My husband and I were lucky enough to be able to acquire Rhett (Rush’s full littermate) to come live with us. He will be Gregs next agility dog. He is really cute and full of enthusiasm I think they will be great together…. except for the problem where the bed is not big enough for 3 border collies and 2 adults., dont know where that will go.. maybe a new bed for hubby???? yeah, right.

I had been concerned about Rush since right before they found the obstruction in her tummy. She just didnt seem right to me. She would lay down on one side and not be able to get up without first coming to center then standing. I would also notice her inability and unwillingness to stand up on two back feet. When she wanted to jump up on something (like the couch) she would have to rock back on her rear end and then launch up onto the couch. She also seemed a little listless, not running around as I felt she should. She wasnt too interested in people, wouldnt come to you when you called her - never wagged her tail at you. She also came up lame on her legs randomly without seemingly injuring herself and it was never the same leg twice.

When I got Rush she was full of energy and excitement - she would lay out with her legs outstretched behind her and didnt have trouble jumping up on or over anything. I took her to the vet several times, but they were unable to find anything wrong. They did x-rays of her hips and legs and they did blood work - all was good. On one of the vet visits the vet said he saw a little bit of shadowing in one of her legs, which he said could be pano. He said that she would eventually outgrow it but meanwhile hHe recommended I put her on some baby aspirin once a day. I did that for a couple days, but the baby aspirin seemed to upset her stomach so I stopped giving it to her. It didnt seem to help her.

I took her back to the vet about a month later, telling him that although the lameness in the legs that I was seeing was gone, nothing else was. Again, he checked her hips and legs - all good. They did blood work and that was all good. I asked him to check for lyme disease although I didnt feel she could have that (a vet that I trial with recommended it to rule it out). Apparently that is something that can settle in the joints and cause the symptoms I was seeing. Negative. Nothing again!

Rush had broken her dewclaw (bend it really bad) so that was a little swollen and painful. The vet decided to put her on some antibiotics that would help with the dewclaw and also clear up any kind of tick disease or low grade meningitis. After one week on doxycycline I saw a big improvement in Rush. Her energy seemed to pick up, we started seeming more tail wagging and eagerness to be with us. Although I still see the same trouble standing up on the back legs and getting up from a down position, the other symptoms have seemed to improve.

She has now completed the two weeks of antibiotics and I still see improvement in attitude daily. She runs and catches the ball and frisbee. She can now outrun the boys in a footrace when she turns on the speed and she turns on the speed more often. I dont know if it was a coincidence in her improvement - I tend to think not because of the length of time this had been going on. Whatever it was I am happy that she is feeling better.

Her dewclaw is also better!

When