Special Needs Dog

This was how our 7 month old Irish Terrier puppy, Ludo, was described at the vets today.  This was one of many trips I have made in the past month, as we have discovered Ludo has digestive and allergy problems. 

A new hypoallergenic diet of duck and potato seems to be helping with his digestive system.   His allergies are a different matter and it’s anyone’s guess as to what he is allergic to, but grass and wheat appear to be likely factors.   We need to walk him on roads, rather than grassy areas, as he comes back scratching for the rest of the day and chewing his paws when we’ve walked him on our local common or fields.  It’s unlikely Ludo will be allowed off a lead in the near future as if he eats anything other than his new food, he becomes ill.  He is an inquisitive puppy and would eat everything if we let him.  Yesterday he managed to chew through our telephone wire within the space of a few seconds of me turning on my laptop!!

I’ve been told today that he can have a child’s dose of piriton to help combat his hayfever, as well as use our sons’ eczema cream to help with his skin allergies.  I’m now looking for coconut oil for dogs as this is meant to have amazing benefits for skin/allergy problems and he has a steroid spray to help the itching on his ears which is causing his fur to disappear. 

After spending the past couple of weeks going to meetings to work on drafts of SEN Support Plans for our two ASD children, I think I may need to develop a special needs plan for Ludo!!

If only I could write him a visual schedule for his crate that he would take notice of so that he refrained from barking at 5.30 am each day to go out for a walk.  He is definitely a creature of habit and routine.  Clearly living in such a structured home has rubbed off on him!!