u/Prudent-Cookie-4451

Has anyone ever gotten their resource guarding dog to stop being so resource guardy? I've been fostering pitties for about 8 years and currently live with 3. My husbands dog is a lagotto romangolo The pits are lambs. The Lagotto is extremely difficult to manage. He is a singleton. I had no idea how difficult singleton dogs could be. Anyway. He's bitten every member of this family and two of the dogs. Yesterday, he was enjoying a treat. He apparently didn't finish the treat in the 3 hours I let him have it alone in his little separate room where we feed him. My senior male pit bull was standing right there when the lagotto came out and dropped his treat right in front of my other dogs. I went to kick it out of the way in case the lagotto decided to attack the pit. Well. I took 4 level four bites to the hand. He reflexively bit my hand even though I kicked the treat. We've tried behavioral meds. He's currently on fluoxetine. My husband came home early from work and was in tears thinking he needed to immediately take him to the vet and it was his last day. I told him to not make any emotional decisions. Has anyone succeeded with changing dogs this reactive or do we basically just have to manage around him? He's now started guarding us if we sit on the couch. At least I can chuckle because the pitties are angels and the fluffy 35lb $6,000 pure bread truffle dog from grand champion stock is a menace to society. Trying to figure out what to do with this little guy 🫠

It suck's because the breeder completely failed him. She should've found a surrogate litter for him or at least gotten him some intensive puppy socialization so he wouldn't think biting for what he wants is acceptable. We've contemplated sending him back to her but she's now charging $7,000 for "trained adult Lagottos" and I have a sneaking suspicion that's what she'll do with him.

We've toured a few in Moore County for my mom. Many made me sad and felt rundown and depressing. Does anyone have a recommendation for any communities in the greater Raleigh area? Realizing we may need to broaden geographic horizons past Moore. It seems those with independent living and life care have 2 - 3 year long waiting lists.

Has anyone used them? We can't get in with the local neurologist until Thanksgiving week and we can get a triage neurology appointment next week at an academic medical center that's about 75 miles away. Not sure how long it would take to see an actual neurologist. My SIL is an MD and encouraging me to explore teleneurology. Has anyone used Synapticure? Curious for reviews. TIA 🩷

Does the higher number mean anything of consequence -- like stage, etc. waiting on the referral to neurology for my mom.

My dad died suddenly in October 2022. Within a week or two my now 82 yr old mom seemed to go off a cliff mentally. Couldn't find words, complete sentences, etc. he'd always managed the bills but in 2023 I noticed when she was paying them they were being returned to sender because she couldn't correctly address an envelope. She seemed anxious and was talking about wanting to die a lot because she was lonely. Went to the doctor last May and they ran all kinds of test and she had a normal MRI so her doctor Said it was normal aging. A few months ago I noticed shirts were going on backwards or inside out. She was wearing a shirt I bought her as a skirt because she didn't know what it was. Two weeks ago I mentioned her brother (who she hadn't spoken to in decades) and she had no idea who I was talking about. She asked me if she has a son (yes) and since has remembered that fact. I asked her the year she told me 1966. Today I noticed she's just throwing things in the garage trash can item by item, skipping interior trash cans/bags.

Back to doctor after the 1966 comment and they did an MME. just wrote eleven - 20 next to the clock outline. They ordered the alz biomarker tests and it's slightly abnormal. I feel so stupid for not realizing what was going on for the last four years. We can't get in with a neurologist until Thanksgiving. I have been crying for days and feel so
Completely terrified of what's to come.

My mom has had symptoms for a few (4) years. Last year they did an MRI and her imaging after 3 years of this showed a normal brain. This morning, after I insisted on a biomarker test, it came back at .96. .102 or lower are at higher probability of Alzheimer's. Does anyone have any experience with this test? Her internal medicine provider has never ordered the test before and neurology has no new patient appointments until Thanksgiving (!)

I believe we'll soon get a dementia diagnosis. Last year an MRI provided after 4 years of symptoms that her brain was typical for her age (82). But last night I asked her what year it is and she told me 1966. This is a day after she asked me if she has a son and didn't know who I was talking about when I mentioned her brother by name. I've spent the last few days in tears. We have a doctors appointment Tuesday morning and Tuesday evening I have to fly across the county for a work meeting. I'm terrified to leave her and terrified I'm going to be unable to stop crying long enough to make it through this meeting. We visited an assisted living place today. It was so depressing. She asked the sales lady a few times if she'd make friends. She's so very lonely since my dad died 4 years ago and I don't think the social isolation is making her symptoms any better. I live a few miles away and make her dinner nightly. She has dogs that she takes care of. I'm stuck between sending her to AL and letting her live at her home. AL will be about $6500/mo. And luckily she brings in about that much in retirement income.

I have a hard time believing we are even at early stages or mild stages. Not if she thought it was the 60s and couldn't recall my brother. Does AL make anything better
For them? Or is the most merciful thing keeping her with me during the day and hiring an aide to watch her overnight until it becomes too much? My thoughts seem to change by the minute. Part of me wants to consider moving her in but I just got married and I'm sure my brand new husband didn't envision married life starting with a dementia patient MIL living with us.

I am sorry we are all here. 🩷