Arooooo roooooo rooooooooooo



It is now approximately 10 weeks since I had the Suprelorin implant, and I must say that life is just great.  I have put on weight. In fact mummee says that for me I am fat, but I am still anything but fat!  I am just looking really good, instead of like a rack of ribs. My coat has changed, but is still very good. So much so that people are still commenting on how lovely it looks.



I am so happy and relaxed.  Other dogs don't grumble or want to pick fights with me now, and likewise I don't want to get into any fights with them. I either lie down, or greet other dogs very politely. Here are my old adversaries. We used to posture, snarl and even fight each other in the past  Now look at us.

We are all friends now, and I even get hugs from Giovani and Luigi's mummee who wishes there was an implant which would help her too.

Mummee enjoys taking me out these days, and isn't constantly looking around to see who is coming who may cause trouble.

I am such a happy Barkley.

The next step is likely to be that I get the snip. However, mummee has some concerns.  Suprelorin merely blocks testosterone from the pituitary gland.  Neutering involves the loss of a lot more hormones which can effect the endocrine system, especially for us Irish Setters.  Mummee is going to do a lot more research before that decision is made. If necessary, I will have another implant!  We'll see. But no doubt mummee will be discussing the hormonal impact with me so that we can reach a joint decision. One thing is for certain. I  don't want to go back to being the other Barkley who was constantly wired and living on his nerves and becoming quite unwell.

And the girls agree. They are happier too.

Especially DaisyMae because I am no longer constantly trying it on with her!


DaisyMae won her class at an obedience show recently. She is very clever.

 

But now I am less worried about 'other matters' I am enjoying the art of doggie dressage too, and mummee has entered me in a show during August. My plan is to beat Daisy Mae............ Daisy says if I do well at a show, I might get 2nd place......... HUH INDEED.  We'll see!!!!!

 

 

 

Well, that's it now for the moment. Will write again soon.  Barkley 

Week 5

Aroooooooooooooo
Rooo
Rooo

Well, I am now just coming into week 5 of having my Suprelorin implant, which means I am almost at the end of the settling in period.  I must say, life has improved beyond my wildest hopes and dreams. Things which used to upset me and cause so much anxiety no longer do.  I am meeting so many dogs these days, and making so many new friends to run and play with.  I had forgotten how to play.

I do worry a little bit when I am approached by a stranger, but I soon relax when I realize that they are no longer threatening me in one way or another, which they did all the time when I had so much testosterone flying around my system.

I am in top health again.  Everyone says that I am looking so much better. As well as forgetting how to play, I was also starting to forget how to run.  All I would do is plod along, and cock my leg, here there and everywhere.  Not now....


Today I took off, and I ran

and ran ...................... and ran 

 

and...... chased Daisy Mae for all I was worth...... She thought it was really funny and so did I.

 So it looks as though my fate has been sealed..........  when this implant wears off, it looks as though I will be having my family jewels removed.....

like this guy did two weeks ago.....















And perhaps this guy could benefit from Suprelorin too, as he is up to all the same tricks as I was playing......

 This was me when I first had my implant inserted. I was not a well dog. I was a real anxiety case. I worried about everything.

But here I am today....... so relaxed and happy

















And happy to pose with a couple of mates.

Now the good weather is here, we will all be going off to the pub again for a lunchtime drink.  Yahhhhh!!!!


Well, that's it for this time.  I'm off now to see what more fun I can have. 

Barkley

Today is now

Arrrroooooooooooo

Well, I am back on track. The dip which occurred over the weekend has ended and I am happy happy happy.  Goodness knows why my endocrine issues increased again for a couple of days, it is possible that it is the time of year when there is a natural increase in testosterone, or it could be that the rain coming down brought up some different smells which reactivated things.  Who knows.  Hormones are such strange things and appear to have a mind of their own at times.  Anyway, whatever. I am fine again now, and if anything, I think things are even better. 



