Well Folks,
It's been almost 5 months since I posted an update on Diego. I'd like to say that it is because I am lazy, but unfortunately it is due to a very minimal measure of progress.
We are currently splitting time between Diego and "The Girls" as to who has free access to the entire house. We let the girls run for a while, then put them in their room and let Diego out of his. Diego enjoys being out and spends most of his time near my wife and I. He is usually around, but still will not let us get too close. We still cannot pet him or touch him in any way. Typically if we try to pat him, he will run off, but if he is sitting somewhere and we get too close, he'll hiss at us and stand up... completely on guard.
We did neuter him, which had zero change in his behavior. We also tried an anti-anxiety medicine (Buspar) for a period of time and that had no change either.
We're being patient with him, but would have hoped to see more results by now. He is now 10 months old.
The other problem we are having is that since we cannot handle him, we cannot cut his claws. His sharp claws and growing size along with his affinity for running across the back of our leather couch are leaving marks all over it. We tried a dose of acepromazine hoping to tranquilize him, but this had no effect on him other than to diminish his appetite.
The vet wants us to bring him in so that they can gas him and cut his claws, but that is such a tramatic event in his life. We're trying to get him to relax and trust us. I'm afraid that will only reset the clock on all of our efforts.
These are trying times at our place. Now to add insult to injury, we have not heard back from his breeder about his registration papers. The last we heard from her, she said it was due to financial difficulty. We're beginning to question her legitimacy and practices. Her cattery and contract were on the up and up. I met the mother and father along with siblings both litter mates and adult.
As always, I appreciate any insight and suggestions that any may have with these experiences.