"The floppy foot is hard to flip over these days...."
That is GREAT NEWS.
Neurologic recovery is never a sure thing. So very pleased for you and Vince!
Great therapy.

So happy to hear of the good progress Vince is having,
you are doing a great job CJ! Keep doing what you're doing!

I am so proud of you!!! Believe me I know how hard the containment was on you! You actually have inspired me to keep Thor on a much shorter leash to allow his shoulder to heal (most likely ligament tear but no MRI) I don't want to put a 12.5 year old dog under anesthesia if at all possible. Thank goodness the Noweworks class has provided the calmer outlet (well sort of.....he gets a little crazed when the harness comes out)to take the edge off.

Good for you and Vince; you are lucky to have one another!

I didn't mean to miss out on Vince's progress...a lot going on around her lately. Way happy to know he has progressed even more! Keep it up, remember my chow/setter with the severe injuries doing agility and kicking tail! Vince will run again!

So pleased to hear things are really on the up for you guys, you have been so dedicated to Vince, and it is clearly paying off, fantastic news CJ

 Quote: David Winners

Drivey pet dogs need to come with this label attached. Our shelters would have half the dogs in them.

I couldn't agree with you more David. I've done quite a bit of rehab over the years and taking a fear biting machine to a more mentally confident, relaxed state of mind is one thing, trying to change an actual energy level, for medical reasons, is quite another.

Mary did mention that it will eventually become the norm and as hard as that was to believe at the time, his routine of reduced physical activity did become the norm. It's a lot of work though, dreaming up little games to play.

 Quote: Betty Landercasp

Neurologic recovery is never a sure thing.

Betty, this is very much what Vince's vet has been telling me too. And while I say he's doing fantastic and I'm sure it would take a trained eye to notice otherwise, he's still not quite 100 percent. I notice a bit of a wobbly sway at times where his movements previously were consistently super crisp. They are spot on for the majority but every once in a while I notice it. The Dr. said if there is some actual nerve damage, it may never repair itself completely.

We'll see, time will tell. In the meantime, I've changed a lot of his kamikaze ways.

And OMG Sheila, if I can do it, trust me, so can you. I'm sorry to hear about Thor's shoulder. Nose games totally saved us.

Making him find his meals was a big one for us. On the colder days, I'd just put parts of it in another room and shut the door. When he got the right door I had him sit and let him in. Then I'd hide the rest of it in another room. His treat ball too. He loves these games and they're surprisingly energy draining.

When they're full of a ton of energy, just simply walking, having them restrain that intense desire to run is also quite draining. Normally we walk or go to an area where I can allow them off leash for hours of running as we dawdle along. Having to restrain him thru this was the toughest. But instead of throwing his ball, I would sit him in a stay, walk ahead myself and toss the ball to him. It's to a point where I walk as far as I can throw and he's just as excited to catch it as he is to chase and retrieve it. Much lower impact and you can completely control where that silly ball is going.

I don't know Sheila, those are a couple of things that are helping me but no doubt about it, it's one of the tougher things I've had to do. I can see why the vets are so quick to offer up sedatives, which we never did take advantage of. I'm sure they have their place but Vince's mental state is something I've monitored since day one and chemically changing anything at this point is not something I was prepared to do if it simply meant he needed a different type of stimulation. Almost took her up on it at one point thinking "I" could sure use something. Happy to say we've both survived without prescribed sedation - wine does have it's place though.

It's been a busy weekend with company the last two days, best laid plans out the window again. But last night was so interesting. Bob had a few guys over (our turn for pay TV) and Vince was one of the five dogs in our living room. I didn't allow anyone near him and he wasn't part of the dog gauntlet step over when heading to the washroom, but I couldn't have asked for a calmer dog in all the action. He's just doing so well and I know it's him with a clear head.

I can also see where these types of injuries can have as different outcomes as the dogs and people themselves. There’s really no set guidelines on this stuff but the information I received from you guys here was spot on in so many different aspects.

And thanks again, everyone. Your encouragement and support has been so incredibly helpful though all this.

Oh and Sheila, along with some of those things I mentioned, sledgehammers work really well too. We just need a few more of those 2006 folks. Mind you Mary wields a pretty good one.

Mary? Sheila may need some help here too...

 Quote: CJ Barrett

Oh and Sheila, along with some of those things I mentioned, sledgehammers work really well too. We just need a few more of those 2006 folks. Mind you Mary wields a pretty good one.

Mary? Sheila may need some help here too...

HAHA! One thing in my favor is that Thor is actually an older boy, so his energy requirements have been dialed back from when he was Vince's age. At that point I think I would have wielded the sledgehammer and bludgeoned myself.

He is doing really well with the restricted exercise; he's happy as long as he gets out and walks and plays gentle games for at least an hour in the AM with 30 minutes in the evening and a couple of 10 minute Nosework practices thrown in.

Being a weirdo, his being ok with this makes me sad because it is the first time I can see him aging and I don't like it. But thank goodness his joy of life is evident in all that he does.....he just doesn't do as much as he used to.
I hope I'm not one of those people who is never happy; how irritating.

CJ excellent news on the update here's to Vince's full recovery

Glad to hear that Vince is doing much better.

Thanks guys, we're taking it day by day.

I may never fully have my old boy back but this calmer boy that has emerged is a real pleasure. If I can assure that he's not in any pain and continues to function at this almost normal level, I'm totally happy with that.