BC Crazy Posted January 11, 2014 Share Posted January 11, 2014 (edited) AWWWW thanks raineth, your too kind :D Just do my best to manage her & make her life as fun & comfortable as possible, as we all do. They give you back so much in return, they are just amazing. I get leaky eye's just thinking about her Edited January 14, 2014 by BC Crazy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maddogdodge Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 I haven't been in this thread for a while now. So sorry to hear about Stella's epilepsy BC Crazy Had a big win with Koda recently!! :D I have a 5 month old Golden retriever staying at my place at the moment because her owners are away on holidays, I said yes because i can easily keep her separate from Koda and i knew it would be a great training opportunity! Anyway so after a few days of her being here, Koda has slowly become more and more calm with her and slowly gotten to know her, now he has his first doggy friend in years!! :D I can have them together (with him on lead just in case) and they will be playing and having loads of fun together :) So wonderful to see! Yet when i take Koda for walks he growls and lunges at every dog that comes near him... I reckon its not that he doesn't like other dogs, its more that he gets so overwhelmed that he just doesn't know what to do with himself. I think for him to be around another dog he needs to get to know the dog slowly. Hopefully with training i will eventually be able to control his overwhelmed behaviour :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC Crazy Posted January 16, 2014 Share Posted January 16, 2014 (edited) Oh thanks for your kind thoughts maddogdodge. Sounds like Koda is making great improvements Well done. Both of mine are more reactive to other dogs when on lead at times. Saying that it depends on what type of dog is approaching. They have both improved lots regarding this which is great. We have a house full of visitors atm aged between 10 months to 11 years old & their very loudly spoken/shouty mum, my step daughter. Our house is usually nice & quiet, just Mr BCC & myself. Poor Stella being so noise phobic doesn't know what to do though I must say she is coping extremely well. I am keeping her well away from them & fully supervising the situation. These kids aren't dog lovers either which doesn't help. Sonny is fine with them. He just doesn't understand why they don't want to play games or pat him which is very sad IMHO. But we are on day 5 of a 8 day stay & counting..... I don't do tanti throwing kids. Give me dogs any day. Even ones with issues :p Edited January 16, 2014 by BC Crazy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canisbellum Posted January 17, 2014 Share Posted January 17, 2014 I have been following this thread with interest as Jonah is also a problem child with other dogs, I had Steve Courtney look at him and he seems to think most of the issues are fear based possibly due to him being attacked as a pup. He has no idea how to behave with other dogs and if off lead will go storming up to them and play growl and often get bitten for his troubles.If he is on lead he turns into Cujo if dogs run up to him and then He whimpers and whines when I wont let him near dogs he wants to investigate. I dont go to dog parks unless they are deserted because of this. I now have him able to sit and watch a dog walk by on our walks or just look at them if we are moving but always have to be on guard for idiots who insist on walking their dogs off lead. I am not the subtlest of people and cant handle fools so there have been a few words exchanged with people who seem to think that its their right to allow their dogs to hassle people. So I feel your pain hope things continue to improve for you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raineth Posted January 18, 2014 Share Posted January 18, 2014 I haven't been in this thread for a while now. So sorry to hear about Stella's epilepsy BC Crazy Had a big win with Koda recently!! :D I have a 5 month old Golden retriever staying at my place at the moment because her owners are away on holidays, I said yes because i can easily keep her separate from Koda and i knew it would be a great training opportunity! Anyway so after a few days of her being here, Koda has slowly become more and more calm with her and slowly gotten to know her, now he has his first doggy friend in years!! :D I can have them together (with him on lead just in case) and they will be playing and having loads of fun together :) So wonderful to see! Yet when i take Koda for walks he growls and lunges at every dog that comes near him... I reckon its not that he doesn't like other dogs, its more that he gets so overwhelmed that he just doesn't know what to do with himself. I think for him to be around another dog he needs to get to know the dog slowly. Hopefully with training i will eventually be able to control his overwhelmed behaviour :) Isn't that great that he has made a friend! Even if it doesn't change much about the way he thinks about dogs when he's out and about on lead, having a doggy friend is a very valuable thing in itself IMO. It must definitely improve his understanding and use of body language too :) Welcome Canetoad!