Ongoing investigations
I’ve been given lots of support from Lucy, Douglas’ Puppy Development Advisor, as well as the medical team at Guide Dogs and my local vets. We’ve been to the vets quite a lot recently as Douglas has been having scans and tests so that we can try to work out what’s making him feel out of sorts. Unfortunately, it’s still a bit of a mystery so it’s an ongoing process to get to the bottom of it.
We’ve been trialling Douglas on some pain medication recently, and it’s been interesting to see the difference it’s made for him. He’d become quite subdued but since starting the medication, he’s started to perk up more. It was when he started pinching tea towels again that I knew he was feeling better!
While it’s lovely to see Douglas with a little more energy, it’s still important that we find out what’s causing him discomfort, so that will remain our focus. Until then, Douglas will stay on rest, taking a break from his training.
Challenges
One of the challenges I’m facing now is that Douglas is showing discomfort when he’s handled at the vets. Because of this, he’s starting to anticipate being touched by the vet and has developed some general body sensitivity. To ensure that this doesn’t escalate, I’m doing lots of work with Douglas around being handled by different people. At home, we’re going back to basics. For example, we’ve been using the bucket game during grooming as this gives Douglas the opportunity to indicate when he’s had enough; while he’s looking at the bucket of kibble, it’s a sign that he’s happy to keep going and I’ll keep grooming and feeding him. When he looks away, I’ll stop grooming him and he can have a break. He seems to trust me and Lucy as he’s known us a long time; it’s unfamiliar vets that he’s becoming a little wary of.
New places
While Douglas is on rest, I’ve been trying to find different places we can visit together to keep him stimulated and break up his usual routine. We’ve been on lots of days out together. One of his favourites are visits to a local horse rescue centre where he loves to watch the horses and they like watching him too! Douglas definitely has his favourites, and if they peer out of their stables at him then he’ll reach up to nuzzle them. He’s such a gentle boy!
Thank you
It’s an absolute pleasure raising Douglas, I’m so proud of him. As much as I’ve been worried about him recently, knowing that his sponsors are rooting for him has lifted us both up on the hard days. Thank you.
Keep an eye out for an update on Douglas in your next Pupdate in June.