Happy 1st Birthday, Pyg!

May we have many, many more!

Review: Fromm Four Star Nutritionals Cheese Treats from Chewy.com

This month the Muppet dogs were lucky enough to try Fromm Four Star Nutritionals Cheese Treats from chewy.com. Predictably, the little stomachs-on-legs loved these crunchy treats. In fact, they liked them so much that I ended up tasting one, too. Not bad, though the cheese flavor is subtler than I expected.

Pros
-tasty
-few ingredients
-only 1 calorie each!
-light color makes it easy to see them on a dark-matted training ring floor

Cons
-a bit larger than I like to use for training
-they do not break up into smaller pieces without making a huge mess
-the first ingredient is wheat
-risk of eating all the dogs' treats and then running out of cookies is high

Happy Gotcha Day 7, Maisy!

It's blurry, but it's Baby Maisy on her four month birthday. 

It's hard to believe that this furry thing has been in my life for seven years. It feels like forever, and yet I know it will be over far too soon. Forgive the morbid thought, but it's been a hard six months. Still, despite the pain and fear and not-insubstantial vet bills, I regret nothing.

Well. I regret not taking more photos of her as a puppy. 

Poodle Eyes

I recently discovered that Maisy's supposed poodle half is as close to confirmed as one can get without a DNA test. I know this because she has Poodle Eyes. Or so her ophthalmologist told me.

In the never-ending saga that is Maisy's health, she has racked up another specialist and two more diagnoses: entropion and corneal dystrophy. Both are inherited diseases, and both are, apparently, common in poodles.

About six weeks ago, I noticed that Maisy was having more discharge than normal from her right eye. She always has some sleep crusties in the mornings, but this had progressed to something weird. The discharge was clear, not the yellow or green one would expect from an infection, so I just kept an eye on it.

When it didn't clear up within a week, I took her into the vet, where they did all kinds of Fun Tests. Maisy was a rock star, and Dr. Jessy commented on how unusual it is to be able to do those tests and not need restraint. She didn't see anything in Maisy's eyes, but she prescribed some antiobiotic ointment and sent us on our way.

The discharge got better by the end of our ten days of drops, so I figured it must have been some weird infection and went on with life. But then the drainage came back... along with an odd white spot on her right eye. It was very small, and my boyfriend had a hard time seeing it, but it was there. It was the weekend, so I completely freaked out and called a vet friend, who told me to watch it for a few days to see if it got better on its own. I did and it didn't, so back to the vet we went.

Not the white spot from the light reflection. Below that- the larger, cloudy spot. 

We did the same testing, and this time, Dr. Jessy saw the white spot. She also noticed some squiggly marks I hadn't seen on the left eye. She had another vet in the practice take a peak at it and while neither knew what they were seeing, they knew it wasn't normal.

True story: the Twin Cities has four animal ophthalmologists. and all four are quite busy. Thankfully, I was able to get an appointment for just over a week away. It wasn't with the U, where I wanted to go because they have all of Maisy's history, but I was very happy with Dr. Trumble from Blue Pearl.

Dr. Trumble was kind, quick, and thorough. Maisy has entropion, which is when the eyelids roll in toward the eye. Maisy has a very mild case, wherein her tear ducts are slightly blocked, which is causing the excess drainage. Dr. Trumble said we could correct it surgically, but that it's a cosmetic thing at this point. I laughed and said no. Ain't nobody got money for cosmetic concerns.

Maisy also has corneal dystrophy. This inherited condition causes mineral deposits to build up on the cornea. Maisy's case is mild, and the hope is that with treatment (EDTA eye drops), we will be able to stop it from worsening. It is unlikely that the white spot will go away, but since it doesn't seem to be affecting her vision, that's okay.

We'll go back in three months to see if the drops are working. Fingers crossed!

Project Gratitude: Save Flash!

In September 2013, Maisy became suddenly and critically ill. Our blog readers rallied around us, providing us with the emotional and financial support needed to get through a very stressful time. Although I will never be able to pay everyone back, I can pay it forward through Project Gratitude. Each month, I donate my time or money to a person or organization that needs it. Please email me at reactivechampion(at)gmail(dot)com if you know someone in need.

This month's Project Gratitude recipient is Flash, a doxie who broke a paw. It looks like Flash has gotten enough to cover his vet bills now, but I'm glad that I could have (a very small) part in that. Maisy's continuing vet bills have made it hard for me to donate as much as I would like, but I know how every little bit counts, not only financially, but also emotionally. It's good to know that people- even complete strangers- care.

Flash came to my attention via one of his friends, and what a good friend she is! If you have a friend who needs some help- whether furry, feathered, or otherwise- send me a link and I'll see what I can do!

2013 Year in Review

January was a boring month. Maisy celebrated her gotcha day with a trip to the dog park and one of the best photos of all time. 

 

 Maisy received her first paycheck in February. And that was about it. Well, that and I learned how to knit. Which has absolutely nothing to do with this blog, but I'm pretty sure it proves that I'm a wizard, so that's cool.

In March, I registered Maisy with the AKC so she could participate in lure coursing. She hasn't had the chance to do it yet. Also, we went hiking and Maisy climbed a tree.

