I'm so excited to report Lucy did her first mountain bike ride yesterday. It was very short (around two miles), but the first time she was completely off leash and allowed to run without curtailment. We purposely did not ride quickly and we purposely only went a short distance. At the end of those two miles, she was put back in the van with a greenie and she went willingly. Her back thighs were definitely quivering, but she was ready to keep going when we stopped to visit friends a couple of hours later. She was ready for her cocktail ball when we got home. And this morning she was ready for her walk and a romp with her (normally chained up but escaped) buddy, Duke. This is so inspiring!
We'll try this again next weekend if weather permits and we'll keep the number of miles small to build her strength and endurance. She might not be able to do 15 miles again, but 5 might be possible. She was so-o-o happy to be running in the woods again!
October 29, 2007
October 22, 2007
Zen & the Art of Dog Healing
I'm not an impatient person. In fact, friends often tease me because they think I'm not standing up for myself. That's not true. I just have a high threshold for waiting. Yet occasionally I'm caught in a hurrayupIwantittohappennow mode and am surprised when reminded to r-e-l-a-x. DH has recently done this to me.
I was telling friends that I was not expecting Lucy to run again and was content with that condition. Everything but her tripping is nearly normal and I didn't anticipate continued improvement. DH, however, said I've lost my perspective. He travels every week, so only sees her on the weekend. On each of his returns, he says he's noticed improvement in her gait. Personally, I think from behind, she still looks like a bit of a drunk the way her hocks slosh. And I do see her tripping throughout her two daily walks. But DH reminds me "all in good time."
When you pat her back end, you feel meat now, not bony hips. From a sitting position, her back legs are helping more and more for her to stand. The need to pull her self forward to get her back end up is diminishing. So this is when zen-like thoughts are called for.
P.S. I still have not heard from her vet surgeon, his tech or his office. In their defense, they are starting a new office on their own, so a return call to me is low priority. However, I am a little disappointed.
I was telling friends that I was not expecting Lucy to run again and was content with that condition. Everything but her tripping is nearly normal and I didn't anticipate continued improvement. DH, however, said I've lost my perspective. He travels every week, so only sees her on the weekend. On each of his returns, he says he's noticed improvement in her gait. Personally, I think from behind, she still looks like a bit of a drunk the way her hocks slosh. And I do see her tripping throughout her two daily walks. But DH reminds me "all in good time."
When you pat her back end, you feel meat now, not bony hips. From a sitting position, her back legs are helping more and more for her to stand. The need to pull her self forward to get her back end up is diminishing. So this is when zen-like thoughts are called for.
P.S. I still have not heard from her vet surgeon, his tech or his office. In their defense, they are starting a new office on their own, so a return call to me is low priority. However, I am a little disappointed.
October 16, 2007
Words from the pros
The surgeon and vet tech that did the surgery on Lucy have left VCA to start their own clinic, so when I called VCA to ask some questions, I was in for a shock. "No, they're no longer here." Luckily VCA still has a neurosurgeon, Dr. Jessica Snyder, who looked over Lucy's file and called me.
My questions were twofold. One, Lucy continues to trip and drag her feet. As often? I don't think so, but it does happen every walk, sometimes more than others. Dr. Snyder said to give her another month. To be honest, I don't think that will do it. I think this is what we can expect from Lucy and I'm disappointed for her. None the less, she is so much happier. Dr. Snyder also said that the nerves may not come back depending on how compromised they may have become prior to surgery, that Lucy's age or other extenuating circumstances (weight, arthritis, etc.) may also contribute. Well, Lucy isn't overweight—in fact, we've been trying to put weight on her, and she doesn't have arthritis (those tests were done prior to surgery). But she is 10 and who knows what genetic issues she inherited.
Dr. Snyder also said in some circumstances, the screws they used to stabilize Lucy can sometimes work loose and that may be why she's tripping. She immediately said that she doubted this. Whew!
My second question was can we let Lucy dictate her own activity level. What I mean by that is if she wants to run, can we let her? Dr. Snyder said no, not yet. Wait another month or so.
Like all aging creatures, my guess is Lucy is not going to be able to run (for any length). Because she continues to trip, running probably isn't good for her as that could mean a broken leg. And that's the last thing we want to have happen in the tooleyberries! Can she still enjoy camping and the woods? Absolutely! Hikes may be her new mountain biking!
I finally was able to locate Dr. Sanders, the surgeon. I put a call into him last week and we'll see how long it takes for a return call...
My questions were twofold. One, Lucy continues to trip and drag her feet. As often? I don't think so, but it does happen every walk, sometimes more than others. Dr. Snyder said to give her another month. To be honest, I don't think that will do it. I think this is what we can expect from Lucy and I'm disappointed for her. None the less, she is so much happier. Dr. Snyder also said that the nerves may not come back depending on how compromised they may have become prior to surgery, that Lucy's age or other extenuating circumstances (weight, arthritis, etc.) may also contribute. Well, Lucy isn't overweight—in fact, we've been trying to put weight on her, and she doesn't have arthritis (those tests were done prior to surgery). But she is 10 and who knows what genetic issues she inherited.
Dr. Snyder also said in some circumstances, the screws they used to stabilize Lucy can sometimes work loose and that may be why she's tripping. She immediately said that she doubted this. Whew!
