Monday, August 03, 2009

Wow!

People said over and over that neutering a dog, even one who has been intact for five years, would make a difference. Did I really believe it? Only slightly. Did I think it would make a big difference? Not really. Did I think it would happen this quickly? Absolutely not! Am I 100% sold on the change? No, but it is truly an amazing transformation.

My five year old dog hasn't been easy to deal with since he was about five months old. He seemed to be mellowing a bit with age, but still, he's not been easy by any stretch of the imagination. The first shocker was taking him in to the vet. The last time he was there, they had us give him a pill to "sedate" him before bringing him in. If anything, it made him worse. We literally had to dump him out of his crate and then had to corner him to try to muzzle him. This time, we didn't give him anything beforehand, took him in the back door, put him up on the table, had them check him and shave a spot to find the vein on his leg and knock him out, all without a single growl, let alone snap. We felt like that was a major accomplishment, but it's continuing and far beyond that.

The next shocker is how he's reacted after surgery. Any past sedation or anesthetic has made him even more unpredictable than usual for at least a month afterward. I'm just hoping what is happening now isn't a different kind of unpredictable, because now has been nothing short of amazing.

Things that would normally set him off don't anymore. The lovey dovey puppy who was sweet to both me and Hub is back. Savannah is in standing heat and he plays with her and thinks she's cute, but that's it. He loses interest quickly and doesn't react badly at all when she tries to eat his face off. He shares chewies and toys and doesn't get as defensive about treats. He's still not a real kitty fan, but he doesn't seem as focused on hating them as he used to be. And the funny little idiosyncrasies he had as a puppy seem to be coming back. He was a very sensitive puppy. He got his "feelings" hurt somewhat easily if scolded and he'd pout a bit until he was sure everything was okay again. He's always come to "check" me when I sneeze or I cry and has been concerned about what is happening with me. Now it seems to be back with both Hub and me. He got in trouble for going into the cat room last night and proceeded to sulk in the back yard until Hub made it clear that he wasn't in trouble anymore. He also stopped playing for awhile when we brought their special toys out because Hub wasn't playing, too. I don't know if Ethan thought he was in trouble again or what, but Hub couldn't play due to a tweaked back and it seemed to really bother Ethan. Once Hub threw the ball from a seated position, Ethan figured all was well and was happy-go-lucky boy again.

So, I'm incredibly amazed. I wouldn't bet on it lasting, I'm "knocking wood" as I talk about it, but I'm hopeful. I won't ever let my guard down entirely, but I'm certainly impressed. Wow!

3 comments:

Jeri said...

I hope it does keep up! How awesome would that be. Stupid hormones.

Traci said...

Wow. That's what I had hoped would happen with Ollie - but it didn't.

I hope that the old Ethan is back for good! :)

I agree with Jeri - stupid hormones! LOL

Paul said...

Puppy-Ethan is starting to return. Just the other night he got up on the bed, laid down next to my pillow, held my hand with his paws and gave me kisses. Who the heck is this???

I like it... all we want is a happy, healthy dog.