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Nola

Nola is a happy doggie! She is a wonderful dog and has claimed Hamden as her home (she chased the postman today because he was walking across her yard - luckily he knows she is friendly!). We have curtailed our hikes in the woods because she got too comfortable chasing after things and when the foilage grew in I was having trouble keeping her in sight at all times. She comes when called except if there is some alluring critter to chase of which there are too many. She has found a chipmunk nest in the back-yard and so has lots of fun tormenting them and stays within within my view. We may have found the solution to the Cushings. The Anipryl/P.S./ Accupuncture etc was not working so I started he on the Trilostane (thats the British one, second less harmful to the system). Her first ACHT test showed lowed Cortisol levels. They were within normal range, but the drug mfg. says they should be lower so we increased the dose a little. She is drinking less water, probably more than average but not buckets. Her appetite I think will also be "above average", probably a combination of being a chow hound & living on the street without food. I do have to report that she ate a live mouse and tried to eat a family of mice the other day. I wonder if at some point in her history she ate mice to survive and its just instinct now??? She can't catch them most of the time so I don't worry about this oddity much. Unfortuneately she also broke 3 teeth. I was very worried about that but my vet said it is not unusual and we are watching them closely. Everyone who meets her likes her. Don says shes "an odd duck of a dog" - he loves her too. My 70+ neighbor next door comes and visits with her if I have a long day and have to leave her home alone, he really likes her and said "anytime". The other day we went over to his house and Nola sat right next to his wife (who has alzheimers) and let her stroke her head for a long time. It was really touching, it was like she knew. I took her to a local flea market the other morning and a woman who used to have dogs practically mugged her with joy, Nola was very patient - like a doggy ambassador. Of course she tried to stare down anyone eating food for a piece of egg sandwich or muffin. She has such cute looks she does manage to get a few treats. Well at home she is the 'princess of the castle' and except for not being able to eat all day long I think she has everything she wants. She wags her tail alot and snuggles (of course the kisses are rare after all there is Border Collie blood) and gets lots of chest scratches. If I get it together on the photo end I will be sure to send some along. A new camera is on the list but hasn't gotten close enough to the top yet. I hope you guys have a wonderful summer with lots of good rescues and some time for yourself too. Best, Adrienne Update 2008: Nola is fantastic! she is such a wonderful doggie. She has started swimming once a week, she doesn't love it but she is a very strong swimmer. The woman swimming her said the muscles in her back legs have a good normal texture (Cushings dogs often have a 'spongy' texture). Her vet just had a baby but lucky we even found out it is so long since we have been there (and no reason to go on the horizon)! I've kept her on the Trilostane and it seems to agree with her. We also go to the local training center to their "Dogs Just Want To have Fun", its an hour on Friday night once or twice a month. I went to Florida for two weeks and the friend that she stayed with took her - and they won the musical hoops contest. This is the first time we have been separated for more than two days. She was so happy to see me but then the next day and a half everytime I came into the room she was in she would get up and move to another room - I think she was letting me know she was mad. She is really a character, very smart and very loving!