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC Crazy Posted January 21, 2014 Share Posted January 21, 2014 (edited) Well visitors are gone, phew..... more than a little happy about that as it turns out Stella didn't cope with the situation very well. She became highly agitated as step daughter is very loud & yells a lot which brought my poor girl undone . Stella refused to eat & her pacing returned. She just couldn't even lay down even though I had here separated from them. Her reactivity was terrible & would jump out of her skin at the slightest sound So I increased her meds , put her ear muffs on when things got really loud & made sure she was as comfortable as possible. I was concerned about her seizuring with all the added stress. She did have a mild turn on the last day but it didn't last very long thankfully. It has taken her 2 days to fully recover & is now back to her bubbly happy self & is eating her head off :laugh: We are off for a months caravaning trip on the w.end . So looking forward to it after our week from hell.... Stella & Sonny can't wait either :p Edited January 21, 2014 by BC Crazy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
teekay Posted January 25, 2014 Share Posted January 25, 2014 Welcome Canetoad. There was a Shar Pei waiting to see Steve Courtney after mine and Luka's session with him a few months ago in Brisbane, I wonder if that was you? Did a black tri Aussie Shepherd leave just before your session? :) Good luck with Jonah, how old is he? Luka is coming up to two and has improved vastly with other dogs, although I will not let him off lead when there are other dogs around yet. I'm still hopeful that one day we will get there. Thanks to Steve his recall with limited distractions is going great though. We, too, are always on alert when we are out on walks though, you never really relax do you. :) Hope you have a great trip BC. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canisbellum Posted January 25, 2014 Share Posted January 25, 2014 Welcome Canetoad. There was a Shar Pei waiting to see Steve Courtney after mine and Luka's session with him a few months ago in Brisbane, I wonder if that was you? Did a black tri Aussie Shepherd leave just before your session? :) Good luck with Jonah, how old is he? Luka is coming up to two and has improved vastly with other dogs, although I will not let him off lead when there are other dogs around yet. I'm still hopeful that one day we will get there. Thanks to Steve his recall with limited distractions is going great though. We, too, are always on alert when we are out on walks though, you never really relax do you. :) Hope you have a great trip BC. Yep that was me, He would be near 2 and a half now I think, his recall with distraction is improving immensely as is his lack of interest in other dogs. I can pretty much trust him off lead within about 20m of other dogs now. Although if they come towards us or bark at him it's still too much. As you say you have to be vigilant all the time. I have signed up for obedience classes locally mainly so he can be around other dogs under controlled circumstances and it seems to be working. A Belgian Shepherd walked by within inches yesterday and he totally ignored it so I am hopeful. Sent from my GT-P7500 using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngryTardis Posted February 1, 2014 Share Posted February 1, 2014 Reactive dogs are ones who react to every possible distraction when you're out and about? Am I right? Sorry to gatecrash discussion. Have very active boy and I've been discovering the more work we give him, the more tired he is, the less he reacts so posting here to find again so we can try some of these ideas out with him. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
maddogdodge Posted February 3, 2014 Share Posted February 3, 2014 AngryTardis, I wouldn't say that reactive dogs react to every possible distraction. My dog Koda is reactive to most other dogs, and he is reactive to men when he is at home. He doesn't react to people in public, bikes, cars, skateboards etc etc. So dogs can be reactive to specific things and still labelled a reactive dog. What kind of dog have you got? It would make sense for him to react less when he is tired because he has less energy. What do you mean when you say your dog reacts to something? Eg. Aggressive, excited, fearful etc On another note, does anyone on here find that people (whether strangers or friends) make nasty comments about your reactive dog? I'm so sick of hearing people tell me to "keep that dog away from me, he's gonna bite" or "I'm scared of that dog, he's too aggressive" or one from today "That dog is a vicious mongrel, take it away" It probably shouldn't bother me, but it really does, Koda is my pride and joy and i just hate hearing people make such nasty comments... Does this happen to anyone else? If so, how do you deal with it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Canisbellum Posted February 7, 2014 Share Posted February 7, 2014 Jonah has had a bit of a break through he let a stranger pet him at obedience on Sunday and he had a sniff and greet with a strange dog this morning while on lead on our walk and he even let the owner pet him for a little bit while he was sniffing her. No growling,nipping or dominant behavior and no jumping away when the woman stuck her hand out to pat him. I can now see a definite bit of light at the end of the tunnel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raineth Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 Hi everyone! It's been quiet in here lately. How is everyone going? