running » Dogs Don't Look Both Ways

timeline for rehabilitation, swimming and running again

7: Recuperation, 8: Rehabilitation, x10: Renewal, _Stuff about dogs in General 3 Responses »

Nov 092009

After your dog is injured, when should you expect your dog to start walking?
How far and how fast should he walk? How about swimming and dog hydrotherapy?
What’s the best way to get your dog’s muscles back in shape and to get his stamina back?
If your dog is a runner, when and how should you introduce him to running again?

Good communication with your dog’s veterinarian can give you some guidelines. But as always, observe your dog carefully and notice and pay attention to everything, and use that as a guide.

***

Here is my time line for my rehabilitation from my injury. In general, my parents and my doctors made these decisions, not I. If my parents took me swimming, I went swimming. If they took me running, we went running. They decided how far, how fast, and how long I was to be out and walking, running, or swimming. I guess in the end they made the right decisions, because I’m doing really well now. I’m not even limping!

Day 1: I was hit by the car and brought to the emergency room of the animal medical center. When I went home six days later, I had a full-splint on my leg.

During this time, I may only go outside to pee and poop and then must go back home. I must walk slowly.

Week 5, Day 3: I have surgery on my broken ankle, though I’m asleep and don’t know what’s going on. When I go home, I have a half-splint on my leg.

During this time, I may only go outside to pee and poop. I walk slowly.

Week 12, Day 3: I go back to the animal medical center for a bandage change. It has been 7 weeks since my surgery. Although he was going to only take x-rays at this time, my doctor removes my splint!

Since I’m allowed to go upstairs and downstairs, my parents let me go up and down a lot so that my muscles begin to strengthen. Of course, since I’m on my lead, I can’t go up and down too much, but I do it as often as they will allow me, and as many times as they will allow me. When I am home alone, my parents keep me in the living room and close the little door gate. They don’t want me jumping up on anything.

Week 13: Day 3: I go back to the animal medical center for x-rays on my broken ankle. It has been 8 weeks since my surgery. My doctor removes my bandages!

During this time, my leg muscles continue to start working again.I’m still walking with a limp. When I am outside and I start to hop on three legs, my parents slow me down so that I use all four legs.

My walks start out short. Then they get longer. Then they get longer and longer. Then they get longer and longer and faster and faster. My mom is walking longer and longer and faster and faster, too. This is good for me.

Week 16: It has been 11 weeks since my surgery. I’m running and playing in the back yard. My parents are throwing the ball and I’m chasing it and bringing it back. However, we don’t play this game for too long.

Week 17: It has been 12 weeks since my surgery. I’m walking well enough and I’m strong enough to take a walk around the block with my sister and littermate, Rosie. I am still walking with a limp.

My parents take me to the lake for the first time! My mom walks me around the edge of the lake but I do some swimming, too. I go to the lake a few times this week and I am swimming, usually in place, with my mom holding me up by my harness. My legs are getting stronger and stronger and I’m feeling better and better.

Week 19: It has been 14 weeks since my surgery. Dad takes me running with him. We run for one block!

Week 20: It has been 15 weeks since my surgery. Dad takes me running with him. We run for five minutes! Then we walk. The next day we don’t run and the next day we run again for 5 minutes again. I’m feeling stronger. Jane takes me on long walks and she doesn’t’ let me stop and rest until we get to our destination, or until we get home.

Week 22: It has been 17 weeks since my surgery. Dad and I run for ten minutes! The next day we don’t run and the next day we run again for 10 minutes again. Then the next day we don’t and the next day we do. I’m feeling stronger and my parents say that they don’t see me limp when I run. They say “Other than the bald spot on his back, you wouldn’t know he was hit by a car.”

Week 25: It has been 20 weeks (5 months) since my surgery. Dad and I run for twenty minutes! This is our “short” run. I’m feeling good. I’m not limping. We do this run now a few times a week, one day yes one day no one day yes one day no. During the afternoons, Jane takes me on long walks and she even tries to run for a block or two with me, but I’m much faster than she is and I’m always ahead of her looking back at her. They still say say “Other than the bald spot on his back, you wouldn’t know he was hit by a car.”

