Update on Bee Allergy

Well its the long Easter weekend. I will be taking Xena to the vet tomorrow to see what can be done about her bee and secondary unknown allergy.

Since Good Friday, when I raced her half dead to the emergency vet, she has improved but there are still problem.

She was very weak the first night and rested in her kennel.

The next morning she was pinging off the walls and seemed back to normal. Except that she started growling at my youngest daughter. I put it down to the steroids- I don't believe that steroids are a good thing... Ive seen how it can turn decent people rather aggressive and zombie like too!

The following day she seemed to have lower energy (drugs worn off I guess)but her growling has become worse and I wont let the youngest daughter go out with her. She is still being friendly and happy to see us but she has 'turns' in her personality that weren't there before. She refused to eat all day which I don't think is good for food loving ridgeback. I was able to tempt her with a sausage. In the afternoon I let her sleep in the sun room with us all there watching TV and she suddenly started growling at youngest daughter and barking at her for no reason. I moved the dog outside. I kept her in her kennel again to rest over night.

Today she has continuing diarrhea, is off her food and rapidly loosing weight. She is vomiting up whitish clear liquid even when she drinks water. She was always a slim dog but now looks like a bag of bones. Her personality this today seems OK but very calm- not normal for her. She just comes over for a pat and hovers. This afternoon, new spots appeared on her bottom.

I feel like the medicines have worn off and the condition is worsening again. This is a sick dog and I have a feeling we are looking at a long term health problem. I really do think she is slowly passing away.

And now it has come down to making a hard decision because she seems to be suffering. We may have to have her put to sleep. It's something my partner and I have started talking about. It seems cruel and yet it may be the humane thing to do.

Trip to the Emergency Vet

Happy Easter! We had a nice day. My daughter Mona made Xena a doggy food Easter egg :o) We had visitors over.

About 2pm the girls noticed some lumps on Xena and told me about it. As it was only a couple I put it down to a new puppy food.

She played for about an hour with the girls then they came inside for dinner. After dinner I saw her through the glass door. Xena's eyes were swollen almost closed and her lips looked fat and ragged. Her ridge was looking weird and thick and standing up. Her body covered in lumps with red weeping eyes, red swollen ears and between her toes. She looked like a very sick dog. She didn't even look like a ridgeback, but more like a rabid pit bull. My youngest daughter took one look at her through the glass door and ran to the other room saying she was 'scared to look at her.'

I called an emergency vet and put her in the car. She was gasping and making wheezy/ rasping noises on the way.

I kept trying to comfort her at each traffic light we stopped at but she seemed confused. I noticed she was licking her back paw a lot.

We arrived at the vet. The vet discovered a bee stinger in her paw and a rough spot on her inner lip (possibly a second bee sting).

Xena was given antihistamines and steroids in her neck (! I wasn't in the room at the time and injections in ridgebacks necks are a no no and the vet kind of looked embarrassed and said opps, 'I only remembered not to give it in her neck after I started doing it.')

She gave me some emergency mediation in case Xena gets stung again. Xena is very allergic to bees.

I called my partner who told me to cut down the flowering plants in the yard and we joked about how much bigger Xena will be if she's going to be taking steroids all the time for allergies!

Poor Xena came home shaky, tired and dazed. I have put her in her kennel with lots of icy water and her dinner.

The vet cost $175 as it is a public holiday. I actually thought it it would cost more.
The eye swelling should be down in an hour but she will be a sick dog for about 3 days due to the severity of the allergic reaction.

Later I spoke to my partner again. He wondered if she would need to be put down. I reassured him it will be ok.

Even later in the evening he called me up and said that he had spoken to some of the guys up there, in the mining camp, over diner and one of them told him that he had a mastiff with the same problem years ago but it lived till it was 14 and was an excellent guard dog, probably the best dog he had ever had. He told my partner that yes it happened 3-4 times when he was a younger and he had to have its balls removed because it would be in so much pain it would bite him. But it didn't bite him after that. He also told him that dog was worth ever dollar he spent in the vet fees.

I don't know how true that is but even I wasn't sure today if Xena would bite me or not. She was in a lot of pain and very disoriented. She couldn't even lift her legs to get in the car and when I lifted her she cried out in pain and whimpered a lot.

But I did want her desexed. I know Gav wanted to breed her and never pushed the issue with him. You know, we will get to that issue when we come to it. But he brought it up tonight that this guy had said it was better to have her desexed so she wouldn't be so aggressive when it got bad. Then I said to him, which was the truth, that the vet had tentatively brought it up while I was there that because of this problem it would be better to have her desexed.

He asked me why she said it, was it because it can be passed to the puppies. I said I thought maybe it was because if it happened during the pregnancy and she had to have steroid shots etc... the puppies might get damaged anyway. I really don't know though.