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC Crazy Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 (edited) Not so good here raineth. Stella has had a few mild turns over the last few days & today she had a huge Epileptic seizure. She was fine all morning,went for a long walk/ swim/ had some retrieve games on the beach. All went well. Got home,rinsed her off. About 20 mins later I heard a bang ourside, I rushed out & my poor girl had thrown up, wet herself & lost control of her bowels. She was paralysed & lying on her stomach with her legs sticking out, very contorted. I just sat by her side till she came around as she was semi unconsious. It is just horrible to witness her in such distress I did my best to remain calm. As far as her reactivity is going she has improved. I havent been doing much other training with her atm. I have been consistant with LAT though & am seeing positive results but I just want to get her health issues a bit more settled first. Going to consult with our Vet regarding some meds for her tomorrrow. I think I need to as the seizures are taking their toll on her. She is very nervy & exhausted tonight so I am just monitoring her. Have given her her Xanax so hoping that takes effect soon. My poor darling girl. Life is so cruel at times Edited March 4, 2014 by BC Crazy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raineth Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 oh I am really sorry to hear that BC Crazy that must be so hard on both of you I don't know for sure, but from what I've heard, it can be quite tricky getting medication for epilepsy right, but once it is right, it is very reliable and effective? I hope this is the case with Stella and there is smooth sailing ahead for her :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC Crazy Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 Oh thanks so much raineth & yes it is unbelievably hard to cope atm. It is difficult to get Epilepsy meds for Stella as my Vet seems to think that the seizures aren't frequent enough to warrant it. IMO though I really don't know how much more stress her little body can take. Nor mine for that matter :laugh: It takes her days to completely recover from a seizure they are just so taxing on her. Must be like running a marathon or something. She is just exhausted. Poor girl I' hate to think what effect it is having on her heart as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tassie Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 Oh thanks so much raineth & yes it is unbelievably hard to cope atm. It is difficult to get Epilepsy meds for Stella as my Vet seems to think that the seizures aren't frequent enough to warrant it. IMO though I really don't know how much more stress her little body can take. Nor mine for that matter :laugh: It takes her days to completely recover from a seizure they are just so taxing on her. Must be like running a marathon or something. She is just exhausted. Poor girl I' hate to think what effect it is having on her heart as well. Is there a more sympathetic/empathetic vet you could go to? Sounds like there are quality of life issues at play - not just what the textbooks might say. Have you asked on one of the Canine epilepsy groups? Canine Epilepsy Net Forum This has credible advisors Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ness Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 What about seeking a referral to a neurologist - at least they should have more of an interest in the epilepsy then a normal "gp" vet might have. Pity your not in my neck of the woods the new neurologist I have been using with Kenz is just brilliant and well up to date on things. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
raineth Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 hmm yeah sounds like a second opinion would be worthwhile. It doesn't sound right does it? But of course I'm not a vet and I really know hardly anything about the condition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC Crazy Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 Thanks everyone for your heart felt concern. Sorry for throwing this thread a bit Tassie ... I read your post nodding my heading in total agreement. Especially the 'quality of life' aspect. It has become extremely worrying to me Tassie Stella's over all quality of life. Poor girl doesn't ever seem to be at peace. It is so very sad. Stel is such a dear little girl..... I have felt I needed specialized Vet treatment for some time now. Not my Vets fault of course. I just have special needs girl is all. I am going to ask around, see what I can come up with. Thanks for the link Tassie as well, looks very helpful :) Raineth this has been a huge learning curve for me & I've only just scratched the surface. It is very tough for me atm Can't seem to think clearly with all the worry of it is all. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BC Crazy Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 (edited) Oh many thanks Snook. Much appreciated . Stella is sound asleep atm. She has had a really good day today. Full of beans & her cheeky, happy self. Just got to learn to ride the roller coaster of emotions atm. She just makes me feel all warm & fuzzy when I watch her on her good days. She is such a character. Very vocal & animated. Little miss smarty pants. Love her to bits :) Edited March 6, 2014 by BC Crazy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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