RiverTails Ocean's Safe Haven (Luca)

Luca's progress

We decided to write down Luca's progress, this information might give other breeders/owners some more insight in the disease.

• More info about DEN

  +

  "The term encephalopathy comes from the Greek words encephalo-(the brain) and -pathy (disease) and simply refers to a disorder of the brain. In this encephalopathy there is degeneration of a region in the brain called the caudate nucleus. The caudate nucleus is a part of the brain that is important in controlling movement and some aspects of behavior. In DE, this portion of the brain undergoes necrosis or complete destruction of the area. One of the manifestations of caudate necrosis is a very unusual change where the dogs vigorously act out their dreams, and are difficult to awaken. Hence the name Degenerative Encephalopathy with Sleep Disorders and Caudate Necrosis."
  More info can be found @ University of Missouri-Columbia
  
  You can always contact us if you want more info about Luca.

• Progress - 12-24 months

  +

  18-24 months: ...
  
  12-18 months: It is no longer an option to put Luca in a crate for a while, he starts panicking, barking, drooling and smashing his head against the walls and he is at that moment not responding to any kind of interaction. When he's with us, he is feeling safe, so for him this is the only way to cope with the world. As Miwa and Emi were getting into heat and he was having extra problems with his hormons, we saw no other option than to neuter him. The university of Missouri advised us to stay with him, especially when he was waking up, so he was reassured by our presence. The seduction was difficult in the beginning, the surgery went well and the waking up part was steady and calm. Lots of gratitude to Animal Clinic "Orion" for their understanding and extra care for Luca!
  We notice some small changes in his behaviour, from time to time he initiates contact with us and seems to respond and even enjoy the physical contact. His mobility remains the same, his height is in normal range but the filling or further development of his body stopped, which makes him look like a puppy. Exciting behaviour from our other dogs, such as barking, playing, running, swimming becomes more and more difficult for him to handle, only his mother Miwa and our German Shepherd Elmo seem to have a grip on him. We also see a deterioration in his approach towards strangers in our home. In the beginning Luca showed no sign of sleeping disorder, since he turned 1 year, he is having night terrors, it started with once a night, now we are down to max 4. We can calm him down by talking to him and touching him, however it needs a careful approach because it is so intense and he is making snapping movements. It is really difficult to see him struggle!
  During the day he plays a lot with his sister Emi, it is so nice to see them running together! Emi is challenging him in many ways and treats him like he is just like her, a young dog, not a dog with a disease. We can learn a lot from her!

• Progress - 6-12 months

  +

  10-12 monts: So far Luca is doing fine. We notice that his anxiety level is rising, especially when we are not around. His separation anxiety is more and more developping, he wants to spend every minute of the day with one of us. Inviting people over has become quite a challenge, he has no trust in strange people and the sound of their voice is triggering him to show reactive behaviour. The other dogs in our pack play with him and ignore his compulsive behaviour. Really happy to see him burning of energy with the group.
  
  8-10 months: We take Luca with us wherever we go, he has linked the tent at competitions with a safe place, so this makes it easier for us. When he hears our voice, he starts barking. At that moment he can't see us, only hear us, that's clearly a problem for him. His contact with other dogs and people is manageable, food is a good and strong motivator for him. He likes to train but we can see he has to put in strong efforts to control his drives. Luca is a very enthousiastic boy!
  
  6-8 months: At the age of 7 weeks Luca was swimming fine. He recently fell into our swimming pond and was showing no swimming movement at all. We had to rescue him and he now has a special swimming suit for his safety. The sound of water makes him nervous and restless. The only place where he finds real inner peace is when he sits in our lap.

• Progress - 0-6 months

  +

  4-6 months: The symptoms seem to have reached a level where there is no extra progression. He is finally housebroken, knows about 4 commands and he loves to cuddle. We try to keep his environment calm and offer him lots of playtime to control his energy level. He sleeps with mommy Miwa, she has a calming effect on him.
  
  2-4 months: In this period Luca is showing an incorrect tail carriage, where the tail is curved to the left side. He is also showing separation anxiety and has problems with every kind of excitement. He refuses to walk on the leash and has more problems with the paved surfaces, he prefers to walk on grass or sand.
  
  1-2 months: At this age we noticed some small movement disorders, he was standing a bit wobbly on his feet and had some problems with his balance. He is extremily food orientated but is showing no agression to us or the other dogs. He is showing no recognition signs to the rest of the family.
  
  0-1 month: Luca was the smallest of the litter, weight and growth increased steadily, eyes opened 2 days later compared to littermates. No other symptoms popped up at this early stage, in fact Luca was passing all puppy tests with flying colours.

Luca - 5 weeks old