The little monster - every time I think he has improved and he has decided to finally pay attention to me he takes off like a bat out of hell and I don't see him for an hour! Aaarrgghhh! So to continue Coda's story - I let him go every day, with Kita and Bear who walk with me, so obediently, whilst Coda tore off through the bush like a psycho. They always looked at me with a face that said; "Why can't we go with ..." and they actually still do, to this day.
So we went, and there was minor improvement every few weeks when he would decide to walk with me for a whole five minutes, instead of tearing off like he had a rocket up his butt. Then he would decide to come when I called one day, and ignore me flatly for another two weeks. I remember that we had to go to Von Bach on the 14th of September to see friends, and as I didn't trust leaving him alone, I asked his Mum to take him for the day. She did so, and when we got back that night he was so upset that he cried all night again - he loved her so much!
I said to our lovely vet, Dr Beggs, one day, that I just couldn't do it any more - I had had Coda for three months and was still getting no recognition from him - no love, no affection, no interest at all. It was like he just wanted away from us and to run until he dropped dead. It was so upsetting - we probably all have a secret wish to do something well and have that wonderful recognition and love in return for what you have done, and when it doesn't happen it hurts a little.
And so the struggle continued - there was on day that he greeted me like he loved me - the 17th of September - and never again. I broke out in horrendous rashes with every dip, that sometimes lasted for a week; they would fade the day before I had to dip him again! The stealing, ignoring, and running away continued. We couldn't leave him alone in case he killed a cat, as with the renovations going on we had nowhere to lock him. We also couldn't drive in and out of our house without calling the other and asking for him to be held so he didn't run away - that one day that we forgot he would gap it like he had hell hounds after him.
In a month of getting him, on the 27th of September, Dr Beggs told me that 80% of the bugs were dead - what a huge relief. I could see the improvement, his fur was growing back a little, and he greeted me like he liked me sometimes. I also thought that if 80% of them had died so quickly we were on our way to a fast recovery and by Christmas we would be done and could move on.
By the 25th of October, all the mites were dead but still on his skin - so although they are not living, they're THERE and you have to continue dipping until there are NONE on him at all, not even a dried up dead skeleton of a vile mite that eats animals alive. Then you dip for another month.
We went back in November - still dead bugs. We also moved out to the plot in November, thinking that we were doing a wonderful thing by moving to a lovely twenty-five hectares where they could roam free and have fun and not have to worry about cars, people, or anything. Well, of course Bear and his hunting threw that into a bit of a spin, and he even dragged Coda along with him once, but luckily Coda is a more gentle soul and on his mad roaming runs that he takes he doesn't kill things.
Settling in was difficult for me, and heaven for the dogs. There is a million smells and things to follow and look at and chase - Coda was in his element. Still, every time we opened the gate he would belt out and disappear. The first three times when he escaped me and disappeared, I was worried enough to belt after him through the bush frantically in shorts and plakkies and in the dusk as the sun set, panicking that he was going to get eaten by the resident leopard or gored by a gemsbok or tackled by a pig. At that point porcupines hadn't even registered in my brain! Then I said to hell with that and let him go - and the little s.h.1.t always came back! In an hour he would be lying in front of the gate, panting and happy. He would charge inside and run for the water bowl, avoiding me as he got scolded.
Eventually, I gave up scolding and smacking. My theory behind that is that we had dogs when I was younger that roamed, and on getting hidings they became nervous wrecks but it didn't stop the hunting and roaming. So Pio said that he would scold, as it annoyed him and he worried about the mutt, and I said it was pointless and I would instead love and cuddle him. Hmmm ....
In the middle of all of this, I had dipped him and a few hours later noticed that he was incontinent and leaking all over wherever he was lying or standing - it just dripped out of him. I spoke to Saskia again, and she said there is no way at all that the dip could have caused it - Ectodex doesn't have that effect and it must be something else causing it. I thought OK, no problem, and when it didn't happen again I forgot about it.
We went back to the vet in December - still dead bugs. Then I wen away to Swakop for a week and a half, and his dipping say fell on a day I wasn't there. Pio said he had dipped for me when I asked, and on we went. When I got back on the 2nd of January, I found Coda had started eating his tail - a lovely big hole in it with no fur on. I felt like banging mine and his head against a wall.
I spoke to Sas, who said yes it's a hot spot, salt water it and see how it goes. It got worse, so off we went to Dr Beggs, who put him on another three weeks of antibiotics and cortisone - a smaller dose than he originally given in the beginning. He said to put a sock over his tail so that he stopped chewing it and that it didn't aggravate the wound. The cortisone and antibiotics helped dry it up nicely, and he ALMOST stopped chewing it. The moment that he came off of them, he started chewing again and has now stripped off the hair on the other side - time to go back to the vet. Either it's the demodex that has somehow flared up on his tail randomly, as Dr Beggs said that it's an unlikely place to have them, or he just can't see to get over the itch. We are due back at the vet this week for another skin scraping and check up.
BUT, on the bright side and with only occasionally a little lapse, Coda has finally turned into the angel that we wanted him to become. He loves us and will come for cuddles on his own; he races into the house in the mornings and will dash through the house like a lunatic - on and off the beds and couches, and if I'm lucky he wills tay in bed with me for half an hour and cuddle. He comes when I call - well OK, sometimes - but the best of it all, is that every evening he walks WITH us. He goes a little way on ahead and is out of sight, but by the time we turn to head home, he comes racing up behind us and stays with us all the way home. At the fate he charges off down the hill on the other side to have a sniff, and then comes back before we close the gate. This has now been happening for a month; although, just as I am sure we have won the war he takes off this morning and had a half hour wander. He was back quickly though.
Even in spite of that there is such wonderful improvement in him; his coat is shining and there are still only a few marks on his face and front legs - and of course his tail. He shows love and happiness when he sees us, he dances for his dinner every evening, and he walks with me and off the lead.
So although we are still fighting the demodex five months later, I have finally realized that the rewards I wanted so badly are there in front of me and have finally happened. I love the little monster - although I must say Nala doesn't, she hates his guts and still walks on eggs around him. I don't think she will ever recover, but there was no way I was dropping him at the SPCA or putting him down. Maybe that is the wrong decision for my cats, but we are working to give them their space and time apart and hoping that it will work eventually.
For now Coda is part of the pack and our family, and we love him to bits.
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