Resq TailsThe trials and triumphs of rescued dogs

I finally ventured back out with the camera today, and I got a shot that I just couldn’t help but share. I just love this one…

After hearing from the vet about Rogue’s meds this time around, I find myself frazzled. It’s been 5 months since we started medicating Rogue, and even though I tend to be a pessimist…I think I set my hopes too high. I really thought that we’d be seeing some very noticeable progress by now, and so yesterday in frustration I called our friends at Sheltie Rescue for some advice. I know that they won’t sugarcoat things for me, if I ask for an honest opinion and I also know that they have a ton more experience dealing with anxious dogs than I have. So, here is what we talked about.

Of course, when I’m more rational, and my own nerves and emotions are less raw I had already considered that we may just not have found the correct medication for Rogue. We talked briefly about that. We also talked about the fact that sometimes the changes that these meds bring about are small enough that on a day to day basis I may not be noticing them, but that they may be accumulating more than I think. Also very possible.

I have some concerns about whether our home environment is adding to Rogue’s anxieties, so we talked about that. We talked about whether she might thrive in a home with more stable routine. Having the boarding kennel here means that some days I’m in and out of the house dealing with clients quite a bit, and that seems to stress her out.

Then another possibility was presented. I have to say that I was pretty unsure about it at first, but the idea is growing on me. They mentioned letting Rogue come stay with them for a time to give us a break from the situation and to give them some time to evaluate Rogue. After talking this possibility over with my husband, we both agree that this may be just what all of us need. A little break.

So, once they get back from the Sheltie Nationals in a couple of weeks, Rogue may get to for a short stay at the SRU house. That is, unless there is some radical development with this latest dosage change in her meds. In the meantime I want to express my gratitude for both Barbara and Jim giving of their time, (of which they have none to spare), and their continuing offer of support and help for Rogue and for us.

The only update that I have right now is a more of a medication update than anything else. We still don’t seem to have found just what she needs, so we got an email from Dr. Overall yesterday saying that we can try giving her 20 mg. of Amitriptyline in the mornings now, and then keep the evening dosage at 10 mg. We can try this for 10 days and if we don’t see any improvement than we may need to try something else. So, today will be our first day with the new dosage.

I haven’t posted about this before now because I wanted to make sure that our registration had been accepted first. I finally got the email confirmation that I’d been waiting for…yesterday! So, the good news is we’re going to Camp W in Lake Tahoe again this year in September! Woohoo!

We got to go back in 2007 and we had a fantastic time. I took Twist and Zoe with me that year. It’s just a camp where you have the option of trying out a ton of different dog sports, like herding, obedience, agility, flyball, tracking, lure coursing and carting. Or, you can just choose to take absolutely gorgeous hikes, relax on the beach, do crafts…well you get the picture. It’s a no pressure vacation with the dogs! Did I mention that the food is great too?!

These are some pictures from camp with Zoe and Twist. Now the big decision for me is which dogs or dog to take?

This has been a weird week. First, we’ve had crazy weather. We had two really nice days to start off the week. It was close to 70 degrees on Tues. when I took the dogs for their walk. I even got a bit sunburned. Then Wednesday it was like we were in the middle of a windstorm all day. Ugh! I hate the wind. It’s trying to blow a piece off the metal roof on our barn, and it’s just miserably cold again. Now today, we’re back to some (and I do mean just some), sunshine.

Then it’s been a weird week with the boarding kennel. I had two clients scheduled to drop off their three dogs yesterday and neither of them showed up or even bothered to call! One came this morning, and apologized because she works nights and there was a miscommunication with her husband about dropping off the dog. But the second one, when I was finally able to get ahold of them today, just said that they’d gotten a later start than they expected for the weekend, and that they just thought they’d drop them by today. I’m sorry, but that is just so rude! It’s not that hard to pick up a phone and say that you aren’t going to be able to make your appointment. GRRR!!! Then just a minute ago someone dropped in that never calls in advance and wanted to just leave their dog. Has no one out there ever heard of a phone????

Then it’s been weird because I haven’t been able to get ahold of either of Rogue’s vets this week. I always dread when Rogue gets close to the end of her prescriptions. I still don’t see improvement that is really consistant in her reactivity or anxiety. It’s so very frustrating and disappointing to call up and have nothing really positive to relate. So, first I emailed Dr. Overall to give her a report on what we’ve observed, and see if we should stay at the same dosage or adjust it. Well, that was the first of the week, and I haven’t had a reply yet. That’s fine, I know that she’s super busy, and I’m just grateful that she’s been continuing to give us direction as we try to find a medication that helps Rogue. But, in the meantime, the prescription was going to run out…so, I decided to just called the vet in SL and asked for a refill at the same dosage, so that we can get by till one of the other of the vets decides if they need to adjust things. So…we’re just waiting to hear from someone….anyone. LOL

Oh, and then…my husbands parents and grandparents were supposed to come tonight. Well, that’s enough to make me a nervous wreck. They are not really dog people. So, all day yesterday I spent trying to clean. I got all distracted doing really deep cleaning on dumb stuff like the grout in the kitchen countertop and wiping down my shelves. By the time I was done with that silly stuff, it looked overall like I’d done nothing. Thankfully, they called last night and cancelled their trip to come see us. Course, they are all literally sick from something, so that’s not good at all, but I am extremely relieved that I will not have company here tonight! Oh, and did I mention how nice it is that they managed to pick up the phone and let me know that they were changing their plans? Now if they could just talk to my boarding clients….