No More Wobbles

Thankfully, Layla the cat has fully recovered from her episode two weeks ago, when she suddenly began to fall and stumble.

She is currently taking Clindamycin, 1/2 tablet twice a day, to treat for a possible middle ear infection and her recurring urinary tract infection.  To ensure she keeps the antibiotic down (she was starting to throw it up), she gets 1/4 tablet of Pepcid with each dose. She is also getting Mometomax liquid in her ears once a day.

Her blood test was repeated, and the ALT liver enzyme, which was high on the first test, did not change.  So, my vet put her on a supplement called Denosyl (S-Adenosyl methionine, or S-AMe), which aids the liver as it repairs from any damage it might have incurred.  It also has possible brain/mood properties, which makes it useful for neurological functioning issues.  We will repeat the blood test sometime after Thanksgiving to see what the ALT number reads.

That's a lot of pills for such a little kitty, but she's managing very well.  Her spirits are extremely high - she's active, running up and down the stairs, taunting Marge, etc.  I think that her ears must feel a lot better, and she's not worried about falling down any more, so she can be herself.  She even got pretty feisty the other night when I took out a toy for her to play with.

Here she is giving me one of her signature "hugs" - she can't resist but to climb on me and outstretch her arms when I'm laying flat on my back on the couch.  It's one of my favorite things that she does.

Paws crossed that her health continues to improve.

Muted Monday

I want to put up a blog, but all of the things that I can think to write about are really just bits n' pieces of bigger topics that I don't have the energy to discuss.  So, instead, I'll shut my mouth and let these photos from our sunset walk over the weekend have the spotlight.

And for those of you who are interested in Marge's titles, I added a "Title Tracker" page to my blog.  I'm not sure if I'm going to keep it, but it's got a little bit of info about what titles we've earned and what titles we're working on.

They Learned, I Learned

MargeDog with student "S", doggy doppelganger (except the color) and fellow fearful dog!

I haven't spoken recently about the non-competitive agility class that I teach.  It actually just ended - after 6 months of teaching it, the head instructor and I both decided that we needed a break.  Two other club members were interested in teaching it, so they'll handle it for now and we'll hopefully eventually go back to it after they decide to stop.

It really was a great experience.  It got a little commonplace towards the end, mostly because there are only so many obstacles that you can introduce, and teaching them got a little bit repetitive.  But, the teams were a lot of fun to work with, and many of them show great promise that they'll be successful if they continue training.

Some of my personal favorite teams:

• A rowdy, anxious, dog-reactive Shepherd mix with an equally anxious/nervous momma, who struggled with control issues at the beginning of his 8-week stint in the class.  Some clicker training and Control Unleashed exercises later, and he was able to function pretty well in the group class setting.  He didn't stick around for another session, but continued obedience training.  They've still got some work to do, but his momma's thinking about getting him in to Rally or maybe a special class for reactive pups.
• A married couple very new to dog training with a yappy but extremely biddable Miniature Schnauzer.  They had some real handling issues in the beginning and had no idea how to get a handle on their dogs' barkiness and make themselves more interesting than the larger environment.  A few classes later, and they were able to get him to focus on them after he began barking.  He also shows some really nice obstacle focus for a dog with no agility training.  I told them that I really hope they continue with him - he'd make an awesome little agility dog!
• A student with Down's Syndrome training his Dachshund.  This dog absolutely *adores* this boy and works his heart out for him.  His handling improved greatly over the 16 weeks that we've worked with him, and he's continuing another session of the class.  We hope that he might be able to show his dog in one of the smaller agility competition venues one day.  Definitely one of our "feel good" stories!
• A shy mixed breed who needed some serious intervention from Pavlov to help her get over her fears of the various agility obstacles.  I helped desensitize/countercondition her to both the tunnel and the chute, and she's made some great progress with jumping (she doesn't seem to like to pick up her feet!).  She definitely enjoys the class, and her momma holds out hope that she might be able to dabble in Rally, too.  Her mom has become a much more confident handler who is learning how to read her dog's body language and help her correctly when she starts to get nervous or scared.  We're going to be doing some training together so that I can introduce her to the sport of Rally, which is exciting - they're a nice team and the dog has a lot in common with my own girl!

