teagan and i had our first session at the dog pool (http://www.fit-dogs.com/swim.html) last night, and it went great!

teagan was a little weirded out ('i'm not sure why we're doing this, but okay....' but swam well (at first she kept trying to make for the side or to the ramp into the pool), was interested in toys (though didn't actually play with them), and swam after treats (and did eat them).

we had a staff member there helping us and showing me how to guide her and how to make sure she was working her back legs. if teagan just goes forward, she got all her power from her front legs, so we'd either hold her stationary or slowly pull her backwards and she really started using her back legs.

the staff member also pointed out that teagan has weak hips, her back end kept rolling to the side. but that she has relatively good musculature (which is true - when i got luc, he hiked at 2.5k/hr pace - it just killed me - now he can go double that - teagan's first time on trail i was ready for 2.5k/hr but she went 4k/hr - i never thought of her as weak or having issues b/c she can get a lot of power going).

(also, wow does teagan look a lot slimmer wet - she still needs to lose some weight, but she looked like she was at the high end of normal)

and teagan was beautifully behaved for her post-swim shower and blow dry (not hot air, it just fans out her undercoat).

she was even good while we were waiting for the streetcar and an drunk and old woman came up and started telling me how german shepherds were the best dogs, how she'd had one, did i know they could get arthritis (as matter of fact, yes!), hers did, and then her neighbours took care of it, but it died....at that point she started to cry. teagan was watching with a rapt air of fascination, but not at all aggressive, so when the crying lady asked me if she could pet teagan i said yes. teagan wasn't bothered at all by the lady petting teagan, she was too curious. after many drunken 'i love yous!' at teagan the lady left. but i was very proud of teagan's behaviour.

i've also made an appointment (not until early january, unfortunately) to get teagan's hips properly xrayed for dysplasia so we know exactly what we're dealing with.

and i THINK the pain med (aspirin) is helping - she peed and pooped after work yesterday, squatted but didn't really pee last night, and then just after i went to bed, maybe 5-10 minutes after she ate, she had an accident (and i'd just put the bed in 'she hasn't had any accidents for awhile') - she peed and pooped - loose pooh - but she wasn't lying in it or wet from it at all, which is really good. i thought it might be possible that the supplements upset her stomach, but i think the likelier culprit is the aspirin. i'm going to ask to switch to metacam as i think that may be more palatable. (edit: and she peed this morning! wow!)

anyways....if you don't have access to an outdoor place where your dog can swim, especially in the winter, and it has any problems - see if there is a dog pool! i know toronto has 2, so they must be relatively common - but i was so impressed! it went really great!

That sounds like fun! I think I would like to give it a try sometime this winter. You mentioned there were two dog pools in Toronto, would you happen to have the adresse of the second pool I searched but am only getting the pool you went to. BTW did Luc go in as well?

That's awesome Jenn! You're doing really well with her, it sounds like.

There are now canine rehab places with heated pools that are only big enough for the dog to swim in place (the water going in the other direction: picture a treadmill). I went to see one and saw the dogs just loving it. Even dogs afraid of big bodies of water (and yes, they exist) seemed to really enjoy the warm tank. And they also had vests for dogs with weak forelimbs so the rear legs and hips could keep them afloat.

P.S. Not only does the swimming get the healing blood (white cells) into knotted joints, but it also strengthens the muscles around the bad joints --- which reduces the stress on a weak joint and gives it muscle help. The same goes for spinal issues.

the pool where i took teagan is big enough to swim little laps, and to play, which is really nice, though they also have ties if you want your dog to just swim in place. they had vests and toys, a ramp up to the pool and down into it (as well as steps), it was really well designed. not fancy, but nicely done.

i took pictures, but the lens was fogged up, so they're all of a foggy teagan swimming laps.

luc didn't come. as he is a dog afraid of a big body of water, i'm waiting until teagan thinks going to the pool is the greatest thing in the universe (i don't think it'll take too long) and then i'm going to bring him, since he really feeds off her confidence. but i'd like to use it to increase his confidence around water, as i'm planning on the dogs coming on a couple of canoe trips next year.

terra - i think the other pool is in north york, it might be closer for you (fit dogs is at broadview and dundas). i saw an ad in one of the dog papers, i think dogs dogs dogs. but you're right, when i googled, all i found was fit dogs. i'll try to see if i have an old paper tonight (though my computer seems to be broken, but if i find i'll pm you monday).

i'm really glad things went well - i'm still sad about teagan not being well though hopefully making improvement, but - it's a process. and i've been through the process tonnes of times before, i've taken care of more special needs animals than i can count, but it still kind of sucks, though i'm hoping all of this - physio, supplements, pain meds - comes together and she can live a normal life. anyways, we're going again next week, and i'm really looking forward to it

 Quote: Jennifer Mullen

i'm still sad about teagan not being well though hopefully making improvement, but - it's a process. and i've been through the process tonnes of times before, i've taken care of more special needs animals than i can count, but it still kind of sucks,

Me too, from deaf to blind to hideously allergic.... but you could think of it with relief that the dog found YOU and not an owner who couldn't/wouldn't do what can be done to give the dog a secure, happy, and healthy life.

