I'm Not Crazy

The appt. was wonderful.  So, so, so, so glad that I took her.  Dr. Duxbury said that Tibby is a classic case of canine anxiety.

It was a lot to take in and a long appt. - 3 hours, but I am very, very hopeful that this will help Tibby to feel better.

So remember my GPS that has been trying to kill me?  Today I turned it on and nothing - black screen, no GPS.  Ooookay.  Luckily I was able to find the U of M with an old fashioned map!

Tibby gave them a very good demonstration of her behavior.  We moved to a larger room in the large animal hospital and there were some dogs barking in the building that made Tibby very nervous - pacing, panting, hiding underneath chairs, shaking, whining and climbing into my lap.

  Tibby wouldn't take treats (too stressed), so we used Dhali as the practice dog for the exercises- u-turn, mat work, hand target, sniff walks (eventually).  Tibby is also starting Fluoxetine (Prozac).  Also, Trazodone for vet visits and when I take Dhali somewhere and have to leave Tibby alone.

  I'm not sure if it's because she is exhausted from the appt. or if it's the first dose working already, but she has been very calm and relaxed this evening.  She does not want to play with Dhali at all and she told him to stop jumping on her  they just had a fun game of chase in the backyard, but other than that she's really relaxed.   She isn't pacing, she's sleeping and she let me pet her and snuggle her without grumbling at me.

Dhali was of course super cute at the appt.  They said that he was very smart - which he is!   He thought the appt. was both awesome - treats!  and boring - yawn, going to sleep here in the middle of the room.  

I got a whole bunch of hand outs to read and a book, Feisty Fido, and a basket muzzle.

I wish I had taken her months and months ago.  Feeling very hopeful! 

A Pill For You

We went to the vet again this morning.  More shots and anal gland squishing....ewwww.  

Dhali is now 10.8 lbs!  He's getting to be a big boy.  I would love to know how big his brothers and sister are getting.  And how they are doing.  They are all 14 weeks old today.

I have been saying that Tibby was 14 weeks when I got her, but that was NOT correct.  She was actually 16 weeks and 2 days when I brought her home.  So another 2 weeks and then I can start to compare them.....see if they look similar/size.  Tibby had a really thick, soft, plushy coat as a baby (and adult).  Unless he does something in the next 2 weeks, Dhali will not have the same coat.  I can hope!  Maybe it's a boy thing.

Tibby weighed 22.8lbs....which is EXACTLY the same as last time.  Strange that she would be exactly the same weight?  

So now Tibby is on more drugs than I am.  She is taking Previcox - a pain reliever and Dasaquin + MSM - a joint supplement.  She also has Xanax to take as needed - for anxiety. From the Dr.'s note, "Her x-ray showed that she may have some arthritis in her right hip and her left hip isn't seeded as well as it should be in her left hip socket."

So weird to pick the Xanax up at my grocery store pharmacy.  "Um, a prescription for Tibbit?"    

Dhali did really, really well at the Vet.  In the waiting room he just laid down by my feet.  Tibby had to sit on my lap.  No really...she doesn't let me say no.  Either she sits there or I have 22.8lbs of dog flying at my lap until the lap gives in.

In the exam room he wanted to explore and whenever anyone came in the room he had to run over and see what they were doing.  I kept him busy while Tibby was having her exam and he was eating treats when she started screaming.  She HATES to have anyone touch her butt.  She uses some salty dog language.   Dhali was really worried about what was happening to his big sister.  He would eat a treat, run over to the exam table, run back to eat another treat, run back to the exam table.  It was cute and didn't seem to cause any permanent damage.  He had to go 2nd.  And he didn't say a thing when they did his anal glands.

He was a little bit more tired today, but also we were outside almost all day too.

I tried out the Xanax on Tibby tonight.  I just wanted to see what would happen, in case I need to use it.  So far not much.  She does seem really playful tonight and wanting to play and train.  I saw her play bow to Dhali, which is new.  

Of course, now I don't know if it was the pain reliever or the anxiety med that made her feel so good.  Or if she was just feeling frisky.