Reagan turned the Big 0 - 2 yesterday. Its hard to believe she was just a paper-weight-fearing pup a little over a year ago. I will never let her live that one down. Just too cute and funny.
We are still working on Reagan's digestive problems. We had her do 8 days of a strong course of Metronidazole and 5 days of Panacur. She has now been drug free for 9 days. In total, she has done great the last 16 - 17 days with only 2 "outputs" being unacceptable.
I also made some diet adjustments suggested by a holistic vet that I will share with you in my next post. Nothing earth shattering, but it has changed Riley from good to great. And Reagan is doing much better. I'm just not sure if it from the recent drugs or the diet tweak.
However, it has become evident that Reagan looking rather thrifty. Her fur has thinned out significantly on her forehead, front legs, toes, elbows, and thighs. We ran blood work and found blood values consistent with intestinal disease or dysfunction and malabsorbtion. It is possible that something is causing her to not absorb nutrients efficiently. I only know enough to be dangerous and to misinform all of you. I can tell you that things like a course of weekly B-12 injections and endoscopy do not have me excited....... Happy Birthday, Reagan! We have not decided on a plan of action yet, but I will keep you posted.
I do want to reiterate how important it is to make vet visits as fun as possible. Being only 2 years old, Reagan has not had surgery yet (although spay day is fast approaching) and only a few needle pokes. I looked around the waiting room and each dog was quite nervous, panting and shaking. But Reagan played with a special toy and would put it in my hand for a treat. We worked on sits and downs on the hard floor. We did some training doodles. She practiced stretching her neck for the upcoming blood draw and I would even give her a little pinch..... and then a treat. She was too busy to absorb the tension in the waiting room and quickly forgot about the actual blood draw when the vet presented her with fish treats.
Happy training and I'll keep you posted.
