Rogue Update 11-15-08
Filed Under (Rogue, anxiety, meds, vet) by Marie on Nov 16, 2008 1:11 am
I’ve been really bad about keeping up on posting lately. Alot has been going on, but I’ll try to recap this last week.
I was hoping to hear from our vet in Salt Lake on Tues., after he got back from vacation, but unfortunately, I never did. I called the office again on Wed. and then promptly missed his return call because I my silly phone on vibrate and didn’t hear it! (Could’ve screamed when I figured out what I’d done). LOL Called the office again, hoping that he hadn’t already gotten busy with other clients, but I was too late. I made one more attempt on Wed. to get ahold of him, but he was just getting ready to leave for a housecall and didn’t have time to talk to me then either. Ughh! So, we set up an appointment for 8:00 am on Thurs. Finally, success! We talked about the fax consult for Rogue and he agreed to call in the prescriptions for her! Woohoo!!!
So, we are now two days into the new medication. She is on 1 mg. of fluoxitine a day. I haven’t noticed any changes yet, but I didn’t really expect any this soon anyway, and at least she’s not having any negative reaction to the medication. At the first of next week I’ll try the alprazolam too and moniter her reaction to it. I need to give it to her when I can watch and see how she responds, so that I figure out what dosage will be best for her. For right now we are going to use the fluoxitine daily and the alprazolam as a preventative, (like prior to an anticipated event that might be stressful), or interventional help, (like a storm beginning while we’re not at home).
In the meantime, we are also continuing to work on the Relaxation Protocols that we had been doing before, and we are also working on some other protocols, one being the Protocol for Deference. It is designed to help the dog learn to be calm, learn that they can ask questions of people and learn that they can get guidance about what is expected or what will happen…if they just sit calmly and provide themselves with the ability to take in useful information. This is a huge change from how Rogue has been up to this point. She is definitely seeking information, but I’ve never provided a really clear way for her to get it. I really think that this is something that all my dogs and myself are really going to benefit from.
I also decided that I wanted to try to keep a video diary of how this whole process is going. I decided to video Rogue doing her Relaxation Protocols, (so it may not be the most interesting video for most people to watch) LOL, but I chose it because it should allow me to make a comparison of how she is able to relax in a structure that she is familiar with before and now that she is on medication.
I’m glad to hear things are improving with Rogue, even if it’s just a step at a time. I like hearing about her challenges and how you work to overcome them with her.
Ohyh I am really anxious to hear how things go so keep us posted!!
Christys last blog post..Busy Weekend ahead..
Hey, I have an unrelated question for you:
I’m trying to teach Ace the “hold” command where he sits and holds something in his mouth until I say “give.” I can’t get him to do it for even a half-second. All he wants to do is drop it right away because he wants me to throw it. He will retrieve anything but drops it at my feet immediatly. He will also carry anything in his mouth while we are walking but drops it the second I slow down (again, so I’ll throw it). You probably have never had this problem, but do you have any suggestions?
Hey Lindsay,
I had a similar problem with Twist. Not that he wants you to throw the object so much as he just really doesn’t like holding it in his mouth. We used the leash to help us a little with this. It worked with the dumbell, but I don’t know if it would work with an object that was completely inside Ace’s mouth. We would make sure that the leash is under the chin and keep pressure there telling him to “hold”. Then quickly take the object before he can drop it and try to increase the duration of the hold. The other thing someone suggested to me, but I don’t know how well it would work was to keep my hand under his chin and if he went to drop it, close his mouth with my hand and tell him to “hold”. The other thing I’d suggest is that I wouldn’t ever pick it up if he’s dropping at your feet. let him pick it back up and only take it from his mouth, never off the ground. He’s a smart boy and I think he’ll figure out that dropping it isn’t getting him anywhere. Don’t know if any of those suggestions are new, probably not, but let me know how it goes!
Will do, Christy!
Ha. This should really help. Thanks for the ideas. I wasn’t really sure where to start. I think your idea about not picking it up after he drops it is a good one.
Fingers crossed the medication will work for him
Saint Lovers last blog post..Dog Park Play Date
Hey Lora,
I’m hoping that it works for her too. So far there have been a couple of times that my husband and I both have remarked about her reactions to things being a little less severe, although I can’t say that we’ve seen anything really different yet. I know that we’ve got to give it several weeks though to really determine if this is working or not. So, I need patience…know where I can get some? LOL