- Apr 5, 2021
- 3 min read

Long overdue update!

I'm sorry for not updating sooner. Things have been very busy & the ever changing spring weather has not been playing nice with our medical conditions. I had to slow down on training Bridget for awhile & was very concerned about her. She was seeming very fatigued & lacking stamina, having chronic ear infections, & kept gaining weight. She was showing symptoms that match low thyroid. She saw the vet the middle of last month & she agreed that low thyroid was very likely, as well as a hormone inbalance from being spayed late last summer. We had the basic thyroid test done & even though it came back as normal, the vet agreed that the test could be false. I had already started her on some natural supplements about a week prior for thyroid support, as well as a glucosomine product called Zesty Paws Advanced Mobility Bites & Bridget was already showing signs of improvement on them. I highly recommend the Mobility bites & no I'm not getting a thing by doing so, I just want to help others like Bridget. The vet approved both supplements & said that since they were definitely helping, that I should keep her on them. Her energy levels have continued to improve, she's getting more playful again, & she has not had any more ear infections or ear itching since starting the supplements. As far as the weight, the vet said that spaying a dog can cause the sudden weight gain, as well as low thyroid being more common afterwards due to the hormone imbalance. She said that it should start to balance out in a couple more months or so, plus we have had to put her on a diet. She had her follow up test concerning the heartworms & I'm very happy to report that the test came back negative, the heartworms are gone! Overall, I was very relieved by the appointment. The vet said for the most part that she is doing great & should recover from the setbacks. She is still cleared for service dog work & has improved enough that I'm increasing her walks back up & beginning to increase her training again.

I am so very proud of her. She has been through so much as a rescue, yet she has already rescued me. She is tasking DPT, shortness of breath alert/POTS flare, & anxiety interruption very well. She is doing great walking past other dogs even when they are aggressive & charging their fence as we walk by. This training exersize has come in very handy because while we were walking on our sidewalk next to our home, the neighbors unleashed/unfenced dog ran across the road at us & tried to attack her. Bridget remained calm & behaved. She did not try to reliate so I was then able to get her safely in back into our house. At times she is still showing a bit of excitement when she sees another dog in a store as she wants to play with them, but she's getting better all the time on ignoring them & we will continue to work on that. She's very easy to correct with a gentle reminder. The strongest correction that I have ever had to use on her is the lowest vibration setting of an e-collar. I have tried it on myself & it is no stronger than the vibration alert on my smart watch or cell phone. She is such an amzing & sweet girl. I am so grateful to have her & would be lost without her. Pics are of her while rolling around playing after starting her on the natural supplements.