This morning I took Tara to the vet for routine blood work to recheck her liver enzyme level and to ask him about her cataracts progression. And also I asked him about spay surgery incision (for licensing purpose), since I did not see a record of it from medical record from her previous owners.
I told the vet that Tara has been running into walls and furnitures even in my apartment for about two months now, and I didn't know cataracts would progress this fast. He took a look and said that's not cataracts. Then he took out the ophthalmoscope and looked for about 60 seconds and got me to look also, and said see when I shine the light, there is no pupil change. He said from what he sees and from my description that it did not come suddenly, it's probably Progressive Retinal Atropy (PRA). He said he does not see glaucoma (he said we can do a pressure test to make sure and I said no) and Tara does not seems to be in pain and no sign of brain tumor. He said there's no real treatments for PRA, but if I want definitive diagnosis, he can send us to the ophthalmologist. He said the one at the vet school is not taking any new patients right now, so we would have to go to the one in Birmingham (probably Dr. Beth Gibbons, whom I worked with on her Master's degree thesis project on horse eyes). I said, if there's no real treatment for it and Tara is doing fine, I don't see a need now to take her to the ophthalmologist. And I asked him, isn't PRA genetic? He said it can be, but since it's late on-set in Tara's case, it's probably not genetic. He said thyroid problems can cause this also. And I told him, Tara had a free T4 test six months ago and it's within normal range. He checked and said yes it's within normal range but very close to lower end. I told him we can do the test again if he thinks there's a need, and he did not answer (so I guess not). He did a routine exam on her, said teeth look great (I brush them every day) and ears fine. Then he pulled her blood. I held Tara's head up and ears back and she stayed so still while he stuck needle in her. Actually she's much calmer during this visit than all the previous ones. She just laid on the exam table quietly all throughout. He said he will send the blood to be tested at the vet school; even though he can do it in house, he said since Tara's doing well, he wants to get a good baseline. He said Tara does still have mild cataracts, but what's causing the blindness is the PRA, but he said she probably still can see some light, and I said yes that's what I've observed too, that she has some light/dark differentiation.
On the spay incision, he looked around and did not find any. Then he put some alcohol on her belly and still couldn't see any. He said usually with a dog with belly button hernia, it's easy to see the spay incision. He said, or, maybe the hernia is actually a spay scar tissue and especially her previous owners said she was spayed when she was a puppy, then the actual stitches are not visible now. He does not have an ultrasound machine in house and said we could send her blood in to check for hormone levels. But even if she's really not spayed, at this point, because of her eye issues and possible liver enzyme level, he would not recommend spay surgery. I said, well, I can ask somebody to see if her previous owners went to another vet or something for her spay surgery first. If not, then we'll decide what to do next. I mean I wouldn't mind paying the $10 difference (in Auburn, licensing it's $5 for altered and $15 for intact) to license her as an intact animal, however, if later we move to an area where there is a big fee difference (like in Los Angeles, $10 for altered and $100 for intact), then I wouldn't want to pay the extra $90.
Dr. Marine went to the back to make some phone calls, and he had the other vet and an intern to come take a look at Tara's eyes so the intern can learn something. They looked for over 2 minutes, and Tara was so good, just laid there and did not move and let them exam her. Dr. Marine came back and gave me some information about taking care of blind dogs. He said he knows the author of "Living with Blind Dogs", Caroline Levine, who is one of his clients. He gave me her phone number and said to call her to get some tips. He said another one of his blind patients, the owner put a bell on his (the owner's) ankle so the dog would know where the owner is and follows the sound of the bell around.
I also showed him an email from the stomatitis cat group about Heliobacter and told him I would like my cat tested for this pathogen when she comes in for teeth cleaning in April. He took the time to read the printed version of the 2-page email and said it's interesting. He said he has treated several dogs with Heliobacter and will be interested to learn if this is indeed the cause of my cat's chronic mouth problem. He agrees with me that it's better to have my cat tested first before giving her any of the drugs for this infection (the author of the email decided to forego the test and went ahead with the treatment).
Tara's blood test result will come back tomorrow. Tara weighs 43 pounds.
Wednesday, February 21, 2007
The vet called last night and said liver enzyme level still above normal, but it's lower than six months ago. It was like 310 six months ago, and the test from Monday was 230 (normal upper range is 100 or 150 I think). He said all other levels are within normal range.
