Basic Manners Group Class Orientation

Pearls:

• Meggie excelled in her first basic manners group class, showcasing her intelligence.

• She demonstrates potential as a sport dog prospect with her ability to navigate a lively multi-dog environment.

• With only three more weeks of activity restriction, Meggie is ready for adoption through BCSave. 

Today Meggie successfully attended her first group class: orientation to basic manners. She was a star pupil and excelled in the exciting multi-dog environment, including a loud and rousing agility class in the next room.

With her intelligence, high food drive, love of toys and tugging, and now demonstrating she can conduct herself in a group class setting, she is a definite sport dog prospect. 

With only three more weeks of activity restriction, Meggie will be even further equipped for all her next big adventures. Apply to adopt Meggie through BCSave.

Grateful thanks to Melinda Meche, Rachel Simmons, and all the staff at Lucky Dog Training Center in Keller, Texas. Melinda Meche was so kind and helpful in directing me to enroll Meggie in the orientation class, and Rachel did a great job teaching.

Meggie doing a great job in a multiple-dog group class setting with lots of distractions

Final Heartworm Treatment

                                       

Meggie received her final heartworm treatment injection this week and is now ready to find her forever home through BCSave. After just four more weeks of activity restriction, Meggie is cleared to resume normal play and exercise and will be heartworm-free soon!

Seventeen inches tall at the withers, 26 pounds, and two years of age, Meggie is the perfect dog as a single companion, a busy multi-dog family, sports, a hiking companion, a lap cuddler, and convenient for travel and outings. 

Meggie has accomplished so much in the few months she has been with us. She is potty trained, walks nicely on a leash, is crate trained, and loves going for walks. She has overcome her barrier reactivity around other dogs and is calm and polite at veterinary visits and other outings. Meggie has learned to get along with our resident dogs and displays herding behavior through appropriate play. Meggie has high toy, tug, and food drive and with her athleticism and intelligence she is an excellent sport prospect.  

Meggie is an exceptional lunch date at pubs and restaurants, always getting compliments on her perfect behavior. Her affectionate and outgoing personality is her top asset. Meggie loves learning and is very motivated to do what her person teaches.

Meggie at Fort Brewery

Meggie loves going to pubs where she sits perfectly on her travel bed and enjoys discussing great books and good movies over a pint.

Having a stroll (below) and enjoying company on her mat (above) at The Point restaurant

Waiting for pizza at Maple Branch brewery:

In addition to pub-hopping, Meggie also loves going for river hikes and walks in the neighborhood:

Meggie's auto-sits are legendary.

Best of all, Meggie loves her family, whether cuddling up for movie night, hanging out by the pool, or sitting on your lap:

Apply to adopt this exceptional pup through Border Collie Save and Rescue. 

Arsenal

Meggie enjoying a marrow bone

In preparing for Meggie's strict activity confinement during heartworm treatment, I've collected a veritable armament of enrichment chews, toys, and other calming aids.

Pearls:

• Ready for Meggie's exercise restriction during heartworm treatment with tranquil clicker education, enrichment chews, toys, and calming aids. 

• Started Meggie on Purina's B. longum probiotic supplement, known to support calm behavior.

• Using a pheromone diffuser kit with dog appeasing pheromones (DAP) to promote calmness during stressful events.

• Added a DAP collar for Meggie when crated alone for additional pheromone support.

• Installed a Petcube camera providing visual and auditory monitoring.

• Stocked up on long-lasting toys and chews, including qwizl, benebone holders, and a Woof pupcicle kit complete with magnesium-containing calming treats. 

• Beef knees and dehydrated marrow bones are my current favorite indoor-use long-lasting chew.

• Open to occasional use of the not-so-secret-weapon prescription trazodone provided by Meggie's veterinarian.

Meggie is continuing calm clicker training, a great way to occupy her mind while less physically active. Meggie's auto sits are almost perfect and her downs and settles are coming along brilliantly.

