tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3568281340286401412024-03-06T14:03:05.320-06:00Life with a Deaf DogHi, my husband and I decided to adopt a Rescued Boston Terrier in Alabama, Capone is a deaf, epileptic dog. This blog details life with a deaf dog, a tiny crusty old Rat Terrier and the trials and tribulations of living with a dog undergoing medical treatment. We are all learning ASL for canines and settling into life in the heart of Dixie.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14067088013030925304noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-356828134028640141.post-54032041115228162852013-03-06T16:22:00.000-06:002013-03-07T15:16:05.798-06:00After the last Seizure Subsides<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Hi, <br />
<br />
Thank you for taking the time to read my blog about my dear dog Capone. <br />
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I view Capone as my furry child. He was a joy to everyone who met him. Looking back after all these months I can see there was a gradual change in him. He became more aggressive toward others after the first Grand Mal seizure and the attack by another dog.<br />
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When I first set on eyes on him at a Starbucks in Alabama, where we had gone to pick him up. He was not sure about us, but we were thrilled to get him from the Alabama Rescue Society. H weighed in at 24 lbs in July 2011, his foster parents handed me a bottle of Phenobarbital for seizures, told me he was deaf.<br />
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I quickly had to learn a few sign language signals to communicate with him. He knew about 20 hand signals. I just had to learn them by heart and teach him new ones. I taught him how to sit, the sign for hungry and a few other hand signals. He had survived the tornado of 2011 in Alabama and was found flea infested wandering the streets in Chilton County. We had him checked out and took him home to meet Rocky our small Rat Terrier.<br />
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He had some peculiar habits. One was the twirly dance, every time he had to go outside and do his business he had to find the right place. He sniffed out his spots, and yes there were favorites. He slowly began the round and round actions of the twirly dance, swinging his butt lower and lower to the ground until he defecated, he would delicately step away from his mess slowly. Leaving a circle of his "business."<br />
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He had an obsession with balls, taking them to you and daring you to take them from you, causing you to continue throwing them and he chasing them until he made a B-line for the water bowl and collapsed on the floor from exhaustion. He also chewed on everything, we had to keep a good amount of chew toys around for our dear little dog. He had the best set of teeth of any dog I have ever had, beautiful white teeth.<br />
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He loved pull toys. He was completely visual as he could not hear, we had to keep the lower portion of our blinds open so he could peer out. He loved to jump in the air. He loved to be carried and would throw his head back. He loved to go to bed early, barking at Stephen and I imploring us to go to bed so he could cuddle up to us.<br />
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He was a tough little dog, loved to go to the park, play with the bigger dogs. He never gave up on anything, played like he could hear, never backed away from another dog. Loved to go for walks and loved to smell the flowers in bloom. When he was fully grown, he weighed 32 pounds.<br />
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He was a carefree friendly dog up until the time he was bitten by a bulldog in Birmingham, AL. He became suspicious after that time of all strangers. He gradually became more aggressive, you could call it extremely protective. Perhaps it was the tumor in his head growing. He also paced incessantly, from window to window to door to rooms where ever he was..<br />
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We moved to New Mexico to check on our home there in 2012 and at the end of 2012 we moved to Texas for a job Stephen my husband had accepted. Capone initially wanted a loving family. He got one, I had retired and stayed home with both he and Rocky our Rat Terrier who weighed 9 lbs sopping wet. They were a pair. Both were always together as Rocky was Capone's ears, Rocky was losing his sight and at 12 he could not see well, Capone was Rocky's eyes.<br />
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The seizures grew more severe as time passed. This last set of Grand Mal or Status Epilepticus were the longest and I think the most damaging.<br />
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I noticed that he could not stand when I went to to visit him the day before at the neurologists offices, that was the day he was going to get released. The neurologist tried a third medication called Kaeppra on him, needed to load his system. The next day turned out to be the day he died. I woke up early to get ready to pick him up, waiting for the morning call from his neurologist with news of when I could see him and bring him home. She called, told me he had two Grand Mal seizures, said he needed the MRI because she needed to know how to treat him. Added a fourth mediation for epilepsy. I tried to call my husband who was in meetings. Finally reached him, he was going to come with me to visit Capone, agreed to the expensive MRI, the neurologist said she had time to perform the MRI in two days. I did not know that was going to be the last day Capone was alive. <br />
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We think Capone had a brain tumor, which the neurologist suggested as he had the symptoms and his health took a downturn quickly. He had a blood workup, Physical, and was going to have a MRI (cost was 2500 bucks) and possibly a spinal tap in two days. He passed away before it could be done. <br />
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The end was sudden. The neurologist told me that Boston Terriers are known to have brain tumors. Probably a glioma. Capone passed away due to Cardiac Arrest. <br />
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We were devastated.<br />
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He had a series of rough days beforehand. Focal seizures peppered the last few days between the Grand Mal Seizures. Perhaps I should have acted faster upon the onset of his last set of seizures before taking him to the ER. There will always be things I think I should have done. After the first round of Diazapan he did not stop seizing. This last set of grand Mal seizures were by far the most severe I have ever seen, the Valium could not stop them completely, he was always skirting the fine line between too much medication and stopping the seizures. <br />
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Capone was 3 years old when he died. Three years and 8 mos.<br />
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Capone had a rough life the first year of his life. The first year of his life is unknown to us, we got him when he was about to turn two. Or so we thought, no one knew how old he was. The vet and the foster parents thought he was between a few months and a year and half. His first year with us was pretty much a learning experience in having an epileptic dog. The second year was a life of enjoying each other. He was given everything he wanted or needed. He as spoiled, but we think he deserved everything in life as we did not know how difficult a life a dog who was abandoned due to the horrific huge tornado in Alabama during 2011. We loved Capone dearly, he cannot be replaced. We will always treasure the time we had with him. Rocky our Rat terrier will also miss him. <br />
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Thanks for reading my journey. I was worried about caring for a deaf, epileptic dog, but he brought much more to my family. He was affectionate and we returned that affection in spades. <br />
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Capone will be missed. <br />