Week 25: It has been 20 weeks (5 months) since my surgery.

My dad says “Twenty minutes may be it for him.” I’m going to do my best to run longer and longer and further and further.

My doctor says that I’m “a healthy dog”. I love my doctor!

Week 26: It has been 21 weeks (5 months, 1 week) since my surgery.

I love my life! I go to new places and see new things. I meet new people and new dogs. I make many new friends, both people and dogs. Everybody is surprised at how well I do. When I’m off-lead, I obey my mom when she says “come”. At night I don’t limp.

But I do sleep well!

an early morning run, part 1

x10: Renewal, _Stuff about dogs in General No Responses »

Sep 112009

Life can change quickly and cataclysmically – for worse. And life can change quickly again – for better. Sometimes healing occurs slowly and from day to day you cannot see a change or an improvement. And there are some days that are splendidly and noticeably different!

This morning did not start out like a typical morning. It started out even better.

First of all, my mom got out of bed shortly after my dad did. This is unusual. Sensing something out of the ordinary, I got up too.

a new day begins for my family

Besides, it seemed like something I wanted to be a part of. I stretched, yawned, and followed my mom downstairs and into the kitchen, where my dad was already fussing around.

My water bowl was full, as usual. I drank a lot of water. Jane asked, “Is this typical of him to drink so much water early in the morning?” If she were up early more often, she would know.

Soon, things got more interesting and I could feel myself getting excited….Something good was in the air. It was a warm morning. Dad opened up my little box that is in the front hallway and I know that when he or my mom open that little box that somebody is taking me outside! Dad got out his supplies: little poop bags, little lights that he clipped onto my collar, and a little flashlight. Those are his toys, not mine.

Jane, meanwhile, had disappeared. When Dad and I got to the front door, there was Jane, standing outside waiting for us. Dad and I came outside and – we all three started running! See me? I’m the one with my eyes glowing (from the light hitting my tapetum).

But first, I want to tell you that it was dark outside so I am going to write about the little blinking lights that my dad clipped onto my collar. Whenever it’s dark outside, my parents click these little lights, two of them, one on each side, onto my collar.

: I have my flashing lights on so I can be seen in the darkness.

These flashing lights don’t seem to help me in any way but they don’t bother me either, so I don’t mind. Without my lights, I’d still be able to see and smell my way around perfectly well. Dogs can see pretty well in the dark, and we can smell at any hour of the day! But humans wouldn’t be able to see me. This is important because my dad wants to know where I am at all times. He also wants cars to be able to see me.

img_MVI_0032

Here I am with my lights on, under the light on the carriage path by the pond. It’s still dark out – for humans.

Once I have my lights on, we’re ready to run! Off I scamper into the delightful world that awaits. There are no other dogs out at this hour but still – life doesn’t get any better than this!

Now you can continue to part 2.

*******

of swimming, tennis balls, and other dogs

x10: Renewal, _Stuff about dogs in General 4 Responses »

Aug 182009

It’s really important to give your dog exercise after an injury. However, the timing is very important. You also need to build up his strength little by little and you need to know when to stop. ************

Dad and I are running together every few days. This morning he took me out at 5:45 a.m., before the other joggers were out, before the sky revealed its morning light. We ran in the same morning light as on our last long run, before I was hit by the car. This time, my dad and I ran for about 5 minutes, steady running, no breaks. I felt great. Afterward, Dad said I was a little slower than I used to be but who cared. The running was the real thing and I was with my dad; we were together and we had the world to ourselves.

Then I came home and went back to sleep in my bed, and stayed asleep until my mom arose. “Joey, up! Up! Up!” she said, her intonation rising with each “up”.

By that time it was already really warm out. She made up her doggie kit, into which she places a few poop bags and a few treat. She also got a few tennis balls and a few towels. Then she got me into my new harness. I was getting definite ideas at this point: The harness is connected with swimming. Hmmm….My ears are standing up high and I’m following her around our home, focusing intently on her.