Today we met up with lots of new doggy friends and had a great time. We walked in all the areas which once caused me to become very stressed, and I used to pee and pee and pee on every darned tree and the signpost.   It was so draining, as I would just have to mark every spot where someone else had been before. I would get myself into quite a state.  Today..... I had forgotten all my previous woes and just had a fantastic time.  You can see the pee post in the picture.  The signpost which says where to go.  Left is Milo's pee.  Right is Buddy's pee.  Straight on is......  forget it - we won't go there.

Just before the others arrived the wind was extremely wild. No actually - it was ULTRA wild.  It was blowing a real hooley.  It calmed right down whilst we were out though, but a few gusts almost blew mummee inside out.  It puffed her raincoat up so much that it is a wonder she didn't take off like a balloon.  She did look funny. It was even funnier that the wind went mad again after we arrived home.

It was really great today meeting up with so many other male dogs and not wanting to beat any of them up, or worrying that they might beat me up. They were all very nice and nobody grrrrr'd at all.  Lovely.

 Daisy has fallen in love with the dog of her dreams.  Her and Dukie really hit it off and considered eloping with each other.  I made sure that didn't happen!!!!

What a lovely day :-)  Let's all sing along..............

https://youtu.be/y6Sxv-sUYtM

Barkley

Yesterday is today is tomorrow is now

Arrrooo

Yesterday wasn't so good, and today wasn't so good either, but today was better than yesterday, and both days were right down on the day before and those lovely days before where I was doing so well. I was a bit better today in that I had a lot more energy than I did yesterday, although I ended up cocking my leg more and doing a bit of marking in certain places.  And yes I did start to strain over clumps in the grass, and flashed as I did it, but only a couple of times. So I wonder what is causing this little set back? It could be environmental as we heard the first blackbird song on Friday, so this means that there is a natural rise in testosterone coming from the changes in the seasons.  It is quite fascinating how the movement of the earth in relation to the sun affects te brain and therefore the behaviour of so many animals. Still yesterday is yesterday, and today is today, and tomorrow is tomorrow, so let's see what tomorrow brings forth.

Today we had a lot of fun as my energy levels were back up.  I went snorkelling.

We played some hunting and retrieving games. 

We also met one of our neighbours who likes to see what she can do with our training.  She thinks we are great fun.

We are also wearing our lovely new bandanas which we got from Baxters Boutique on Facebook.

I hope my dip yesterday and today is just a dip and that I will be back on track again - tomorrow.

Barkley

Suprelorin now into week 3 and an unexpected turn.

Aroooooooooooooo arooooooooooooooooo aroooooooooooooo!!!!!

What a happy Barkley I am, and it's not just the fact that the sun has been shining.  I am feeling on top of the world.


And it's not just about my meeting ........

...................and greeting

 

 ................but also about my eating.

A lot of people, including mummee have been rather concerned about my weight.  I am rather a lean machine at the best of times, but at the worst of times mummee says I look like a stick insect.  I am not as skinny as our old Setter Nalle was during his time, when the RSPCA paid mummee a visit after having received a complaint about a starving dog in the neighbourhood.  Nalle had the same malabsorption problem which Tally has, but we know a great deal more about the condition these days, and Tally has become so much better since having digestive enzymes added to her food.

I was diagnosed with a mild pancreatic insufficiency, and the pancreas is where a lot of enzymes and hormones come from. Digestive enzymes have helped me not to keep being sick and having tummy pains. They also helped me to start loving my food. I used to HATE dinner time.  It made me feel really blurrrrgh. Just sniffing the food which mummee put down was more than enough - regardless of what that food consisted of and she would cry with despair  "not another Setter who can't and won't eat". 

Once I started eating again, just as with Nalle and Tally, I had problems with this lovely food passing right through me, and not doing what it ought to be doing. So why weren't those digestive enzymes which saved Tally's life helping me absorb my food too? What has been going on?  

Well it seems to be that Suprelorin has the answer..... there appears to be a link to testosterone, because not only am I absolutely wolfing down my food. I am actively looking for more. Only this time I am not dumping the extra out the other end.   It is going to be very interesting.  Tally has to go to see Caroline the vet for her medicine check up next week, so mummee is going to take me along too, to put me on the scales.  I really think the scales are going to collapse with shock next time I stand on them.  It is just amazing what blocking that over production of testosterone from my pituitary gland is doing. Nobody can believe how much better I am, and I can't believe just how wonderful life has become.