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Capone 2009 - 2013</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14067088013030925304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-356828134028640141.post-74674589020751287692012-11-10T12:53:00.001-06:002012-11-10T12:53:19.663-06:00Seizure Free...enjoying life<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Capone has been seizure free for a week now. I know now that I can give him honey safely after his seizures or if I see him acting strange. Interesting in how the seizures coincided with taking awy his snacks and cutting down his Potassium bromide. Here is my inquisitive dog watching the biscuits rise in the oven. He is a character!<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14067088013030925304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-356828134028640141.post-27811435157215677722012-11-08T02:06:00.000-06:002013-03-08T10:36:07.847-06:00Seizures<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First of all let me tell you that seizures present themselves in many different ways. It is scary when you first expereince it. Found it helpful to keep a log to share the dates with my vets who helped care for Capone. This is an excerpt of the ongoing seizure log I kept.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Note: After a seizure, they will try to get up and walk. They are usually blind and cannot see for about 20 mins. I learned this later from first vet Dr Robinson, as I watched him run into walls and so after I realized this I kept him closer to me for 30 minutes afterwards until his sight returned.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong>2011</strong></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial;">We adopted Capone from Alabama rescue society in July, we were in Alabama while Stephen was working at BCBS. We received a bottle of Phenobarbital with Capone (kept the name) also his medical records. Our new dog Capone was Epileptic and deaf.</span><br />
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">August 3rd</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Gave him his medication (Phenobarbital) 3 hours late - attack was ~ 2 mins long. I noticed that he had a medication schedule and had to maintain it strictly. Kept to his schedule from this point forward. Never deviated again.</span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Agitated behavior (nipping and mouthy) beforehand, asleep on the bed when the attack occurred.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- <b>8:45 pm</b> he fell off the bed (onto his side) and onto the floor under the side/night table (Stephen picked up the night table as he was twisted underneath it until the seizure was over and we could remove Capone from the corner of the bedroom), legs were outstretched and he was rigid, head was back and his mouth became frothy/foamy (drooling), his body began to jerk uncontrollably.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em><b>Afterward </b>-</em> he was woozy, disoriented, wanted to go outside to go to the bathroom. He had a little trouble walking and was disoriented. Had trouble walking, he was stiff. He peed and pooped outside immediately afterwards. I cleaned his mouth up with baby wipes, and wiped the froth off the carpet, cleaned his back end. Applied some cleaner to the carpet and let it sit overnight and took him back inside, he was foggy in the head. But slept most of the day. No more seizures that day.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">August 4th</span></b></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Asleep at the foot of bed when the attack occurred. About 1 minute in length.</span></i></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">- <b>12:15 am</b> he fell off the bed over the foot board (onto his side) and onto the floor, legs were outstretched, body stretched out, head was back and he drooled, his body began to jerk uncontrollably. Less than five minutes</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>Afterward -</em> he was woozy, disoriented, tired and wanted to go back to sleep. Cleaned his face up, put him back on the bed and he went to sleep.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><b>- 8:45 am</b> he was asleep below the desk (moved the chair and pulled him by his back legs out so his head was not in the cranny between the slats of the desk), legs were outstretched, left side of face twitched, body was rigid, head back and drool coming from his mouth, his body began to jerk uncontrollably. He was lucid about a minute later and just laid there. I comforted him by petting his back.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><em>Afterward -</em> he was woozy, disoriented. He got up, walked about 10 feet into the wall in the hall before he got to the kitchen and then ran into the other wall. He lost control of his bowls and I had to clean him up.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">July 15, 2012</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">capones seizure</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was 4:45 am, I awoke to my dog trembling below me in bed. I felt him in the darkness, he was paddling and having small tremors. He was having focal seizures (partial Seizure which targets a certain part of the body). I put him on the floor, ran to get his meds in the room across the house. I looked at the clock again, it was 4:50 am and I didn't consider it a major seizure. He had another very small 1 minute seizure, for a total seizure time of 5 mins. I did get the anally administered gel in case I needed it....I just noted the times and duration, etc...pretty soon, he came out of it. I stoked him for 5 mins. He urinated and I gave him his meds orally. He kept his pheno and potassium bromide down. After 15 mins, thought he looked better, he was a bit dazed though, he tends to loose control over his bowels, he defecated on the floor. He looked at me as though he knew he did a bad thing. I picked it up and flushed it down the toilet and cleaned the carpet up. He got up and tried to walk around, I closed the doors to my bedroom. I thought if he can allow the meds to get into his system he should be fine. He walked into walls and also wandered around the bedroom, bathroom and closet. I knew he was temporarily blind and so was glad he was contained in the bedroom.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;">We have been at our home in the mountains for about 48 hours. Capone is fine now but tired and he has been sleeping allot.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;"></span><b><b>October 31</b></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">New Vet changed his medication dosage (potassium bromide) from 1 tab to 1/2 tab due to the blood levels. Potassium Bromide levels should be between 1 and 1.5 but it is at 3. Which is high.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Georgia, "Times New Roman", serif; font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: small;">It took 3 days for the PB levels to taper down.</span> </span><br />
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7:45 PM <br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Capone was asleep on the floor next to me. He began to gag in his sleep, then frothing at mouth. His seizure lasted for 7 minutes. He rolled over onto his left side. Legs paddling. He was biting and frothing at the mouth. Grabbed a towel and put it under he rear end. He lost control of his bladder. </span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">November 1</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Capone was asleep on the floor next to me.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> 7:50 PM</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Felt him start to gag, then frothing at mouth. He rolled over onto his left side and contorted for 7 minutes. Legs paddling. He was biting (flybiting) and frothing at the mouth. Grabbed a towel and put it under he rear end. He again lost control of his bladder.</span><br />
Closed the doors to the room and cleaned him up.</div>
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<b>November 2</b></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was 3 PM! </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What the hell. Capone was asleep on the floor next to me. Felt him start to gag, then frothing at mouth. He gagged and began to seize. He rolled over onto his left side. when he seized it was usually on his left side. Legs paddling wildy like he was swimming hard against an unknown strong water current. He was biting and frothing at the mouth. Grabbed a towel and put it under he rear end. He lost control of his bladder.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Again, at 7:40 PM. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is not working. I did get to call VET! She is on vacation. I left a message. Have to increase his PB meds. I don't think reducing his Potassium Bromide meds is the right way to go. Screw it! Two seizures in a day. I am giving him his other half of the PB pill. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Capone was asleep on the floor next to me. Felt him start to gag, then frothing at mouth. He gagged and began to seize. He rolled over onto his left side. Legs paddling. He was biting and frothing at the mouth. Grabbed a towel and put it under he rear end. He lost control of his bladder. Was blind when he came to, but wanted to walk around and pace. I closed the doors to the room so I would not lose him in another room</span>. <br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Nov 3</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">7:45 PM</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My husband had broken his Metatarsal bone, dropped a table on it. So, Stephen was on crutches. He went to get his meds, I held Capone, stroked him. He knew he was having a seizure. Capone Kept trying to look at me. I held him, stoked him and gave him second half of a potassium bromide tab. Let him lick about a teaspoon of honey from my hands. I learned that dogs exert allot of energy during a seizure and so wanted to help him regain some energy, gave him water and honey.</span><br />
