From the Styx by Peggy Tibbetts

Even though nothing bad happened when Venus snuck out of the garage and barked at that guy, we didn’t ignore her behavior. With CCD any change in behavior can indicate the dog is out of balance – in this case Venus. Then we look for reasons why she might be out of balance.

On Tuesday evening before her escape, Tod had put the camper on the pickup because he needed to take it in for some minor repairs. But Venus and Zeus didn’t know that. All they know is camper on the pickup means we’re going somewhere. We assumed Venus snuck out so she could be closer to the camper just in case we were leaving soon.

We were getting ready to go to Lake Powell. But the dogs had to wait a whole week before the trip actually happened. During that week she definitely fixated on the camper. But that’s what the whole “practice, practice, practice” thing is all about, which Dr. Pearce and I had discussed in May. Venus has to learn to cope with the summer activities and changes in routine. In contrast Zeus acted more cheerful. I could tell he was excited about the camper being on the pickup but he was content to wait.

We left for Lake Powell on Tuesday, June 16. Our granddaughter, Hailey came along so Venus rode in the camper and Zeus sat in the backseat with Hailey. Venus has ridden in the camper many times but she acted more anxious about it than she needed to be. We have a 2-way thermometer to monitor temperature in the camper, which was in the low 70s so she was fine.

For the most part, the trip went well for Venus and Zeus. They’ve been to Lake Powell many times. They enjoy boating, swimming, and camping. The weather wasn’t as hot as usual, high 80s during the day and low 60s at night, which was very comfortable for them. To get to the boat the dogs have a long walk out onto 2 busy docks past other boats, people, and dogs coming and going. I walked them on leashes with one hand they were so calm.

Yet we did notice behavior patterns in Venus that seemed a little off.

On Wednesday, we took the boat out to a favorite spot we call Zeus’s Cove. For 2 hours, Venus obsessed about the lizards in the rocks. She hunted them relentlessly. No matter how many times we distracted her, she always went back to the lizards. She barely swam. She just chased lizards.

This is what Zeus did while Venus chased lizards.

Venus didn’t stand still long enough to shoot photos of her.

She has always chased lizards at Lake Powell and Moab. But we’ve always been able to distract her. This time it was harder to distract her.
 
The next day she was so exhausted from chasing lizards the day before she only chased lizards for about an hour, then she passed out on the boat under the dashboard where it was too dark to take pictures.

Our boat isn’t very big so it’s pretty close quarters for 2 adults, 1 child, and 2 big dogs. But they were well-behaved on the boat.

On the boat ride back to the marina I noticed Venus staring at Zeus. I distracted her and she moved away and ignored him.

Back at the campground, a group of teen boys ran foot races on the road past our campsite. Venus was tied but she went nuts barking and jumping. She was really agitated and didn’t calm down until they stopped running.

After supper she passed out from exhaustion before sunset. Shortly after dark, a man who was setting up camp across the road from us walked into our campsite without a flashlight and started asking questions about the campground in a loud voice. He startled the three of us so of course he startled the dogs. Venus woke up out of dead sleep and freaked. She didn’t attack the man or go near him, she just went nuts again barking. I took her inside the camper but it took awhile to calm her down. Eventually she fell asleep.

On the trip back home she was too exhausted to be agitated about riding in the camper. I thought about her mood swings and wondered whether she had fun or if she had simply worn herself out.

On Saturday at Dogland she seemed normal but I noticed that Lucy, the black Lab, and Honey, the Cocker Spaniel, avoided her.

At 7:30 pm that evening, someone in the neighborhood exploded a string of firecrackers. Both dogs were in the house. As I have mentioned, Zeus hates fireworks. He stood abruptly and fled downstairs. I walked calmly to the kitchen to fetch the PetCalm. More firecrackers exploded. Zeus, still agitated, came back upstairs and walked over to his water dish in the kitchen. Venus was lying about 3 feet away from him. In less than 10 seconds she jumped up and grabbed him by the neck, above his spiked collar. Tod was right there and called her off mid-strike but she didn’t listen. I filled a pitcher with water and dumped it on her head. She let go.

As Tod separated them, Zeus went after Venus. He was totally pissed. He bit her on the cheek. Tod separated them again. The whole thing lasted about 90 seconds. Neither Tod or I were bitten. Zeus has a bite on his neck and Venus has a bite on her cheek.

We’ve been keeping them separated since, except when we go to Dogland or take them for leashed walks. We put Zeus on PetCalm twice a day to get us through fireworks season.

On Monday, I took Venus to the vet. Dr. Pearce is on vacation this week, so we saw Dr. Langegger. He is familiar with Venus’s case and I brought him up to date on her mood swings that culminated in her aggression toward Zeus.

We discussed and agonized over whether to increase her Clomipramine dosage to 100 mg twice a day without consulting Dr. Pearce. Eventually we came to the conclusion it’s what we must do to get her through the summer.

Each unusual behavior by itself is probably no cause for concern. But all together they form a pattern of unbalanced energy. Her aggression toward Zeus showed us that she’s losing control.

Last Saturday was not the first time Zeus has been freaked out by loud noises since Venus has been on the Clomipramine. We’ve dealt with fireworks on New Years and Cinco de Mayo, countless thunderstorms, gunshots, and engines backfiring. In all those situations, Venus did not attack Zeus. Sometimes we ordered her to ignore him, sometimes she ignored him on her own, and sometimes she even helped him calm down.

Dr. Langegger doesn’t think the mood swings and aggression necessarily mean her CCD is progressing. More likely her behavior indicates she’s not coping well with the changes in her routine that summer brings. She’s feeling a loss of control. She’s out of balance. And summer’s just getting started. And fireworks season is upon us. And Zeus hates fireworks. And his fear makes Venus fearful, too.

If the PetCalm doesn’t show signs of helping Zeus by Monday, Dr. Langegger wants us to consider putting him on 25 mg of Clomipramine to get him through the next few weeks, then take him off. He wants me to call Dr. Pearce on Monday and let her know how both dogs are doing.

Initially Tod and I felt sad about this setback. Venus was doing so well on the lower dose, we were disappointed that we had to increase it. But she has to learn to cope with change. In order for her to practice calm, balanced energy, her mind has to be able to focus. With every disease there are setbacks. Ten years ago we were dealing with our Malamute, Apollo’s osteosarcoma. We encountered a steady stream of setbacks. By comparison, this is nothing.

Besides we don’t have time to dwell on our own feelings. We’re back to upstairs dog and downstairs dog, and Chinese fire drill with dogs. The important thing is to keep Venus moving forward. The increased dose has begun to balance out her highs and lows. We’re beginning to see sustained calm energy from her again.

Wednesday night we heard a few firecrackers. Zeus was upstairs, Venus downstairs. The gate was shut. Zeus reacted by perking up his satellite dish ears, and looking alarmed. But he was lying down and didn’t get up. I ignored him and he calmed down. Venus didn’t react at all.

About an hour later we heard a huge bang, which we think was a car accident a few blocks away because sirens followed. Venus was upstairs, Zeus downstairs, gate shut. Venus reacted to the bang. She looked alarmed and stood up. “Everything’s okay,” I told her. “Lie down.” She did. I didn’t check on Zeus because we don’t like to overreact to loud noises. He didn’t come upstairs to the gate so we assumed he heard it, felt fearful, then calmed down.  

BTW, it’s been a really strange week. Busy. Stressful. But I just wanted to say that my cats don’t fight or exhibit any nervous energy like Venus. They all love each other. They are so mellow. The contrast just blows my mind sometimes …

I will post regular updates through fireworks season as we restore calm, balanced energy to our pack.

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