Updated Pages

I updated the "About us" "Copley" and "Kerrigan" tabs.  There is lots more up there about us and a good information section about Copley's Lyme Disease diagnosis, treatment and recovery.  Check them out by clicking on the little bones in the navigation bar under the top banner.

That's all!

We Love Our Vet!

I don't sit on my hip like this anymore :)

A while back I wrote about why we dumped our old vet and promised you a post about how much we love our new one.  Well it has taken me a while but here is why we love our new vet.

• She is a really cool lady and I really like her personally.
• She is a big fan of a raw diet.
• She splits her time between a primarily holistic practice and a primarily conventional medicine practice.  This means she brings a lot to the table.  Sometimes I find holistic vets a little too out there- and sometimes I find conventional medicine too closed minded and vets in particular seem easily bought out by pet food companies and pharmaceutical reps.  This new vet thinks for herself and has a lot of tools at her disposal.
• She is not anti-vaccine, she just is for reasonable vaccine schedules based on scientific fact, not based on ripping you off every 6 months.  This is good because I am equally annoyed by (scared of?) the people who claim all vaccines are evil so you should never vaccinate ever and the people who want me to uselessly pump a grate dane sized helping of parvo/distemper vaccine into my 6lb chihuahua every year.
• Her office DOES NOT SELL DOG FOOD!!!!!!!  Or at least if they do have prescription diets they are hidden away and you would never know they had them if you were a regular client there.  Cutting corn filled kibble out of my life even further feels so, so good.
• She does house-calls but also has a physical building we can go to if we need (and for blood draws and such).
• She gets results.  Under her care Copley has gone from a lump on the couch that "there is nothing wrong with" to an energetic, happy dog.  He even got back to agility just the other day.  I am so glad we found her.  As I said in my last vet post Copley was in a scarey place.  I truly believe if we had followed our vets advise and gone on pain meds, prescription joint care kibble and limited activity Copley would have declined fast.  By the time we found the TBDs I am sure it would have been far too late for his organs to recover.  I really believe we have bough Copley another 10 years of life.
• Did I mention her office does not sell dog food?

I could go on and on but really it is just more of the same points.  This vet fits us so well and I can't believe how lucky I am to have found her.  It took a lot for me to take the plunge and break up with our vet.  They were good people- and good vets- just not for us.  I wish I had "shopped around" sooner.  My take away message is this- There is no harm in trying new vets out till you find one you love- so don't be afraid to look!  We found our perfect vet and so can you.  For the record I feel the same way about human doctors.

It's been a year since this picture was taken?!?!?!?

P.S.- You may be curious how we found this vet.  Well we were at a totally non animal related social gathering and noticed a car in the parking lot with a magnet on it about a local veterinary house-call practice.  It turned out one of the people we met there was said vet and we tried her out.  Fate I think.

I dumped My Vet

It wasn't them it was me.  Seriously our vet was really good- for most people.  They care about animals and they try to do the best and have reasonable prices.  The problem is that they just were not doing it for me.  A few factors really played into it.