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Nov 7</div>
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I called Dr Favis.</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Vet verified today (11/7/12) that Capone should stay on higher dosage of PB for a month. He is not having seizures any longer. But, that will be checked in a month. Also, vet verified that giving honey or Karo syrup to an epileptic dog is fine. They use alot of energy during the seizure. So, they come out of seizures with a loss of energy and are listless. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Moved to Texas in December 2012</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">December 2012</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I went to my old vet in Pflugerville. Dr. Mendoza. Had Capones blood levels checked. His PB levels are at .3 now. He is at a safe level.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">In March Capone had the second worst Grand Mal Seizures. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">March 3rd.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Started at 7:04 PM. Capone was antsy all day and he threw up a bit of yellow stuff. He was restless. He had a grand Mal Seizure. Multiple cluster seizures. Had to cool him off with water sprays. He also lost his bowels and urinated all over himself. Gave him Dizapan after 10 minutes. This one lasted over 75 minutes total. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Have not mentioned much about my other dog Rocky. He thought of Capone as his buddy. They slept together, Rocky was Capones ears and alerted Capone to everything Rocky could hear. Capone wanted to be near Rocky. But something was different this time when Capone started his siezures. Capone was having his thrid Grand Mal, we were spraying him down with water, I squirted water into his mouth. Rocky usually looked on while Capone wriggled and writhed, but this time Rocky fell asleep and when he awoke the little 8 lb rat terrier jumped off the bed and came at Capone who was in the midst of resting between the seizures. Rocky, jumped at Capone and tried to get his attention. I think he knew before we did. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Took him to After Hours clinic in Round Rock.</span> <span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"> Rocky wanted to come with us. We told him we would be back. let him go to the bathroom while I got Capone in the car. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The RR ER Clinic staff was great, we called them while we were on our way, they had two tech outside waiting for us, we pulled up and they took him from my arms and started him on a valium drip right away. He was weak. But awake.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Came home and cleaned up the mess about 11 PM. I had ordered a large blue rubberized bed pad from Amazon late last year. I remember thinking to myself I should bought one of these way before this. This pad helped and have used it under him when he had seizures. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I slept on the sofa, as the bed where Rocky lay was wet, had to pull the covers off the bed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">March 4th</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Woke up early to take Rocky to the vet at 7:30 am for Kidney workup.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Home by 8:30 am. About 8:45 am received a call from the Veterinarian at the RR ER, DrVeilleux. Capone had two Seizures the night before at the neurologists specialty care hospital. Prognosis guarded.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I saw him after the appointment with Dr Geitzen the neurologist. That was at 9:30 am. I stayed with him until 10:30 am. He was happy to see me, saw me walk toward him and tried to get up, but appeared to have no ability to stand. I motioned him to "stay" with my hands and told him "Good dog" with sign language. I opened the cage, saw he had IV tubes hooked up to his left front paw and an IV shunt also on his back leg. He looked me with imploring eyes. I stroked him and he seemed fixated on looking at himself in the mirrorlike cage. I kept stroking him and let him smell me, he was so happy to see me. I was so sad when I had to leave him. I knew he was getting too excited and so I knew I had to leave. I left but as I walked to the door I turned to look at him. Not thinking this would be the last time I saw him alive. I waved at him and walked out the door.</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">He started on Keppra, third medication for epilepsy. He was being loaded in anticipation of coming home tomorow. He was on anti swelling meds for his brain and taking the meds I dropped off for him,</span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">March 5th.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">8:55 am, He had another GRAND MAL seizure this morning. Dr Geitzen called and told me on the phone. I had awoken up earlyto get cleaned up in anticipation of picking up my dog. She said she would call to let me know when I could pick him the day before.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, a turnabout change here. Neurologist suggested a full neurological workup ($2500) with MRI. Anyway, she said she is going to start on a fourth seizure medication ( Zonisimide). He has been given more Valium to stop any additional seizures. She said Boston Terriers are known for having tumors and she suspects he may have a tumor as an underlying secondary cause making his epilepsy hard to control. She is also giving him Medication for brain swelling.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I asked her what the prognosis is for dogs on so many epilepsy meds, steroids with underlying secondary causes.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">She said the prognosis is not good.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">She also said it impossible he may pull out of it. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The extent of brain damage would not be known for awhile but that there would be some brain damage given the number of grand mal seizures he has had.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I spent much of the day getting kidney prescibed food for my other dog Rocky, talking to vets about Capones prognosis. Talked to my husband about paying for the MRI. He was in work meetings, and so I researched cost of MRI's and finally spoke to the neurologist about his prognosis. The vet told me Caspone ws twitch all day and this i thought meant he has been having focal seizures. NOT GOOD. Told her my husband wanted to talk to her but I wanted to come by and visit him that afternoon. My daughter was helping me research clinics that do MRIs and at my husbands request I decided to wait for my husband to come with me to see him.</span> <br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We were leaving and about to walk out the door to see Capone at 5:05 PM. Dr Geitzen told me Capone had a cardiac arrest and was not reacting visurally to any stimulus and that he had no brain activity. He was breathing, but would not last long. He was on orders to ressussitate. We hurried to arrive there.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Arrived at 5:30 PM at clinic, ushered into a room where my dog lay motionless on a table. He was brain dead. seeing his dead body was closure, it was hard to see him like that. He was a trooper to the end.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My deaf, epileptic boy. Gone at 3 years of age. Survived a tornado in Alabama, and he lived in New Mexico and Texas for a short time. He lived with us for 20 months, which were filled with love and happiness.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I loved that dog, he will be missed. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hope to see him along with my other dogs who have passed at Rainbow Bridge when I pass someday.