25 December 2011

Progress- the Greatest Gift of All

There's been so much going on that I often find it difficult to get to my blog to post. There's been some really pawsitive changes in our fight against Lyme disease lately.

Though it will be a while before we run labs and can see this in black and white, I see the results taking place. Thane's energy will be something we have to deal with- finding ways of extinguishing some of it before he gets into harness. It is still a very positive thing because it by itself was a signal that Lyme was receding.

These other things are not as visual to folks who are not partnered with Thane so when they hear about them, their first response is to retire him right here, right now LOL That said, I find them rewarding (though not while taking place) because they show me his true self- they show me the dog that slowly slipped away from me- and that is well- beautiful!

Thane's desire to pick the route we are going used to be one of the most infuriating things I had to deal with in working with my little *hard headed redhead*. I will admit, when it all, but disappeared as Lyme took over, I found myself really missing his determination to do things his way. I don't have to miss this part of him any more because it has come back with a vengeance! This is definitely something we are working on and probably will be working on for a while. It is though a sign that Thane has the cognition he once had. It also helps show me when I am not giving him the amount of variety that he needs in his working hours.

Another area where there has been drastic improvement is in our home life. thane has been wearing an e-collar a lot at home. Spirochete's love collagen  In an ideal situation, they would only take an amount that the animal or person can easily replenish. For the most part, especially prior to diagnosis, that has not always been the case when it came to Thane's skin health. Once I was able to understand what was taking place (after his diagnosis), it was so much easier to more properly address his skin needs.

Just understanding why he was being so self-destructive was part of the battle, but the other part required finding the right collagen supports for him. Through Stephen Buhner's research as well as my own further research coupled with my knowledge of homeopathy, I put together a protocol specific to Thane. Though some things did not pan out for his use, other things have worked really well. The result on this front is much more free time out of the e-collar

When people mention collagen, they usually think of one thing- joints. Collagen is so much more than joints though. It impacts joints, skin, hair (fur), and even the eyes. I began noticing visual changes with Thane's eyes about 1 1/2 years ago. No one but me seemed to notice what was going on. Of course the Veterinary Ophthalmologist locally is crap when it comes to thorough exams to diagnose an actual problem. Not only did she not thoroughly evaluate the retina's with dilating his eyes and all, but she turned around and put him on a supplement known to increase histamine response. You do not put a dog with known allergies on anything that increases a histamine response. Her reasoning for prescribing it was that it would fix his non-specific retinal issues. No, it did not. All it did was send his allergies into such overdrive. His issue was not non-specific at all. It was LYME.

Today though, things are looking brighter with his eyes. He has eye drops that I use as needed. They are difficult in the best of circumstances to do, but with my hands and vision- LOL I've found though that with all his improvements this month, his eyes are one of the best. When we have worked some of his energy down, his choices in his guide work are spot on. What I mean is that through the mini guide's vibrational cues to me, I agree with the choices Thane takes all the time once he has burned off some energy,

Where his work is concerned, we are doing a lot of backing up on some basic elements. It seems to lie in the fact that he is so full of excessive energy now, that he has to remember how to slow down and focus on his job better. There are also aspects (even full tasks) that he lost amidst the neuro Lyme symptom picture (which the symptom part is thankfully behind us) It's been over five months since Thane's last seizure and I strongly believe that they are a thing of the past. I've got a good solid history with canine seizures from my previous service dog. I am glad that for Thane, they won't be following him the rest of his life.

I don't know what tomorrow will hold for us, but if its anything like the present, these *guiding eyes* will be at my side for many years to come.

Something I am enjoying so much is watching Thane learning to play independently again. He can be so funny. Laughter really is one of the best medicines around!

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