This is a copy/paste from Cora’s main blog. Pictures and links in the Cora the Determined blog.
Cora went to see a veterinary behaviorist. Dr Sung is pretty amazing. She’s got a lot of experience and education in animal behavior. I was early and I was surprised when she greeted me at the door (no receptionist) and said we could get started. I almost said that Cora would do better if I could give her a little time out of the car to adjust but then I decided it might be good for her to see Cora stressed. I feel bad for Cora. Between being rushed inside and the small office she hit her stressed point. In other words she was awful- barking, defensive, and falling down. Dr Sung said it was good to see Cora at her worst.
Dr Sung spent time watching Cora and asked me a lot of questions. She did a really good job of listening to what I had to say about Cora. We spent about two hours together and I do believe she really understood a lot of Cora’s issues. We talked about Cora’s cognition. There’s a disconnect, between what Cora senses and experiences and what she’s able to execute. So she will hear my call her, and now generally where I am but launch off in the wrong direction. It creates a lot of frustration for her and I think she has a hard time thinking past that frustration.
Dr Sung was the first medical person to really grasp how big the eating issue is for Cora. Cora smells the food, she knows it’s there. But she may actually have a lack of feeling in her nose and mouth area. If she does feel, it doesn’t process to her brain well. So, imagine trying to eat finger food when you are blind and can’t fully feel your fingers. This has made training Cora hard. If I try to use food treats to train her, I often just frustrate her. So, we are going to try soft foods for training. If the food isn’t rolling away, and Cora just has to lick it, it may be easier for her to get.
We also talked about Cora’s emotions. She’s a very emotive dog. Or as the expert said “her emotions are all over the place.” Clearly, Cora has all sorts of odd things happening with her neurology, so giving her some meds what will even her out and help with the frustration make sense. So, last night, Cora get her first dose of prosac. The risk is fairly low and it could have a big benefit. It will take weeks before we know. I am also supposed to talk to Cora more. Someone telling me to talk more. Whenever I touch her I am supposed to tell her what I’m doing and identify body parts. This will eventually make handling her easier. I’d been doing that, but now I have a much clearer idea how to do it. Cora has been quiet and mellow today. I don’t know if that’s because yesterday’s visit wore her out, because of the prosac, the horrible weather or because her human is having a blah day. We’ve been given some more tools to make her life better and that’s a good thing.