I had been a little depressed since yesterday when the vet diagnosed Tara with PRA, but I think I�m okay now. I went online to check out Caroline Levin�s website, and it says she does consultation for blind dog owners for $15 for 10 minutes, and that her specialty is in SARD (Sudden Acquired Retinal Degeneration). I thought maybe it would be less expensive if I just buy her book, for $30.
Wednesday, February 28, 2007
Kathleen finally heard back from Tara�s previous owners, who said they got her spayed at another clinic, and that clinic does not keep records after three years, so they do not have any records of her being spayed. I told Kathleen not to worry about it anymore, and I asked Heather if it would be okay if I end up licensing Tara as an intact, and Heather said yes, even though we are pretty sure she is already spayed.
Thursday, March 1, 2007
Just got Tara licensed for $5! The lady at the desk was really nice, she thought it was pretty neat that I adopted the senior dog from a rescue, AND she's a Springer lover too. She said her sister had one and he was a great dog. I didn't even tell her about my being a foster mom (didn�t want her to question why I didn�t get Tara licensed earlier, because City of Auburn requires licensing within 30 days of acquiring the dog), just showed her Tara's records from her previous owner and told her the story about why she doesn't have a spay certificate. She believed me, didn't even have to revaccinate for rabies! She also asked me a little bit about Springer rescue. Unfortunately the printed receipt doesn't indicate that Tara is licensed as a spayed female (just had my name and dog's name, doesn't even have my address or phone number), so hopefully we'll be as lucky with dog licensing at where we move to next. As she and I were talking, the tornado warning over the radio came on. But there are so many tornado warnings here, more than when I lived in Oklahoma. And most people here just go on with their business, even after tornado siren.
Friday, March 2, 2007
Yesterday afternoon, the school dismissed all classes after 2 PM because of the impending severe thunderstorm. The pharmacy school is a designated shelter area, so I think it�s actually safer than my top-floor apartment, but I went home anyways to make sure Tara and Anastasia weren�t near the windows. Then later that afternoon, I saw on TV that tornadoes went through Enterprise, AL, where Faith and Glory used to live, and killed several students at a local high school. I�m so glad that we got them off the chains in the backyard and they are in safe hands! I can�t imagine how scary it would be for them to be chained in the backyard, with tornadoes rip through their town, even though it was 2 miles away from their previous house.
Saturday, March 3, 2007
I received �Living With Blind Dogs� book today and quickly read through it. I�ve found it very useful, especially the first chapter, where it talks about why it is okay to feel bad after hearing about the diagnosis from the vet, because it�s just like a grieving process, whether we are grieving for loss of a loved one�s life, some people grief after loosing a limb, or grieving for lose of our pet�s vision. The second chapter talks about some of the common reasons for blindness, and it says PRA is genetically linked, and it recommends people to let their breeder know (if they got their dog from a breeder), and that the breeder should not breed the parents or any of the littermates of the affected individual. Some of the training techniques aren�t as positive as I liked, as it included water spray bottle and light collar corrections, but I�ve started teaching Tara some blind dog cues, like �Up� (for going up stairs), �Step� (for going downstairs), and �Careful� (for slowing down). The book also talks about some special apparatus for blind dogs, like the �white cane� and �halo�, but those look complicated and mostly for small dogs, so I�m not really interested in them for Tara, but I am planning to get a pair of doggie goggles for her.
Sunday, March 4, 2007
After subscribing to �blind and deaf dogs� Yahoo list for more than month, I did not learn anything at all from it, because it�s mainly a list for positing blind and/or deaf dogs for adoption. So finally today I decided to unsubscribe from the list, and subscribe to the �blind dog� list to see if I could get more tips. Even though Tara is a little bit hard of hearing also, I wanted a more active support group. I also saw from the list�s website that there is one owner, with four or five other dogs, all have earned their CGC or more, including the blind dog. So I guess it IS possible for a blind dog to pass the CGC. Except in Tara�s case, I think she�s a little hard of hearing also, because when she�s five or ten feet away from me and I call her, most of the time she has no idea where the voice is coming from, and a lot of times she would actually walk toward the opposite direction. Also, I searched for PRA and for doggles (doggie goggles), and found that a lot of PRA dogs appear to not know they are blind and run into things, but at the same time do not nose the ground when they are open areas, thus a lot of the times they do not appear to be blind either (because they lost their vision slowly). Therefore, doggles are recommended for PRA dogs so that they don�t run into tree branches, etc. After reading other�s experience, I just ordered a pair from ebay; she doesn�t need it when we walk on campus because I keep her leash pretty tight and walk on sidewalk, but I think it would help if we go on narrower trails. Virginia said Tara will look cooler in her �glasses� than I do in mine!
