Catching Up

It's been a while, but things have been busy. Let me try to catch things up to speed.

A few weeks ago, Winry, we think, partially tore her ACL while playing too hard. This is practically unheard of in the greyhound breed, but Winry is an anomaly apparently. She had been put on rest and rimadyl, but after a week's worth her limp returned and we conducted x-rays. As of right now, the doctor's at my office all concurred that they don't think Winry will require surgery and that the injury will hopefully heal on its own. We're keeping our fingers crossed.

In the meantime, no running for Winry, as we've bee instructed to keep her low-key. Luckily, she is pretty much this way in her own right, but no running at all has dampened her a bit...she so does love frolicking around the yard. We've also been preventing her from jumping into the car, and trying our best to avoid stairs. She dislikes being carried though, so tries to sneakily do things on her own. Just another few weeks, I hope. She's also been put on dasaquin perhaps forever more to help lubricate her joints and prevent any further injury in that leg.

Ferguson unfortunately has had some relapse with his separation anxiety, pretty much since Winry required x-rays. I had to leave him by himself while she stayed at my work awaiting treatment. He had been doing so well for so long, I didn't think Winry being gone for a few hours would matter much. I was unfortunately quite wrong, and I returned to a very flustered, anxious Ferguson. Things have improved since some serious remedial training, but we are still on the road to recovery for his psyche as well. *sighs*

We have been trying to enjoy the summer despite these things though. My parents did manage to get their beach property, so the dogs have come a few times, and even got to go on a beach last time we visited.

We're still working on training Ferguson to be left alone at the beach house (new places especially send him into regression), but it's a process. Winry, on the other hand, continues to be her perfect little angel self and is totally fine being left wherever.

Maybe one day, her perfect self-sufficient habits will rub off on him.

All you need is love...

What a day.

As I wrote in my last post, Ferguson has suddenly had some setbacks in alone-time that have since gotten rapidly worse, faster than what I can keep up with. When I first got him, I worked diligently for months practicing desensitization, repetition, increased time, etc. which did and does work, but takes a lot of time and patience. He did get it eventually, and while he never LOVED being left, he tolerated it, and would actually sleep while I was gone, even up to 6 hours.

Unfortunately, since we've moved, I didn't take the same baby steps to get him as comfortable as I should have, and we're now seeing the repercussions. He had seemed well adjusted enough, but in the past few weeks, he's:

-Suddenly become very tense while in his crate, even if I'm in the same room. He'll stress pant and completely ignore any amazing tasty toy I put in there with him...at least until I let him out, and he instantly goes back in the crate to grab it out and enjoy it (which I in turn, remove, since super awesome amazing tasty toys are only to be enjoyed in the crate).

-Become increasingly attached to Eric, to the point where he jumped up to look outside the bathroom window on the other side of the house to see him in the back yard while they were messing with the broken lawn mower...still in sight.

-Gotten more clingy than usual. I know enough to ignore this behavior and to only try to pay attention to him when he's being calm or when I am the one beckoning his attention, but it has certainly increased to a noticeable amount.

-Whimpered when he's left without it leveling off. I only know this because I recorded him out of curiosity to see if it really was worse than before; sadly, my suspensions were correct. In the past, even a month ago, he'd only complain for a few seconds before making a "HUMPH" noise, and settling down for a nap. *sighs*

While our schedules have still been in transition, my routine for leaving Ferguson is fairly formulaic: 1. Exercise (at least 30 minutes, as well as sprinting), 2. Super amazing tasty stuffed treat, 3. Thundershirt, 4. DAP plug in (though, in retrospect, ours did recently run out. I ordered another, just in case this is the one thing he is missing), 5. Music (more recently, K9 lullabies), 6. Ignoring for 20 minutes before I leave and after I return. Because I've been doing this pretty consistently (though not always on consistent days or times), I felt a bit overwhelmed at what else I could be doing for him, and confused at how fast it seemed to be getting worse.