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong><u>Notes:</u></strong></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I tried "Tellngton Touch" with my deaf dog. There are quite a few good books on Amazon.com thich will help you with using touch to communicate and put in touch with your dog. Thhis was useful when he was going through the seizures. The dogs tend to seek out the owner when they feel the process of an epileptic attack beggining which manifests itself as barking or wanting to get in your lap...they are looking for comfort. </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I also used alternative methods to help him such as: </span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">- occular pressure on the eyes for a minute when focal seizures occur to stop it</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">- placing a cold pack on the spine for a minute to stop seizures</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">- use of 1 T honey to prevent additional seizures and re-energize the dog in the event of low blood sugar</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">- Use of Salmon and fish meals to increase the essential fatty acids (ketogenic diet)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">- eliminating extra sodium from his diet which can be a trigger</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">- eliminatng BHA and BHT and other forms of preservatives from his diet</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">- minimizing stress from his life which contributes to an environment fostering seizures</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Other Alternative medicines (we did not use):</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">- Bach Flower Essence - give before seizures begin when your dog alerts you</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">- accupuncture</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Here are a few great sites to help with research on epilepsy:</span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://www.canine-epilepsy.com/livingwith.html">www.canine-epilepsy.com/livingwith.html</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://www.petmd.com/">www.petmd.com</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><a href="http://www.thebark.com/content/holistic-treatments-epilepsy-dogs">www.thebark.com/content/holistic-treatments-epilepsy-dogs</a></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Arial;"></span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14067088013030925304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-356828134028640141.post-59237356833172331182012-03-08T08:53:00.003-06:002012-03-08T08:57:04.059-06:00Settling In<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Time has flown by and my deaf, epileptic 2 year old dog is settling in. He has been with us for 8 mos now. It seems that he is finally getting the hang of being in our home. He is now house broken, doing better medically now that his epileptic attacks seem to have abated due to the Potassium Bromide the vet put him on.While i have been watching him for any signs of epileptic fits, I know that there are triggers which are stress and food related triggers.<br />
<br />
The 1200 mile trip will be a test of his stress levels, so I will take it easy in driving with both dogs from Alabama to New Mexico for the summer. Now, some people have said that a fifty something year old woman with two dogs on the road is dangerous. But I will tell you all now that they are great company, and protection of sorts. Especially the small yapper Rat Terrier. They make me get out of the car and walk around the rest stops and parks. I have found that I need to carry snacks, water, and doggie bags as well as make sure the temp is decent for them. So, a little planning goes a long way when you are traveling with your dogs.<br />
<br />
My Boston Terrier seems to have a very lovable, friendly, attitude. He pretty much carefree now, has a good home, and is loved. But he is finding out not all dogs a friendly.<br />
<br />
He was bitten by a bulldog pretty badly a couple of months ago. It cost about $75.00 to get his leg cleaned of debris, get him on antibiotics and care for him medically. He is wary now of approaching unknown dogs, as he learned the hard way - they don't always want to play with him. He waits for me now at the door, lets me know when he wants out - by barking at me incessantly. He has regressed in our walks, so I have had to start re-training him to not pull me along. Some folks might say I am being mean, but my thought is he needs to understand I am taking for a walk - not the other way around. Our small Rat Terrier is 11 years old and he just can't keep up with the bigger Boston Terrier who weighs a good 26 lbs now, so I must slow the bigger dog down or take them for separate walks. But if I do that, the other dog is whiny and does not like being left behind.<br />
<br />
Mr Capone is ready for more training, he seems to be smart as I have noticed when my husband comes home he knows his schedule. He greets him at the door, but he waits for him to change before he approaches him to play. So, I shall begin teaching new tricks and reinforcing his walking habits.<br />
<br />
Next question that begs to be asked is...what new things shall I teach him????<br />
<br />
Photo of him trying to lay in the Rat Terrier's Bed. <br />
<br />
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<br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14067088013030925304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-356828134028640141.post-54531471265058749062012-01-12T14:49:00.000-06:002013-03-07T15:28:47.873-06:00Deaf Dogs Really Don't HEAR!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
It really is true!<br />
<br />
Perhaps they may hear a high pitched noise. Perhaps they may hear a sound. But most likely they feel vibrations more than anything. So, beware of unfriendly dogs!<br />
<br />
My deaf dog did not hear the big white German Shepard who was barking at him. His owner was freaking out because my dog had seen his dogs and was inquisitive and quickly ran towards them. We had seen them with the man's wife, we exchanged pleasantries when we saw one another but always took the dogs separate ways. Her husband was a young man with a big white German Shepard he could not control, the little wiener dog and the big white dog were walking away from the dog yard outside my back door. My friendly muscular two year old Boston must have been intrigued as he decided in a split second to run up to the Big White dog and his little wiener dog friend. My dog paws at them, jumps on them and then it went very wrong.<br />
<br />
My dog clearly wanted to play, but with the owner was freaking out and backing away, the Shepard then into attack mode. Perhaps the Shepard was trying to protect his owner who was saying "no", "go away" - alas my poor deaf dog<b> could not hear him!</b> <br />
<br />
I was putting out his clean wet crate tray outside to dry in our shared dog space at the apartment complex. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw my dog run from our doorway. He is good and does not usually walk out I guess this temptation of two dog playmates was too inviting, another set of dogs to check out, another set of dogs to play with. In an instant I realized the dogs and their owner were about to walk out of sight behind a bush in front of my back yard patio. I saw my dog run off out the corner of my eye, I quickly kicked off my slippers. Slipped on my Keds and ran after my dog.<br />
<br />
The Shepard had backed up into the owner further into the dog yard, my dog had moved forward and pawed the Shepard. The Shepard lunged at my dog,snarled at him, barked and lunged in for any part of my dog. The Big white dog grabbed my dog by his hind quarters and threw him on the ground. A splash of water came down as my dog hit the ground. It was raining. I knew the water had saturated the ground, I could not avoid the puddles and I ran as fast I could. It was cold, but I could not feel the cold. I slowed down and walked between the owner and my dog as my dog went down on the ground again. The big white German Shepard and the little wiener dog were snarling, the owner could not control his big dog. I quickly scooped up my dog.<br />
<br />
Told the young man. "My dog is deaf he cannot hear." I had my dog in my arms, and walked away with my Boston Terrier as mud dripped off his body onto my sweater and pants.<br />
<br />
Adrenaline works mysteriously when you see your furry child attacked. I was horrified to see blood dripping down his leg as I walked toward my back door. Did not know where it was coming from nor how badly my dog was bitten. I walked in the apartment, threw the back door closed. I yelled at my husband.<br />
<br />
"The dog was bitten." <br />
<br />
"Capone" was attacked. I walked down the hall grabbed the dog shampoo in the closet as I walked past the hall on the left. Walked in our bedroom and into the bathroom, threw him in my shower. Washed his muscular little body down, as the mud washed off his body I saw his leg was torn and bitten. He was in shock. I dried him, he was confounded. <br />
<br />
Showed his leg to my husband. He went to look for the other dogs and owner. They were no where in sight. I was horrified. I explained to my husband what had happened, he was cleaning the crate area.<br />
<br />
Capone was taken to the vet, he was shaved, wounds irrigated. Given pain meds and antibiotics. I was scared the dog was going to stress out and worried about him having an epilepsy attack. He was fine. His meds have been increased and his blood levels checked.<br />
<br />
All I can say glad he is OK. Yes, he has been bloody, oozing everywhere, but we have a washer and dryer and is healing. But, tell you one thing. I do not like that White Shepard, we are on the lookout for the big white dog and will stay away...hope my furry child remembers not all dogs want to play and not all are friendly.<br />
<br />
The owner and his wife have been out of sight since that time.
Disappeared into their apartment. Have not seen them on the patio which is catty corner to us.