1. Raw Food.  I feed raw and I believe 100% that a home-made diet (not necessarily raw) is good for dogs.  There is no way in my mind that processed dry nuggets are better for your dog than whole foods sourced from trustworthy places.  At the very least I would expect them to recommend a HIGH QUALITY kibble- not Science Diet or the equally corn filled Purina.  I understand that there are a lot of complicated issues when it comes to why vets are against home-made food, but basically it comes down to dog food companies having a vice grip on vet schools and continuing their propaganda campaigns long into vets carriers.  I really felt it was time I found a vet who could see why raw feeding was better- and I did.  It was getting to the point where I could not remain civil in a conversation about how processed nuggets were better and I was probably killing my dog by not feeding them.  I also believe our blood-work was being only glanced over because the vets believed it was a byproduct of what we feed.  Unfortunately it was actually a DISEASE slowly killing my dog, not my food.
2. Vaccinations.  I am not anti-vaccine.  I do however have a problem with giving my dogs vaccines every year for parvo and distemper when those vaccines have shown to last for 7+ years.  Especially when my dog is fighting a disease that is attacking his immune system.  Don't even get me started on bordatella and the guilt trip I got from the receptionist every six months for not giving that!
3. Chiropractic and alternative medicine.  I am not against western medicine.  I also don't see why it is a problem to look at all modalities available to us to achieve good health.  The way I see it prevention is always the best medicine and often eastern or holistic approaches are about maintaining good health overall, not just treating problems once they happen.  What is wrong with those approaches?  NOTHING.  That is why we have changed to a holistic-centered vet who also understands you need an ER or some antibiotics every once and a while!  Lets use everything we have available to us and keep an open mind.  My old vet was not willing to do that.  They wanted me to put my 3 year old dog an an NSAID for the rest of his life and feed him glucosamine filled kibble (they never could come up with a good answer about how my giving them joint supplements would be any less effective than a kibble company doing it).  I can only imagine what Copley would have looked like after 2 years of NSAIDS, kibble and Lyme disease.  I don't think he would see his 6th birthday in that scenario. (I don't mean to say NSAIDS- or long term use of them- is always bad.  It makes a lot of dogs comfortable and with proper monitoring it is often the best choice.  For us it was putting a band-aid on a degenerative disease.)
4. Tick Borne Disease Literacy.  I needed a vet who had treated and seen TBDs before.  They are tricky and the symptoms are subtle and seem like other things.  Every time I went in it cost me $200 and they told me it was nothing.  The new vet looked at our whole picture and came up with a solution.
5. Fear Mongering.  I started getting stuff in the mail about putting my dog on flea/tick/heart worm meds and how I was doing them a horrible disservice and  killing my dogs by not having them on monthly frontline and de-wormers (for the record I DO test for heart worm and think people in areas with it should use preventatives).  This bothered me for two main reasons.  First it was propaganda made by a pharmaceutical company but was disguised as a meaningful letter from my vet.  Secondly WE DON'T HAVE FLEAS or TICKS or MOSQUITOES HERE!!!!!  They are literally just ripping people off at best, and tricking them at worst.

For now I guess that's it.  My did this turn into a rant.  I guess it is like all bad breakups- I am a little bitter.  Seriously though- my old vet isn't that bad.  If you don't mind standing up to them about the food thing and your dog doesn't have a TBD they are one of the best vets in the city.

Enjoy this picture of what really matters- a happy, healthy Copley enjoying a romp in a field of swamp cabbage.

Lyme Disease Update

I was thinking of titling this post "Lyme disease update and we fired our vet" but I decided they needed to be two different posts because i have a LOT to say about our breakup with our old vet.  Expect that post soon.

For now I will update you on the lyme disease.  You may wonder why it has taken this long for an update, but really we had no idea what was going on for a while.  Bottom line- Copley is on the mend.  He had Lyme and possibly an unknown co-infection with some other sort of tick borne disease.  Co infections are common with TBDs and since we didn't know what to test for in the beginning we may never know exactly what Copley was/is dealing with. 

As you may have read in my last Lyme post we ran a test that came back with a mild (or perhaps moderate) positive for Lyme antibodies.  Depending on what vet you talk to this positive was either low or moderate and either was caused by or could not possibly have been caused by the lyme vaccine.  As you can see confusion about TBDs seems to run rampant through the veterinary community and that may be particularly true when you live in a place without ticks.  We ran a second test that came back also low and/or inconclusive.  We also ran a CBC that clearly showed Copley was fighting some sort of chronic or low level infection.  With this information, or at least some of it, we decided to treat with antibiotics.  At this point I must say our vet was not entirely convinced Copley had a tick borne disease (oh how I will elaborate on that in the vet post), but I managed to convince them to give me the antibiotics.  The antibiotics really gave me a bit of hope for our sad little guy.  For the first two weeks he really improved a lot.  It was like there was a new Copley in there!  After a while the antibiotics started to get him down (as a high does for 28 days would) and he seemed worn out.  Between the doxycycline working, his migrating joint pain, the Lyme titer and his bloodwork showing the immune response to a infection we are now moving forward with an official diagnosis from the new vet of Lyme.  I am happy to say that now a month or so past them we seem to have a happy dog on our hands!