But it is agreed. We will have her desexed THANK YOU GOD. I will take Xena back to her normal vet in a few days and work out whats the best way to deal with this allergy etc... and book her in to be fixed.

Obedience 1: Class 2

It was a hot day to out in the sun training dogs to loose walk on leads. The dog trainer hasn't seen Xena in a month and said she was longer and even wrinklier than ever. :o)

She was quite happy to hear that I'm starting to let Xena into the sun room as long as she isn't acting like a 'pork chop.'

She took Xena for a walk. Xena is an enthusiastic walker. She leaps, lurches and lunges. Some dogs don't want to budge. However, with some training instructions she was walking quite well on her normal lead by the end of the hour. I'm impressed and really glad I didn't have to figure out how to use that halti collar.

Here goes so I don't forget....

Loose Lead Walking....

It doesn't matter if she walks and pulls behind you, keep going.
Keep the lead lose and let her go anywhere she wants as long a she doesn't pull.
The idea to lose lead walking is that she will learn to keep a comfortable distance between you and herself.

'Xena, walkies' is her command and from then on all she gets is 'good puppy, good girl etc' which she loves and comes closer.

If she rushes ahead just say something like 'wheres my puppy' and walk backwards don't use 'come' that's only for recall.

If she's acting like a 'pork chop' stop, don't move until the moment she stop jumping.
Completely ignore her. Keep her attention by saying 'good puppy etc' when she goes to a tree, is distracted by cars, dogs etc. as soon as she looks at you, move on

Sit, Stay, Drop

Xena knows sit and stay, but not today. She just knows it at home in the yard, where there are no distractions. Now she is walking better on the lead we will start taking her to the local parks to practice her puppy class commands. This has been my fault, sine her pulling while walking incident left my back sore I have only trained her at home. I'm glad though because now she is walking in a better manner we can finally get out and catch up.

Xena still needs to practice 'drop' honestly though, she will flop down and rest if I stop a few minutes anyway and that might be the way to teach her to drop... when I see it happen, cuz trying to get her to do it with food is slow. Though we can do both.

Recall

I don't think Xena will have too much problem with recall on the lead but its "Xena come" then walk backwards praising her all the way for coming. She needs to be just as excited to walk towards me as her food bowl. Which thankfully she is.

Leave it

I'm somewhat confused with this one. I have heard 3 different commands from my trainer on it 'yes' 'leave it' and 'thank you' I've been practicing 'thank you' at home.

I think the trainer may use 'leave it' if the dog is rummaging around off lead and has something in its mouth. I think she uses thank you if the dog has something in it mouth near her and she can walk up and say 'what have you got' remove it from dogs mouth 'thank you' I might call her about that.

She starts with 'yes' then changes it to leave it but said you can just go straight to 'leave it'.

The idea is to have yummy treats in your hand and let the dog lick your hand but moment she turns her nose away say 'yes' then give her the treat.

Other Dogs at the Park Although Xena sniffed and looked at the other dogs she still gets shy and moves quickly away if they start puppy play with her. She has improved since being a total scaredy cat when she was younger to at least showing an interest. I do think that later on she may not be a very social dog with other dogs so at least if she's had lead training/ recall it may help.

I think she is doing well.

I didn't need a computer anyway, did I?

Awweee who loves a tummy rub

As the girls were at school and I needed to study I thought it might be nice for Xena to sit inside with me.

No sooner had I let her into the study when I remembered why I think big dogs should stay outside.

First her very waggy tail brought down everything from my coffee table. That included all those things that shouldn't be there but always are like coffee cups, nail polishes, ash trays, smokes, lighters, some candy wrappers papers oh and a bottle of Grand Marnier. No real damage done. I'm sure she was only encouraging me to give up all my vices- fat chance. 'Just cleaning up mum,' she says 'you really shouldn't have left that mess there last night.'

As she lovingly jumped up at me while I rushed to save my study aides, that would be booze and smokes, from being crushed/ broken under feet, she managed to tangle herself up in all the cords at the side of my desk.

And with one great lunge, like a wild dog cutting through jungle, she broke through them. Before I could even let out a gasp she proceeded onwards dragging my entire computer set up and phone base behind her.

Ummm yeah. I took her outside and gave her a cuddle while I added up the replacement costs. I didn't need that computer, my assignments or my vices anyway now... did I puppy?

Amazingly the computer is still alive. The assignments still there and I'm kicking back with a smoke and a coffee pretending none of that just happened.

DS Update

Well the lumps have gone! The vet thinks it was probably an allergy. If it comes back we need to think about any new food/ items she may be allergies to and we can take her to a doggy dermatologist for further testing.