Strange, I keep thinking to myself. <i>Couldn't control their White Shepard. That dog is gonna bite someone, maybe their young son. It is too big to live in a small apartment.</i><br />
<br />
I grew up with a German Shepard, they are as mean as the owners will let them be. German Shepards need to be trained. Made me wonder about that dog and the owner...who kept calling his wife to come down and help him. Perhaps the White dog was her dog? The man never said a word to me.<br />
<br />
(NOTE: I thought it was a German Shepard, it was dark - the white dog was a white Boxer looking dog which I saw repeated in the daylight hours after that, always avoided each other). This made Capone very protective of anyone he was walking with.<br />
<br />
Watch out for unfriendly dogs! <br />
<br /></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14067088013030925304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-356828134028640141.post-90757372579988392982011-12-01T10:19:00.001-06:002013-03-06T09:05:36.760-06:00Epilepsy seizures in dogs lasting over 1 hour long<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Months two, three and now four have passed us by. Time has been instrumental in getting Capone settled into the family. He is truly a "member of the family" now. <br />
<br />
It has been over 24 hours since he had a grand mal or Status Epilepticus seizure which last over 1 hour and 30 minutes. This happened yesterday early in the morning about 4 am. While he has been on Phenobarbital 1/2 grain (32 mg) (1.5 tablets 2 x day) it has not been effective at controlling his seizures. After the severe Gran Mal seizure followed by a series of small seizures he went into a coma and I was able to get him to the vet who started him on IV fluids. He was given Valium (apparently that prevents seizures) and the vet brought forth the topic of putting him down if needed.<br />
<br />
I asked the vet "How long do we wait until we know he is out of the woods?" To which she replied "24 to 48 hours. perhaps I spoke too soon." <br />
<br />
<em>I thought to myself, 'yeah, '.</em> "Let's wait", I said.<br />
<br />
Well, in Alabama the vets send us elsewhere to have our dog watched overnight, that being said, we transported Capone to the Emergency overnight clinic and noticed that the charges were high ~ $140 to stay overnight with an upward range of $ 400. But had to pay the bill as we wanted our dog watched overnight and do not have the meds and supplies to do so ourselves at home.<br />
<br />
My husband and I just walked into the Emergency after hours clinic this morning, the vet there happily told us he had recovered and was awake! We were preparing ourselves for the worst. Wow, miraculous recovery! It was a shock to see him, alert, chewing on his catheter (they had to change it) and we took him to the local vet yet again. <br />
<br />
I just got off the phone with the vet, seems there are alternatives to Phenobarbital, when it is not enough to control his seizures. So, he is starting on Potassium Bromide (appears to be a very stable drug which has been used for epilepsy in dogs in the past). Loading the drug into the dog for 7 days (that means we give it to him 2 X's a day then taper off to 1 X a day. Not sure why he was begun on Phenobarbital if Potassium Bromide exists and does not affect the liver or cause liver damage. But the good news is - there are other drugs which these dogs can take to control seizures. We now know the following:<br />
<br />
<ol style="text-align: left;">
<li>If your dog's seizure lasts more than 5 minutes call the vet</li>
<li>If the seizure is longer than 1 hour, spray him with water to protect his brain as his temperature will increase and call the vet or after hours care</li>
<li>If the goes into coma after a seizure it is to protect the dog</li>
<li>Severe attacks will cause brain damage, may affect the dog, and post phase waiting after a severe attack will take 24 - 48 hours to see if the dog recovers. So wait it out!</li>
</ol>
<br />
Second attack I have seen, glad I asked questions!<br />
<br />
Going to run a few errands, pick up some Valium gel (apparently good thing to keep at home when the epilepsy attacks are severe, but it is expensive, like 100 dollars per syringe and we have found it helps to have 2 syringes on hand) it helps stop them - then pick up the dog! </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14067088013030925304noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-356828134028640141.post-5688477722661472202011-11-06T20:27:00.000-06:002011-11-06T20:27:46.066-06:00<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Well, we have moved on into fall. The autumn leaves are turning colors, with each rain pour more leaves are falling to the ground. Halloween is over and Thanksgiving is upon us. I have taken Capone for walks in this mild weather, so glad summer is over - that means no more walks in just early morning or at dusk. Today is the date to turn back the clocks (Spring Forward, fall back) due to the changes in Daylight savings time. It is a glorious time for gorgeous weather, changes in time and light will mess around with the dogs schedules. Best thing to do is rise early today, take them for a walk and let them ease into the new schedule.<br />
<br />
I also make a point to walk my dogs before I leave to run my errands. Found it is best to exercise them before I leave them alone for any length of time. They act better when they have been exercised and the place I live is not as messed up versus when they have NOT been exercised. Capone is getting much better now that I have laid down the law of living with my husband and me. He is usually asleep when I return from my errands, he is not awakened by the sound of my entering through the door but by the flicker of the light turning on. He sleeps late sometimes, provided I don't waken him when I get up off the bed. I have also learned to flick the light on and off when I want him to leave a room. I also have noticed that using a flashlight to signal to him when he is the in another room will make him turn around and look at me. In order to get his attention I wave my arms as he sees me out of his peripheral vision. I have noticed also that since he is so visual and is also oral (out of necessity I) must keep the blinds partially open as he has chewed more blinds up and I have re-strung the blinds so many times I am becoming really good at mending the blinds quickly. <br />
<br />
Capone is fascinated by the fact that I cook. Below you will find a photo of him laying in the hallway/entrance to the kitchen. He loves to watch me cook, he also loves to see what I am doing when I am chopping fruits or vegetables. He loves spaghetti, carrots, tomatoes and pieces of apple. He is perfect gentleman when waiting for his turn for snacks, and for his dinner or breakfast. He loves to play, to smell flowers along his walks and to sit in the sun.<br />
<br />
Capone is not allowed to go to the bathroom in the apartment we live in in Alabama, nor is he allowed to do so at the house in New Mexico. The house training which was rough in summer has made it easier for him to ease into fall with minimal mistakes. The challenge will be winter. So, I am stocking up on sweaters for Capone so I can take him out!<br />
<br />
The good news is that walks with him are causing me to lose weight. I have lost 17 lbs walking him more. So, having a deaf dog makes you get up, play with them more, walk them more and as he is younger -- also play with him more.<br />
<br />
<br />
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<br /></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14067088013030925304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-356828134028640141.post-42276947930886427532011-10-17T22:47:00.000-05:002011-10-17T22:50:23.095-05:00October is upon us, Fall is here and it is time to prepare for Halloween!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Spent much of last month traveling. Drove over 3000 miles from Alabama to New Mexico, went to Jamaica and then again to Cayman Islands and back to Alabama. I was unable to take my dogs with me while traveling out of the country - so they were boarded for 10 days.<br />
<br />
Determined that driving with a <b></b><b><a class="" href="http://www.dogsupplies.com/products/Auto-Front-Seat-Safety-Pet-Barrier.html">Auto Front Seat Safety Pet Barrier is a requirement when traveling with a deaf dog, as is a Seat Belt restraint due to the fact that deaf dogs cannot hear you. You also can't sign effectively when the dog cannot see you and you cannot see them.</a></b><br />
<b><br /></b><br />
If you are interested in purchasing a pet barrier or a seat belt restraint, go to this site to get the cheapest deal on them:<a href="http://www.dogsupplies.com/"> http://www.dogsupplies.com</a>. The Safety Barrier is great for keeping the dogs in the cargo or backseat area. Highly recommend them, do not know what I would have done with out it. Capone did try to stick his head through the barrier when it met the seat but never could push through the barrier - which was good!<br />
<br />
