Worried, worried, worried...update on page 2

[dukedogsmom]

I hope he's going to be alright. I'm glad you can snuggle with him. I can only imagine how worried you must be. If you just keep him as a house dog, would he be alright then? I hope he can be well and happy.

[Glacier]

I If you just keep him as a house dog, would he be alright then?

Depends on the diagnosis. If he is hypothyroid, he could go back to working once the meds get it under control. Earle is hypothyroid and recently returned to work in harness. Preacher ran for years after his diagnosis once we got his meds right. (Preacher is retired due to other reasons now). Hypothyroidism is actually very common among huskies and other working sled dogs. If it's Addison's, which seems very likely to me based on my research today, he'll never pull again, but the condition can be managed, maybe for years. There is a possiblity of something worse, but I'm not even going to go there yet!

In any case, I don't care if he never pulls again. I'm not putting him back into harness until I know for sure what caused the collapse in the first place and that it won't happen again. He was never a very good sled dog anyway! He has flashes of brilliance in harness, but is very distractable and inconsistent. Chum is part of this pack wether he works or not. If he is strictly a pet, we'll both be ok with that. I just want him here and back to his goofy self!