Since we know that the gut and microbiome are important regulators of mood and well-being, Meggie started a probiotic supplement from her first day with us. Recently I updated to Purina's version of Bifidobacterium longum which is touted to support calm behavior. 

Probiotic supplement

There's been compelling peer-reviewed science that dog appeasing pheromone (DAP) reduces anxiety.  Dr. Young Mee Kim et al. reported in The Canadian Veterinary Journal, "There was overall amelioration of the signs of anxiety in the DAP-treated dogs, and marked decreases were noted in elimination, excessive licking, and pacing." These and other results suggest that using DAP decreases separation anxiety, distress, and fear, and facilitates recovery from surgery, injury, or illness. 

DAP has shown promise in promoting calmness in dogs by mimicking a mother dog's natural nursing pheromones, so I ordered a pheromone diffuser kit that dispenses DAP. I plug it in during Meggie's most challenging stress events which is when she's crated on her own.

DAP diffuser

For additional pheromone support, I put a DAP collar on Meggie while she is crated alone.

DAP collars

To surveil if my calming aids are functioning or not, I set up this closed circuit monitor that allows me to see and hear (and even speak to, though I don't do that) Meggie while I am away. I love the functionality of the Petcube camera since it allows me to zoom in and clearly see what's going on, as well as hear any vocalizations or anything going on in her environment while I'm away. 

Gunner photobombing the Petcube camera

In addition to tech, I've laid by a goodsome supply of long-lasting toys and chews. The qwizl treat holder arrived today. Meggie likes it, but Rosco loves it.

Qwizl toy

Serendipitously our local Hollywood feed store has a buy one get one half off promotional on their bully sticks and beef esophaguses, so I ordered a 30-count bag of each. I already have two Benebone bully stick holders, a perennial favorite of all my pups. 

Jackie interested in the esophaguses and bully sticks

Benebone bully stick holder

I have high hopes for this Woof pupsicle kit, and to get started I ordered the pre-made pupsicle calming treats with calming ingredients passion flower, thiamine, tryptophan, dried hops, and most importantly magnesium. 

Tranquilizing magnesium helps ease muscle stiffness from the heartwormacide injection administered deep into Meggie's lower back muscles.    

Woof pupsicle kit

After unboxing the pupsicle: it's a huge hit! At first I filled it with peanut butter and Meggie couldn't care less. So I gave it to Jackie instead (who loves peanut butter) and Jackie made short work of cleaning it out. 

When I put in one of the pre-made calming pops Meggie is enthralled. This is by far the most engaged I've seen her with an inanimate chew toy. Plus I love that it has calming ingredients. 

Meggie calm and engaged with her pupsicle

 

The king of stuffable enrichment is the Kong, of which I have blue, red, pink, and purple varieties, as well as some knock-off brands in interesting shapes like pineapples or T-rexes. 

Variety of stuffable toys

Though the almighty Kong has been with me through decades of educating dogs to learn to quietly settle on their own, my recent favorite is the toppl toy. It comes in sizes large enough to place an entire meal in one toy. It's adjustable to be incredibly easy for recent shell-shocked rescues or dogs that just aren't that food-motivated yet, to challenging enough to last a good long time inside a crate. 

I love that the toppl functions as a bully or esophagus holder, and can be left open or combined to make a closed egg puzzle. The recipe possibilities are endless; I've filled them with bone broth, tossed in healthy toppers like fruit, treats, or mushrooms, and frozen them for an extra-long-lasting treat. The toppl is much easier to clean than the Kong.

Toppl toy

While I love offering frozen raw marrow bones outdoors during the warmer months, they're too messy and unsafe for indoor use. A recent find is smoked beef knees from Winco, and dehydrated marrow bones from our local Russell feed store. 

Gross beef knees; the dogs love 'em

Since they are not technically raw, they are perfect for indoor use and the dogs stay absolutely focused on them for however long I allow them to chew. A single knee or marrow bone lasts my border collies at least a couple hours total chew time, and at less than a few dollars each they're one of my favorite go-to chews. 