When I took Ferguson to work with me today, it was only 30 minutes before he was brought right back over with a bloody paw again. What might have started out as a fun game with a neighbor has escalated into an anxious behavior, and a dangerous one at that (he didn't have neighbor's today). We headed to one of the doctor's who bandaged him up, and then asked me several questions about his background and what might be causing this. We agreed that the moving is likely what set it off, and of course, the fact that he is a greyhound and was not used to being left alone during his "critical period" of puppyhood, meaning only that it is unnatural to him and resurfaces in sudden transitions. I asked him what I should do, besides obvious increase in behavior modification at home. He discussed the option of medication specifically for dogs with SA that works along with a behavior modification program to help the dog's mind be more open to alone training, and helps condition their mental state to be favorable eventually on it's own. I felt apprehensive, but the concept was one I've read about before with greyhounds specifically. Ultimately, I agreed to give it a try, simply because the medicine: a) has few side effects and does not sedate him in any way (they've found that SA dogs who are sedated are still running a mile a minute in their minds), b) would help decrease the amount of stress he will have to deal with (I love my dog, and hate to see him miserable like this), and c) would most certainly be temporary. If he's still on it in 6 months with no results, we'll have to figure something else out.

Until then though, I'm going to hold my breath and stay optimistic, thinking it will work. I know behavior modification has worked for him in the past (over several months), so I know we will get there...hopefully just a bit quicker and less painfully this time. Luckily, the wound was not too bad this time and won't require severe bed rest as before...just cleaning and covering it with my liquid bandage stuff, and a boot when we go outside. But what to do about daycare? We discussed that one too. Dr. B asked if there were any dogs he could buddy up with in a double run when I needed to bring him, to see if that might work for him while he's in daycare. I thought for a moment and remembered my co-worker had been on vacation for the weekend and left her mellow submissive and sweet beagle mix at our facility. I promptly texted her and explained the situation, and then we gave it a try...

It was a match made in heaven. The instant he was left with Lily, he was calm, and 20 minutes later I peaked in on them to find them laying close to each other. At the end of the night, Ferguson was laying on his side with Lily curled up next to him, fitting perfectly between his front and back legs. Everyone was happy. Luckily, Hilary and my other co-workers said they'd happily lend their dogs (the calm mellow ones) to be Ferguson's daycare buddies.

At least the day had a happy ending.

Ferguson will need to hang in there though until at least next year when we can even think about getting a second dog...

Wait...what's alone time again?

So, we have good news, and we have bad news.

The good news is, Ferguson's paw is finally healed. He is free to exercise, which we did quite a bit this afternoon before I left to go babysit for 3 hours. I think he is also happy about not having to wear a bandage anymore. Due to the crazy hectic week we had last week, Uncle Chris (Ferguson's former foster) was kind enough to care for Ferguson in his time of need while we were mostly unable to (thanks again, UC!). This week is much calmer, so we can transition back to our regular schedules.

Which is part of the bad news; Ferguson has seemingly forgotten what our regular schedule is like, and has since stated his opinion on the subject...a bit all over the room. See, Ferguson had been very good at being left, and did well during a trial run the night we got him back and left to grab food for 30 minutes. I came back to a calm dog who barked only one time while left loose in our room. This evening, I repeated the same procedure (a few yummy tasty distraction toys after a 45 minute walk in the park, his thunder shirt, some mellow music, etc). Yet, the result was not the same. I came back to a dog laying down, but laying down under our desk (?), my orchid fallen, many things off the shelves on the ground, and a very gassy-gross smelling bedroom (no stools, thank goodness). Nothing is broken or digested...it looks like he just bemused himself with examining everything he's not supposed to. Additionally, he was quite vocal and unhappy for a longer period of time before becoming "quiet."

So, the moral of the story is: 30 minutes is not 3 hours, and Ferguson will hence forth belong in his kennel to protect both our things and himself, the loose thing something he is not yet ready for (and maybe never will be, but that's okay, we love him anyway). While he's been vocal at times for being left in there, it's not been prolonged nearly ever the amount he was about being left loose tonight, so we've learned our lesson. Sorry, Ferg, buddy. Just thought you were ready...my mistake.