Now the question is where do we go from here?  Well for starters I am enjoying the happy new Copley we have going on.  Don't get me wrong- he is still possibly the most lazy dog on the face of the earth, but when he wants to he is a lot happier to be up and playing.  If it wasn't summer I am sure he would enjoy getting out and hiking again too!  The second thing we are doing is getting him on the mend with a holistic vet.  The vet we chose is open to using all methods to best treat a dog so from now forward we will be using the best both western medicine and herbal/holistic medicine has to offer.  He is on a variety of supplements and herbal supports to help his immune system mend from the assault that was this tick borne disease.  In October he will have another full round of blood tests so we can see where he is at.  Hopefully his titer for the Lyme will have decreased and his blood-work will be a little more normal.  If he starts looking worse again we will test sooner but hopefully everything is on the mend here.

The mystery of where he got the Lyme is still unsolved- but for now we will just be happy we figured out what he had!

Lyme Diesase

With all these random issues Copley has been having lately I decided to run a tick panel.  It was just a feeling me and Ben had- and the vet agreed to do it- although we all assumed it would come back negative.  After all we don't even have ticks in Vegas.  I use topical preventative whenever we travel and this side of the country does not have huge numbers of infections anyway.  Well guess what?  It came back positive for Lyme!

So what does this mean?  It may mean he has Lyme disease or it may not.

1. He could have been vaccinated for Lyme before we got him and the titer they see in the test is his reaction to the vaccine.
2. He could have contracted the disease before we got him, been treated for it, and now it is gone.
3. He could have been exposed but does not have an active infection (as in this is not the cause of his joint pain).
4. He could have Lyme disease.

What are we doing from here? Well we are running another test.  If this test comes back positive it will mean he IS actively infected with the disease.  If it comes back negative it is still possible that he has the disease but it didn't show up on the test.  Lyme is tricky like that.  Our plan is to treat with antibiotics regardless of the outcome of the second test.  We could wait and re-test in a few months but I feel that because he has the most common symptom (unexplained joint pain) I am going to treat now regardless.  It is tough because I am not a fan of antibiotics unless you absolutely need them and going on a month of antibiotics just because of a "hunch" makes me a little bit uncomfortable.  In this case though, with his unknown history and a positive titer I am going to go for it.

Instead of being down about this we are taking it as a good thing.  If he does have Lyme then all of his problems can finally be explained and I don't have to keep going to the vet saying "I know he LOOKS fine, but something is not quite right!"*  If his knee pain, hip pain, random eye discharge, sudden onset car sickness and (for the last week) inability to sleep through the night can be taken care of with antibiotics then I am calling it a miracle.

^^
The woods where Copley got bit by a tick.
Just Kidding
Except maybe not, if he got bit by a tick in my care it was probably in these woods.
It was a tough sly tick too- to make it through the topical tick repellent and jump off before I found it.

*I haven't blogged about it because I was a little worried I was a dog hypochondriac, but we are at the vet a lot these days.  Every time we are told that he is fine, or given some OTC idea for taking care of the symptom that I imagine the vet thinks I made up in my head.  Most recent he is on an antacid for stomach upset but in the past he has also been in for eye discharge and of course the knee/hip pain.  And for the record I still think the chiropractor has helped with his posture because Lyme or not- he is not winning any awards for "best hips" or "great genetics."

Copley's got a Chiropractor

First of all HAPPY EASTER!  We celebrated the holiday by enjoying yummy treats (dog and human) from our amazing neighbors and ordering rabbit meat for the dogs.  What is more fitting of the season than nom nom nomming on humanely slaughtered, pastured bunny rabbits?  Well... probably lot of things.  I try not to think too much about the fact that they will be eating rabbits but the fact is dogs need to eat meat and these rabbits were much more humanely raised than the poor supermarket chicken they are eating for dinner tonight.  If I find humanely raised meat from a small farm for a good price I am really inclined to buy it no matter what it is.

In other news Copley has been seeing a chiropractor.  Did you even know animal chiropractors existed?  I didn't until I saw a brochure for one and did a little research.  They even have a national certifying agency The American Veterinary Chiropractic Association.  Copley has been adjusted twice and it really seems to be making a difference.  You may remember the injury he had back in January.  The month of total rest and 6-8 weeks of slowly going back to normal activity seems to have done the trick for the leg but I still felt like he was not 100%.  When I saw the flyer for the chiropractor I thought it might be just what he needs to make that final recovery.  After just two sessions with the chiropractor Copley is playing more with his sister, more enthusiastic on walks and even the waddle in his gait is improving a little bit.  The improvement was not overnight, nor was it like a shocking change in behavior, but I do see it making a difference with the little things.  He is never going to have the perfect posture or gait because his genetics are working against him but some improvement in that area hopefully will help hold off injury and arthritis as long as we can.