Very happy to say that Capone is totally house trained now. Capone had a few accidents at our home, I learned I have to take him for walks and assert myself as the "leader" so he and Rocky will sleep while I am gone. Washed many floors, cleaned the garage floor and the pet crate daily as well gave him a bath everyday for a week while I did the majority of the final house breaking. Defecation in the house was the worst problem to break, but was addressed finally. It has taken quite a long time (almost 3 months) to get him completely trained to go outside, he came to us partially trained. He has been good since then and we have not had one accident since his last accident about three weeks ago. I have also learned that he gets antsy when he needs to go outside, he goes to the door and barks - does not touch the door but he goes to the door and looks out (looks back at me and barks and turns back to the door)...it is my cue to let him out and so I get the leash and take Capone out. It was REALLY nerve racking while traveling to make sure he was able to get out and do his business, as I had to make a point of stopping every 2 hours to let the new dog out so he could do his business. I used positive reinforcement and have noticed that it worked more successfully than negative reinforcement. I reward and lavish affection upon him when he does his business. I keep his areas to relieve himself clean and free of his previous droppings. <br />
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I think the dog is worried that he will lose his home, so when I do tell him "NO" he gets mad, then backs off and comes back and submits to me. Gives me kisses and I forgive only after I repeat the action of "NO" with respect to what he tried to "destroy" or if he was rough with me or the older dog.<br />
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Persistence pays off. Positive re-enforcement is key as well when training a deaf dog. As is disciplining the dog so they can learn what their boundaries are in your home.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14067088013030925304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-356828134028640141.post-10831196748560347452011-09-02T22:30:00.000-05:002011-09-02T22:39:31.050-05:00Month 1 with a deaf dog<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Completed reading all the literature I can find on living with a deaf dog,hit the local library to check out books, researched online and pulled all the information I could find! Downloaded books onto my kindle and decided that should begin blogging about my deaf dog from the start.<br />
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It has taken Capone more than a month to bond with my 10 year old rat terrier. While my deaf dog Capone has stretched my patience, I find that I have connected to him in deeper ways than expected and we are learning what each other's limitations are. Read the Cesar Milan books and have used Cesar's principles to help with his crazy rush of unsettling energy. He and I seem to be able to communicate in different ways, he watches me, learns from our hearing dog, has changed himself to fit in with my life, he communicates with me in ways I never imagined.<br />
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He is very nosy, inquisive and barks when he wants my attention which is often, even though he cannot hear me speak to him he looks as if he does hear me. He continues to make strange sounds, but they too are becoming more familiar. I still talk to him, remind myself and my husband that Capone cannot hear us speak to him. It has been trying for my husband, but he has grown accustomed to the dog's differences now and works to communicate with him and give him the life of a regular dog. The life of a dog who is member of a pack, who gets exercised, fed and who is member of our family or pack and who is loved.<br />
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My husband and I think our little girl Boston Terrier we had many years ago was deaf or partially deaf as she did many of the same things that this completely deaf dog does. She did not wake up when we did, she slept unless we woke her up by accident. Deaf dogs cannot hear you come in when you are out of the home or apartment. They cannot hear you when you leave the rooms - you must let them when you are leaving the room.<br />
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My dog has gone to doggie daycare, stayed overnight at dog boarding facilities. I have even taken my new deaf dog on a 23 hour drive to our home in New Mexico. The dog travels well, but will let you know when they have had enough and need to just get out by barking. Suggest stopping for your dogs every 2 hours. Remember to take water, food, bowls, snacks and of course toys as well as doggie cleanup bags and baby wipes to clean up messes. Be sure to have a security strap to buckle your dog up as they cannot hear you speak to them and you can't always sign to them. I suggest a crate which you can put them into as they can move freely in it if you are not comfortable with then in a restraining belt buckle strap. I have found a great website which offers great buys on dog toys and also has travel items for your dog, I invite you to look at them - their prices are wonderful.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;">Go to <a href="http://www.dogsupplies.com/" target="_blank" title="">http://www.DogSupplies.com</a>
because they have the lowest prices for dog stuff. They are also really
good guys to work with!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;">Now, I am in New Mexico I have begun to take the dogs for walks. They will need a couple of days to acclimate to the high mountains. Capone is learning how to live in a house now, has had only two accidents in the house, but seems to understand that he must go outside when he needs to do his business. He knows to stay with me when we go outside as there are wild animals about (bear, cougars, fox, coyotes, and so forth). He has gotten away from me acouple of times, daring me to chase him, but I find that if I chase him he is faster than I and he runs so fast I cannot catch him. So I use reverse psychology, I let him see me chase him, stop then turn around and he always come running after me. At that point I just motion to him to follow me, and he always does come with me and we go back into the house.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana; font-size: x-small;"> Dogs I think, know that when they are treated well, given structure, love and good home they do not want to blow it by running away.</span><br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14067088013030925304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-356828134028640141.post-12155375458718101172011-08-05T11:48:00.000-05:002011-08-05T12:00:15.211-05:00Week Four - Epilepsy Seizures<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Well, I can honestly say in MY whole life I have never seen a dog have an epilepsy attack.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Last night Capone had not one or two attacks - but he had 3 epilepsy seizures within a 12 hour period. It was frightening. I called the vet after the third episode. It was heart breaking to see it occur, knowing there is nothing you can do just make sure the dog does not harm himself while it is occuring. </span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Be advised that this is pretty graphic....</span><br />
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<div><i>My dog began displaying very agitated behavior (nipping and very mouthy) beforehand, he bit my husband and I on the arms, then fell fast asleep on the bed - this is when the first seizure attack began.</i></div><div><br />
</div><div>- <b>8:45 pm</b> he fell off the bed (onto his side). He convulsed onto the floor under the side/night table (my husband picked up the night table to get it out of the way as our dog was twisted and convulsing underneath it. I removed Capone from the corner under the bed, his legs were outstretched and flexed tight, his body was rigid, his head was back and his mouth became frothy/foamy. His body began to jerk uncontrollably, he started drooling. This went on for two minutes -- but it all seemed to go on forever.</div><div><br />
</div><div><i><b>Afterward </b>- he was woozy, disoriented, wanted to go outside. He had a little trouble walking and was disoriented. He ran into the wall, he was stiff in his gait and slow to move, but he did move forward. He walked for bit, I slipped his harness on him and hooked his leash on quickly, he then went to the back door past the nearest bush and peed and pooped on the pine straw outside almost immediately afterwards. I cleaned his mouth up with baby wipes when we got back inside and wiped the froth off the carpet in our bedroom, cleaned his back end and put him back in his dog bed but he wanted to get up with us in bed. He missed jumping on the bed and fell back, my husband put him back on the bed.</i></div><div><i><br />
</i></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"></span><br />
<div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><i><b>During the second seizure at midnight </b>he fell off the bed again, over the foot board (onto his side) and onto the floor, legs were outstretched again, body taut and stretched out, body stiffened and his head was back. He was drooling, his body began to jerk violently against the wall, I pulled him back and he continued jerking uncontrollably. It was over in a minute.</i></span></div><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><br />