So yeah, we're ready to beat the boredom of strict activity reduction over the next eight weeks. I am not above occasionally using the prescription trazodone that Meggie's veterinarian dispensed, since establishing calm behavior is a strategy of multiple approaches.

Heartworm Treatment First Injection

They say misery loves company...

Meggie received the first of three heartworm treatment injections today. The injection is given directly into the muscle of the lower back so Meggie is pretty uncomfortable. Her veterinarian, Dr. Elkins, sent Meggie home with pain medicine and anti-inflammatories to control the discomfort. 

Meggie's heartworm treatment follows this protocol:

Day 0: Consultation. Exam and treatment discussion based on health, age, and history. Antibiotics, steroids, and heartworm prevention are started. Next visit scheduled in 60 days to begin injections. Moderate activity restriction begins.

Day 60: 1st injection. (*We are here.) Meggie received her first injection with pain medication and a steroid. Home medication provided, and very strict kennel rest for 24 hours. 

Day 90: 2nd injection. Meggie will receive the second injection with pain medication and a steroid. Return 24 hours later for the final injection. Strict kennel rest for 24 hours. Due to lucky timing, this will be the week of Christmas!

Day 91: 3rd injection. Meggie gets the third injection, continuing home medication until finished. Strict kennel rest for another 24 hours.

Day 121: Meggie can resume normal activity 30 days after the last injection. Retest for negative heartworm status 6 months after the last injection. 

Every day in Texas 100s of dogs face euthanasia due to being heartworm positive. Prevention is cost-effective through monthly oral or 6-month injections, but treating an infected dog is expensive and hinders adoption. 

To address this crisis, the Texas Foundation for Animal Care provides two affordable treatment options to save more dogs, giving them a chance at a long, happy life and preventing shelter overflow and euthanasia. 

I am extremely grateful to Dr. Jenny Elkins and all her staff at TFAC. Enormously grateful to Border Collie Save and Rescue for helping so many dogs, sweet little Meggie included. 

Pearls:

• Meggie is on her way to being heartworm-free. It's a long, painful journey, but one with a promising outcome. 

• Preventing heartworm is easy and cost-effective, but treating an infected dog is expensive and puts them at multiple risk factors for suffering and death. 

• The answer to ending suffering and the dog abandonment crisis is multi-faceted and involves responsible pet ownership.

Feeling a little down but looking forward to brighter days.

Outing

In preparation for eight weeks of strict confinement during heartworm treatment, as a special treat we took Meggie for a fun outing at a favorite outdoor dining spot and park. Everyone who met Meggie was impressed with her stellar manners and perfect behavior. Meggie had fun practicing settling on her mat while we had lunch and visiting an exciting waterfall park.

We are incredibly proud of how well Meggie is continuing to do. She has come so far in a short time, and now gets along well with my dogs and loves playing with Jackie. 

Meggie's heartworm treatment will entail confinement indoors, and only walking outside to potty with no running or playing. Confinement is important to prevent the dying heartworms from going into the lungs which can cause complications and possibly even death. 

Heartworm prevention is incredibly accessible and affordable, which makes it frustrating that so many dogs are neglected in receiving this basic health necessity. But Meggie is safe now, and on her way to a new and improved life. 

This funny, sweet, and loving dog is available for adoption through Border Collie Save and Rescue. 

Pearls:

• Anticipating an eight-week heartworm treatment confinement for Meggie, we treated her to a fun outing at a favorite outdoor spot

• Meggie displayed stellar manners and perfect behavior
• 
  
• Making remarkable progress, Meggie now interacts well with my dogs and enjoys playtime with Jackie
• 
  
• Heartworm treatment necessitates indoor confinement, restricting outdoor activity to essential bathroom breaks to prevent complications from dying heartworms reaching the lungs
• 
  
• Despite widespread neglect of basic health necessities, Meggie is safe now and on the path to a better life

Mile Marker

Meggie took her No Puppy Pledge this week. Though she has a heavy load of heartworms, her veterinary surgeon explained that otherwise healthy bitches are better able to handle the stress of surgery before heartworm treatment than after. The dead heartworms in the system are a bigger threat than just going ahead and getting the spay surgery out of the way earlier before heartworm treatment begins.

