For the love of Pod

[HangingOver]

All aboard Podsquad, it's Pod thread number 4.

In case you were wondering:

• What is this (surprisingly) long-running thread about? A unique lunatic rescue Podenco, known as Pod. Featuring his pals, Stanley, GentleHowl, BabyPod, GentleBounce, Fastest and Princess and many more.
• What makes you so special that you get your own thread? See above

Seriously, if anyone is considering getting a teenage/rescued/sight-hound/Podenco/all of the above and has NO idea what they're doing, please enjoy the previous instalments from the day we brought him home, to now, six months later. Posts will oscillate wildly from euphoric to mental breakdown and back again.

Here is thread No. 3 https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/thedoghouse/5248472-they-love-a-bit-of-him-podlife?page=1

Here is thread No. 2 https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/thedoghouse/5197068-the-pod-cast?page=39&reply=141216881

And thread No. 1 https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/thedoghouse/5177112-oh-my-giddy-god?page=1

Pic of the handsome prick in question.

😆 It's so distinctive from his normal barking. Does your Pod howl? He will happily stick his nose into any rat hole outside that he can't see into, but woe is him if his ball rolls up against a wall or under a chair, he "woo-hoos" for one of us to rescue him from the big bad object even if the ball is easily reachable for him. I love him so!

@PrincessFluffyPants , we call ours PuppyCat! LOL, there seems to be a theme here.

"I love my dirt pit"

It pathetic. If there is a single blade of grass separating him from his ball he does yelp-bark to request human assistance.

When he's after a mouse he'll happily dog through two foot of solid earth.

I'm so glad I found this thread and to find other people's Pods are just as dippy and brave as mine!

I know we've all said how beautiful Pod is loads of times but, my God, he's truly stunning in that picture Hanging 🏆💐

He is. He's the canine equivalent of a handsome film star, the type who can gaze meaningfully into the middle distance.

"The wind puts nice smells up my snoot. And then I SCREAM at them"

Ooohhh, he looks blissful!

Stunning x

Guess who slept from 11pm to 8am 😭 No splats, and very minimal whining. That's with one trazadone instead of two. Could we be turning a corner??

Fingers crossed!

I hope so @HangingOver. A good night’s sleep is important for all three of you. How’s the new food and poo production going? Still down to a better number than 7?

So glad to hear things are getting better 😎
I've been thinking of you all but I didn't want to post asking how things were going because it would get the Podsquad's hopes up for some good news 😊 when everyone sees a new post on your thread!

Oh hanging keeping things crossed for you!

Great news - well done beautiful Pod!

Vets rang with the results. It's possibly bad news.

They said given what they found it's likely leishmaniasis.

Feel a bit numb. Certainly explains his weird little skin bumps too.

So sorry. Horrible news. If it is that, I hope it’s in early stages and treatable.

But you really, really need to think very carefully about the possible effects on your own (and Mr Hanging's) health too, given that it is transmissible to humans.

What? How? I thought it was transmitted by sandflies that don't live in the UK?

I don’t pretend to any expert knowledge, and this might be wrong, but Google says "Dogs can act as reservoirs, meaning they can carry the parasite and potentially transmit it to other animals and humans."

Though further down it says "No direct transmission from dog to human:

• While dogs can be infected with Leishmania and carry the parasite, they cannot directly transmit it to humans through bites, scratches, or any other form of direct contact, according to Candy's Hound Rescue Internationaland Calier.

• Indirect transmission:
• If a sandfly bites an infected dog, it can then transmit the parasite to a human when it bites them"

So perhaps just ignore me. Sorry.

They can only "give it" to humans by a sand fly biting the dog and then going to bite another human.

I really don't think that's a worry, it is bad news though I'm really sorry Hanging x

I'm so sorry, @HangingOver - it's a manageable disease if caught early, though, isn't it, and Pod's so young?

It's endemic in places like the south of France apparently, but unlikely to be transmitted here: "In the UK we do not have the sand fly which transmits the disease in natural situations, making risk of natural transmission from an infected dog very low".

Glad at least you've maybe got a diagnosis though x

So sorry, Hanging.

To find something positive to hold on to - at least you have a clearer picture of what you're dealing with. Your vet knows their stuff, Pod has every chance of living a comfortable life being medicated appropriately now. 🌺

Leish is very, very common here in Portugal and generally treated very successfully, even in dogs that have been infected for long periods of time.

I would guess that once he’s on the right medication he’ll respond quickly