One thing I have noticed is for the first time ever Copley is laying straight on his own.  He will lay straight when we are doing rally or I ask him too, but when he just plops down he ALWAYS tucks his right leg under him.  Lately I have noticed he is using his muscles to lay down instead of just plopping down on his hip.  I looked through pictures and could not find ONE of him laying straight like this until this week.

I was so happy to catch him laying like this with my camera nearby that I let him break the rules (paws in the kitchen) so I could take the picture.  He has been laying like this for a few days but I keep the camera by the treat jar so every time I went to get it he got up.

I am curious if any of you have seen a chiropractor for your dog?  Did you notice results?  Most of the people I have talked to who use one are doing it to keep their performance dogs in shape but I would be curious what your experiences were for other uses.  Our primary vet was supportive (make sure your chiropractor consults with your vet before you begin any treatment) but I am curious what other vets have have to say about this "alternative" treatment.

New Toys! And Beds!

Lets start with the beds.  Our crate pad situation was getting a little sad around here.  Kerrigan still had the cheap crate pad we bought in a pinch the day we adopted her.  Copley had a crate pad made out of recycled bottles but it was very lumpy and didn't look so great.  With Copley still on his slow return to normal activity after a possible knee injury he spends a lot more time than he used to.  Getting him a memory foam mattress seemed like a good idea.  It would support his joints and hopefully hold heat a little better in the winter.  Unhappy that I couldn't get anything locally that I liked I turned to online shopping.  Copley got a new crate, orthopedic crate bed and crate cover.  Kerrigan is staying in her airline type crate for the time being but she got a nicer crate bed.

As you can see Kerri likes Copley's crate too :)  Overall I am happy with what I got but I still wish someone would make a high quality crate pad/bumper/cover set.  This stuff is good for what I need but I would gladly pay more for slightly higher quality stuff that was not made in China.  Maybe I need to start a business here...

On the toy front I got this thing called a Tug a Jug.  Copley had one before but got bored with it before he ever got anything out of it!  Then one day it broke (human error) and I just never replaced it.  Well I saw them on sale so I got one for Copley and one for Kerri thinking Kerri would love it.  In a strange turn of events Copley loves it now and has figured it out a lot better.  He can get every last treat out of it this time.  No idea what changed but I am glad I gave it a second try.  The jug is a good toy for Kerri too, but being a little less food motivated she tends to get out a few treats then go look out the window... then get another treat... then sniff around... then discover Copley got all her treats while she was distracted.

[Insert cute videos here]  Seriously though blogger hates me.  I have been trying for days to get these videos to upload.  You will have to settle for pictures until I have time to make a youtube account and hope they upload easier there.  The videos are really cute and show how Copley has mastered the perfect technique for removing treats from the tug a jug.

Whats Wrong With Copley

Who knows?  We have been to two vets and had a few tests to see what has been going on with him.  You can read about his epic hike where he refused to walk here.

We learned a few things.  First is that he does not have amazing hips (shocking that a vet would finally agree with me after I have been saying this for years).  The orthopedic surgeon does not think they are currently causing him any problems.  Apparently they do not look too bad and he has good range of motion.  So while not helping with any current problems we have learned that I was totally right that Copley is going to have some arthritis problems in his hind end when he gets older (I hope much older).

Second thing we learned is that he has knee pain in one knee.  Everyone agrees this is probably causing his problems.  It could be an auto-immune disease attacking his joints, or it could be a partial tare of his CCL, or it could be something else.

Whats our course of action?  We are resting him by not letting him run or jump and only taking short walks on leash (not that we took off-leash walks anyway).  He is on a pain killer and anti-inflammatory drug which seems to be helping.  In two weeks we will gradually resume normal activity and take him off the drugs.  If he still has pain we will test for the auto-immune issue.

The vets are all telling me it is extremely unlikely for a dog that small to partially tear a CCL.  I tell those vets that a lot of unlikely things happen in my life.

In the meanwhile Copley is doing good resting and has even learned to wait for me to pick him up onto the couch (what a smarty pants).  Our biggest problem is that when Ben gets home he rough houses, chases him and wrestles with him.  Spending all day carefully stopping your dog from doing anything only to find your husband roughhousing with him while you are not looking is a little but more than infuriating.