Diesel Update - Lyme Disease

EVENING UPDATE: Today he was wrestling with Maggie on the lawn, and even stole her toys away as usual. He's especially laid back though, and didn't even bark when a neighbor drove in and spoke with Ted. He just stood at the door (baby gate keeping him in) and wagged his tail. No barking, nothing. Tonight the vet said he's probably had it awhile (since spring would be his guess) since symptoms don't show that early.


Diesel left our home Saturday, July 12th. We paid $350 to have him kenneled with our dog trainer for a week. We had company coming, and DH made the decision he had to go. We placed ads in area newspapers, and the trainer was going to work with him that week and interview prospective new families to be sure they were the right fit.

Well, the trainer touched base with us during the week, and hadn't been able to get him out of his kennel (big kennel, not little bitty one). Diesel wouldn't let him near him. Oh great. Ted went out with our visiting friend Harry, (and Noah too), and visited with him, and let him out of the cage. Needless to say, he was over the moon excited to see Ted. They went for a long walk in the woods, and since Harry had never met him, they used him as a 'guinea pig' to see how Diesel would react to a stranger. He reacted just fine, and after their visit, he went back in the cage. Ted and I both felt sick about the whole thing. He went from sleeping on our bed and getting tons of love and attention, to being confined to a kennel, all alone. Outside, in the dark, he cried all night for nights. We got a call from a woman that was a possible candidate, and we were to meet her Saturday afternoon in town, to go out to meet him. She'd called back numerous times, very interested. We waited, and she never showed. There were no other calls that seemed promising. So, we went out to visit him, and with the expense of another $350 for the 2nd week, we brought him home. DH bought an extra sturdy kennel for here ($550), where he could go if company came, or such. I should also mention that the dog trainer told us he did nothing wrong, (yes, we told him everything) and is not overly aggressive, and that we should keep him, and just kennel him when company comes, just to be on the safe side.

So he's home, for now. Ted still says he has to go. The night he came home, he started limping. We figured since he wasn't very active that week, his muscles were lame, or he pulled a muscle getting in or out of the truck. We were wrong. The limp moved from the front leg, to the back leg. He went upstairs, and Ted had to carry him down the stairs in the morning. I blocked off the stairs, and slept downstairs with him for 3 nights. He cried out in pain during the nights, it was just terrible.

Diesel has lyme disease.

The interesting thing is that a friend of mine emailed me when she heard we were getting rid of him, and asked if I'd had him tested for lyme disease. What a strange question, I thought! Of course I hadn't (he hadn't had any symptoms). She explained that her boxer got it, and with it came aggression. Once he started treatment, he calmed down considerably. I still didn't connect the two, until Diesel got the other symptoms. I did some research on the internet, and sure enough, she was right. CLICK HERE. The behaviors that got Diesel into trouble, were within the past couple months. It is quite likely that the lyme disease is to blame for his change in behavior.

We've started him on the antibiotic (that he will need to be on for a whole month), and he is almost limp free, and is his happy, loving self again. He has his energy back.

Ted still says he needs to go. I don't agree, especially considering the lyme disease diagnosis.

I got a call from a guy that seems to be a good candidate. We'll work with the trainer and see if he in fact, is. Will he want a puppy with lyme disease? We'll just have to wait and see. I hope not.

Poor Diesel.