As you can see, the class sort of became a safe-haven for those who might not have been ready for mainstream classes.  Reactive dogs, shy dogs, handlers with special needs, new dog owners - we were extremely accommodating of a wide variety of dogs and people, which made the group a lot of fun and, quite honestly, gave me a lot of opportunities for learning. And, let's face it - not every one has the time to devote to serious formal training.  So, some people got a taste of training in agility in a safe environment that they otherwise could not have gotten, without the rigors of foundation or competition prep classes, and several of them have decided to go on to basic training classes (some are already in foundation agility!).

The class taught me to be:

• innovative, like using large cones to keep a tunnel without tunnel bags in place (in a class full of small dogs, we didn't have to worry about the tunnel rolling around!)
• creative, like making "new obstacles" out of PVC, hula hoops, broad jump planks, or the striped bars from the obedience bar jump
• quick on my feet, because yes, we did have a scuffle and I was in the right place at the right time to break things up
• motivating - it's easy for people to get frustrated when their dog won't perform for them, so it's really important to explain why their dog acts a certain way and how they can change their dogs' behavior using a reward system

It'll be nice to have my Monday nights to myself again for the winter, but in a couple months' time, I think I'll be itching to do it again!

More Pros Than Cons

First and most importantly, Layla is definitely doing better than she was a couple of days ago.  Sunday was probably her best day, except for the pile of hurled-up food that I found on the floor a few hours ago.  She is walking better, more active, and I haven't seen her stumble nearly as much.

Of course, an ear infection is the best scenario, but it would present problems, too - it would mean that we're back to square one on the issue of finding Layla a new food to eat.  I guess we'll cross that bridge when we get there.

Thanks again for your continued good thoughts - it's already 2 AM now, so I'll be visiting your blogs in the morning.

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It's strange, but I'm actually really happy to be done with trialing for a while.  I found this Fall season to be pretty tough, especially looking back at our exceptionally sunny Spring trials, in which we Q'd 8 out of 12 tries.  And, even the runs that were NQs, all except for one, were extremely fluid and connected.  The same, unfortunately, can't be said for the Fall trials, but I think we ended with more pros than cons.

Our first run on Saturday was Standard.  I really liked the course - I didn't have to lead out at all and the whole thing was really flowy.

We were on the start line again for a ridiculous amount of time - they had obstacles to fix and the EZ-Up tent near the stewards' table was blowing around a bit.  I decided after this run that I was no longer rushing in to the ring, even if the stewards told me to, and was not shy about bringing treats in to the little gated passageway in to the ring.  Ya gotta do what ya gotta do.



Given the rocky start, the run was really, really nice.  Marge went around one jump because she heard the hockey puck slamming against the side of the rink just beyond the trees, a few hundred feet away from us (perhaps some of you recall this post about that topic and how it's our nemesis at this park).  You can hear the same thud right after she finishes the Dog Walk.  But, I didn't go back to fix the jump - it would have broken her momentum.  She snapped back in to the agility game VERY quickly given that scary sound, and went on to do the teeter and the table perfectly - the two big things that we really needed to fix.

Our only other fault was Marge putting two paws on the teeter on the way to the blue tunnel after the A-Frame - it wouldn't have been a disqualifying fault, if not for the missed jump.  She did jump out of the ring after completing the course, but she came back in when I called her and thankfully didn't do it again for the rest of the weekend.

Nothing to really be unhappy about with this run.  It stinks, because a Q would have meant our OA title, but hey, I'll definitely take this.

Not too long after was our Jumpers run.  This was a pretty tricky course, with the tunnel entrances definitely being the hardest part.

She ran quite well again.  We had trouble at the first tunnel and got called for a refusal.  Then, I pulled her off the yellow single jump, so we had a runout and a backjump (wrong course - none are allowed in Jumpers).  But, we regained momentum quickly, her weave entrance was super, and the rest of the course was fine.  Definitely a course I wish I could "do over," because we would have Q'd if I didn't pull her off that darn jump.



Do you hear the sound of the swings in the background?  Somehow, it didn't bother her - thank goodness.  I guess she prefers the sound of swings of the sound of hockey!

So, the day was not a failure at all.  Given our last trial, with problems galore in both runs, this was definitely a huge step in the right direction.  I wanted her to be connected and engaged with me - and she was.

