Reptile & Amphibian Forums

just this minute read the 'topic' & couldn't even bring myself to read the message, scrolled down to Kaiser's picture -

I do understand, but am so very very sorry - I don't believe anyone could have/would have been as good to him as you & Matt were...

I do hope that you will remember the best times that you shared & how truely (in spite of the worst), deep your bond/love was & that you will always be a part of one another.

I am thankful that this ended up being a planned good-bye, at least you'll have that.

I'll go now & try to get through your messages. Bless you, Lynn & the hounds in NW GA Mtns

just read the follow up! yes, I agree that was a very strange set of circumstances -

it did cross my mind that maybe Kaiser has a brain tumor???

since you have gone through so much, I think I'd get some scan (whatever)done...

and I can't recall, did you ever try any medication?

I'll be sending all the best thoughts & waiting to hear - didn't realize that I'd be so emotional over this - but I know you've got to be stunned.

that the friend (trainer) & your dad, are so willing to do this, after knowing the history is amazing.

hoping for a miracle for Kaiser, that boy soooo deserves to have a wonderful life, Lynn

Aww Lynn, I'm so sorry I made you cry needlessly. As far as I knew he had been put down but my dad called that night to explain what happened.

We've done everything medical imaginable. He's had x-rays, blood tests, physicals, all sorts of scans and our vet even asked if she could do an fMRI test on him for her research, to see what parts of his brain become active with certain stimuli. We tried meds but for some reason they all made him a zombie of himself. He wouldn't play, would barely eat (and he's remarkably food-oriented normally), he wouldn't respond to commands, he was peeing in the house, and he was snapping *more*. If he was even slightly disturbed while sleeping he would go nuts. So no, meds didn't work and there's nothing physically wrong with him.. Even if he stopped snapping on the meds, I couldn't make him live his life like that, it was awful to see the life go out of him like that..

So far training seems to be going well. I'm still not getting excited but there's nothing I can do but wait. My dad thinks that we should be able to bring him back home around Christmas time..

One thing that made me a little angry was my dad's next door neighbour. The yard Kaiser uses outside is well fenced, and surrounded by a well fenced park. He would have to jump 6' high to get over it. He can't do it, and he has yet to even attempt it. Anyway, the neighbour wants him muzzled at ALL TIMES. She says having him there is a risk to her daughter, who visits unannounced. She walks into the house and yard without asking or knocking (I think she's 10 years old or so). She knows that Kaiser is there, and that he does bite (he bit her once). Basically, I went home that evening and told the neighbour that we will keep Kaiser in the safety of the house and yard. There will be no problem if she keeps her daughter from randomly walking into peoples' houses. And no, Kaiser will NOT be muzzled all the time. The house and yard are inescapable so as long as her daughter stays out, she'll be perfectly safe.

I understand this woman's concern but it made me angry that she demanded that we keep him muzzled whether he's in the house or not. She lives almost 3 miles away too..

That sort of sounds like neglect to me. What is a ten year old walking three miles away from home for?
A ten year old can be told not to go to someone house they they will understand. The mother needs to sit her down and explain about the dog. If the mother doesn't do this maybe your mom or dad can sit her down and tell her they love her blah blah blah and that Kaiser has issues and could hurt her so she needs to call before coming over or something.

I know.. Kaiser bit her once before. She forgot that he was in the bird room and she didn't read the sign on the door, and went in to see the birds. My brother happened to be walking by thankfully and pulled her out of the room. The damage was no more than a scratch near her neck, but it could have been much worse..

Since then, she has started knocking on the front door to the house. Kaiser generally stays in the back half of the house with no access to the front door (to prevent accidental escapes) and she knows it. Mikki isn't the problem, it's her mother.. Mikayla knows that she's always welcome in that house and she does knock now, and she knows that she's considered part of our family.. She is well aware of where Kaiser stays and he no longer has access to the bird room unsupervised so she can go and play with the parrots without being afraid..

We're doing everything we possibly can to keep her safe and to allow her to keep visiting whenever she wants to. And in return, she respects our rules and follows them to the letter. None of this is good enough for her mother though. Which is why I asked her to keep Mikki at home, if she's so worried about her..

Bleh.. There's nothing else we can do, just live with it..