Maisy had her second modeling job in April, when she modeled several Halloween costumes. She didn't end up on any packaging, but it was still a fun experience. She also earned her first two QQs towards her ARCH, something we'd be trying to do for years.

May was the month of Maisy's first (and unbeknownst to me, last) backpacking trip. We spent five days in northern Minnesota hiking the Superior Hiking Trail with our friends Laura and Piper. Laura and I also attended the Midwest Animal Welfare Conference for a day of talks on behavior. We did not take the dogs. 

 

In June, the results of Maisy's first modeling shoot turned up in stores. She also officially graduated from being followed by the veterinary behaviorist when we agreed to cancel Maisy's appointment because I had absolutely no behavioral concerns.

July was AWESOME! Maisy earned her ARCH, a multi-level championship title in APDT/WCRL rally. I also attended a Steve White seminar (Maisy had a working spot!), and went to a Paco collar making class. Maisy is all pretty now.

August was (I think) the month Dog Sport Skills, Book 1 by Denise Fenzi and Deb Jones came out. This might not seem like it has anything to do with me, but I worked as the editor on it, so this was pretty exciting! I also had the best birthday ever, and began dating my new boyfriend.

Do we have to remember September? Because this is the month that Maisy almost died. She was diagnosed with immune-mediated inflammatory disease of the spinal cord. Two weeks later, she ended up back in the ICU with a 7mm bladder stone blocking her urethra. You all rallied around me, helping me pay most of Maisy's medical bills, for which I am very thankful. I also took the CPDT-KA exam, although that was completely overshadowed by Maisy's illness.

In October, I got the news that I passed my CPDT-exam. Later in the month, I got my first foster dog. 

 

And a week later, in November, I officially adopted my foster dog. I also hosted Thanksgiving for the first time ever, which was both challenging and exciting. 

 

December marked Maisy's first recurrence of her immune-mediated inflammatory disease. Or rather, the early stages of what we assume was a recurrence. I also attended the Kim Brophey seminar, which was absolutely fascinating.

More than Just Training: Changing Your Lifestyle to Change Your Reactive Dog

Maisy is a normal dog these days, health concerns not withstanding, of course. I take her places that I would have never dreamed possible in the old days, and I do it without even thinking about it. I put her into chaotic situations- block parties, playing with children, outdoor festivals- without worrying. I used her as a decoy dog for a BAT session with a German Shepherd, completely forgetting that that breed was once one of her biggest triggers.

And guys? It's pretty awesome.

But it took a lot of work to get to this point; our (former! Sad face!) veterinary behaviorist told me that she's only seen this level of improvement a handful of times in the past ten years. Maisy's normalcy is not, well... normal. And yet, here we are.

This progress was not the result of any one thing. Medication was a huge factor, as was some environmental management/change. And of course, I did a ton of training. But when you're working with a reactive dog, this training is not limited to attending class and doing your homework. This training needs to be happening all day long.

Back when I was in the throes of reactivity with Maisy, her days consisted of either management or training. That's it. I was either doing something to prevent her from reacting, or I was actively working on her reactivity. This required me to change my lifestyle in order to accommodate her needs.

Every single walk we took required a clicker and cookies. We played Look at That. I closely monitored her body language and used the Whiplash Turn to interrupt her when she got close to going overthreshold. Sometimes, I would turn around if there was a dog or a kid or a bike up ahead that I knew she wouldn't be able to handle. I reinforced good choices liberally. I did a ton of classical conditioning: every barking dog resulted in cookies. Every screaming child resulted in cookies. Every bike that whizzed by resulted in cookies.

At home, Maisy went in a crate when guests or workmen were expected. She did not go to many dog-friendly gatherings because I knew I would be distracted and unable to give her the undivided attention she would need. That made me sad (I love having her around), but it was the best thing for her. If I knew that something was reliably difficult for her (garbage day or the neighbor's house being re-roofed or whatever), I would put her in a quiet room with a chewy and calming music playing loudly enough to drown out the sounds. (Later, after we'd started using medication, I would also give her a short-acting, as-needed anxiety drug.)

I paid attention to the things that set her off at home, like the sound of a car door slamming outside or the mailman coming or even the cats boisterously playing together. I always had treats in a pocket, and every one of these things was followed by a cookie so I could change her association with those triggers from bad to good.

We did go to classes, and we did do our homework. You really have to; if your dog only practices skills in stressful situations, those skills become predictors of bad or scary things, and can actually add to your dog's stress level.

In other words, I changed the way I lived my life so I could help Maisy. Sometimes I failed. I was tired or sick or had a bad day and just couldn't deal with her. That was okay. I managed what I could and just promised myself I'd try again the next day. There were times that I put her in situations that required a judgment call- and I made the wrong one. Those, too, were okay. I would take note of the problem and work on it later. But over time, my consistent and constant work paid off with a normal dog.

My lifestyle had to change drastically in order to reach this place, but it has been worth it. Having a normal dog is freaking awesome, and I am thrilled beyond belief that I can enjoy her company in so many more situations now.