Strength Training

Lucy's strength on our walks is improving. Sunday we did a rather long walk and although she periodically slowed way down, after a good back leg rub, she would pick up her pace and mosey on.

I wish I could say the tripping was lessening, but that remains a day-to-day issue. Some days it's nearly non-existent, others, like today, it's frequent. What's the difference? Yesterday she only got a morning walk; there wasn't an opportunity for an afternoon journey. Could stiffness be an issue? Does lack of movement one day affect agility the next? I don't know, but perhaps I need to pay a little more attention to that correlation. Despite the tripping, her speed is great.

Walkies #2

I must admit to being disappointed. I was so pleased at Lucy's stamina the other day, but she hasn't been able to equal it since. She's been timid about going on a walk. This is reminiscent of her behavior months ago when she got on a 'fearful' jag. "Oh! I can't go on a walk! There are bad noises out there!" I have very little sympathy for that.

Once I get her beyond our block, she's fine, so that's what I've done. But it isn't without some effort and cajoling. Yesterday she just couldn't do the length—or at least, I felt that was the case. She was dragging her feet more frequently and was walking quite slowly. I know that's the way it will be (for a while? permanently?). Good some days; not so good others.

We're dog-sitting for the next month for some friends. Their pup is not that old (11?), but quite arthritic and each day I'm making our afternoon walk (in which she joins us) shorter. I think today I'll take her around the block, then continue on with Lucy. I don't not want to walk Suki as she needs the movement and exercise, but I also don't want to create any more pain for her than she already has.

Walkies!

For the first time since mid-summer, we did our full length morning walk. It's about 1.5 miles with two major hills. Lucy did a great job and maintained a normal speed for the majority of it. Towards the end, she started dragging her feet a bit and I put that down to being tired. It wasn't until the last block that she slowed to crawl. Great job, girlfriend!

Vacation & Healing

We just returned from a two week vacation journeying down the west coast from Washington to Yosemite. We were camping so were able to bring Lucy with us. She was in heaven having us always with her in the tight confines of the van. Even when we were out biking, she was in the big 'den' and felt comfortable. The van has a pop top with windows on three sides, so even if it was hot (though we always parked in the shade), it remained cool in the van.

From the beginning of the trip to the end, we saw noticeable improvement. Yes, her back hocks are still wobbly. Yes, she still occasionally drags a foot or trips. Yes, her balance is questionable. None-the-less, she began using her tail—yes, her tail!—for stabilization. That's a huge leap forward. Her ability to catch herself when she's tippy is more predictable. Her energy is way up. In fact, it's way ahead of her stamina, but that's still great news. She loped for the first time. Not quite ran, but definitely loped. She jumped out of the van. (Bad. She wasn't supposed to do that, but was not affected by it that day or the next.)

She's not supposed to do stairs (long flights) until October and then, not without supervision, but my guess is, she'd be okay now. Her first walk at home, she squatted and lifted her leg to pee. That means she was balancing in back on only one leg. HUGE BREAKTHROUGH. Although her walk today was slower than yesterday, she did well. She is no longer rolling off the inside of her back right foot while walking, but using the foot straight on.

For her, it's probably unnoticed, though I'm sure the lack of pain is welcome and noticed. But for me, these small, progressive steps really are joyful. I was feeling quite down about her walking/moving fragility, but it seems she really is recovering. Of course, it's possible she'll never be able to mountain bike with us again, but if she could go on long hikes, that would be fabulous. In the long run, I need to remember to be grateful merely for the fact she no longer hurts. That truly is the best.