So Meggie underwent an ovariohysterectomy. She will definitively never again have puppies, which is the entire point. Gratefully she is approximately a two-year-old adult dog, so hopefully she will retain much of the long-term physical benefits of leaving a female dog with her ovaries through adulthood. 

If Meggie were going to be living with me for her entire life, I would have opted to either keep her intact and never allow her the opportunity to become pregnant, or I would have chosen an ovary-sparing hysterectomy. Retaining the ovaries significantly reduces the risk of developing certain diseases, potentially leading to a longer life for the dog. Rescues, including BCSave, have to ere on the side of caution to prevent human carelessness and make the best use of limited resources, so in Meggie's case a traditional ovariohysterectomy makes the best of her situation.

Meggie came into rescue with a singleton puppy in tow, so her mammaries and the blood vessels inside and around them are enlarged. This caused a fair amount of bleeding under the skin around the spay surgery incision site so Meggie has significant bruising. For the first 48 hours Meggie wore a pressure bandage around her belly to prevent additional bleeding.

Meggie has graduated into wearing a soft comfort cone and a belly-guard body suit to prevent her from licking the incision site. As of day three the suit and cone have done an adequate job of preventing her from messing with the wound site. I have had to rotate to using a longer hard plastic cone at night while I can't be as vigilant. 

After testing three different cones and two bodysuits, the best post-surgery suit is this Belly Guard brand recovery onesie, and the most comfortable cone is this All Four Paws brand comfy cone. The Belly Guard onesie is lightweight and breathable, and the best feature is convenient potty breaks with snaps in the front to secure the flap while Meggie does her business. I don't have to remove the suit over her head and it stays clean and dry while she's walking around outside. The comfy cone prevents her from licking but is soft, smaller, and fastens with velcro, keeping her more comfortable. 

The veterinary surgeon placed absorbable sutures under the skin and glued the skin closed. It's done this way so clients don't have to return for another vet visit for suture removal. She has to wear the lampshade for 7 to 10 days, and there is significant bruising because of the bleeding, but overall she is doing well.

I am incredibly grateful to Dr. Jenny Elkins at Texas Foundation for Animal Care (TFAC), a donation-based satellite clinic that provides low-cost heartworm treatment and neuter surgery. Hundreds of dogs in Texas are euthanized daily due to heartworm disease, which spreads through mosquitoes and is contracted year-round due to our warm climate. While it's affordable to prevent infection with monthly oral or six-month injections, the costly treatment of infected dogs often prevents their adoption or leads to surrender for euthanasia. 

Big cone, little head

Meggie's pressure bandage above, belly guard bodysuit and soft comfort cone below

Radar dog

Pearls:

• Meggie took the No Puppy Pledge, opting for an ovariohysterectomy to prevent future pregnancies despite her heartworm condition.

• Spaying before heartworm treatment was chosen, as the dead and dying heartworms after treatment pose a bigger threat.

• The ideal post-surgery suit for Meggie is the Belly Guard recovery onesie, which is lightweight, breathable, and allows easy potty breaks with front snaps. The Comfy Cone is good too, as it's soft, secures with velcro, and ensures comfort while preventing licking.

• Although a traditional spay was performed due to rescue resource constraints, ideally an ovary-sparing hysterectomy or keeping her intact (preventing pregnancy with management) would have been considered. 

• Despite bruising and post-surgery precautions, Meggie is recovering well, thanks to the efforts of Dr. Jenny Elkins and her staff at TFAC, a clinic addressing the heartworm crisis in Texas.

This sweet dog is available for adoption through Border Collie Save and Rescue.