The Good, The Bad & The Ugly (take two)

Before getting our first puppy together my husband and I did a lot of research into the type of dog we wanted and what breeds would fit with this ideal. My husband wanted a dog he could run with and I wanted a dog that was smart and easy to train. I also wanted to rescue and adopt a dog rather then go through a breeder, which is why we looked for types of dogs rather then specific breeds. In the March/April of 2011 we stumbled across the Australian Cattle Dog Rescue who were based in Sydney. Within a few weeks we found out that a litter was expected from a Australian Cattle Dog bitch who had been left at a veterinary surgeon by a breeder no longer wanting to breed.

We agreed to meet with the puppies once they were born and see if there was one for us. I was beyond excited, but then went away for three weeks in Europe, whilst my husband was in America for a similar length of time. We planned to visit the rescue in Sydney on our way home back to Canberra.

For all the dog lovers out there I probably do not need to go into much detail about the moment we saw the puppies, or the moment we saw our boy; Occa. We could pick him out a mile a way and it was love at first sight. There was no way that we were going to leave him behind, so we took him home that day. Completely unprepared, anxious and excited all at once.

during our first ride home together

But I digress, Occa's early days are for another time, as a teaser he is lucky my husband is patient and kind.

We were in love and him being our first fur baby I went into research overdrive. I read every possible book there was about puppy and dog care to help our little lad turn into a smart, responsive and confident dog. However, almost a year into having him home with us we noticed Occa starting to limp after playtime. At first we just eased off and rested him for a few days and he got better. Over the months though his limp stayed and gradually got worse. We had been speaking to the vets about his situation and as he was so young they were hesitant to do too much invasive investigation and as it wasn't so bad we thought it might just be his growth. Oh we wish. A little after his first birthday we took him to the vet as the situation now demanded some investigation. He had a few x-rays and was diagnosed with mild elbow dysplasia of his front right leg. A hereditary condition that revealed itself as he grew into adulthood which was why it was only apparent once he was mature. We were told that his situation was not so bad that it required surgery and largely he did not seem to be in pain, it just limited his ease of movement. We were encouraged to tidy up his diet with special dog food for joint issues to see if that helped.

that is a standard sized tennis ball next to him!

Wanting to do anything to help our little love bug I got back onto the research wagon determined to find something else that could help him. I stumbled upon a few supplements, we've tested out the full gamut believe me, and have settled on a mixture of two that have definitely improved his condition by at least 60% (in my opinion)! Occa as a mature dog (almost four now!) largely self-manages his condition through taking exercise sessions at his own pace, allowing his thunder paws of a sister to let loose, and resting whenever is neccessary. We also feed him food that is designed for 'large breed dogs' as they are often prone to joint conditions and have all the extra good stuff already built in to the formula. Then there is the supplements, one morning and one night and we are good to go. Despite the early fear that his condition may further deteriorate or the change of diet and supplements would not help at all, we have been incredibly lucky. Occa almost has full movement of his joints, so long as he eats his meals morning and night, and has not deteriorated past his initial diagnosis at all.

In spite of all he has gone through he is very much the happy chappy. Occa is an exuberant soul. Whilst quite easy to train in his youth, and thankfully he has kept many of his lessons over the years, he is quite content to march to the beat of his own drum.  He's one of those dogs that you can tell if you give an inch he will take a mile. We've had to be very careful over the years to not let him get away with too much otherwise he would drive us bonkers.

'I do what I want!'

He started this habit early in his life of talking whenever he wanted just for the hell of it. To ask for dinner, to ask how our day is, to tell his sister that she is annoying, to share his love, literally any reason. This though got a little bit frustrating and unruly when he would lie on the ground howling with no 'off' switch. So we trained one in. Now we can always tell when he wants to have a chat, he gets this look on his face and his throat and mouth almost look full with breath so we generally let him go to town for a few minutes and then tell him to settle. He's getting good with controlling himself day by day. Despite this, there remain a few situations that he cannot control himself in which can almost pierce our eardrums (going to the dog park for example). But we're working on it.

