Friday, September 11, 2009

Sleep

Sleep is still an issue. Or barking instead of sleeping. Merlin doesn't act anxious or unhappy when I come see why he is barking, just glad that I've finally done his bidding. I can't ignore him because he barks when he is stuck, or wet. But mostly he barks when he wants something like more food (which is always.) Since we've been doing para-agility in the living room in the evening when it is too hot to walk, he'll go out there and bark for me to come do it with him. He's always been willing to bark like a mad fool when he wanted something- the problem is now that I can't ignore him so it gets worse and worse. But he ought to be sleeping some of the time!

I am working on wearing him out so he will sleep at night, but I may try some supplements that are supposed to help with sleep. Complex carbs supposedly help, and this got worse when we went to a grain-free food, so I'm also going to supplement with brown rice for awhile and see if it improves.

He's been better at night since I shifted 3/4 of his pb to the evening pills, but that may also account for not sleeping at all during the day, at least, not from when I get home until bedtime. When I'm home his mission in life is to try to get more food.

Tuesday, September 8, 2009

6 AM

Merlin slept through the night! Well, almost, at 11, Jack and Janine were madly barking at joggers on the street, but Merlin was sleeping. At six I awoke and was going to go back to sleep but then I freaked out- why is he still asleep? Is he dead? and jumped up to check, and woke him up.

So even when he sleeps in, I can't!

He did go out and pee and poop all on his own. Thank heavens for cooler mornings and the ribbon door (it keeps flies out but lets carts roll through.) I wish I could afford a wheelchair doggie door. I found a company that can do one, through a wall, but no way to do that here and not worth the investment when we expect to move soon. It's cool, though, they can make a very wide door, and although it normally has a lip, setting it just below floor level would allow a roll-out door. (or you could do ramps to and from. It would cost about %600, though, and no where in this house to put one.

But at least in milder weather I can use the ribbon door. It won't work for cold weather and won't work for hot weather. I may look at industrial ones (they are called strip curtains and you sometimes see them on loading docks or freezer doors) to see if I can get something that works more of the year.

Monday, September 7, 2009

Goodbye, Merry

Merlin's friend (well, not really because Merry didn't like other dogs, but our neighbor) Merry died four weeks ago of DM. "Dying of DM" is a mis-statement as she didn't reach the point of being unable to breathe. A 90 lb GSD, Merry was put down when she could no longer stand at all. A cart had given her two years, counter-balanced for the last six months, but when she could no longer move on her own it was time to let her go.

I dread having to make that choice for Merlin. While we are lucky with our smaller dogs that we can lift them easily enough, I don't know how he would handle being a quad. Some dogs stay cheerful and connected, and he might be that way, or he might get depressed and be ready to go. I don't know, and I don't want to find out any time soon.

For him, since he is almost 12, it is probably a race of DM with Time and other illness. I'm not sure which is worse... sudden loss due to illness, or having to choose the day he dies. Neither is good, but I hope in my lifetime we see the end of death due to DM.

Goodbye, Merry. That you could manage so long with this disease is a testament to your owner's love and care and strong back.

Friday, September 4, 2009

Cost of DM update

Recent expenses: new crate, with side opening, so I can lift him out now that he can't get out himself: $90. Two Palace bedding mats from Scout's house: $24. Cool bed, $35. Two boxes of 54 each Huggies overnites: $19 each (plus tax- each box lasts about ten days.)

Coming soon: front wheels for his cart or a new counterbalanced cart. I hope he stays strong enough for a few more months but sometimes I think he is getting weak in the front. (I hope it is just the weather tiring him out.) Cost, $150-$500.

Merlin himself is sometimes happy, sometimes frustrated. He will sometimes move on his own and sometimes wants to be carried. Sometimes he'll walk in his cart and sometimes he'll just lie down in it and bark. Sometimes he smiles and sometimes he looks unhappy but that's usually because I won't feed him any more.

Another DM discussion shut down

Not long ago it was on the "Mycorgi" site, where we were asked to step to the back of the bus.. .oops, I mean, keep our discussions to ourselves in a special group for owners of disabled corgis. The site owner refuses to understand that the discussion is VERY relevant to every corgi owner.

This time it was Corgi-L, because one breeder (and I use the term loosely) decided to flame anyone who believes in DM DNA testing. She succeeded in what I'm sure was her intention- shutting down the discussion. Well, I don't think the anti-testing faction is going to succeed for long.. this time on ShowPem she has no defenders. Other breeders are coming around to understand that right now, this is what we have, and using it will lead to better health and longer lives for their dogs.

Ironically, the same "breeder" refuses to participate in the research because no one will pay her to submit her samples.. but says she won't use the test until research has proven it to her satisfaction. My guess is that as long as they aren't going to offer her free tests and free shipping she isn't going to test. So we are back to my premise that educating puppy buyers is the way to go.

Luckily there ARE conscientious breeders out there who are doing what they can to defeat this miserable disease. I know that if I want to buy a clear or carrier puppy in the future I can. If every puppy buyer demanded the same thing, the demand would exceed the supply, but not for long.

What's frustrating here is that no one who does not have a dog with DM wants to talk about it. It's as if they believe that if they don't discuss it the disease will disappear. People, that's WHY it is so prevalent in Pems.. because people didn't talk about it. And until last year, couldn't test for it, so no one knew how to reduce its incidence. Now that they can test for the gene, they still don't want to talk about it.

The dynamics of this are hard to understand.

Thursday, August 27, 2009

Back in Fresno, the routine

It's harder when I have to be gone a lot. I get up in the morning and walk at least Merlin, usually Jack, and sometimes all four. We can't walk later as it gets too hot before I get home- highs are in the high nineties to hundreds. Then I put Merlin in a diaper in a crate to sleep as if he is loose he drags around, loses the diaper, and floods the floor.

I come home at noon on my long days and take care of him and then go back for late classes. On shorter days I leave later and come home earlier. I do most of my prep at home so I can have more time here- its great that I can be flexible, but I do have to spend a fair amount of time at the college. I didn't do orchestra this fall because I felt it would take too much time from Merlin and make things more stressful, but I miss it.

After work, in the evening, we try to do something physical. I moved the agility stuff to the living room so I can run Merlin through that for some exercise and mental stimulation. Sometimes I hide treats for all of them but Merlin isn't very good at this game and loses interest.

The worst is nights as he doesn't sleep through the night. Some nights he wants out, some he pees and wants a diaper change, and some mornings he wakes hungry at 5 AM. He whines or barks when he is hungry. I'm trying to give him his pills late at night so he sleeps until 6 am.

Life should be easier when we can take walks in the evening, but that might not be until October.

We go through diapers like crazy because most of the time he won't try to go out. Poop is worse as he makes a mess if he does it inside and even more so if he isn't in the cart at the time.

The good thing is cart use- he's using it more in the house and navigating pretty well. I worry he is weakening in the front, though, and am going to start looking for an Eddie's cb cart to fit him.

Wednesday, July 22, 2009

Summer on Whidbey

Merlin has been up and down this summer. Some days are really good and he sleeps well, is happy, and goes outside when he needs to pee or poop. Other days he whines, pees in his diaper, and won't relax.

He's using stirrups some of the time now as his feet are mostly just dragging and not trying to walk anymore.

The good news- if you can call it that- is that he seems to recognize now that the cart is what he needs for mobility, and wants to use it when he wants to get somewhere. The downside of that is two wheel corgis in the same house tend to get wheels caught and block each other's way.