A New Year, A New Us

So for those of you who may not know me or the story behind my starting this blog, let me give you a little history.

My name is Paula.  I am a Certified Veterinary Technician.  For those of you that don't know what that is - I'm a nurse for animals.  And I love my job.  I have always known this was what I wanted to do.  Ask anyone who knows me and they will say I have always wanted to work with animals.  Done! 

Those who have also known me for many years also know that my dream was always to own my own English Bull Terrier.  In case you don't know what that is either, allow me to break it down.
 
For those of us around in the 80's, all I have to say is Spuds MacKenzie.

For those of you born later (or not aware during the 80's); 
for you - The Target Dog!

I have always wanted a Bull Terrier.  I loved them, I loved their egg shaped heads, I loved their big face that was perfect for kissing.  Anytime a Bull Terrier came in to work (whatever clinic I was at) my co-workers made sure I saw them.  

I have loved many Bull Terriers.  From Gus, a Mini Bull owned by a previous manager, to Greg, a Bull Terrier who was hospitalized after eating a Nerf ball (premonition, tell me about it!).  But I knew it wasn't fair to get a Bull Terrier until the time was just right.

Flash forward to June of 2011.  My then boyfriend and I had just purchased our house in March.  I was working at a specialty veterinary clinic in Chicago in the Internal Medicine department.  The boyfriend was a teacher, about to start a new position in a new and promising district.  It seemed like the stars were aligned.  I had researched several breeders and chose one just along the Indiana/Michigan border.  We had taken our current fur kids on several visits to meet potential friends.  That's where Emmet came in.

He was gorgeous.  He was big, beefy, bull headed.  It was love at first sight.  After several visits, he came home with me.

Things went well.  All the dogs were getting along, adjusting, seeming to be a happy family.  I had Emmet neutered after we were sure he was "The One."  That's when things started going wrong...

Bull Terriers are known for something called "Spinning."  It's a form of an Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.  They just spin in circles, spin, spin, spin, unable to be deterred.  

However Emmet was a little different...he was ANGRY.  He would first sit and look at his tail, growl for awhile, and then just go after it.  I was trying anything to help him.  We were dealing with his allergies at the time and had started him on antihistamines.  Unfortunately, instead of having a sedative effect the drugs AMPLIFIED the situation.  So much so that one day he did get his tail...and it had to be amputated.

So we stopped the antihistamines.  Thankfully I was working at the specialty clinic and I consulted with the neurologists on staff.  We started him on Gabapentin at 100mg three times daily.  Things seemed a little better, and in time I tried to wean him to 100mg twice daily.  

All was right in our little world for awhile.  I really thought he would do alright.  He still had a few issues.  For some reason Emmet hates the locks on his crate.  He will stand and growl at them until finally lashing out.  This wasn't happening often, and wasn't too severe.  So we just worked with him and tried to get him to know his crate was a good thing and just distract him when exhibiting this behavior.

Now, Emmet does have some issues with separation.  It seems I am his person. When I am not around, he does not listen to my husband as well.  
Also, as most terrier owners will tell you - a bored terrier (of any kind; bulls, pits, jacks) is a DESTRUCTIVE terrier.  We had caught Emmet destroying his bed, he had chewed on my husbands boxers, my underwear, my Victoria's Secret bra I wore on my wedding day...but we didn't think anything of it (I know, Medical Professionals are the WORST, aren't they?).
Emmet had been having some bouts of regurgitation, and an occasional vomiting.  I knew it had happened for several days.  Apparently my husband told me this was going on for 2 weeks.  D'oh!  So away Emmet went to my clinic with me.  Radiographs confirmed our suspicions.  Something was in his belly.  

On December 13th, Emmet went in to surgery.  Little did we know what we would find inside... 

To break it down - part of a dog bed, part of a comforter, string from my husband's pajama pants, part of a t-shirt, fins from a fish swimming pool toy, a bone fragment (we do not give our dogs bones), 2 baby wipes, 2 dog toys (one, yes, was a sock monkey toy) and a collection of who knows what.

So after HUNDREDS of dollars in surgery and a weekend of home hospitalization, Emmet was doing well.  He was forced to be off his medications (Gabapentin 100mg three times a day as well as Amitriptyline 25mg twice daily) until he could eat.  We had no complications post-op.  Food was started and things were well. 

Until Emmet started feeling better.  He began grumbling again.  His attacks on the crate door increased in frequency and he was also staring at the other dog's crates.  He began voicing his opinion of letting our Old Man Pug be top dog.  In Emmet's world HE should be top dog.  He's younger, stronger, we are screwing with the hierarchy.

We know it's only a matter of time.  Unfortunately there is no one "cure all" for Emmet's situation.  We are going to continue the medication and try some other modifications.  Dear Husband tries to do his best and watch Emmet while working from home.  I have agreed to interact with Emmet more, take him for walks, tire him out and expand his world.  In the meantime, the exercise will be good for me too!  Goodness knows I've gotten comfortable since the wedding, and it's not pretty.  So by helping my buddy, I'll be helping myself.

So I have taken Emmet on a few walks, but nothing consistent.  Today however I decided was THE day.  We are going to make this a daily thing.  I harnessed him up and we walked out the door (much to the chagrin of our other dogs...but don't worry.  We are gonna mix it up for them too!).

An inquisitive Bull Terrier is quite the sight to see.  Their brow furrows, their ears stand up so straight and tall.  They just have this impressive look.  That look alone made the walk worth it.  Emmet jumped and pranced and talked to me, telling me in his Bull Terrier way he was SO happy to be out.  He checked things out, perked up when he heard other dogs.  Emmet is a very social boy. He loves people, especially children.  He loves meeting new people, seeing new places, checking out new things.  He's an excellent explorer.

We walked for a good half hour.  We even jogged a few times, to burn a few more calories (for me!).  And when we came home, Emmet passed out.  Snoring.

We will see how the night goes.  See if he still attacks his crate.  See if he still shows aggression.  

I'm not expecting much.  I know this is a losing battle.  But as his owner, his friend, and as an advocate for pets, I'm making it OUR battle!  I will fight for him as long as I know he wants to be around. 

So here's to 2013 being the year of A Girl and Her Dog!  Happy to have you along for the journey!