I am very relieved its not DS. I did speak to a lovely lady, Kate Smith, from the Ridgeback Assoc. in Victoria who let me know that DS is never a large amount of lumps and it doesn't go away once its there. Yes I waas that concerned I called another state and would have called the USA if I had too! She recommended I join the Ridgeback Club here so that I can meet other owners and share information ie where to find a vet who knows about Ridgebacks etc.. She's going to send me some information about DS and even a membership form for her club if I'm interested :o)

I couldn't contact anyone from the RR Club here as their website is down and no phone number available. I did find the Ridgeback Assoc. here but the guy just blew me off... 'we're just a social club' and that's the only sentance I got from him after telling him I needed some advice on where to go/ who to call here about my sick RR.


Funny how things like this can change the way you see things. I let her in the sun room yesterday but only if she behaved. At first she started playing tug o war with my floor rug... out.

5 mins later let her in again. Then she came in and youngest daughter and Xena started playing boisterously..... BOTH of you, OUT.

3rd time lucky, Then 5 mins later I let her in again. She just flopped out and rested. Later she went out again. I think I may slowly introduce her to being in the house but not when she acts like psycho puppy.

Finally her coats have arrived and her halti leader too which for the life of me I cant figure out how it works. I will have to watch the DVD.

Of course all she wanted to do was tear her doggy coat to shreds... but the kids managed to distract her from i by chasing her all over the yard. I took it off her after that. We need to go slowly there.

Shattered

Happier Times only a day ago.

It's been a rough evening. I called Gav and sent him the pictures. He is shattered. My oldest daughter has been crying for hours. I haven't told the youngest yet. I am having a hard time holding it together myself. I'm in shock. I'm trying not to get overwhelmed by my feelings of sadness. I have to keep it together for every ones sake but its not easy. It's a loss. She's a sweet dog, her training is coming along well and give her another month of lead training and she would be excellent. It's a loss emotionally and financially. My daughter was trying to understand it. Why our puppy, why our bad luck etc. I just told her maybe God just wanted this dog to have a short life but a really good short life. I'm pretty shattered too and that's the only way to describe how we are all feeling. Gav and I both agree that the kindest thing to do is put her down. Not everyone would agree but that's our decision.

Tomorrow Xena will go to the vet and we will see what he/ she says. I'm going to ring around and see if I can find one experienced with Ridgebacks.

I'm also going to ring up my Obedience class trainer and let her know what's going on. She likes Xena a lot and maybe she will be supportive.

My daughter asked me if we will have a funeral for her if she has to be put to sleep. Wow I hadn't even got that far on my thinking. I feel numb. I did mention this blog site to her and that it will be a good memory and we can make a memorial last post.

Now I'm all cried out, the kids are in bed and the house is quiet I'm finally starting to get my head around it all. We have to prepare for the worst and at the same time maybe there is hope. Let's see what the vet says.

And isn't it strange, I can't believe all the small things I've worried about in the last 2 months during training. They all seem rather insignificant right now.

I've worked as an AIN for about 5 years in nursing homes and what hit me tonight was palliative care. Even though Xena may be on her way out perhaps she still can quite some time with us with pain relief etc. She can still do her classes (which she loves) and socialise and enjoy her final days. Once the pain is apparent then we will put her to sleep (not that that's what we do in nursing homes!). It may give us time to find some medicines etc that help the problem. I just don't know.

I can't wait to see the vet.

I found a good website about DS in Australai (where I am). The vets here don't see it a lot and most don't know how to operate on it. The dog with DS is euthenized here as the kindest thing to do.

http://tyandroma.com/dimple.htm

Also, that DS on the rump can cause spinal malforations.

Ahhhh I am going to sleep now. Its 3am I'm a wreck.

Dermoid sinus??

OK as my daughter is a worry wart I really didn't think that there would be a problem when she said, "Mum I think the puppy is sick.'

"What is it?" I asked her.

"She has lumps all over her bottom."

I saw Xena this morning when I gave her breakfast. We have been out all morning and arrived home around 1pm. I sent Mona out to play with Xena while I made her food. This morning Xena was fine.

I went outside to see her and yes she did have lumps on her rump. A lot of lumps! They felt medium hard underneath. Xena didn't seem bothered by them.

I haven't changed Xena's diet or taken her anywhere she could have caught anything. She's had all her shots.

I took some pics and rang my boyfriend up north but he was out. I will take her to a doctor tomorrow. I looked it up on line and it looks like the genetic disorder that Ridgebacks get called Dermoid sinus.

I hope it isn't that but it looks like that from the pictures I've seen online.

I can't believe they showed up just like that!

This is not a good situation for the puppy. Anyways I will take her to the vet tomorrow and find out.

It also could be insect bites but she doesn't seem bothered by them.