A few Bright Spots

It's been a roller-coaster weekend, but the good part of a roller coaster is it goes UP as well as DOWN. The visit to the specialist didn't tell me much new, just that Blitz has some weird infection that we don't know the origin of, how to prevent it or really to treat it. Blitz was put on a powerful steroid, an antibiotic and some pain meds. A thorough exam revealed what I already know, and that is that the DM is making headway. The difference here is Blitz typically bounces back quickly and quite strongly and that isn't happening this time. If anything he is a bit worse. It's now Sunday morning and we awoke to find his left rear foot bleeding. It's strange because there is no one point of origin - it seems to be just coming through his pores. The bald spots on his legs also seem to be oozing blood. I soaked him in Epsom salts as this seems to provide comfort and while he doesn't exhibit pain he isn't his usual energetic self. I feel as if he's taken yet another step away from me. If he is the same or worse on Monday I'm making an appointment with our regular vet to get a second opinion on this current state. Our specialist is mystified by his strange afflictions as none of this is typical of DM. So perhaps our regular vet can provide some insight.
The other "down" side of this weekend is Shiloh's litter-mate, Lacey, was given a hearing test and discovered to be stone deaf. Shiloh is also profoundly deaf but after hearing these results, it seems as if Shiloh and Lacey are doing brilliant compensation for the level of deafness they actually have. I'm thinking they can sense certain soundwaves and have learned to respond to them. No matter what, they are deaf at a young age and it appears hereditary so I will have to keep a close eye on Moto. This is the end of a lovely breeding program that produced 5 champions out of a litter of 6 pups. It is sad and tragic.
But now for the "up" parts: I brought Moto to the Sheltie specialty on Friday to help distract me from my sadness of not having Blitz compete. The weather was horriffic and only 1 obedience dog and 1 rally dog showed up. The 1 obedience dog was in novice, qualified, so they got HIT. It was a club member and her dog was lovely so that was great to see. The rally dog was in excellent and so an Honor Dog was needed. I volunteered Moto, although I didn't know the first thing about Rally. The Honor Dog was to do a down-stay and remain down while the other dog ran the course. Then, we were to trade spots and then Moto had to do the Excellent course! ACK! The judge walked me through and explained what the signs meant. What a learning experience! Moto did his down-stay perfectly and then we were off on the Rally Excellent course. Moto did all the exercises perfectly and I even managed to follow directions correctly! We received lots of compliments on his great attitude and what a sense of fun he showed. Perfect! I was very proud of my Boo-Boo-Bear (his nickname).
We drove home through some terrifying weather - blinding rain, hail and funnel clouds. This was my first long drive and I managed to hold it together and arrive home safe and sound. Big accomplishment. Yay me!
On Saturday I returned to the show site to cheer on Obedience friend Kathy and watch Blitz's breeders Bill, Bob & Marla compete with their promising new puppy in the conformation ring. Kathy went HIT and H/C with 199's in both classes. An amazing accomplishment but typical for her-she is such an inspiration! Then the best part: after the tragedy of Blitz, this lovely young pup strutted his stuff and won the 9-12 mo puppy class. Went in the winner's class for Winner's Dog. He won! It was a 4-point major. Marla and I screamed, hugged and cried. These are good people who so deserve this after all they have been through. That made my whole day. This pup has a promising career ahead of him and to watch these good people's dreams finally being realized brings me so much happiness.
The wonderful day was ended with lunch with Kathy and friend Dee and a lot of laughter. It's days like that, that sustain me through difficult times.