While I didn't see any soiling, I went ahead and washed his bed cover and blankets anyway to alter the scent, and cleaned everything up (with him locked out of the room to not watch me do it). We'll get back into our routine of daily alone time for at least 30 minutes, this time with UC's canine lullabies music (I found 5 songs on Grooveshark.com...who knew) that I will play, along with the thundershirt, being tired, having tasty distractions, and now, and forever more, his friend the crate <3

The Dangerous Game...

We've deciphered the cause of Ferguson's repeated web tears, or at least we think we have.

My co-worker, Jen, has two dogs that have been staying at Pet Dominion for a few weeks now due to her surgery she's undergone for her knee. More recently, I've been putting Ferguson next to her Corgi, Gandalf. Gandalf, as it turns out, is the instigator of games, especially since he is rather bored and not super exercised staying "in lodging" for an extended time. One of his favorite games is "peek-a-boo" with his neighbor, where he jumps up and can see the other dog next to him, and paws at them. It is believed that Ferguson has also learned this game, and has additionally attempted to see if the behavior will help him escape from his run.


^Gandalf, the friendly instigator.

With other dogs, they could do this pawing behavior all-day with no problem; the edges are pretty much smooth on the bars. Yet, MY dog, with the tissue paper skin, is not so lucky. I was pretty surprised to hear the likely cause, as I've never seen Ferguson jump in his life. But, I guess when he has even more pent-up-energy after the FIRST tear on his paw...

Oh, right. I forgot to update on here. Ferguson tore his webbing AGAIN, but a bit thicker. The hospital decided that keeping a bandage on it for a week (changing it every other day) would be better than sutures considering his new-found habit, and they are afraid he will make it worse. The good news is, they say it should be perfectly fine in just 7-10 days. The bad news is, my schedule this week is not at all conducive to an ailing, bored, unhappy dog. Tomorrow, I work an open to close, and Eric has class AND work, so he is stuck coming with me. Wednesday Eric ALSO works and has class, so he must come with me (for a half day). On Thursday, he must come with me in the morning, before being dropped off at home while I run off to go babysit until 7 pm. Friday, he must come with me yet again, because we're heading straight to Frederick after work to care for the neighbor animals, and Saturday, I again, work an open to close, and he must come with me.

Ferguson, you seriously picked the worst week to have an injury where everyone is gone for 7+ hours. I'm PRETTY SURE this is the only week of the year that is this difficult. Otherwise, he typically only has to come with me maybe twice a week, AND gets to do all the other fun things he normally does. Why, Ferguson? WHY?!

Needless to say, I cannot WAIT for this week to be over.

8-9 More Days...

We're trying to stay busy.

This foot thing is driving me nuts, more so than it is for Ferguson I'm afraid. True, he's the one who doesn't get to get walked or sprint. Yet, it's me who can't very well leave him, or must get very creative with kong stuffings. I feel bad for complaining about him in the recent past when it came to being alone, because now, his tolerance is much lower for it. Rightfully so, as he has a bunch of pent up energy and is booooored. He is used to being drained so he can settle...now he has all the more energy to stress and worry about where I've gone. Urrrg....my poor puppy.

I can't be mad, but it is frustrating, having to move my schedule and entire day's plans around him or move them altogether to the end of the month. We're still practicing alone training every day, but, as I said, his tolerance is much lower. We went out to breakfast for an hour, and our roommate laughed upon us coming in saying that Ferguson was not too thrilled with our plans.

What's more is that he's started licking the area when alone, and in combination with running up the steps, has managed to pull out some of the stitches -_-. Because of the lack of blood and that most of the stitches are still in place, I chose to just clean and medicate the area with antibiotic ointment rather than run him back to the vet, as Ferg's foster informed me that it's more of a preference thing when it comes to a torn webbing on whether to get stitches or not. I'll have them look at it again this week next time I'm in and he has to come with to make sure it's not looking infected. He seems to be in no pain, at least, and is acting completely normal.

And yes, of course he gets face-jail now at night/when alone (which, I might add, makes leaving him even MORE difficult, since I can't leave him with a tasty distraction...he finds the ointment and stitches just as entertaining). URGGG.

Ferguson, PLEASE PLEASE get better soon! For both our sakes!

More Boo-boos...

