Understanding the challenges faced by carers of disabled dogs. Todays focus: The brain!
As you all know I am a huge advocate for disabled dogs. I will always support carers who have dogs with medical challenges, but I have a soft spot for those with brain issues. There is just something magic about them. As long as they are pain free and have a good quality of life, even if its different from the "norm" I feel we all deserve a chance to enjoy life and be loved. Being different doesn't make life any less valuable (irrespective of species!).
Today I want to do a shout out to all the dogs in the world suffering from neurological issues, and especially their humans for seeing past the obvious and seeing them for who they are rather than just the disease they have.
For those of you who remember Spesh I was blessed. He was the most gorgeous little man which really helped him navigate society and encouraged people to think beyond his limitations. He was a people person and a dog person and I didn’t meet one person who didn’t turn into a pile of mushy stupid baby talk around him. He really helped to raise awareness for disabled dogs and dogs with neurological issues. There isn't a day that goes by that I don't miss him or think about him. He taught me and many others so much, especially about the value of the little things we take for granted.
His name lives on through The Red Foundation’s fundraising platform “Spesh’s legacy” as he really did help us see the light on the darkest of days. He is missed by all of us but his legacy will continue to help so many others. Here's the link to The Legacy page The RED Foundation - Emergency Dachshund Rescue: Spesh's Legacy (enthuse.com).
A little on the brain.
If I could be a vet, and specialise it would be neuro. It is the most interesting spiders web of mystery you could come across. The brain makes us who we are!
Did you know the brain is the least understood of all the organs in the body. Yes they know the way it should be structured, and they know copious amounts of how chemicals interact, but it is still the biggest mystery. Why and how does it make us so different and yet so similar at the same time?
Here are some fun brain facts:
The human brain is the only object that can contemplate itself.
The brain only feels pleasure, and there are no pain receptors in the brain.
The brain runs on electricity, producing enough power to light a 25-watt bulb.
The brain can recognise and react to a familiar smell in 0.01 seconds.
The brain is the fattiest organ, with fat constituting about 60% of its dry weight.
The brain consumes about 20% of the body’s total energy.
Every time you recall a memory or have a new thought, you create a connection in the brain. (This means the brain is always changing and growing!)
The brain is essentially our hard drive, and when it has a glitch or things missing sometimes messages aren't passed through to the rest of the computer correctly....or in my son's words.....it lags!
Living with a neuronutcase
The best thing about having neurowarrior dogs? The people I have met along the way. The lessons we have all learned together. The shared understanding and kindness. The love we have gained is the most unique experience and I can never truly explain the feeling of being loved by a neurowarrior – it is very unique and individual, and healing despite all the worry.
The dogs all seem to have similarities, from a behaviour perspectives its the extreme emotions they experience, especially joy....they get sooooo ridiculously happy!
I will share Kami’s journey with us another day, her's is a different story, but today I want to share Derek’s story. I met his human through Spesh, at the start of Nikki’s journey with Del. She actually led me to the kindest, most forward thinking neuro specialist I've met and the one who thought outside of the box. For that I will always be grateful. I would and have driven hours to see this vet. May have a little vet crush, but he really is fantastic and the dogs I've taken to him adore him!
Kindness.
One thing we all need to remember is not to make judgements about the dogs or their carers. Anyone caring for a disabled dog does it for more than their own ego. The time, expense, emotional trauma it causes to us is not done for personal gain. It is for love. Nothing more. Until you have helped to rehabilitate a dog with issues you really will not understand, but try to. Once you see beyond the obvious, its an experience like no other. You have to trust that the carer to any disabled dog knows their animal and will always do the best by them. If they are happy, enjoying life and pain free then just because they are a bit different, we should offer kindness and support. Trust me, that carer spends every minute of their day assessing the dog in front of them and worrying about their welfare…..every single minute. There isn't much you can say that we haven't thought.....but unkind words still hurt!
A day in the life of an ant eater. There's a video in a bit too.
I asked my friend Nikki if she’d share a day in the life of her journey with her little ant eater Derek. Sadly, like with Spesh, Derek’s condition is degenerative, and Nikki is faced daily with unknowns. She has a fantastic and supportive veterinary team behind her, but where I was blessed to have so many people rooting for Spesh, she’s a bit quieter than me. He’s not himself at the minute so please take a minute to send him healing prayers and love. It’s emotionally battering no knowing what each day holds, but we accept that each day with a happy dog is a blessing, come what may. We will do our best to ensure they are happy.
Derek’s perspective:
It's 7am, and my human should be up soon. I’m eagerly waiting at the bottom of the stairs in my special bedtime bed (because why not?). I spot Mummy coming down, and my tail goes into helicopter mode. Breakfast time!
Mummy reaches the bottom of the stairs and helps my back legs out of bed... they don’t work so great in the morning. You see, I have this condition called cerebellar ataxia, which makes my legs wobbly and my movements unsteady. It also affects my facial muscles, causing spasms that make my snout look like an anteater’s. The spasms have compressed my nasal bone and caused tight lip syndrome, so my teeth do hurt sometimes.
