The Iggy Journal

    --AKC - Courses may be set with obstacles closer together and the sequencing is a bit more technical than some of the other venues, but course times are very generous. This is a nice venue for dogs that prefer to work closer to their handlers. AKC also offers a fun game called FAST where you get to pick your own course!

    --NADAC - Courses are open, flowing and moderately technical, encouraging dogs to move out and run at full speed. Times are generally tighter than other venues. The nature of the wide open courses and dogs running full tilt encourages a lot of folks to train their dogs for handling at a distance. A great advantage of NADAC is that you may train in the ring, so if you or your dog makes an error you can go back and correct it. A great perk for dogs and handlers just starting in the sport! NADAC also has lots of really great games to play. The one that dogs seem to find irresistible is Tunnelers: a course made of JUST TUNNELS! Wanna see your IG smile? Let him run in Tunnelers!

    --USDAA - Courses are moderately technical and times are usually moderate falling somewhere between AKC & NADAC. USDAA was one of the original agility venues in the USA and was patterned after British agility. USDAA also has several game classes to choose from including Gamblers (a strategy game with a distance challenge), and Pairs where you and your dog share a course with another team. Lots of fun for everybody!

    There are tons of titles and achievement awards that can be earned in agility so if you're a goal-oriented person, you've got plenty to work towards, all while having a rip-roaring good time with your dog. Don't care about titles? Guess what? Your dog doesn't either. Just spending time with you will be reward enough!  

    By now you may be wondering if agility would be a good choice for your dog. Do you have a rambunctious IG who's M.O. is bouncing off the walls and stirring up trouble? Agility could be just the ticket, offering a way to take the edge off of all that misdirected energy. Maybe you have a more reserved IG who's shy and lacking confidence. Agility might be a good option for them as well. I've seen many dogs burst out of their cocoons and become social butterflies with the help of agility training. It's an absolute joy to watch a dog that was once fearful & nervous become a happy competitor, racing around a course, smile on his face, eager for a reward and a “job well done” at the end of a run.

    There are agility trials held all over the country so there's probably one being held near you. Check agility websites for lists of trials in your area; then go watch, or better yet, volunteer to help. It's a great way to see the action up close! Agility people are a friendly bunch so you're sure to learn a lot, have your questions answered and make some new friends in the process.

    So who knows, maybe you and your little hound will end up being fierce competitors with aspirations of making the World Team. Maybe you only want to attend classes for fun and exercise or you want to build your own equipment just for the backyard. No matter what you choose, agility is, without question, a fantastically fun way to spend time with your furry friend and strengthen that most important bond of friendship.

To find out more about Dog Agility in your area check out these websites!

AKC (American Kennel Club) – www.akc.org

NADAC (North American Dog Agility Council) – www.nadac.com

USDAA – (United States Dog Agility Assoc.) – www.usdaa.com

CPE (Canine Performance Events) – www.k9cpe.comTea Cup (Tea Cup Dogs Agility Association) – www.k9tdaa.com

You Are Your Dog’s Advocate

By Annemarie Burgess

          Rarely do our IGs just go to the rainbow bridge while in a sound slumber.  Far more often there is a sickness and a suffering that is the precursor to their passing.  There is that moment in the veterinary office when the doctor looks at the vet tech, they hand you back your IG with an apologetic look and leave the room so the doctor can give you the news that you are never ready to hear, even if you have steeled yourself for that moment.  Time has run out.

          But what did we do before that moment is the question one should ask.  Was there another moment before that one, where you had a question in the back of your mind that was not answered?  Was there a moment at a previous vet visit where the doctor stopped being positive and gave up before you and your dog were ready?  Had this illness been ongoing and your dog’s veterinarian seemed to have difficulty prescribing a regimen that produced results?  Did they seem to have difficulty coming up with the correct diagnosis?  Or were you handed an atrocious estimate and the veterinarian brusquely explained it and left you still questioning half of what they were even talking about?

          Dr. Roger Welton, who has so eloquently written an article on Granulomatous Meningoencephalomyelitis (GME) for this newsletter, was Niko’s fifth opinion when he became deathly ill.  One night I came home to find Niko having cluster seizures that would not stop and he was running an intense fever.  I immediately took him to an emergency vet.  The first veterinarian Niko saw cared more about having his tech convince me to sign an  estimate, which the doctor would not even discuss with me.  Niko was seen there because I had no choice.  The next Veterinarian, who Niko saw in the morning, was a very nice woman, but instead of the fire in her eyes I was looking for, the desire to save him, I saw sedation.  The third veterinarian was a valued  IGCA volunteer, Courtney Riley DVM, who lived too far away for me to bring Niko to her, but she gave me the guidance I needed on our journey to find the right veterinarian for him. 
I stumbled upon Dr. Welton by chance.  Niko’s vet had given up, I saw sadness in her eyes and she had told me it was only a matter of time.  I did not give up, I knew in my heart Niko was a survivor and he would beat the odds, he just needed the tools to survive.  She did get him through his second relapse but when he had his third, she said I would have to take him back to the 24-7 clinic he had been seen at initially, because they did not have the IV medications he needed.  I took one look at my little one and thought to myself that Hell would freeze over before Niko stepped over the threshold of that clinic again.  I asked what meds he needed and wrote them down and then came up with a plan.  I would call every vet in town until I found one that had them.  Then once he was stable I would take him to a clinic I knew of that was more than an hour away.

