3 posts tagged “canine”
So this weekend was a pretty eventful one in the life of Hattie. That would be moi. Matt and Jenn decided that Annabelle and I were going to drive out to the lake with them and go for a swim. I had no idea what they were talking about. I've never seen one of these lake things before and I've never heard the word swim. Annabelle, on the other hand, was beside herself in excitement, so I went along. I put my faith in my sister-mama that this must be something good.
This is what she looked like all the way there. If only the picture could show her tail wagging (right in my face) at a thousand miles an hour!
Until then, stay dry.
Bark, Bark.
So, with my hip surgery on the horizon, I've been thinking a lot about exercise. About a week or two after my procedure, I will have to start an exercise program that will help to maintain motion in my hip joint. From what I've heard, this will involve flexing and extending my hip joint. Swimming will be a very good option for me because this will cause me to flex and extend without a lot of pain. But, I don't have a pool so this won't be something I can do all of the time.
So, I've been doing a little research on the internet about other types of canine exercising, and I came across this growing trend called Doga. Now, I've heard a lot about yoga. My person Jennifer has been practicing it for my whole life. Sometimes we even do this move together called a Downward Facing Dog. She really gets a kick out of it, so I go along with her. But, honestly, I never really understood what the big deal was. Well, until now. Turns out this Doga thing is really good for dogs like me.
According to the ABC news report, in Doga class, people help their dogs do different poses, and also do their own poses using the animals as props. People also give their pups massages and acupressure to help them relax and feel better. Now that sounds good to me!
Bark Bark...or should I say Namaste?
Happy Hump Day, everyone. Or should I say "hip" day, because that's what I want to tell you about today. Yep, my hips. You may recall from earlier, that I took a road trip with my person, Matt, down to College Station. We drove down to the A&M Vet clinic so that they could have a look at me, and figure out what to do about my severe hip dysplasia. You see, my mom, Sadie, had this disease and it is hereditary. It's really important that if you know your dog has HD, not to breed them. Sadie's people weren't very responsible people, so here I am today, having to deal with the consequences. Luckily, I have some really good people in my life and they are going to get me all straightened out!
So, it turns out that the best option for me is going to be a procedure called Femoral Head Ostectomy (FHO). This means that the ball portion of my hip joint will be shaved off. OUCH!!! But, it will be worth it, because I won't have pain anymore from my bones rubbing together the wrong way. It's going to be a hard recovery though. I will have to be crated for at least two weeks and I'll have to do special exercises that will be painful. No fun! Full recovery can take up to a whole year. I'm going to have to work really hard to get back to normal so I can use my leg again. I think it's a good thing that I am so young. I'm sure older dogs like Bubba would have a much longer recovery time.
I'm going to have this done on June 25th which is about a month from now, so I am starting to get a little nervous. After my surgery, Annabelle, my sister-mama, has promised to keep up with my blog for me. She is going to report on my recovery and take lots of pictures. I think this will be good, because it will help other dogs out there with HD to know what to expect.
Bark Bark.