So today at work, I went on my lunch break and the kennel manager asked me casually if I'd recently clipped Ferguson's nails. I told him no, not for a few days, and wondered why he asked. He said that he saw a little blood in his run, and thought he had maybe been quicked, but I told him no, not likely (I pride myself in having never before quicked a dog). Figuring it was just a little scrape, I clocked back in and finished the last 30 minutes of my shift. Then, upon picking him up I see not "a little" blood, but rather a lot, and in paw print marks all over the run. 0_0

I immediately take him over to the hospital (little bloody pawprints the whole way), which thank GOODNESS, they are always willing to help out co-worker's dogs in need, even when they are busy. One of the doctors takes a look and sees that he tore the skin between his pad, pretty much straight through. She looks at me and asks if I will be able to bring him back in two weeks exactly for a stitch removal. 0_0

We walk him over to the table and hoist him up so it's easier for her to work on, which Ferguson does not like one bit. She gets her materials and calls for a tech to hold his leg steady while she works, with me hanging on to the rest of him and giving him lots of ear scritches all the while. I see her pull out the stitch twine and needle and ask if she was going to use an anesthetic. She shook her head no, and said that the skin was so tight in the area that she'd hurt him much worse to try and shove a needle there (like if you tried to inject something into the palm of your hand), so we did it with none. Surprisingly, he was much braver than when they last saw him when he screamed continuously for 15 seconds while getting a routine convenia injection, and only whimpered a little bit during certain parts. He also did shake like a leaf, but I think that's also because he was on a metal table and felt (and looked) extremely awkward. So, 4-6 stitches, Tramadol, and a bandage later, we've been put on bed-rest for 14 days.

This is very unfortunate news, as we've been still working to get him used to being left for periods of time by himself, and always always always make sure he is well exercised before being left. Now, I hate to bring him to work, because I'm rather confused and upset about whomever was outside with him when this incident happened; there is no WAY he did not cry out when he tore that skin. Additionally, I can't very well bring him to work with those stitches in his feet and have him walk around on those rocks (I'm hoping it was just a sharp rock that caused it in the first place), since that would undoubtedly hurt him. My co-worker suggested I have him stay in the hospital and let him out myself, but he is not at all used to the hospital and would likely stress and cry all day.

Not to mention, my first CGC class is Thursday. While he doesn't need to move much to be a demo dog, it will certainly be a bit more difficult.

Why oh why oh why!

Not the greatest birthday...

Copied and pasted from my greyhound forum group post:

Ferguson and I spent half the weekend in college park, and upon our return to my parents house, I took him out of the car and headed out for a walk before going immediately inside to give him a chance to potty. As we rounded the corner, a neighbor's car was pulling up with its window open. I hear barking, and then...my heart sank. Two dogs, a retriever and coonhound, came racing at us, having jumped out of the car window. These dogs are notorious in the neighborhood for continuous barking and the owners having little to no control over them, though they ARE usually on leashes when we've seen them. So they come right at us. I do my best to keep them back, but with the two of them, I can't do both at one time, and they are FAST. I hear snarling, and then yelping, and then...URG. The owners came running from their car and grabbed the dogs. They were very upset and the wife helped me look over Ferguson and asked if their was anything she could do. At first, all seemed like it might have been okay, but then, that heartbreaking moment happened when you touch a spot and see blood on your hands . His ankles, both of them, were scraped and bleeding. I told her I was going to take him to the emergency clinic and that we would be in touch (since they are just around the corner). She gave me her dog's rabies information, and we were off. Ferguson, however, was not limping while we walked back to the car. THANKFULLY the doctor and the clinic did a very thorough inspection of him and said happily that she didn't think he'd been bitten at all!!! She said that it appeared that he was trying to run away, but rather slipped and fell and scraped his legs on his own in the process. No stitches or bandaging, and just a weeks worth of antibiotic. Still, the whole experience was horrific, as glad as I am nothing is seriously injured. From now on, I will carry pepper spray with me when we walk. Not really sure how to approach the neighbors, especially if their dogs didn't actually bite/break the skin. They've always irked me at how poorly behaved their dogs are...maybe now they'll think about actually training them.