My Health

Hi Spangler here, my Mom talks the language that my good doctors do, I don't understand all they are talking about. Besides I'm shaking so bad, I have to hold on to my spots so they don't fall off! My goodness all I ever see is needles, they are always poking me, it's never fun. I don't remember much from my health checks, so I will let Mom tell you how I'm doing. 

Blood Work

Spring 2014 
Spangler had her appointment with her vet, she had blood drawn for her heartworm test and for her phenobarbital levels, all was good. She has her years supply of heartworm preventive.

I have a small note book about the size of a hand that I keep notes in for her and take it to her vet checks. I suggest this for anyone that has a pet that has seizures, health problems or that is older. Lets say your dog had a seizure, you can list date, time, how long it lasted or if they lost control and messed. By doing this you can tell the vet all this info so the seizures can be kept under control.

I had a dog that had epilepsy and I would write all this info down, I saw a pattern 3 months in a row she had a seizure, one or two days after take her heartworm preventive. I took my little book in with my dog and I had her heartworm preventive changed, her seizures stopped happening around that time.
   

Health Check

Late 2013
Spangler's shots were all updated and she had a wellness check, she's healthy. Our vet did see when giving her a treat that she don't chew like she should. Our vet said yes, she has brain damage, but she may do better then most because she had distemper at such a young age. We are to keep stimulating her brain by learning new things and letting her experience all that we can.

We don't treat her any different then our other dogs. I guess you could say we do K9 therapy, smiler to a person that has had a stroke. In some ways she's still a very young pup and it takes saying somethings over and over for her to get it, and she still may not remember it, then other things she don't forget. An example is when she goes out to potty, we tell her to "go potty"! Then she can be distracted by a leaf and she forgets to go, like a pup would and she's about 1 year and 6 months old. We have a dog door that's in our back door it helps, but when we have to close it or we are gone she has accidents.

We don't crate her, she don't really get into much or chew up anything, but when crated she would pee in the crate and would have to stand in a soiled crate. With cracks on her feet from distemper, her feet were very sensitive and I'm sure it hurt and would burn. Then I got thinking all she has ever known is a crate from a young age and having to stay at the vet for so long. So now she stays in our kitchen area when we are gone. When we are home she has the run of the house.

Then came a new problem she has separation anxiety, she's bonded with us and don't want us to leave so she pees on the floor, when we are gone. It's not a heath problem she was taken to the vet and they ran tests, she's healthy, but she does have separation anxiety. Because of her being on phenobarbital and her seizures she can't be put on any medications for it. So we are still working with her on that.

She can see, and her biggest K9 therapy for that is running after birds in the yard. So we just have to keep the bird feeders full. But she does have limitations, if you toss a ball or toy with a quick movement, she don't see it and she thinks it's still in your hand.

She can hear fixed objects like a door opening, she will come running. But if she's looking at someone and a different person in the room calls her, she don't know where that voice is coming from.

Then we are working with her on obedience. 

She has a long road ahead of her and this is some of the hurdles we have to work with Spangler on and hope she can over come them.With all that this little girl has had happen to her and at such a young age she's all ways happy, never aggressive. Of cores she does get frightened, and it will take time for her to over come some of her fears.

Me, in my New Years hat and P.J.'s, we all watched movies and ate popcorn.  Then made all kinds of noise when the clock hit midnight!