She is movin' along!

This little girl has come leaps and bounds this week! It seems so far as though the medication that the vet put her on for the nerve in her leg that has been bothering her has been working. We will know much more about how much it is helping her in about another week... Her leg doesn't seem to be stopping this little girl though! When we come home at the end of the day, she comes flying out the doggy door to the backyard running to the front gate jumping and barking and wagging her tail with excitement along with the other dogs. Up until now she would stay in the house when we arrived, but not anymore! The minute we open the door she flies back through her doggie door jumping around with excitement! You would never know she was scared of people or that her leg was tender. As soon as we sit on the couch to say hello, she leaps up and is right there to be first in line for her rubs! Daisy is a happy girl and her rehabilitation progress is really starting to show. We are very proud of her!

Daisy craving affection!

After her exhausting day with me yesterday and all the fun and excitement of the dog park, much of Daisy's nervous energy was drained. After a nice nap in the late afternoon, for the first time in 4 months she jumped up on the couch and sat next to me for attention! That is unheard of for Daisy! Relaxed and with her tail wagging, she looked at me waiting for me to pet her. Not only does Daisy not come to me voluntarily for affection, but she has a sore nerve in her back left leg that causes her to skip when she runs, so jumping on the couch is not her thing. She has gone up via the steps we put out for her, but NOT when PEOPLE are sitting on it! She has always preferred to watch the happenings from her comfy dog bed... So this was a treat for me to see and I rewarded her with a nice long belly rub for coming uncalled!

Daisy has seen 2 vets for her back leg and a specialist. The specialist has put her on a medication to reduce the swelling around the nerve hoping to improve the aggravation the nerve is causing her. We should know in a couple of weeks how much this medication works for her. The vet specialist told me she may improve greatly and the pain may go away or she may have aggravasion in her leg permanently. Like back pain for people, not much can be done, just managed, so we hope the medication works...

Daisy's Day at the dog park...

Daisy had her first day at the dog park today! In the morning her and I ran errands and then ended the day on a nice walk through the dog park in Thousand Oaks. In the morning she started out a bit insecure with the car ride even though we have traveled together before, she was panting and shaking a bit unfamiliar with the ride and where we were going. By the end of our errands a couple hours later though, she was relaxing with her head on the passenger seat and at times looking out the window and everything going by! With the window cracked, her little nose was sniffing all of the hundreds of smells outside! What curiousity and happiness! In the house Daisy is very comfortable now, she comes when called, of course when there is treats and always wants to be part of the mix. Comfortable at home, I still wasn't sure how she would be out in public, but to my surprise she was "tentatively" friendly with everyone that wanted to pet her and walked around the whole day in and out of the stores with her tail up and wagging (and of course loved the food treats we ate during the day together!) After all my errands were done, to the dog park we went. I had stopped at home to get another member of our pack to lead the way for her at the park, and she followed him all over from the minute we got there to the minute we left. No hesitation to leave my side, and when a bit insure came running back... She was definately curious, smelled each tree and each bench - she actually went up close enough to smell some strangers ankles! Not close enough to be pet, but a good start! Tired and excersized out, we came home after about an hour at the park and she is now curled up on her bed catching some zzz's... Good day for Daisy, what progress!

3rd Month...

With the help of a small daily dose of prozac, Daisy slowly began to find serrenity in her own skin. For a dog who had spent so much of her life shaking/trembling in a corner or under a table, this was the first time she has chosen to wag her tail instead! Daisy's alertness and curiousity has grown each week, and her "doggy appetite" was becoming more apparent by the day! These were all great signs of progress for this little girl.

The next step - to go from "tolerating" human affection to yearning for attention from people as well. Until now, a simple caress or tummy rub has provoked massive fear, anxiety, trembling, and at times even submissive urination. For the next month, we are going to redirect her fearful response when touched to one of relaxation and peace...

2nd Month...

After Daisy had about a month to become familiar with the routine around here, we noticed that her fearful trembling did not improve. In order to ease the trauma of this transition and to help facilitate her rehabilitation, I put her on prozac to take her edge off. I quickly recongnized that Daisy was one of the worst cases I have ever seen and that there was no need for her to suffer through each level of her rehab. I have never medicated a dog for anxiety or aggression, but each dog's temperment is different and we need to look at each one as their own case. The prozac took about a month to take full effect, relieving her slowly of the most extreme trembling, frozen from fear behaviors and Daisy's rehabilitation began to very slowly take hold...