Cushing's Disease?

Cushing's Disease is back on the table.  Bentley saw the specialist yesterday and she feels he might be A-Typical Cushing's, meaning he may be presenting differently than what classical tests for Cushing's Disease show.  He spent most of the day yesterday at the Western Veterinary Specialist & Emergency Center.  He had another injection of a different steroid and the blood work from that is being sent to a Veterinary University in the USA for the results. It will be another couple of weeks before we know the scoop.  I don't want him to have Cushing's Disease, or any disease, but I think it would be a relief to know what is happening with him so that we can start treating him.   His poor coat is getting worse.

A Visit to see Macy and her Babies

J-Litter

25-Days-Old

Their eyes are open, they are eating mush (goats milk, yogurt and ground up kibble), playful interactions are beginning and their little teeth are pushing through their gums. 

Three Boys (Orange, Yellow, Blue)
Three Girls (Black, Rainbow, Red)

Macy has settled right into her mama role with her second litter. She is doing a great job!  Soon she will be teaching them the rules of play as they begin looking to her as a playmate.

"Many have forgotten this truth but you must not forget it. We remain responsible forever for what we have tamed." Antoine de Saint-Exupery

Enjoying the Last Weekend of Spring

Freedom Moves On

Freedom is moving on tomorrow to become an official Austism Service dog for a little boy.  It was a pleasure to train and work with Freedom; he has a fun spirit that his new family is going to love.  Good luck Freedy Boy! 

Breton and Clipper had one last play at the park with Freedom today.  All of the dog's had a blast in the water! Lelo is the only one I can identify, she is wading into the water, still learning to swim (4 months old.)  Breton, Clipper, Freedom and Kia are all swimming back.

Liver Testing

Bentley goes for more liver testing on Tuesday.  Fingers crossed that something shows up.

Crated While Mom Washes the Floors

Clip-Dip has Allergies

The results are in!  Our vet called me this afternoon with the preliminary results of the allergy tests we had done on her a few weeks ago. I still have to pick up a copy of the report, but here's what I remember her allergens are from the phone call:

• Various types of grass
• Various types of pollen
• Various types of fungi/mold

• Chicken
• Corn
• Brewers Yeast
• Kale

I changed her diet to Wellness Simple Solutions (Rice and Duck)  a few months ago when we began suspecting allergies.  We put her on a food elimination diet where she could only eat this hypo-allergenic food.  Her ears cleared up almost immediately which was a relief.  However, once the snow started melting, I knew her allergies were more serious.  It was in April when we really noticed Clip chewing her paws, licking herself and scratching her itchy muzzle on the furniture, the carpet or with her nails.  Now, a minimal dose of Prednisone seems to be providing releif along with her diet.  The vet said it won't be uncommon for her to have flare ups along the way, where her scratching or dirty ears intensify, and then we will have to treat her for those flare ups.  Hopefully now that we know her triggers, we can do our best to keep her comfortable.  Once the snow comes back, we can take her off of Prednisone (I hope.)  One reason to be greatful for living in the land of winter.

It is a relief that Clipper's line was removed from Dogs with Wings training program.  It seems to keep showing up that it was the right decision to make.  As these dogs are getting older, it seems problems continue to arise with them.  It would have been such misfortune for a service dog user to discover their service dog had developed an allergy to something as common as grass, so short into their working career together.  Clip is still a young dog, 2 years old, hopefully it's good health for this girl from here on!

Bentley Update

Back to the Liver (not treats)

Testing on Bentley to figure out what's wrong with him hasn't ended.  Our vet hasn't given up on trying to solve what's going on with him. His poor coat condition, patchy and dry, is particularily strange.  Anyway, lets hope further liver testing will help point us to the problem.  It's hard knowing something's not right with our boy, and not being able to solve it.