Norwegian Buhund

Breed Notes 3rd July 2020 Margaret Deuchar

NORWEGIAN BUHUNDS

Now that lockdown is easing with a wider area in which you can travel, I start with a warning for those of you that have dogs that love to swim in lakes and ponds. After the recent hot weather high levels of blue-green algae have been reported in many lakes. Algae is totally natural and tends to bloom in hot weather and is very toxic for humans and dogs alike, it can make the water look bright green and occasionally brown with foam on the sides of the lake. The algae is actually a group of bacteria called cyanobacteria, who cannot be seen by the naked eye but when clumped together they can make the surface of the water look green. If you think your dog has been at risk from the algae, you need to take your dog to the vet immediately. There is no specific treatment for the toxins, the vet may have to cause the dog to be sick and in some severe cases the dog may have to go on a drip, if it is not treated quickly  it can be fatal.

It is not only dogs that are having on-line shows, if you watch Country File, Adam Henson and his sister recently judged an on line sheep show.

Last week I told you about Jacqui Walmsley’s life with dogs, at the end she wrote my hero, Bunny Wabbit my little fighter (Trelowen Amelia at Frostisen ).This week Jacqui tells  why she calls Bunny her little fighter.

Bunny’s Story.

“It has been 2 years now since Bunny put us through the worst week of our lives our lives. Tremorgenic Mycotoxin was the reason for this, although at the time we had no idea what this was. The Thursday night before Three Counties Show (June 6th), I came home to find our house looking like a disaster zone, and Andy pulling his hair out. Bunny had been on a wrecking spree. She had got into the front room and destroyed everything she could get her paws on. Plastic cups, Serviettes, Paper Plates, Cushions, you name it she had shredded it. Not content with this she then stole the Loo Roll and ripped it to pieces in our bedroom. I walked in; Andy took my keys and walked out, muttering words I could not repeat!!  I tidied what I could, picking up the big pieces, fed the dogs and took a cup of tea up the garden. While Mole was keeping Bunny amused playing chase, I snuck back into put the Hoover round, (one of the things Bunny hates). I had only been gone  5 minutes when Mole appeared telling me something was wrong. We call it ‘Timmy’s down the Well’, he runs in makes eye contact, then runs out. He repeats this until you follow. I followed him up the garden, and called Bunny, and that is when it started. She walked towards me shaking, my first thought was that she had been stung, and was in anaphylactic shock. I scooped her up into my arms, and pow she started fitting. It is 7pm and Andy is out in my car, I am on my own. Luckily, I heard my neighbours in their garden. One shout, a little manic shout, and my neighbour is getting the car. I ring my vet and we were off, unfortunately without my phone!

On arrival there is no one there, we came in from one direction, the vet from another. Little did we know that the road is closed and she had to divert. So there is me, pacing up and down, trying to keep Bunny calm, telling her not to blood die, crying my eyes out. At one point she went rigid, and I really thought that was it, then she sank her teeth into my arm, I have never been happier to be bitten.

The vet nurse arrives first, into a darkened room, Kepra & Diazepan, nothing, more drugs, still nothing, frantic phone calls to Christine (my Vet).The silly things you remember, the vet nurse said she needed to put in a drip, and was it ok to shave her leg. Myreply, shave the whole dog just keep her alive. Christine arrives, more drugs. It is now about 8.30pm, she is still fitting, but not so violently. Christine warns me to keep my hands clear as they can bite while fitting, oh little did she know, the room is dark so she can’t see the blood on my arm. Andy arrives, the neighbours having told him what is going on and he rushes over, via the diversion again. Bunny is still twitching. Christine has done all she can, we need a specialist.9pm and we are off to Ringwood, Southern Counties Veterinary Specialist. Bunny is doped up to the eyeballs,still twitching, but alive. We get to Ringwood just after 10pm, they buzz us in, and we wait in Reception. Out comes the vet. ‘Is this Bunny Walmsley?’ ‘um yes’, ‘I will take,’ he scoops her up off Andy’s lap and disappears. 2hours later he returns. She is stable but is still fitting. It takes another hour, and more sedation, before they let us see her.

OMG, it is like a scene out of Casualty, She has cannulas in 3 legs, a breathing tube, pads on her paws, and a tube coming out of her neck. She is wired up to 3 different machines. Sedated but not fully under and still twitching! My heart is breaking, she is only 8months old. Leaving her there was horrible, but she was in the right place. They knocked her out completely after we left; it was the only thing they could do to let her heal. We arrived home about 2.30am. Mole was pleased to see us, but very subdued. We managed a couple of hours sleep

Southern Counties rang about 9.30am; she had made it through the night, and the anaesthetic. They still had her monitored, and sedated and she was in ICU. There she stayed for the next week and had a 24 hour vet nurse with her. The next call was from Christine, she had phoned Ringwood and just wanted to check how I was. On the Saturday they let me see her. She was on the floor on a blow up cushion and a vet bed, still wired up, and totally immobile. Her White Blood Count had dropped through the floor, the smallest of knocks and she could ble d out hence she was still sedated. The vet nurse was sat crossed legged, reading her book out loud to Bunny. I sat next to her and said her name, and we had our  first break, she heard me ,and let out a little cry and moved her head, I can tell you I wasn’t  the only one crying now.I work 5 miles from Ringwood,so visited every day after work. Her progress was amazing, by Tuesday she was trying to get up, apparently she dragged herself across the floor to say hello to a Bulldog. She was incredibly wobbly and had lost her coordination, and still had a head shake. I would arrive about 5.30pm, feed her dinner, hand feeding Chappie was great fun. She came home the following Saturday. We had 8 different pills; she took her last pill at the end of September.

We are now 2 yrs on and she is as fit as a fiddle. She has issues, separation anxiety still hates the Hoover, and aerosol cans, apart from squirty cream that one is ok. She leads Mole a merry dance, ragging on his neck, but he still loves her. We never found what caused it, best guess some sort of mould. Perhaps a bird flew over and dropped piece of mouldy bread, who knows. The only way to know for sure would have been to test her stomach content, but she was never sick and the Vets were a little busy keeping her alive. I can’t thank my vet Christine and Southern Counties enough, they truly saved her life. Thanks also go to Kerry and Emma Frost,at the end of the phone when I needed them. Bunny will always be my little fighter, she might have cost me a new thatched roof in Vet fees, but I would not have it any other way.” So great Jacqui that there is a happy ending but what an awful experience for you all and Bunny, and even re living it  must have been difficult, so thank you so much.

Margaret Deuchar margaretdeuchar@gmail.com

The views expressed in Margaret’s Breed Notes are hers and hers alone and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Norwegian Buhund Club of the UK.