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.
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