| 7/12/01 |
| We are almost 14 weeks post TPLO and about 4 weeks into our rehab. Magnum still limps and doesn't put full weight on the leg when standing. In fact, he often doesn't do more than toe touch when standing still. I had him on Glucosomine/Chondroitin supplements but his acne has gotten pretty bad. I'm thinking it may be an allergy to something and the only thing that has changed is the G/C supplements so I have stopped them for now. I want to see if it makes any difference in his acne. Poor guys looks pretty bad. His chin has big red bumps on it and they have even come back on his lips. He has been swimming every day this week. We have gone back to putting a rope on him while he is in the lake so we can get him back out again. He also likes to play "catch me if you can"so he's back on leash. We have a long rope for in the water which gives him quite a bit of room to swim. The rope was a bit of a pain to use because it had no snap or handle. I would have to tie the rope to his choke before he went in to the lake. He doesn't like to stand still and wait for me to do that so it was always a hassle. Then he would run out there and take half the skin on your hands from the rope being pulled through them. So, I thought, what we need is a snap at one end and a handle at the other. I didn't have either readily available so I improvised. I took 2 old leashes. One of them I tied to the "front" of the rope so he had a snap. Then I made a loop at the other end of the rope and snapped the other leash on there so we had a handle at the "end" of the rope. Now we have a long rope with a snap and handle. It works very well for him and also gives him an extra 12 feet or so of rope. He still barks, whines and pulls all the way to the lake. I usually walk him down there because he pulls so hard. The kids come along and carry his toys (tennis ball and stick) and his "lake rope". As we get close to the lake, Kurt snaps his "lake rope" on and lets it run out. When we get to the shore, I have him stand still for a second (and that's about all I get from him) while I unsnap his walking leash. Then he bolts (no, he isn't supposed to be bolting yet) into the lake like somebody lit his tail on fire, and stands there waiting for one of the kids to come in and throw his toys for him. He will go fetch the ball and stick in one mouthful. Kurt gets his stick away from him but he doesn't want to give up his ball. He'll hold that silly tennis ball the whole time he is at the lake and just fetch the stick. Then, he carries the ball home and usually doesn't drop it until we get to the spot where we hose him off. Then we hose him off, rub him down with towels, take him in and dry his ears. *Then* he is finally happy and will go lay down for a while. I have been having Erica take him for short walks later in the day as well as the swimming in the morning. It seems to be working pretty well for now. He has also started (last night) going upstairs with her to sleep at night. He sleeps on her bed with her. I figure it's probably better for him with the arthritis and everything so I let him go up there. He only goes up and down the stairs once a day, which I don't think will hurt him. I think we are seeing some muscle coming back in the leg, which is wonderful! It's going to be a long process but it's great to see a little progress. I think the swimming is really good for him and I know that God knew that this lake would be more than just a fun thing to have nearby. It is an integral part of Magnum's recovery. It is the vet's first choice of exercise for him to rebuild the muscles and strengthen the leg. Isn't God awesome?!!!! I'my trying to keep his rehab section up to date but this has been a very busy summer. We are redoing the bathroom right now, kids have separate camp weeks, we've had lots of the kids friends over, 3 of us have summer birthdays and then there's Magnum's rehab. Summer is flying by and will be gone before we know it. |