Then she attached the lead to the harness and off we went – into the car.

into the water i went right away

Soon we were at my favorite hangout, the lake! Ah, my beloved crystal lake!

There was only one dog there and only a few people, and I think that was the idea.

Into the water I scampered, right away.

My mom threw out a tennis ball, said “Joey, go get your ball!” and I’m supposed to go after my ball, and I start to.

But then I see the distant shore and that scares me so I turn around to face the nearby shoreline, to go back where I started out. This new harness seems to have an answer to that. My mom is right there and she gently lifts me by the harness, which is easy because I’m in deep water already, and holds me in place while I make like I’m swimming. Sometimes she holds one hand under my belly which also holds me up and allows me to just get back in shape.

I am looking at the nearby sandy beach and working hard swimming but I’m not going anywhere – but I don’t realize that. Or maybe I do, but I keep swimming and paddling away. My legs are getting a lot of exercise, my rear legs in particular. That’s what my parents want.

My mom can see through the crystal water of the crystal lake that my injured leg doesn’t quite kick as well as the other leg. She’ll be careful to get me exercise and build up my muscles and coordination but to not hurt my recuperating leg.

Every once in a while she lets go of the harness and lets me really swim – on my own, to shore, of course. I relax a bit and sniff around. Then she throws the ball again, I go after the ball, I get into deep water and become afraid and turn around, and while I’m looking at the nearby shore she holds me in place while I swim. She says “Good boy. Joey, you’re doing great!” a lot. Then she lets go of me and I swim, on my own, to the nearest shore. We go through this a few times.

swimming in place

It’s getting later and other dogs are showing up. I focus on them. The tennis balls don’t interest me. If a dog owner throws out a ball and his dog goes and swims after it, I go after the dog. Suddenly I have forgotten that I’m in deep water.

My mom is watching out for dog safety and if I get too close to the other dogs she tugs on my harness. The harness is gentle and doesn’t hurt or pull or tug on my neck. It just slightly separates me from the other dog.

Another dog, a boxer, is there in the lake, also learning to swim. He’s 8 years old, and until this year he was afraid of the water. His mom and big sister do like my mom does to me: They carry him out to the deep water, let go of him, and he swims to shore, and then say “Good boy! Good Julie!”

After a lot of swimming and physical therapy and playing, my mom decides it’s time to leave the water and head for home.

She’s hoping that when we get home, I’ll be exhausted. But I’m not. I am, however, happy – and thirsty!

************************

name one dog who inspires you

_Stuff about dogs in General No Responses »

May 252009

Is there a dog who inspires you? What does this dog inspire you to do or to be? Why do some dogs or breeds love to run so much?

Last night I heard my dad telling my mom about all the people who have asked about me since I haven’t been out running. My dad still goes out running and when these people see him, they ask, “Where’s your dog?” or “Is your dog okay?”

Before I was hurt, one woman who doesn’t even have a dog said to my dad, “Watching Joey run with such abandon and having so much fun is such an inspiration to me.” She told him that seeing me run makes her want to walk everyday. Wow. Even though running is my nature, since I’m a Labrador Retriever, I know that my dad inspires me to run. We’ve been running together since I was a puppy. When I see him put on his running shoes, even when it’s 5 a.m., or snowing outside, I immediately get excited and start whacking my tail on the floor to express my happiness, and make my way over to my lead. I’m wide awake and rearing to go. Except that these days, he’ll say “No, Joey. Not this time.”

The only thing is that my dad doesn’t like about running with me is when I stop suddenly to take a pee, or to smell the scent of a female that has been around. Other than that, we make a great duo.

Today, when my dad saw all the energy I had, he asked my mom when I get my next set of x-rays taken. He’s anxious to run with me because we both like to run long distances. On a good day we will run for 45 minutes to one hour. On a short day we will run for 20 minutes. He misses running with his running partner, and I miss running with mine!