Re: Back on lead walks only Hi I have just finished a month of 2 x 10 min lead walks a day with my 8 month old Rosie. She had a lame back leg. I was concerned that she would not self limit while on anti inflamms so the vet decided to give half a dose. This worked well as she was comfortable but wasn't skidding around on our wood floors like Bambi probably causing more damage as she had been on full dose anti inflamms. It's really hard but for us has been worth it. Rosie has had first trip back to beach today and was fine and not stiff now so fingers crossed that's it. All the excellent advice on here really got me through that 4 weeks. Good luck Sharon and Rosie
Re: Back on lead walks only So sorry to hear Poppy's still having difficulty! I hope she can get over it SOON! Julie, it's great to hear your good news too!! I am in total admiration, as always! I always have a bit of a cringe at the "only on lead walks" posts....I mean, Simba truly IS only on lead walks. Basically always. :-\ It's been a good 2 weeks since we've got to the dog park, and the two times we went that week there was no one there for him to play with. At least he got a little free running in the fenced enclosure, but not much, too darn cold to stand around for any length of time. I feel bad, but at this point don't have a choice. In the spring when the snow melts we can do the outdoor recall practicing, and THEN finally we should be able to do some off lead walks. Hopefully. The upside is that Simba basically hasn't known anything else, so he copes just fine with his lot. I feel bad for him, though. Sigh. Can't wait for spring!!
Re: Back on lead walks only Heaps of dogs have on-lead only and do just fine. Hope the hydrotherapy goes really well! What a find
Re: Back on lead walks only Karen,that's brilliant about the hydro,sessions ...hope she enjoys them ,let us know how she gets on. Lisa,I feel bad that you feel bad.....don't though! You live in a totally extreme environment....hats off that you manage as well as you do.....the reason that you don't see any other dogs is that no one else is as conscientious as you in getting their dog outside.i have extreme temperatures here but I totally concede it's worse for you with that deep snow.when the melt comes and you have the springtime weather things will be easier ....my off lead time is snatch and grab due to the rules and hazards around us.simba sounds happy with his lot...will,be great when you can have him running in the spring,that's a video that will make me smile for you both xxx
Re: Back on lead walks only Poor poppy.....hope hydro is fun and she picks up after a bit more rest. Another boredom filler is arranging piles of old blankets round a room and hiding a dummy in one pile...I did this a lot when cuilli was on full rest and as long as they werent hunting together I managed to limit he speed ofr travel between the piles to a trot...they still do this now of an evening actually and love it...
Re: Back on lead walks only So people with normal dogs, with normal walks, will think nothing of the photo below. Those with dogs on restricted exercise will think "thank goodness for hydro".... This is us tonight. Bliss, just bliss.... Charlie post hydro by JulieTandCharlie, on Flickr
Re: Back on lead walks only Well I have a dog who goes on normal walks but I can still totally relate to the blissful nature of that sight Hooray for hydro!
Re: Back on lead walks only The hydrotherapy went quite well! It's a bit more of a basic unit than at Julie's fab place - the therapist doesn't get in the water with the dog, but stands on the side of the unit. Poppy was a bit uneasy at first, but she soon got the idea and strode out quite well in the warm water… I had her tiny dummy with me (OH was terribly sniffy when I first bought this; but it has been very useful as it fits in my pocket easily and I give it to her to hold as a reward for good behaviour) and also some tasty treats. We did 20 minutes; I wouldn't say it was terrifically tiring for her, but the therapist says she will up the speed a bit next time, and they can also create a flow of water which will make it harder work. The main effect was that Pops was calmer and quieter in the evening. YES, RESULT! Not quite as chilled as the photo of Charlie, but a lot better than the previous evenings. I think the trick is going to be to keep her mentally entertained, so - tonight we are going out to our local pub/restaurant, which is about 15 minutes walk away, so we are going to take her with us. Tomorrow we will take her to our local equivalent of Pets at Home. Sunday I'm not sure about yet, but we'll think of something. : I told OH some of the situations that others are dealing with. He and I both agreed that our issue here with Poppy is really easy in comparison with what Julie is dealing with, or David when Lady's elbow was operated on, or Lochan, and so on. Thank you to everyone for sharing your experiences, it really does help.
Re: Back on lead walks only Ah, that's great - good girl Poppy. Poppy is probably a LOT fitter than Charlie was when he started (we'd had weeks of restriction before we got the hydro going), but yes, it took a few sessions for the speed to be upped sufficiently for him to be really tired - he also got better at it, the first session he didn't quite get the co-ordination, sounds like Poppy picked it up really well.
Re: Back on lead walks only Good for Poppy! Hope she enjoys the outings that you have planned for her over the weekend too. Karen, please tell me you asked about the cats they have using the treadmill, and more importantly, if you could ever turn up and video them???! Just tell you know forum users who are just waiting on that footage... Clare
Re: Back on lead walks only So glad Poppy enjoyed her water-based activities and it sounds like you've got plenty to do over the weekend. She'll be fighting fit again in no time
Re: Back on lead walks only Clare, I asked about the cats.. They said no, they don't have any cats use their water treadmill, but apparently some cats do. Yeah, right. :
Re: Back on lead walks only Good to hear that it went so well for Poppy , hoping she is loads better soon x
Re: Back on lead walks only Bet Poppy will love it after a bit of practice. Lilly, shamefully, will only swim for food (usually forbidden for 3 hours before and 30mins after hydro ;D )
Re: Back on lead walks only We had a great time today at the German equivalent of Pets At Home, and at the DIY store. pops was good as gold, was very kind to a nervous little puppy, got lots of cuddles (especially at the DIY store!), and is now thoroughly enjoying her new kong and toy fox. We can do this!
Re: Back on lead walks only That's because poppy isn't a labrador she's an angel x Hope she's feeling better soon
Re: Back on lead walks only Ooh, you can take dogs into your DIY store??! I wish more places allowed dogs in over here... Pops will be demanding to go shopping again soon - more new toys! Clare
