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We took Magnum for another walk today. He is 2 days shy of being 5 months post TPLO and has had his 6th Adequan shot. I think the Adequan is helping him. We have been walking along the road for part of our walk, which is harder on the knees and he seems to be holding up quite well. It takes us twice as long to get down to the lake because Magnum gets so excited that he forgets all his manners. I have to keep stopping and waiting for him to behave again so we can keep going. I'm trying to get him to walk WITH me along the beach rather than swimming now. The water is getting colder and soon the lake will be frozen. We finally got down to the lake today and I let him go in up to his "ankles" with 3 leashes so I could stay on the sand. They are so good at knowing how to catch us off guard. I relaxed for a second and he pulled away from me, leashes and all. He went running off into the lake and, of course, wouldn't come back out. I was afraid he would catch the leash on a pier or boat so I wanted to get the leashes off him. We finally got him to come out by coaxing him with a stick and stepping on the leash. I unhooked him and he ran back into the water. We walked along a bit and up ahead I saw a guy out in the lake with his hipboots on, a net and 2 big fishing poles standing up in the sand. I had to get Magnum back out of the water. We missed the first time he came out but we caught him the second time and hooked him back up. By this time we were getting close to the guy with the fishing poles. I got Magnum to go up on the beach and around the poles but he barked at the flock of ducks and scared them away. The guy said he wouldn't make a good hunting dog if he barked like that. He said he had one that did that and he is no more. I'm sure glad Magnum didn't end up with him. Sheesh! He's right. Magnum will never be a hunting dog. He lived with a torn cruciate for too long and has too much arthritis now. But, he will be a great pet and part of the family.
He used to walk very sedately and slowly back to the house after being out in the lake before we started his shots. Now he runs off to the side, into the brush, to see what he can "scare up". He will nose around in the brush and then stand very still and sniff the air. I keep having to pull him along. :-) Then he'll want to walk home faster than I want to walk. He must be feeling better. When he is in the water, he'll run, chase ducks, jump and run some more. So far he hasn't been off his leg or even limping. I'll have to see if I can get some help with the Adequan until my husband gets a job. I'd hate to have to stop and start all over again with the 8 shots.
It is so good to see him feeling good again. While we're walking, when we get close to the lake, he'll grab the leash and pull and jump around trying to get me to go faster. He's acting a little more like an almost 4 yr old Labbie should. I'm so grateful to all those who made it possible to get him the surgery he needed, especially the Lord. He's a good dog. |
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