Also, I learned with my first handicapped dog (who turned into one of the happiest, most fun-loving dog I've ever had) that the knowledge we gain from that kind of challenge is priceless. Forever.

If I had not adopted a dog, years ago, who was going to be PTS because of her horrible allergies (zero quality of life, itchy bloody smelly dog, deaf from repeated ear infections, on daily Prednisone), then I wouldn't have started the canine nutrition and allergy research that I had to start (sink or swim) to give her a good 2nd-half of life.

that's true

i should note, i don't in anyway resent that teagan has these issues - it more sucks for her that i hate. i do know what you mean though, a lot of people just don't want to deal with it.

they do teach you a lot - i had two foster kitten sisters (third of litter was stillborn) - one had asymptomatic hydrocephalus w/micropthamalgia (essentially no eyeballs - the neurologist was the one who found these sort of abortive eyeball things back in her sockets) - she was the smartest cat i've ever met, if i didn't know she didn't have eyes i never would've believed she was blind. her sister had a fused spinal cord and megaesophagus (and far more mild micropthalmalgia....i can't spell it today), but a very atypical behaving megaesophagus (usual right aortic arch though) - dumbest cat i've ever met in my entire life (guess which one of the two couldn't figure out the litter box) but a sweet angel whose death just destroyed me. but her sister found a great home w/other cats, and they really made me realize how psychological so many of our limits are, that we stop ourselves. my mitch is like that - he's 16, a tripod, with no teeth, asthma and herpes - but nobody screws with that cat, b/c he doesn't see himself as weak.

i just always wish - rescues often have enough other stuff going on, i wish they didn't have to deal w/physical things as well. but that's how life is, heck, a lot of the times it's probably why they end up in rescue.

Hi Jen,
I know you will hang in there with Teagan. The swimming is wonderful therapy.
I've been taking my Pitmix rescue for underwater treadmill session to build up her lateral quadracep due to a luxating patella. In just about 4 weeks, going twice a week she has increased the deficient leg by 5cm!! I have no longer noticed the symptoms of the luxation as well.
I feel fotunate that I am close to a facility/vet who offers this service!! Quite a niche market!!

linda

thanks

called and spoke to the head vet friday, who said teagan should go off the aspirin immediately, spend the weekend 'clearing' her system, and start on metacam tuesday.

i can definitely tell the difference w/no pain killers this morning i was walking too fast and didn't realize until i had to slow down for teagan.

i'm really looking forward to our next session thursday. i'm planning on doing one session a week, but i may end up monitoring that and switching to two/week.

do you still go two times a week? how long are your sessions for?

(and yuck, yesterday - we had a lot of snow, and this lab - there's a couple of real a-hole labs around me, i'm not sure if they're the same dog or not - barked and came full tilt at us. being as i was in about 40cm of snow at the time, i was limited in movement, but did the whole 'no!' thing. the dog went straight for teagan! errrrrgh. i've really been working on her with dogs and she's been doing way better. anyways, i had to kick the dog off (4 times, i'd say i wasn't kicking hard enough i guess, though the dog was lying in the snow when the owners got there - though i seriously don't think i hurt it, i didn't hear any cracks and the owners didn't come running after me freaking out, so), but can i say - i love having the leerburg traffic lead for teagan. i always walk her on it and it gave me great control to remove her (up and away) in this situation, since shockingly her response to a dog barrelling full tilt at her wasn't a friendly one. the owners came running up 'our dog's friendly!' - i just said 'yeah, well mine isn't, get your dog away from mine and get it under control.' also, i'm no dog expert, but i can't see running full tilt into a strange dog as a friendly greeting - there was no hackles up, that's true, but that has to be rude behaviour)

edit: also, now that she's off painkillers, teagan's having more accidents in the house - i had seen improvement on the aspirin (stomach upset aside) - i'm just cleaning these up, since i don't think teagan can entirely help it.

do i need to be worried about housebreaking/regression in housebrokenness?