Sunday, March 11, 2007
Glory�s foster mom emailed an update about how she�s doing at her adoptive home. �We receive at least one email a week from Glory�s new owners. They are so proud.� I think Glory looks so much happier and calmer now.
�Hi, Just thought I'd let you know that I'm still doing OK. I think I told you I've been to the groomers, but now I've been microchipped as well - and wow! that one one big needle. So I squealed - and my Dad told me not to be such a big wuzz!! Hmph!
I am still losing weight slowly and am starting to get a waistline again. I look much better than my sister Faith - she is on the ESRA website. I hope she gets a forever home soon - one just like mine.
I am still walked down at the lake every day and I am starting to train using whistle signals; my Dad says I am a good girl and I come back to him (almost) every time he blows the whistle. I only slip up if I have seen a particularly interesting squirrel. I am allowed on the bed occasionally - in fact I am lying on the bed now dictating this e-mail.
Here's my latest photograph - one of a batch taken this morning (I must be the most photographed Springer in Georgia ; can dogs charge royalties?).�
Monday, March 12, 2007
Update from Peter�s mom. �Sorry it's taken so long to get back to you. We have been in the process of moving. Peter's heartworm test came back negative. We were very happy. He's doing really well. We love him lots. He has been a little aggressive with dogs near our house and a few children which is so out of his nature with us. I'm going to sign him up for a basic obedience class to get exposure with him around other dogs. I think he thinks he is protecting me.�
- cats, squirrels, leaves to play in... It'll do :-)�
And email from David, Glory�s new dad, �She's a lovely dog and has many, many mannerisms of my old Springer girl (Holly).�
Heather and Liana had decided to resign from their coordinator positions, so now Alabama and Georgia Springer Rescue are back being managed separately. Angie in Montgomery is the new AL coordinator, with Millie doing a lot of co-coordinating in the background. Patty in Mobile is the new adoption coordinator, with Judie in Birmingham taking charge of fundraising activities. Kathleen in GA is still receiving owner relinquishment inquiries for both states, and Sandi in Atlanta is the new adoption coordinator for GA.
Wednesday, March 14, 2007
Peter's mom, Deirdre, called me last night and we talked for about 20 minutes. They moved from Lawrenceville to Suwanee two weeks ago, but phone number still the same (I didn't get her new address). She said with the kid thing, it started about two months ago, when a little girl (I think one of her son's friends) met Peter and even though did not hug him, was a little grabby with him. She also said the little girl has a high-pitched voice. I told her maybe she scared Peter somehow. Deirder said but Peter has always been wonderful with her two own kids, let them hug and pet him all over, but he has growled at this particular little girl, snapping the air near her hand (as she was trying to pet him), and this has carried over to a couple other kids in the neighborhood. I told her this difference in reaction is normal, a lot of dogs have different reaction with kids in their own family versus other kids, maybe because their own kids they live with everyday and the dog knows the kids won't hurt him and thus seem more predicatable to him. With visiting kids, especially kids, they actions and behaviors are a little more unpredictable and this would cause the dog to be more cautious. Deirdre said she has now told the little girl not to go up to Peter when she comes over, unless she comes to get Deirdre first so Deirdre can supervise the interaction. I recommended her to not let the little girl hug Peter, just light petting, maybe even just let Peter go at his own pace, have the little girl sit down and let Peter approach her, rather than she go up to Peter. And possibly also let the little girl feed him treats. Deirdre said when she took Peter to the vet a couple days ago for HW test, this is what the vet told her too. She said she didn't mean to sound in the email earlier yesterday that they were scared and trying to get rid of Peter, they think Peter is the sweetest dog and overall great dog and just had little concerns, and definitely they are keeping him. She said one of her neighbors recently met Peter, and that neighbor has a dog also, so he just extended his hand and let Peter sniff him first, then he petted Peter, and Peter had no problem with that. Also I asked her if Peter's crate trained, and she said when she's at work, they keep Peter in the crate, and they just have to tell him "Go to your house" and he would go in, they don't even have to push him in. She said he's also got a hamburger toy, that's his favorite special toy, that they put in there with him when he's in the crate. I recommended that when the kids come over, if he feels overwhelmed, maybe let Peter into the crate and tell the kids never to bother the dog in there, I told her that's what Lexi's mom does. Deirdre said she has never thought about keeping the crate door open but she will definitely try this idea.