At the base level though, Occa is the biggest love bug you could ever meet. He is a Australian Cattle Dog through and through and embodies the moniker 'velcro dog'. You could not meet a dog more loyal, or more dedicated than Occa dog. There is nothing that you can do without him keeping his watchful eye on you and without fail whenever my husband is away overnight Occa is lying in the doorway of the bedroom just daring anyone to come near his Mum. He will always let me know he loves me in the morning with my wake-up kiss. He has a passion for learning and has learnt some of the funniest tricks. He's our dog that can be shot and play dead on command in any situation, crawl along the ground, bow, speak, spin, wait and catch food, wait and catch ball, be tickled, cuddled and played with whilst eating and is even content about children screaming in his face at deafening pitches for what seems like a neverending moment. He is so patient, he will wait just about forever until you tell him to do something (once he's learnt it of course), even if this means waiting five minutes for a toddler to learn themselves how to throw a ball for a dog.

the patience is ever present and neverending

He is the friendliest dog you would ever meet, to people, dogs, kids, you name it, but after you have gotten to know him you realise that those interactions are friendly, but not intimate. He is everyone's friend, but not everyone's family. It takes a while to capture his heart and that snuggle you finally receive on the couch letting you know you are 'in' is the best feeling in the world. He has a way of making you feel that he has chosen you and I personally feel privileged to be one of his human's.

Forever love your dog,
Emma

Review: Bach Flower Rescue Remedy

Continuing on from the post about Belle last week, I thought I might do a quick review on a supplement that we have been using to help her anxiety.

 

When we first found out that Belle had anxiety, the Canine Coach undertook a behavioural training program with us and helped us realise where her problems stemmed from and a special plan in order to treat them, which included supplements as well as behavioural training. I also endeavored to do as much research as possible on things that could help our baby girl. I am big on natural supplements and aids in our own lives and we are very much into clean living, so if possible I was determined to find a natural aid which could be used as desired, rather than a medication that required weaning on and off. I was also worried about medication changing Belle's temperament when she wasn't anxious, like when at home playing with Occa, because she has a beautiful nature and soul that we didn't want to mess with permanently.

The Canine Coach gave us several suggestions about scents, special coats and a product called 'The Rescue Remedy'.  We researched every option; some were quite costly, others we felt might disturb her more then help, however 'The Rescue Remedy' seemed to offer results at a low price which made it easy for us to test out. 'The Rescue Remedy' comes from the Bach Flower Remedy product line, it is "a blend of five different Bach Flower Remedies: ... created by Dr Bach to deal with emergencies and crises... it can be used to ... get through any stressful situations... help us relax and get the needed calmness." (Excerpt taken from their website, for more information visit http://www.bachflower.com/) The various reviews that people had posted about their use with their pets were very positive. So we decided to give it a go!

'The Rescue Remedy' products can be bought online, or in Canberra they can be purchased at Discount Chemist Warehouse. It comes in a couple of different forms; a spray or a dropper. After some thought we went with the dropper as Belle freaks at aerosol sprays which would not be productive for getting the substance near her. Please note; it is important that you get the specialised pet version as they are careful to ensure there is no alcohol in the ingredients and it is completely pet friendly.

 

 

 

 

We started using the liquid directly into Belle's mouth, you can just add it to food or water but as Belle and Occa share most of their edibles we wanted to make sure that Belle got 100% of the liquid, every day. We noticed a change within the first few days, she generally seemed a little calmer, but the longer she remained taking it the less of an effect it had. Because of this I decided to only give it to her during times of known stress, or when she seemed particularly anxious. This approach seemed to tackle it the best. We've now been able to manage her anxiety using training and 'The Rescue Remedy' sporadically during moments of high stress. It takes the edge off and she seems more capable of relaxing and listening to us after she has taken it. 

If you are thinking of adding this product to your arsenal, I would suggest that you only use occasionally, as it seems that the animal can build up a tolerance to the liquid thus reducing its effectiveness. Because of it's all natural ingredients there is no need to taper on or off this product, simply use as required and monitor the behaviour.

Let us know if you have used this product for any of your pooches for their fear or anxiety (it is commonly used for weather fear) and your experiences with it. We'd be very interested to hear!

Forever love your dog,
Emma