Teefers!

The puppies were moved to the kitchen Saturday to give them more room to move around. It also makes it easier to keep their area sanitized for their health.

At the direction of our vet, the pups were given their first dose of de-wormer at two weeks. I really think this new protocol has made for some very pudgy and healthy puppies, or it could be just that Freya is providing far more milk for four than she was able to for six?

This morning I felt teeth when I spent a while in with the puppies gnawing on my fingers. Freya has become more restless and wanting to spend time away from them when they are sleeping now. So it will soon be time to start supplimenting her nursing with moistened food and puppy formula.

Sunday morning I took Bandit and Yukon for a 3 mile bikejor, much to their delight. It was 32 degrees, and they loved the chance to run. After getting back, they got their frozen meat patty, a rub down massage and each of their paws examined and rubbed.

While out on the trail, I watched carefully how Bandit and Yukon ran. While incredibly fast and strong, Bandit ran much like a cheetah, using his back as a coiled spring, while Yukon's back stayed relatively straight. When we got back, Yukon seemed more winded, although this could be simply that Yukon is four years old and Bandit is one and a half.

Sunday evening, just before I gave Bandit his medicine at 7pm, he was lying on the floor with his eyes dialated and heavily panting. Though he didn't go into a grand mal seizure, he exhibited some of the signs such as he didn't seem aware of his surroundings. He came out of it in less than twenty seconds with only a slight disorientation and then back to normal within five seconds. I immediately got him his medicine.

Monday morning, he did nearly the same thing at 7am, only he must have gone slightly into a seizure, though not fully grand mal. He only lost bladder control a little, but did not flail around. It lasted less than half a minute including the ictal phase. Both episodes were at the valley point of his meds, so this leads me to believe he is epileptic and not something that can be easily cured if at all. Though I logically knew he would probably need medication for the rest of his life, emotionally it finally sank in, and I knelt next to him and held him tight promising I would take care of him and wishing that I could make it all go away.

At least it seemed as if the medicine was helping control the seizures and it may simply need tweaking to prevent even the slight episodes. I've read where other dogs have been able to live full lives and be sled dogs, hiking dogs, and therapy dogs even through their epilepsy. So at least I know I can still allow him to run the dryland circuit and maybe eventually snow races that are one day heats as well. I know we will probably not be able to do any longer camping races with him, but I think he is happiest doing sprints anyway so he can really stretch out and run. In that way I know he will be happy, as he was born to run!