It seems to me like something's always been 'off' with Fleetwood. For those of you who don't remember, I've had problems with his behavior around other dogs from 11weeks old. And issues with his digestive system, skin and coat, and pain in his legs along the way. Among other things.
He started limping when he was about 6 months old (going on 9 months old now) and it seems to be Panosteitis, it switches legs and it's random. He broke out in (what looked like) hives one day after a bath, when he was about 5 months old. He itched, chewed, bled, lost some hair, and his coat became really brittle for a few weeks-- but it subsided after a steroid shot and antibiotics. However, it never fully went away. He's had itchy bumps- like cysts- on his back since then, that get better and worse. Randomly. And brittle hair, and dry skin.
Some days he's more fearful of people and other dogs, and I'm disappointed in his behavior. Some days, he's a champ! And I'm proud to have him at my side.
Some days he's tired. lethargic. He doesn't want to eat, or have treats, and he isn't happy. He seems to dislike attention and even the other dogs being around at some times. But he will perk up to play ball, or go for a walk.
Finally, he has never had consistent stools. It's always Loose, smelly, or downright diarrhea. Lately, on Innova, he's had pretty decent stools. But some days his stomach is making noises all day and he has loose stool, and doesn't want to eat much.
I started logging everything-- how he feels on any particular day, how he acts, what he eats, how much exercise he gets... And my findings are a little odd. It seems like, most or all of his symptoms coincide on the same days. It's like when we wake up, I know it's either a good day or a bad day. Let's stay in the house all day, or let's go downtown to the cafe-day. And it seems to be completely random.
For example, Yesterday he woke up a little groggy, but ate around lunch time. I got home from work, and we went for a walk with a friend and her dog, and he did wonderful. He was energetic, liked the other dog, and just plain 'went wild' on our walk. He had a blast. We got home and played ball for about 15 minutes.
But today, he's been tired, and lacking energy. Woke up limping. He seems distant, and just isn't... thriving. We went for a hike and swim, and he totally perked up for that, but we didn't see any people. He heard some noises and seemed jumpy, which isn't his usual self. We got back in the car and home, and again, just laying around looking unhappy and limping. Loose stools, all day.
So there doesn't really seem to be a rhyme or reason. And I did have his thyroid tested, it was normal. He had bloodwork done 3 months ago, Normal. I don't know where to go from here. I suppose it's not as dramatic as I make it sound, but it's quite noticable to me.
Ideas?
He started limping when he was about 6 months old (going on 9 months old now) and it seems to be Panosteitis, it switches legs and it's random. He broke out in (what looked like) hives one day after a bath, when he was about 5 months old. He itched, chewed, bled, lost some hair, and his coat became really brittle for a few weeks-- but it subsided after a steroid shot and antibiotics. However, it never fully went away. He's had itchy bumps- like cysts- on his back since then, that get better and worse. Randomly. And brittle hair, and dry skin.
Some days he's more fearful of people and other dogs, and I'm disappointed in his behavior. Some days, he's a champ! And I'm proud to have him at my side.
Some days he's tired. lethargic. He doesn't want to eat, or have treats, and he isn't happy. He seems to dislike attention and even the other dogs being around at some times. But he will perk up to play ball, or go for a walk.
Finally, he has never had consistent stools. It's always Loose, smelly, or downright diarrhea. Lately, on Innova, he's had pretty decent stools. But some days his stomach is making noises all day and he has loose stool, and doesn't want to eat much.
I started logging everything-- how he feels on any particular day, how he acts, what he eats, how much exercise he gets... And my findings are a little odd. It seems like, most or all of his symptoms coincide on the same days. It's like when we wake up, I know it's either a good day or a bad day. Let's stay in the house all day, or let's go downtown to the cafe-day. And it seems to be completely random.
For example, Yesterday he woke up a little groggy, but ate around lunch time. I got home from work, and we went for a walk with a friend and her dog, and he did wonderful. He was energetic, liked the other dog, and just plain 'went wild' on our walk. He had a blast. We got home and played ball for about 15 minutes.
But today, he's been tired, and lacking energy. Woke up limping. He seems distant, and just isn't... thriving. We went for a hike and swim, and he totally perked up for that, but we didn't see any people. He heard some noises and seemed jumpy, which isn't his usual self. We got back in the car and home, and again, just laying around looking unhappy and limping. Loose stools, all day.
So there doesn't really seem to be a rhyme or reason. And I did have his thyroid tested, it was normal. He had bloodwork done 3 months ago, Normal. I don't know where to go from here. I suppose it's not as dramatic as I make it sound, but it's quite noticable to me.
Ideas?
