I'm currently trying to remember what's happened since March 4th, as we have an appt next Monday to discuss what's been going on with a vet who has experience with elderly dogs (and especially those with cognitive problems).
It's been a frustrating month for Bailey and as a result, for me. She seemed to be adjusting well enough to the big move but had an absolute melt down on March 4th, a Sunday, while I was helping a friend move. I had to come back to the house to pick her up because she was pacing and howling and so very frantic. My roommates, nor I, could pin point a trigger so I just picked her up and she "helped" me move a friend. The first couple years of her life, she hated riding in the car and would routinely express her anal glands and whine. For the last 5+ years, she's adored the car and is relaxed the whole ride whether seat belted in or crated. I've used this to my advantage a lot and she still loves the car. When we picked her up on March 4th, she didn't settle in the car and she didn't settle in any noticeable way for at least 4 hours.
She continued to be frantic and unsettled into the next week so we tried Alprazolam (Xanax). It seemed to do the trick. Since then we've had 4 major freak out episodes where she's howling, pacing, and very very frantic.
She's had problems her whole life but her regular care staff is concerned about cognitive problems now. I'm frustrated, and sad.
Her regular vet (my old boss) and I had a discussion tonight about med changes since she can't get into the other vet until Monday at the earliest. We're going to increase the Alprazolam for now and keep her Fluoxetine the same. I am so stressed out about this and I'm not able to think of other alternatives for her right now.
Options I've sort of got on the table if the consult on Monday doesn't give me results I'm looking for...
1) Daycare, she'd do okay in the environment as long as she'd have crate breaks. I suspect it'd settle her rather than let her stress more, but I could be wrong.
2) Non-traditional daycare, calling around to local vet clinics to see if she could be crated there during the day while I work. At least then she'd have people watching her and maybe they could find a trigger/time/something.
3) 98% of the time if she's crated, it's a non-issue but I'm thinking it's coincidence more than anything. She's typically left gated into my bedroom with access to a dog bed, water, and her crate while I'm gone.
4) More drugs? But I really want to know what's got her so freaked out!
5) ?I don't think I have a number 5, but 4 isn't a good number to end on...
Today Tim let them out for me because I had a meeting at work. She was so freaking frantic it took her over an hour to settle down and that was basically him holding her down on the bed so she couldn't pace.
I have wondered if it's diet related, or if that's coincidence, too?
I guess I'm just venting. Poor Bailey
Oh yeah, #6) Veterinary Behaviorist.
I still think she's excessively adorable!
It's been a frustrating month for Bailey and as a result, for me. She seemed to be adjusting well enough to the big move but had an absolute melt down on March 4th, a Sunday, while I was helping a friend move. I had to come back to the house to pick her up because she was pacing and howling and so very frantic. My roommates, nor I, could pin point a trigger so I just picked her up and she "helped" me move a friend. The first couple years of her life, she hated riding in the car and would routinely express her anal glands and whine. For the last 5+ years, she's adored the car and is relaxed the whole ride whether seat belted in or crated. I've used this to my advantage a lot and she still loves the car. When we picked her up on March 4th, she didn't settle in the car and she didn't settle in any noticeable way for at least 4 hours.
She continued to be frantic and unsettled into the next week so we tried Alprazolam (Xanax). It seemed to do the trick. Since then we've had 4 major freak out episodes where she's howling, pacing, and very very frantic.
She's had problems her whole life but her regular care staff is concerned about cognitive problems now. I'm frustrated, and sad.
Her regular vet (my old boss) and I had a discussion tonight about med changes since she can't get into the other vet until Monday at the earliest. We're going to increase the Alprazolam for now and keep her Fluoxetine the same. I am so stressed out about this and I'm not able to think of other alternatives for her right now.
Options I've sort of got on the table if the consult on Monday doesn't give me results I'm looking for...
1) Daycare, she'd do okay in the environment as long as she'd have crate breaks. I suspect it'd settle her rather than let her stress more, but I could be wrong.
2) Non-traditional daycare, calling around to local vet clinics to see if she could be crated there during the day while I work. At least then she'd have people watching her and maybe they could find a trigger/time/something.
3) 98% of the time if she's crated, it's a non-issue but I'm thinking it's coincidence more than anything. She's typically left gated into my bedroom with access to a dog bed, water, and her crate while I'm gone.
4) More drugs? But I really want to know what's got her so freaked out!
5) ?I don't think I have a number 5, but 4 isn't a good number to end on...
Today Tim let them out for me because I had a meeting at work. She was so freaking frantic it took her over an hour to settle down and that was basically him holding her down on the bed so she couldn't pace.
I have wondered if it's diet related, or if that's coincidence, too?
I guess I'm just venting. Poor Bailey
Oh yeah, #6) Veterinary Behaviorist.
I still think she's excessively adorable!