My second question was can we let Lucy dictate her own activity level. What I mean by that is if she wants to run, can we let her? Dr. Snyder said no, not yet. Wait another month or so.
Like all aging creatures, my guess is Lucy is not going to be able to run (for any length). Because she continues to trip, running probably isn't good for her as that could mean a broken leg. And that's the last thing we want to have happen in the tooleyberries! Can she still enjoy camping and the woods? Absolutely! Hikes may be her new mountain biking!
I finally was able to locate Dr. Sanders, the surgeon. I put a call into him last week and we'll see how long it takes for a return call...
October 10, 2007
Fur growth
Lucy's fur is growing back in. It's been 10 weeks and the picture doesn't show the delineation as well as it does in person, but the patch is still visible. (It's within the boxed area!) If you look at the post She's Home, you'll see the difference. This new fur is very coarse and the rest of her coat is silkysilkysilky. Very bunny like. I'm hoping this is her undercoat and when the top coat comes in, it will match in feel the rest of her fur.
October 9, 2007
...and so it goes
We camped in central Oregon this past weekend and Lucy went on her first mountain bike ride since last March. She didn't go far (~3.5 miles), nor fast—more of a lope. Her hips were a bit shaky at the end, yet nothing like she'd experienced seven months ago. And happy? Positively! Her enthusiasm for the task was unstoppable.
The following day she went on a leashed 3 mile hike, and the day after that she rested. Here is a picture of her sitting in a lovely new blanket of snow.
Her tripping continues and is more pronounced when she is tired or not paying attention. This can be when she's walking ahead, but looking at something off to the side. I am not as anxious about this as I was. One, if it is a case of waiting for nerves to heal or mend, that will take a long, long time. It could also be, as Dr. Sanders said, that that will never change. Because her enthusiasm for life has been restored, I am not as concerned about the tripping as I was. None-the-less, it has to be monitored so she doesn't hurt herself.
One thing we do need to monitor, however, is a weak front right ankle and deafness in one ear. If she is loose in the woods and loping along, her ankle is a weak spot and could be seriously injured. Lucy has always been clumsy, so this is an issue. Also, during our last trip in September, her hearing seemed to diminish? disappear? on one side. I noticed that again this past weekend. We now need to be ears for her so that she doesn't get herself in trouble.
October 1, 2007
Stairs
This weekend was the first attempt at the basement stairs for Lucy. It was a mixed bag. Initially she went up without difficulty, although each step was thought out. There are 14 stairs, so it isn't an easy task and her deliberateness was understandable. I stayed with her going up. Going down she uses momentum and although "crashing" is a possibility, she is coordinated enough to avoid that.
I noticed after a dog walk, that the stairs became more monumental for her and her hips weren't quite up to it. She stopped part way (I'm still beside her) before completing them.
We're dog-sitting a friend's dog for 3 weeks and there is some rivalry between them. The other dog is alpha and definitely uses intimidation techniques to bully Lucy. One of the methods is to lay in a doorway so Lucy won't go past. Another is to lay in front of the dog door (not a comfortable spot and chilly) preventing Lucy from getting into or out of the house. The other is to stand at the top of the basement stairs...
Lucy and I were coming in from a walk and started up the stairs. We were about 2/3's of the way up when the guest dog plopped herself at the top. Lucy stopped, hesitating. I went to the top to move the other dog (verbal commands were ignored). Lucy's stalled upward momentum must have made her want to back down or caused some disconnect between her front and back ends as she started to sink in the rear and slide backwards. I was at the top and around the corner when I heard the noise of her scrabbling to get a grip. I ran back only to see her slide backwards, catch, try to turn to go down, slide sideways down a stair, catch, turn and complete the run to the bottom without falling.
Yikes! Way too close! My heart was pounding. While the other dog is here, no stairs, I can't monitor Lucy and the other dog at the same time. It also means, Lucy must be monitored using the stairs. I hope DH truly understands this. It also might mean, Lucy can't do the stairs, period. I doubt the latter, but it's something we'll have to watch closely.
I noticed after a dog walk, that the stairs became more monumental for her and her hips weren't quite up to it. She stopped part way (I'm still beside her) before completing them.
We're dog-sitting a friend's dog for 3 weeks and there is some rivalry between them. The other dog is alpha and definitely uses intimidation techniques to bully Lucy. One of the methods is to lay in a doorway so Lucy won't go past. Another is to lay in front of the dog door (not a comfortable spot and chilly) preventing Lucy from getting into or out of the house. The other is to stand at the top of the basement stairs...
Lucy and I were coming in from a walk and started up the stairs. We were about 2/3's of the way up when the guest dog plopped herself at the top. Lucy stopped, hesitating. I went to the top to move the other dog (verbal commands were ignored). Lucy's stalled upward momentum must have made her want to back down or caused some disconnect between her front and back ends as she started to sink in the rear and slide backwards. I was at the top and around the corner when I heard the noise of her scrabbling to get a grip. I ran back only to see her slide backwards, catch, try to turn to go down, slide sideways down a stair, catch, turn and complete the run to the bottom without falling.
Yikes! Way too close! My heart was pounding. While the other dog is here, no stairs, I can't monitor Lucy and the other dog at the same time. It also means, Lucy must be monitored using the stairs. I hope DH truly understands this. It also might mean, Lucy can't do the stairs, period. I doubt the latter, but it's something we'll have to watch closely.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)