I watch Mummy approach the fridge, and now I'm super, super excited. My food is kept firm in the fridge because I struggle with mushy food due to my snout. Mummy even designed a special bowl so that i could eat more easily. Breakfast is served, and my tail wags so much I nearly topple over. Only five squares of food on the floor this time. Progress!
"Mummy, I've dropped some breakfast!" I plead, and she saves the day, picking up the pieces for me. Next up: teeth cleaning. Gotta keep these chompers in check, as they’re the only things holding my snout in place. Losing teeth could lead to suffocation, the nice dentist says.
Teeth cleaned, back door open, time for my morning business. I navigate the step with Mummy’s “steady!” guidance. Out in the garden, I’m a sniffing machine, especially loving the pebbled area. Mummy planted safe, sniff-tastic plants just for me, like lavender, mint, rosemary, and jasmine. No gerberas though—I keep decapitating them.
Back inside, I slurp up Mommy’s tea leftovers, then it’s time for a big nap. My cerebellar ataxia makes me a wonky sleeper. When I sleep, my face twitches constantly, and my eyes never close properly looking like I have worms crawling under my skin. Sergio, my vet, says it resembles myokymia, but this usually presents in Jack Russell's. I’m not a Jack Russell, but Sergio checked just to be sure.
An ant farts and wakes me up, so I let out a 20-minute bark. Heroic, I know.
Time to bug Rosie the cat. We play fight until she pins me down and cleans my ears like a mini-mummy. Then it’s garden time again—my personal sensory playground since walks are a no-go for this wonky donkey. The big world scares me and makes my spasms worse, plus there are the tremors. Mummy says Sergio explained these as intention tremors. My brain doesn’t work like yours, so the tremors come because it takes time to articulate it into a movement.
Back in for another nap, moving my bed to chase the sun. Mummy works from home, and I make sure her colleagues know I’m here with an occasional bark. I'm a good boy if mummy needs to nip out and i always get something when she returns. New toy from Mummy’s shopping trip? Destroyed in minutes.
Ears cleaned, body wiped down (since I’m terrified of water), and some training—sit, stay, and leave it. By 5:30, it’s tea time! I bark and wag until Mummy serves my dinner. Only half a tray at teatime though as apparently I'm a chunky monkey!! Business done, I shout at pigeons and chase butterflies in the garden.
Evening snuggles on the sofa, complete with slobbery kisses. My facial spasms sometimes make me look like I have worms under my skin, but Mommy doesn’t mind. She loves me all the world and more. I eventually take myself off to sleep, but not before one last game of rag tag with Mommy. At 9pm sharp, I’m ready for bed. Mommy gives me my four treats, tucks me in, and tells me she loves me. Time for big sleeps—goodnight world!
What people say that annoy us.
He needs to lose weight!
Do you know weight makes IVDD more prevalent.
He needs more exercise to drop some pounds.
Oh hasn't he got a weird looking face.
Omg with all those problems why did you keep him!!
Wouldn't he be better off PTS
Local people on the group oh we would love a to make friends with other sausages. Yes until you know ours is disabled then you either block us or don't respond!
What do you mean you don't walk him!
He needs to be made to know there are consequences.
Put him on a lead and pull him away!
Thanks Nikki, I do love him, he's a bundle of hilarious and joy and love all in one.
Here's some outakes of his favourite things - word of warning, I have mostly muted the videos as they are sped up but there's a few seconds of barking and a few seconds of mummy love where I didn't have the heart to mute the sound. I just love how happy he is.
I will add to Dereks day, things we love people saying when we have a neurowarrior:
Being told how special they are
How happy they look
How amazing they are to still enjoy things despite the challenges they face
How wonderful their humans are to change their lives to accommodate their beautiful dogs needs.
Being told you can eat what you like if it gives you joy.
Being told how big their personalities are
Auntie Sharon telling Ant eater that his mummy is blooming awesome and despite the fact he wobbles as he wobbles he is still devilishly handsome and she adores them both!
When you don't know or understand its easy to pass judgement, instead ask questions. We welcome them, and often those questions can be helpful. But often the thing you see is part of the neuro issue - for example weight - I have found for example animals (including humans) with brain issues seem to struggle with the "perfect" weight. The brain directs the body on what and how much to absorb, so it is reasonable to presume it's "instructions" of what to absorb is out of wack, similarly things like nerve and muscle development will be impacted too. Spesh was at the opposite end as his neuro condition prevented the development and formation of nerves and muscles. Kami seems to gain weight overnight despite having the same quantities of food, this may be water retention or it may be a "glitch" in her matrix.
They are all different, and yet so similar, but they are all special.
I think every person who cares for a dog with disabilities short or long term is phenomenal. I will always advocate for you. Please share your story to help raise awareness.
Comments