She said sometimes Peter would carry the hamburger toy out of the crate and carry it around the house, and he would growl when the kids try to take it away from him, so she has told all the kids not to take it away from him, she told them it's just like there are some special things they each have they don't want other people to touch it. I asked her if Peter would let her have the toy if she wants it and trade it with a yummy treat. She said oh yeah it's no problem, he would let her do anything to him. So I said, it sounds like he trusts you with everything, and Deirdre said yes. She said actually her daughter said she (the daughter) is Peter's mom, but Peter always follows Deirdre around, like when they are all in the same room, if Deirdre leaves, Peter would always follow her. So Deirdre told the daughter, yeah maybe we can both be his mom. She said at night, Peter either sleeps in her and her husband's room, or in her daughter's room. And in the morning, she would let Peter jump on her daughter's bed to wake her up. And she said her daughter has taught Peter all kind of tricks. She said her daughter would work with Peter in her own bedroom, and then come out and show Deirdre what she has taught Peter. One trick is her daughter would hide a trick behide her back, and show the fists to Peter and ask Peter "Which One?", then Peter would paw the hand, always the one with the treat! And she said in the mornings, Peter would sit by the garage door, knowing that he would get to ride in the car when Deirdre drops her daughter off at school.
She said regarding other dogs, actually Peter is wonderful with her sister's JRT (female). The dogs always play beautifully together when they go over to visit. And when they went on a trip, they left Peter at her sister's house and he did great there. She said one time her mom and sister and the JRT came over to visit, and actually Peter was a little growl-ly at first. But they just let the dogs work it out and after a few minutes, the dogs are friends again. I told her this is not unusual either, that some dogs are okay with other dogs away from home, but gets a little territorial from fear or lack of socialization when the other dogs come to their house. She said regarding dogs on walks, they don't see a lot of dogs on walks, but Peter pulls on leash and she's been trying to train him on that, by standing like a tree (he did that when he was with me too, and at adoption, I told her I used the stand like a tree method). And Peter would come back to her. And actually last night before she called me, she said when she was walking Peter, they passed by another owner walking his dog, and Peter lunged and barked, but she got him to sit and she praised and petted him for sitting. Then when they passed by the dog again a few minutes later, actually Peter ignored the dog and just kept on walking. I told her that sounds great, maybe keep on working the same way, and maybe bring treats with her on walks. Deirdre said she just thought about that during the walk also, and she will definitely try it.
She also mentioned that when they are in the front yard, when another dog passes by, Peter would lunge and bark. I told her again this is not unusual, and I recommended her to try to spot the other dog first, before Peter reacts, and then lure him to a sit and praise him for being calm.
I reminded her that she can call Hurb anytime for training advice also. She is still interested in going to a group class with Peter for him to learn to behave in front of other dogs. I told her I will look around for some recommendations for a good positive class. She asked me if we don't recommend Petco and Petsmart classes, and I told her it depends on the trainer, and she said depending on the class day and time and traffic, she's willing to drive 30-60 minutes for classes, but of course closer is better.
I also asked about Peter's skin. She said even her husband mentioned the other day that Peter looks like a different dog now, he's hair is now all silky and not coarse. She said they've had him groomed twice, and once she decided to try the conditioning treatment. She said when he came back, all the flakes were gone, and now his tumor removal scar and two patches of bare spots on the front legs are barely visible. She said she's not giving him the fatty acid supplement anymore, she said she asked the vet about it and the vet said since his skin is doing much better now, it's okay if they stop it.
It sounds like he's doing great and very much loved. I still miss him though, he's such a sweet boy.
I emailed Lexi�s mom, Lori, telling her a little bit about Peter and asking her for advice in introducing neighborhood kids to her dog. Lori said she would recommend pretty much the same things I did, and also to always supervise with that little girl and re-introduce slower, but not prohibiting interaction. Lori also mentioned to supervise interaction with other kids also (because now he�s had one bad association with one kid), and I told her Peter�s family had already told me about it and I�ve told them to also supervise with all other kids for now.
A letter from Glory:
�Morning Phyllis,
Here's a selection of pix of ME - Glory. If they are of any use, my Dad says please feel free to use them. And while I think of it, please, please, please try to find a forever home for my sister, Faith. She's a good girl, even though she did bite me. I'm allowed on the bed � sometimes.�
