn't getting better and was still crying. We added paracetamol in every 6 hours. By Sunday it was clear he needed some stronger pain killers. We went to see the other practice. Grey arrived full of adrenalin going into the vets. Had to be carried in because of the tiled floor. The vet said again that it's strange his condition in such a young dog. He gave him a morphone injection and we came home with stronger pain killers which he has needed to take. We're taking him back in to the vets first thing for xrays and a biopsy.

I'm totally worried about him and what's going on. Wondering if it is at all linked to the condition his brother Gunner had (diskospondilitis). It's just awful seeing my once full of life dog, just lying around either out of it on drugs or crying in pain. Hopefully will know more tomorrow.

In other news, Gunner is now having collapses every two weeks. How awful is that. Hope both these brothers get well soon.

Grey's brother is really poorly

I've just heard that Grey's littermate is really poorly again with the mystery pain problem in his neck and shoulder and that pain killers hadn't worked and he's in the vets on morphine. I'm so sad for him and his owner. He has been ill since he was 9 months old and this latest flare up is really serious. This is the 3rd pain issue I've heard of from people with slovaks. All young dogs under a year old. I chatted with a breeder about it who had suggested it could be linked to previous GI infections when young and these stay somehow in the system causing reactive arthritis. In humans it's called Reiters Syndrome. No idea if this is what Grey's brother has. His vet thinks it might be something to do with the vertebrae. Obviously we're really worried in case something could also happen to Grey, but primarily sending healing thoughts to his brother. It's not fair for such a young dog.

A break in transmission

Gosh, where did the last few weeks go? I can't believe Christmas is nearly upon us. Grey doesn't know anything about Christmas, so there's a blessing! He'll not be disappointed with another usual walk and a usual breakfast!

We had a sad even befall us. Grey shared our house with Rock. Our four and a half year old maine coon cat. He had only recently bee diagnosed with the heart condition HCM and was doing really well on the meds. He died suddenly at home two weeks ago while Grey and I were out having his dental plate looked at in Hastings. We're so sad as Rock was such a wonderful cat and companion.

A few days after Rock's passing we were notified of two littermate maine coon boys who were up for rehoming due to bereivement. So Ollie and Jay now came to live with us. They've been here five days and have started to settle in fine. They're lovely soft cats. They're being introduced to grey slowly and so the baby gates have gone back up. So far so good. Just mixing up the scents at the moment and getting them used to the sound of the other.

We also had flu hit the house. So much of last week, Grey's walk was a real struggle. I ended up climbing back to bed along with Grey for the afternoon and evening.

Lead training has been going well. Still tiny steps and it all depends on how excited he is. But slowly and surely he is starting to show signs of how it will be to have a dog that walks nicely beside me. We had a nice session out on Minnis today. His recalls are good again. I sat out on the sea wall and called him back on the whistle leaving him a nice little prize of hotdog sausage on the wall beside me, then releasing him back. I did it about 10 times, and no fail. Did some loose lead on the sea wall which was really surprising. I also added in some sharp right turns and about turns at the end. I was given this tip from a gundog trainer I've been talking to. Right turns keep them closer wheras the left turn (also a methiod oft used by gundog trainers) pushes through the dig, but away. So I'm working Turid's method for loose lead walking and then I'm adding in a tighter 'heel' where he has to follow me more closely.