Niko lay next to me while I made call after call -- it was not easy.  One vet tech became argumentative that they had to see him first until I finally got out of her that they did not even have the IV meds he needed!  Another had no idea what I was talking about and acted like I was crazy.  Yet another tried to lie to me that they had the meds and was being evasive if they were in IV or pill form, she finally professed to the fact they were not IV meds.  Then there were the other two offices that nicely told me they did not have them with no argument and only concern and wished Niko luck.  Then I finally struck gold when a stern sounding woman got down to business and said yes they had what he needed and how soon could I get there.  “Twenty minutes” I responded and Niko and I were off!

When I got there I met Barbara, a woman I would later find to be intelligent, caring and a firecracker.  Behind her a young vet tech was sobbing.  Curious and Curiouser, I thought, perhaps we are about to enter a rabbit hole.  Niko and I were led into an exam room, his weight was taken and the reason for the visit was discussed.  Then in walked Dr. Welton and I thought ‘this is the guy who used to buy sushi from me when I worked at that sushi bar on the corner.  We talked about Niko and he mentioned sadly, he had just had to help put one of his tech’s IGs to sleep.  I found out later that she had to leave work when Niko unexpectedly made his way into their lives.  A few months later she adopted an Italian Greyhound from my rescue group, two tragic situations colliding, ultimately led to two new beginnings.

          Dr. Welton diagnosed Niko with either a brain tumor or Granulomatous Meningoencephalomyelitis (GME).  The treatment for both was essentially identical, so we decided not to spend the several thousand dollars on tests invasive tests.  In Dr. Welton I found a veterinarian who had hope, a positive attitude, new ideas and a bonus: He was Italian Greyhound savvy.  Once Niko was out of the woods, Dr. Welton later told me he was amazed at Niko’s recovery and how concerned he had been.  He had never given me any false hope, just the facts and the idea that maybe we could get Niko through this.  Precisely the veterinarian I needed at the time to help me be strong for Niko and not give up.  Niko has a more delicate constitution these days, but he is happy and alive.

When deciding what you need in a vet, ask yourself this question, do they practice proactive medicine or reactive medicine?  A doctor who practices reactive medicine treats the problem after it occurs.  A proactive practitioner sees the current problem then looks ahead to what could happen.  They let you know and then discuss with you if perhaps a stronger path should be followed in order to avoid future complications.  Sometimes a condition just has to be treated as it progresses and in other situations one can attempt to head it off at the pass.  But does your vet have the foresight to discuss possible progressions of an illness and what could be done now rather than later?

Seeking a second opinion is always an option that should be utilized and many pet owners do not because they think it would be disloyal to their current vet.  Where are your loyalties?  With your veterinarian or with your dog?  Who are you advocating for, your veterinarian or your dog?  And has it occurred to you, that perhaps if your veterinarian is having a difficult time diagnosing a particular issue, they may be a little relieved when they find out you are seeking another opinion?  In hospitals, when a person is sick, many doctors will consult with each other if they have a particularly difficult case, because they are looking for new ideas.  That is all a second opinion comes down to, seeking new ideas for your dog’s diagnosis and treatment.

You are your dogs’ advocate because they cannot speak for themselves.  They cannot tell you where it hurts or that the medicine is not making them feel better.  They cannot tell you that the vet tech just stuck them in a metal cage alone while they are having cluster seizures, in order to corner in you in another room while they try to convince you to sign away your savings.  They cannot tell you that the doctor is running out of ideas or is not breed savvy.  They cannot tell you that your vet stopped keeping up on all the latest veterinary journals and studies years ago.  And they cannot tell you, please, mom, dad, do not stop looking for the answer because I am not ready to leave this world yet.

Those are your tasks, because you are your dog’s only advocate.  You are the only one who can do the research and look for the facts.  You are not your veterinarian’s advocate; you are your dog’s advocate, I cannot stress that enough!  Any good and thoughtful doctor will understand if you seek a second, third, even fourth or fifth opinion.  If something in your gut tells you there is a better answer and you have not found it yet, then keep looking.  Your dog cannot be the strong one and speak for himself, so you have to seek and demand the right answers for him.  You will know in your heart and in your gut when you have come to the end of the road.  When you have found the answers you will know it.  When it is time to say goodbye you will know that, too.  But until you have those answers, never stop searching, because you have a tiny little fur-child who is begging you with their sad and sick little eyes not to give up on them before they are ready to go.