You will see from the pancreas and pituitary gland links, that these are connected to the endocrine system.  Setters Nalle, Lotte and Tally were all hypothyroid.  So what is it that makes mummee think that Irish Setters have a big problem with their endocrine system, which perhaps isn't focussed around the thyroid at all - but originating from higher up the system? i.e the pituitary gland, or even perhaps the hypothalamus.  If the researchers were to turn their attention to the workings of the hypothalamus in certain breeds, we might even find the cause of bloat - the big killer of large deep chested dogs, as the workings of the stomach are all linked into this complicated system. Perhaps they are looking for the cause in totally the wrong place. FOOD for thought huh?

 

There is someone else who never has a problem with eating...... and if she did mummee would consider her to be VERY unwell....

Anyway, it's been a long day, and now it's time for me to consider getting some sleep. 

 

Nite all.     Barkley.

 

 

Suprelorin day 18-19

Harrow. What a lovely sunny day it is today. You know, I can't keep up with this weather from one day to the next. Yesterday felt like the middle of winter, it was grey, miserable with a cold cold wind which blew into my butts as I ran along.  Wooooooosh.  Today we are basking in the sun. Who knows what it will be like tomorrow? Winter again no doubt. It is so difficult to know what thickness of coat to wear at this time of year!!!!!!!


Well, yesterday, things seemed to be going very well still.  I met lots of dogs of different sizes, shapes, and yes, the Bulldog who approached us on Friday came ambling over again, so mummee decided to allow me to talk to him. He was an entire male Bulldog, and I was a bit worried because of that. However, I needn't have worried. He was very friendly, despite his squashy face and teeth which stuck out, so we all ended up playing together. We were then joined by a Working Cocker Spaniel, whose mummee thought we looked like giant Working Cockers. She is right about that, because that is exactly what Setters are.  Very large working type Cocker Spaniels.


Later in the day we were joined for another run, this time by Bea the Labrador.  I was a bit interested in her rear end as we left home. Phwoah... she smelt quite nice.....

Bea is a bit bonkers.  She always has been, but now she is a little older, she is becoming a little less bonkers.... but not bonkers enough that she didn't stop running when she reached the canal and went flying head first right into the middle of it.  Hahaha.  I love the canal so I thought it was so funny.  However, when she emerged and shook herself down, she had obviously had a big fright, which resulted in her anal glands emptying.

WOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE. She smelt like a girl at the height of her season. The blood and puss smelt just like THAT. I was absolutely BESIDES MYSELF.. I screamed, I hooted, I leapt up and down, I tried to  ........ yes I did!!!!! It was all mummee could do to keep me off her. I was then put on a head collar, the same type as Bea is wearing in the picture,  so that mummee could keep control of me, but even then I was going do-lally. Mummee nearly pushed me into the canal to cool me down, but not even that would have worked. That Bea dog was soooooooo WOOOOOOOOOOOEEEEEEEEEEE.

Eventually, Bea went home, but I hadn't forgotten where she had turned off. I couldn't control my urges so took off after her, across the park, and over the bridge.  I totally ignored mummee calling me. She thought I was going to run up the street, but I didn't. When I reached the street, I couldn't see Bea anywhere so thought better of it, and went back to mummee. After that she had to work very hard to calm me down and reduce the stress ball that I had become.

Today was a different matter.  We met lots of other dogs, including Ruby the Rottweiler, whose dad said was just finishing her season "so she might still be a bit fruity". Well, I had a quick sniff, then another sniff, but didn't find her interesting at all, apart from the fact that she is a lovely dog to talk to. She certainly didn't smell anything like Bea yesterday!!!!!  In fact, nobody did.

Somebody asked mummee how old I am.  "He's 8" she said.  "EIGHT???? he's like a puppy".  I am today. I am a really happy Barkley, meeting lots and lots of other dogs, and apart from when anal glands become an issue, I am so much better than I have felt in YEARS!!!!