Vet Visit, Part 1

Cody showing off his sit.

I've had Cody for roughly two months, and together we've made fantastic progress. For the first couple weeks Cody wouldn't allow me to touch him, although he would rub up against me. He had to say home during my long work days until he trusted me enough to load him into my car. He didn't want to eat for the first week, and then we had to work through his reflux to find both a food and a feeding method that would manage the reflux. I had been told he was human and dog reactive so we had to explore whether he was actually reactive.

Watching the other doggy clients.

Since then, Cody has brought laughter and so much love to our household. In many ways he is an incredibly easy-keeper. He sleeps in his room at the front of my house behind a baby gate, he's housetrained, loves to learn, hops up in the kennel in the car for a car ride, enjoys walks, and loves to mash his face against you and rub his body against yours like a cat. He's a sensitive soul, quick to send appeasement signals with even a slight raise in my vocal tone, and he greets me at the baby gate with a dip of his hips and his stubby tail curled to the side in a abbreviated "U" gesture. He loves meeting new people and seeks strangers out for a chance at food at affection.

A barking dog caused some concern.

We have some remaining challenges though. Cody is still extremely touch sensitive and can't tolerate anything more than collar or harness over his body without triggering a lot of anxiety. He has a hard time settling and spends most of his time pacing at home. Any change in his routine or environment - such as having a guest come over or being left at home while I run out for the day - can trigger upwards of two days of increased anxiety and reactivity. It is extremely hard for Cody to relax unless he is by himself. If left alone for a long enough period of time he will settle down, although often its preceded by 15 minutes or more of anxious whining and rapid pacing. The fact that Cody can only relax when alone isn't a surprise considering his history of being isolated in a tiny pen at a no-kill shelter for years.

Goofy boy checking under the bench.

After consulting with New Rattitude's Behavioral Modification team, Cody was approved for a thyroid test and a behavioral modification drug consultation. His thyroid was checked because hypothyroidism can have behavioral issues as one of its symptoms, and before starting him on a BMod med we wanted to rule out any physical causes.

Seeing how he can get that treat in my hand.

One it was approved, it was onto the vet. The vet visit itself was a source of worry for me since this was our first vet visit since he came to me. Cody's last vet visit had involved an uncaring vet who chose to use a catch-pole on Cody and drag him by his neck out of the kennel in which he was hiding, and she repeatedly recommended to the temp foster parent that she euthanize Cody for aggression. I was concerned that Cody would have a negative association with the vet due to this, so I armed myself with treats, a shorter, 4-foot leash, and prepared to make this visit as positive as possible for him.

Stay tuned to learn how he did!