Sunday, our first run was Jumpers.  A really fun, flowy course, that lent itself nicely to rear crosses, our strength.



We qualified! It was definitely exhilarating to run this course.  She was totally on the ball.  We had a bobble at the blue tunnel (the entrance was right up against the face, an absolutely wicked angle), but didn't get called for a refusal.  It was nice to have a win attached to such a nice run, after the two "so close, yet so far" runs we had the day before.  A first place!

We went back to the practice jump after each of our runs - an activity recommended to us by our friend, fearful dog-savvy trainer, Stephen.  I really like this idea, as it really makes the whole agility thing a game, and kind of decreases the novelty of the ring, I think.

After a long wait, it was time for Open Standard - our last trial run of the year.  I didn't like the course at all - it was very, very tight, and I had watched the Excellent Standard dogs on a similar course run it, too.

It was not to be.  I thought that maybe we could squeeze out a nice run, but, I guess after a long weekend, Marge's brain was fried.  I think this is both good stress and bad - she held both of her contacts, did the teeter, and weaved like a superstar (all hard, mentally taxing obstacles), but had lots of control issues and some aimless running.

The table was erroneously left at 24", which was a big jump for my little girl, and definitely contributed to her table refusal.  She also didn't like the judge (he was one of those guys who gets up pretty close to you on the contact obstacles).  A lot of dogs gave him funny looks, to be honest.



The spectators also played a role.  After the table, she went to go visit some kids who were practically hanging over the ring gates, possibly with food in hand.

My friend Gloria went to go "yell" at them during the run, telling them how much time and money we spend to get our dogs to do well and have fun out here at shows.  Unfortunately, her efforts didn't seem to help much, as they and several other kids were absolutely causing havoc at the trial site, especially during the Novice Standard class (which I worked ring crew in - and yelled at the kids several times to get them to move off of the fence).  They were making noise, eating food very close to the rings, bouncing balls, running around, oh, you name it.  Then, there were the people with their untrained, unentered dogs walking around, who let their dogs approach and bark at the show dogs.   I will be bringing this up at our club's meeting, because it really adds unnecessary stressors on the exhibitors and their dogs and perhaps we need more intervention.  It's nice to attract new people, but they need to know their limitations. The spectators have NEVER been this bad.

I kind of snapped at one well-meaning guy, who admired my dog and didn't take my "She's shy" to mean that he should NOT put his grubby hands on her.  I moved in the way of his hand and told him, "No thank you!!!!" - he was taken aback, but after two days of trialing, neither Marge nor I really wanted to be bothered and I was afraid that she might tell him off in her own little MargeDog way when he reached for her.  I tried to further explain that I needed to be her little bodyguard in this big, scary world, but bobbled over my words and he left.  Whatever.  People need to get some dog sense and ASK before they approach a dog.

So, the weekend didn't end spectacularly, with a pretty crappy run coupled with the spectator stress.  But, the weekend was a decent success, I'd say - Marge was comfortable at the trial site and comfortable in the ring, for the most part, did well at a busy trial, and picked up her second OAJ leg.  She now needs one more in each class to finally say goodbye to Open and head for Excellent.  I'm unsure when our next trial will be (not 'til 2011, for sure), but more on that another time.  For now, we need a well-deserved break from even thinking about it.

Layla Update

Layla's a little bit better today.  She's not falling over as much, but she's still definitely unsteady on her feet. She's eating decently well and drinking a lot (seems like a bit more than usual).  She was active this morning, but is now curled up asleep next to me.

We were all set to make the call to bring her to Garden State, but my mom had reservations about it - not that she didn't want to bring her, just that she thought that we should try treating the most benign possible cause first (an ear infection) before jumping to MRIs and neurological testing.  Going there is definitely an emotional strain (it's not even about the money) on all of us, including my cat. I told her I'd only wait if my vet said it was okay.  She called him, and he said it wouldn't be harmful to wait a week (I initially proposed just waiting the weekend).  So, Layla is on Clindamycin antibiotic pills and will get more blood drawn on Thursday  After that, we'll decide whether or not she needs to see a specialist.

There are lots of things it could be: a neurological disorder, vestibular disease, stroke, inner ear infection. My vet said to both my mom and I, "If she has a brain tumor, you're probably not going to operate." I'm not sure why he said that; I just know that that's the worst case scenario.  He said he did have a cat once who presented symptoms kind of like these and he simply had an ear infection.  Layla's ears are REALLY itchy and she does have some brown buildup inside of them, so maybe, maybe, it's something like that.