<i><b>The third seizure happened again while</b> </i>he was asleep at my feet on the floor, below the desk in the early morning. I felt him shaking, and instantly knew what was coming. I moved the chair and pulled him by his back legs -- so his head was not in the cranny between the slats of the desk, his legs were outstretched, left side of his face twitched, body was rigid, head back and he was drooling. His body began to jerk uncontrollably again. He awoke from the seizure about a minute later and just laid there, he seemed to be in shock. I comforted him by petting his back and let him lay there for a couple of minutes, cleaning off his face.</span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-family: arial; font-size: x-small;"><div><br />
</div><div><i>Afterward - he was woozy and disoriented more so this time. </i> <i>He got up, walked about 10 feet into the wall in the hall before he got to the kitchen and then ran into the other wall. He lost control of his bowls and I had to clean him up.</i></div></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">I have since learned after talking to my vet that dogs can die during the seizures. It is best to call your vet if 3 seizures happen within a 24 hour period and if they last a long time then you must call the vet as it may help the dog to survive the trauma of a seizure. The vet increased his medication dosage and also spoke of the need to possibly add another seizure medication and follow it up with communication and blood work. So, do talk to your vet, document what happens when your pet has a seizure and make sure you dose with medication as prescribed by your vet. </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">In my previous post I stated that I had not yet tried use these items for a mouthy or barking dog:</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">1) spray water bottles on the dog to deter biting and barking,<b><i> this seems to work VERY well</i></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">2) closing the dog's mouth with your fingers to stop him from barking,<b><i> works sometimes - other times it just makes my dog mad</i></b></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">3) Saying and signing "NO" with a mad face. He seems to get this readily, but it still at times makes him mad.</span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Have decided I have a dog with a little bit of a separation anxiety problem - explained this to the vet. He chewed my Venetian blinds when he could not see out. This can only be corrected by opening them up, and yes repairs will be needed.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">I have not tried "The </span></span>Husher<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">" device (similar to a muzzle) - have heard different things about it. The rescue society did not want us to use a collar which zaps the dog so we are not considering them.</span></span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">I did try Lemon Juice - </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><b><i>this did not work as the dog actually liked it.</i></b></span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"> I have not tried </span><span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">Tabasco sauce (we don't have any and won't use it) to deter mouthing or biting. </span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"><br />
</span><br />
<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">I am going to try the </span></span>TTouch<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif;"><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;"> which is a type of massage to perform on the dog. It is supposedly beneficial for not only the dog but also for you. Keep y'all posted on this endeavor! </span></span><br />
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<span class="Apple-style-span" style="color: #333333; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 20px;">The most important thing I can say is that you must find a way to teach the dog "NO" and "Quiet" as they are vital. </span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14067088013030925304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-356828134028640141.post-58202475508164635772011-07-27T14:35:00.000-05:002011-07-27T14:52:38.298-05:00Week 3 is down - Capone's personality is emerging!<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">Our new Boston terrier never ceases to amaze me!<br />
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His personality is beginning to appear. He is playful, quite mouthy, likes to bark very loudly, is extremely boisterous and is almost potty trained. This was the best week so far for his potty training habits. I sincerely think we are over the initial hurdle of getting to be comfortable with each other now.<br />
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Good thing too! He had a little bout of "dogie" stomach flu. It went through him withing 48 hours I was stuck at home with a sick dog, put him on the BRAT diet after 24 hours and he managed each and every time to make it outside to eliminate. I was very thankful. He is now paper trained too, and I have found that I can put him out before I leave to go to the grocery store, go workout and he will eliminate on the paper if he does not do his business beforehand. Which happens as he is still young, immature and sometimes forgets to do his business outside so it is much easier to clean the "potty" paper and anything which falls on the carpet. Also, suggest that you get an oversize rug to put under the area where your pet had marked in the house as it makes it much easier to clean up the messes your dog will leave. My older dog is rat terrier, he rarely if ever goes inside the house but there is an occasion or two when it was snowing out and you simply cannot get them to go out into the cold wet snow to eliminate.<br />
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I have been reading books like crazy on the subject of training difficult to train dogs, "Training the Hard to Train Dog " by Peggy Swagger and also "Cesar's Way" by Cesar Millan with Melissa Jo Peltier. It is much too difficult to find books on the subject of training deaf dogs, again I must let folks out there know there are just not enough books on this subject. I have found great comfort in the books I am reading as they are gently letting me know that the dogs tune into us and our emotions. So, that said, do try to maintain your calm confident leader of the pack composure when dealing with the new deaf dog. He cannot hear you, you do not know how many times you will have to remind yourself about the fact that he cannot hear -- the dog reads your emotions and body cues and looks at your face and takes it cues from those things. The deaf dog also follows and mimics your hearing dog. So, the deaf dog will learn all the bad traits your hearing dog knows. <br />
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I start each day with a brisk 15 min walk with the dogs (trying to work them both up to a cumulative total of 60 minutes of walking daily), make sure to exercise and play with them to wear them out in the morning and again in the afternoon (if not possible due to heat then play with them indoors) and then again after dinner. I feed the dogs after exercising, they go do their business and then sleep for a couple of hours and I do whatever I need to do (writing is one of the things I do, work on this blog or on my books). I was not aware that the dogs sense your composure by the way you hold their leashes when you walk with them, remember they are merely acting on your own emotional projections coupled with their own fears (especially in the case of a rescue dogs -- like this Boston Terrier), have discovered that must change a few things about myself so the new dog does not fight with the other older dogs (intense jealousy there), also be sure to set up a schedule intersperse throughout your day -- teach the dogs new commands and re-teach (remind) them commands, correct their behaviors 3 to 4 times a day for about 5 mins at a shot and work your way up to 20 mins at each session. <br />
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The single most difficult thing to deal with right now is the fact that our new pup is full of energy and some days requires much more playtime in the evenings as he becomes wild man and runs around like a chicken with his head cut off. I have been reading on how to re-educate a dog who bites playfully too hard and also who barks excessively. I am not sure if I need to get a crate to calm him down, I never liked crating dogs, but I might!. For now I am putting him in timeout for 15 minutes in the kitchen with a baby gate blocking the entrance -- when he bites me too hard and gets frenzied before bed time. He clearly wants another dog to play with and so I have become his play buddy as my husband still works, the other older dog (11 years) has no patience with him and since I am retired I have begun to play with him to wear him out.<br />
