Tag Archives: vet

Rogue Update 10-09-08

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It was a busy weekend for Rogue, and I’m still trying to process everything. Posting about everything will probably come in bits and pieces as I sort it all out.

I know that I’ve posted some about the holistic remedies that we’ve been trying for Rogue’s anxiety, but none have had any effect that I could see, and her anxiety if anything seems to be progressively getting worse to me. So…I decided that I needed to try something else. I can’t remember if I posted about our failed attempt to get bloodwork done at one of the local vets here. I don’t think I did, but the visit was pointless because they said they couldn’t find a vein to draw blood unless they sedated her, and I was unwilling to sedate her just for that. I decided to go to the veterinary hospital that Sheltie Rescue of Utah uses in Salt Lake, since I know that they have been happy with them and the vets there are also familiar with Shelties in general.

So, Friday we had an appt. at noon to have an exam and bloodwork done, and during the exam we decided to have x-rays done as well. I was really happy with the exam, I felt like he was very thorough, and by Monday we had the results back and they were normal. Nothing to explain the sensitivity to touch and anxiety increasing. So, in a way that’s a relief…

On Monday Rogue was also scheduled to have her private lesson with Leslie McDevitt. I really didn’t know what to expect from Rogue, since her threshold for handling pressure in new situations has decreased lately. It wasn’t a suprise for me when she pretty much was overwhelmed as soon as we entered the building. Leslie didn’t even try to do any training with us, just sat and talked to us for the hour instead. She said that in her opinion, Rogue has generalized anxiety disorder that requires medication.

Fortunately, she said that with meds she thought that Rogue’s ability to deal with anxiety should improve alot, and that we’ll be able to get past this place where we’re so stuck. She recommended getting a fax consult with Karen Overall to assist our vet in finding the right meds. I have to admit, I came home not really thinking that Karen would have time to take on our case, since she’s involved in a research study right now, but on Tuesday, I had a reply from her stating that she would be happy to take Rogue’s case. :-)

For parts of the last two days I’ve been trying to fill out the forms that she sent us. After that I’m going to try to get my husband’s help to get video of Rogue in several different situations to send along with the forms so that they get a good picture of what needs to be addressed. I feel kind of like I’m trying to complete a school assignment or something. LOL

So…that’s about it for now.

Home from CU Seminar

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The seminar was fantastic! The more I think about it, the more I appreciate how much all dogs, not just reactive dogs could benefit from the basic ideas of Control Unleashed. Cynthia and I commented while driving home one of the days that we had expected to see more reactivity in the dogs in the working slots. The thing is that when I thought about it more…the whole purpose of Control Unleashed is to give you and your dogs the skills and tools you need to keep the dogs from ever getting over their threshold where you would have those big reactions!

Leslie McDevitt has a wonderful talent for reading both the dogs and their handlers and keeping them both in a optimal place for learning and working together. There were several things that I think I’ll try to use with Raven and even Twist, although I originally thought it would apply mostly to Rogue. For Raven I think I’ll try the “Gimme a Break” game to build enthusiasm for training with me, and some of the “parallel games” I think might help Twist when he gets so excited about dogs playing and running around. One of the things that I need to work on with both of them first though is mat work.

I’m still pretty wiped out, but I have lots more to write about Rogue and her visit to the vet and the private lesson with Leslie McDevitt on Monday, and what we’re going to do next. I’ll try to get some things done around here so I can write more later on tonight.