I really appreciate your good thoughts.  Keep them coming for my little girl.

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Tomorrow's the agility trial.  I went to the trial site today.  It was extremely cold (good for Marge!) and there weren't a lot of tents set up (also good for Marge!).  We'll see if those two things stay the same tomorrow.  I watched the judge, who will be the judge for our first class, Open Standard; Marge has only shown under a male judge once but she did OK with it, so I'm hoping tomorrow will be the same (BOTH judges are men).  The table wasn't automatic.. again, it's just the regular judge's count, which is very good for her, too.

There was a bit of noise around (the Parks Department emptying the big barrel garbage cans - NOT good), but I'm hoping that 8 AM on a Saturday won't be too bad.  Marge was VERY good today out on her walk in the field, able to do flatwork with me amidst people walking by in pretty close proximity.  She heard a couple of whistles being blown during soccer games and didn't react terribly, either. I just have to keep my spirits high and not stress out.  I admit, it's kind of hard to focus on agility with my cat not feeling well, but maybe I'll finally be able to relax and just welcome the trial as a place to have fun rather than as a place to get nervous.

Something Happened

Yesterday, around noon, I went to feed Layla before leaving to complete a school assignment with a friend. She jumped up on to the counter where her bowl is kept and I saw that she was stumbling and wobbling.  I thought that maybe she had just needed to regain her balance, but it kept occurring, even while she planted herself at the food bowl.

I had been with her the previous night until nearly 2 AM.  She was fine then; walked down the stairs, jumped up to eat her food, etc. This was very sudden. Alarmed, I cancelled my plans and took her to the vet.  He did bloodwork, which came back today.  It was clean, except for an elevated liver enzyme that the vet doesn't think is related.

He seems to think it's something neurological and wants me to take her to one of the big vet hospitals for tests and to see an internal medicine doctor.  I nearly cried at the thought of bringing her back there - I absolutely hate going to that place; I can't deny the care that they give the animals, but it's just the most heartbreaking environment ever (and this, my friends, is why I wussed out of vet school).  He mentioned the words "brain tumor" as a worst-case scenario.

She's better today; still unsteady, but not falling and stumbling as much.  She's definitely quieter than usual, content with just lying down rather than getting up and demanding food from us like she usually does.  She's eating, but I wouldn't say her appetite's great.  She's walking a bit better than yesterday, but something is definitely not right.  All so suddenly.

I'm scared and I'm upset.  This cat has just had it way too hard in her life. And she's still relatively young - only 12 or so.  It's unfair.  She's been my rock since the 4th freaking grade, since I was only 8 years old; I'd be lost without her.

Yet Another

Despite my seasonal aches and pains (because who doesn't get sick at this time of year?) and mounting piles of schoolwork, I could not help myself but to take another trip out in to the woods.  Fall comes and goes quickly, and I don't think I'm going to be able to motivate myself nearly as often to go on these hikes in the winter!

We intended on only staying a half hour or so, but wound up walking for more than an hour.  Marge had the added delight of being allowed the freedom of her 20' leash, which, after a brief "are you really going to let me run around?" period, sent her in to an absolute frenzy.

We stopped for a quick dip in the lake.  No rashes have appeared on Marge's tummy yet, so I'm pretty sure that it was the murky pond water that was the culprit, rather than this big, crystal-clear lake.  She wound up going out pretty far!

We ventured off the main trails quite a bit, and saw the park from all sorts of new views.

By this point, Marge was cool from being wet, spotted the fowl swimming in the water, and her snooter was on high alert... every movement she made was a burst of energy, making this trip out to the trails the complete opposite of "leisurely."  She's never run through the woods like this before!

A new spot we hiked.  Yes, Marge did indeed drag me up and down this natural staircase.

We stopped by a couple of old favorite locations, too.  I kept adding on little bits of time.  I didn't want to leave!

My queen of the forest, regally posing on a ledge above us.

And, the very last photo from our excursion - my sweet, contented Marge, happy to be alone in the woods with the crisp November air running through her fur.  

We turn our attention back to agility later in the week, with the last trial of this year looming just a few days away.