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Have read about and tried 1) using spray water bottles on the dog to deter biting and barking, 2) closing the dog's mouth with your fingers to stop him from barking, 3) Saying and signing "NO" with a mad face. I have not tried "The Husher" device (similar to a muzzle) nor have I tried Tabasco or lemon juice to deter mouthing or biting. The most important thing I can say is that you must find a way to teach the dog "NO" and "Quiet" as they are vital. As is "Good Dog".</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14067088013030925304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-356828134028640141.post-3970514828300801962011-07-21T09:53:00.000-05:002011-07-21T10:27:25.074-05:00Week two is down<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">It has taken the better part of week 2 to get the idea of training Capone to go potty to actually stick in his mind. His real personality is starting to come out now too. Not sure what he had gone through in his past life. One thing is certain. This pup had a hard life before he met us, this is evident in his jealousy of the older dog and also his need for constant attention negative or positive. His need to bark excessively seems to point to the fact that he needs more exercise as he feels he needs to bark when he wants attention, which seems like it is constant.<br />
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Potty training has consisted of getting him on a schedule, a strict schedule. Boston Terriers have a problem with corn meal in their food, gives them horrendous gas. This means taking him out every 30 minutes until he goes potty after each meal. This also means correcting him "on the spot" for not going outside to do his business, begin lazy is not an excuse for defecating inside the home (especially at the entrance to the kitchen)! He is starting to get the message. Finally! :)<br />
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He has had two really bad days of defecating inside at every opportunity, followed by chastising each time he went to the bathroom inside. Initially,every time he went outside to do his business he was too busy looking around to -- now, a perfect set of 3 days. He has now had a 4 day streak of always making it outside to defecate. The key is getting to know your dog, when they begin to circle -- then you know that they need to go outside! It will in my opinion take 2 - 3 weeks to re-train a 2 year dog to go potty outside.<br />
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He is coming along very well, training him to not bark all the time will be on for the "to-do list" next - we need to work on that list plus the fact that he needs to stop being so jealous of our older dog. Must prepare him to exercise longer and more frequently. Since he is not used to 1 hour long walks yet, I am gently training him to do 15 to 30 minute walks several times a day until he is ready to walk for 1 hour. With the high heat and humidity, we must take our walks at daybreak, shorter walks later in the day so as not to dehydrate the dog.<br />
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Signing, is coming along slowly. He knows the sign "NO" and "YES" as this is being used in conjunction with potty training Capone.</div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14067088013030925304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-356828134028640141.post-49490270787574573062011-07-11T13:32:00.000-05:002012-11-08T14:32:07.793-06:00Why do deaf dogs bark so loud?<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
Capone barks at everything. He whimpers when his feelings have been hurt. He makes strange little noises and he barks ALL the time. Question I have is why do deaf dogs bark so loud? It is simply because they cannot hear themselves? Can they feel vibrations which they translate into what we actually "hear"? Deaf dogs have never heard a growl -- so they don't seem to know how to growl (this may not be the case concerning dogs who have lost their hearing). While I am not certain, this seems to be a bit of a lazy way for the dog to get your attention -- be it positive or negative. Think it is time to research how deaf people communicate with their dogs, which training method works - Cesar Milan seems to be best for fast results.<br />
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Puppies are all pretty much born deaf, they are deaf the first two weeks of their lives. When they reach 14 days of age their ears canals open up and they can hear sounds. The pups other senses become more vital. Deaf pups smell everything first, see them second, feel them third and react to the sighted dogs cues. When you call a hearing pup to you for dinner, the sighted ones come first, the deaf are the laggards.<br />
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Checking into on-line at training sessions with dog trainers. Decided that I am going to arm myself with dog training books at the local library, off ebay and off amazon.com. Enlisted the help of my local librarian, we went on-line and looked at how to train a deaf dog. Reading now about how to teach ASL to a deaf dog, also rented a copy of ASL signing on DVD as the book cannot really "show how to sign". Successfully taught him the ASL word for "NO", next am going to teach him "YES" and more words. Deaf dogs are pretty easy to paper train, next is training to eliminate in the outdoors. He is a visual creature so we have learned to leave the bottom most blinds open in all window or he will chew them so he can see (it only took one training session of staying at home alone for me to learn), or move them with his head. He also, pops in on us in the bathroom, he wants to "see" us in the shower, so we replaced our shower curtain with clear liners so he can "see us". He wants to know our every move, not a problem -- I merely have to get his attention (walk in front of him, or wave my hands or flick the light switch on or off) and show him where I am going.<br />
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My older rat terrier is not getting along with the new 2 year Boston Terrier. I read in the dog training manuals that older dogs will take sometime to warm up the the dogs. That appears to be the case. We put the older dog in our bedroom with the door closed when they get tense, this calms them both down. Good thing I am retired! We have all been going for frequent walks, exercise seems to be the key to keeping a deaf dog in check. While they may sleep in our bed at night and on the oversized dog bed my husband purchased for them both they are still not sure of each other. The dogs have yet to learn how to play (when the older dog will even allow it) together as one is much larger than the other. So, this may take a month or so to teach him to "play nice" - hm, wonder what the sign is for that!? We have decided to keep the playful young deaf dog. So, keep checking back as we learn how to train and live with a deaf dog.<br />
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Now comes the real hard part -- how to train the dog. I must finish his potty training lessons. Train him to use the outside for eliminating waste. On to the more positive tactics and teaching him a handful of ASL signs. Hopefully next week will go better!<br />
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Here is a photo of the dear deaf pooch. He looks like an angel when he is asleep.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14067088013030925304noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-356828134028640141.post-74984786277980831902011-07-04T13:15:00.000-05:002013-03-06T16:47:06.454-06:00July 2, 2011 marks the start of life with a deaf dog<div dir="ltr" style="text-align: left;" trbidi="on">
My husband and I decided to adopt a deaf male Boston Terrier dog named Capone. He is a handsome two year old with epilepsy, he unfortunately also tested Heartworm positive. He is simply a delight. Sad that he was abandoned, and had to undergo such problems at such a young age. However, now he is in good hands, we shall pamper the pooch and get him in tip top shape. <br />
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Stephen and I decided to take the time over the long Fourth of July weekend to spend time with him and acclimate him to our little apartment. We have another male dog Rocky, who unfortunately is a crusty old man of ten and who loves being the only dog. Rocky is not a happy camper when it comes to the new big pup we brought home.<br />
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I bought a couple of books on ASL and have begun to use them with Capone. I hope that this will help me communicate with him as he cannot hear me. Beleive me I did test his hearing to verify that he has no hearing, which I must say having a dog that cannot hear is a blessing of sorts. I have also contacted a trainer for a possible class which will give me a little help. <br />
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Check back in from time to time as I detail my experiences as I try to teach Capone sign language for dogs and get him used to life in our household. There is one thing I am sure of -- I am so glad that we have this little apt to teach Capone in, the problem will happen here preferable to learn in rental! As opposed to a new place or in our summer vacation home in the Southwest.<br />
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