LIsten to Your Dog!

I did an AKC trial with Belle (her debut as a mixed breed in AKC) and Kubi this weekend. Belle was a star - she double-Qed on Saturday and then got another Q Sunday but missed a contact (we are working on running contacts with her and have not quite ironed out all the kinks - mine more than hers!).

Kubi, my 2 year old Vizsla - not as successful - although he managed a Q on Sunday and was obedient. Here is the "conundrum" with Kubi. Kubi is still in recovery from Valley Fever. The infection did not come to light until it got severe with a growing mass in his humerus that went entirely throughout the diameter of the humerus and was about 2 inches along the length AND a mass of about the size of a small egg under his ribcage. He may have been harboring the infection for a year or more for it to get to that stage. The masses are reduced but his blood titer is still as high as it was when he was first diagnosed and he is on an extraordinarily high does of fluconazole for a period of several more months if not for life. For a simple yeast infection, a human adult would take one 150 mg tablet and that would be it. To give an idea of the dosage, the treatment for cryptococcal meningitis (one of the more serious infections of the covering of the brain and spinal cord) is as follows:

The recommended dosage for treatment of acute cryptococcal meningitis is 400 mg on the first day, followed by 200 mg once daily. A dosage of 400 mg once daily may be used, based on medical judgment of the patient's response to therapy. The recommended duration of treatment for initial therapy of cryptococcal meningitis is 10-12 weeks after the cerebrospinal fluid becomes culture negative. The recommended dosage of DIFLUCAN for suppression of relapse of cryptococcal meningitis in patients with AIDS is 200 mg once daily.

Kubi (about 60 lbs of weight) is on 600 mg a day, has been at this dose since late January and is continuing on this high dosage for an indefinite period.

So back to my observations - he is no longer lame so I've been back in agility with him. But I both observe that he just does not have the stamina and energy that a normal Vizsla should have. At the show this weekend, he was generally obedient but definitely not engaged or really excited about it. If I do a lesson during the day - even when it is in the 70s or low 80s, he fades rapidly. I used a cooling coat on him on Sunday even though it was not that hot and it helped a little. But the most revealing moment was at the end of the standard run when I whooped and hollared to celebrate his completion, he did not interact with me but instead went to the out-gate to push on it to exit. It is like he is just going through the motions.

At this point I don't know if it is personality, illness, side-effect of treatment, or all of the above but my point in posting this is that I think I have to listen to what my dog is telling me and back off on my return to at least competition and heavy training. My work with horses prior to really getting into the dog work has always told me to look for underlying causes beyond simple naughtiness if there is a pattern or a history of a similar behavior.

I guess I wanted to share this just as a reminder that as much as I want something to happen, I also have to respect what the dog might be telling me. If it means doing something differently, albeit contrary to my "desires," then I need to accept the situation. This is not to say that sometimes our dogs are not just naughty or confused, but if there is doubt then it is good to look at the entire picture to try to develop at least an approach if not an answer! My answer for now is to continue to have fun with Belle and keep Kubi going in a weekly class with moderate work at home until he "tells" me he is ready!