Day 18: He’s on the Up! Sunday Funday and a Laser Light Show..

Last night he was shattered from all of his hardwork of the day and I thought I might just try once again to lift him onto me for sofa cuddles. Now if you recall on his first night home I tried this and he yelped in pain and I was horrified. I’m hoping this attempt will be more successful.

Lloris; sofa snuggles he made it!- sleepy boy

Just to note; he’s only officially afforded the luxury of sofa cuddles when he’s poorly as long as he’s laying on me and his stinky bum does not touch the sofa! (But I do know he sneaks up on it when I’m not looking!)

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Great morning, fabulous outdoor standing and getting up on his own.

Outdoor standing is easy for him now!

I really am is disbelief at how very far he has come in just 11 days of home rehab (more like boot camp!) and 17days post op.

When I think back to the day I brought him home and the mental struggle I had to conjure any kind of hope for him to walk to where we are now, it couldn‘t be further apart.

Just in these passed couple of days I can see that he WILL walk again. He’s very almost doing it. What that walk may look like is another matter but we don’t need the perfection of any ‘cat walk‘ struts, I just want what I keep harping on about - for him to be able to run and misbehave on the beach. His absolute favourite place!

In fact; I feel confident to set us the challenge of getting him there for his 4th birthday on 16th June 2022 and you are all invited for his bbq sausage party on the beach!

For those of you deterred by the bleak outlook of a grade 5 IVDD case having a 50/60% chance of walking and it taking 9 months - I say we can certainly improve on those odds with the right love, care, patience and ultimately determination and hard work!

Of course I realise certain things do need to be inline for us, mainly for them to have feeling in their toes post op. However, Lloris’s feeling was barely there. Just days ago he would let me use the electric toothbrush on his pads and around his toes without overly noticing. Now he can’t bear it and pulls he’s foot away straight away! That initial just slight feeling can be ‘brought’ on further - I know for sure, we have achieved it.

What I have observed is that his daily progress really didn’t start to kick in until he was off of the medication. I’d imagine this subdues them a little and they really need all of their spark and energy at its best to overcome this giant hurdle!

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I piloted the ‘coat on and breakfast outside’. In the hope that he would do his great big morning pee outside for a change! He wasn’t best pleased.

Breakfast outdoors??? I’d rather not!

l didn’t quite get the result I was looking for but still a ‘win’ I think!? Rather than upon his last mouthful of breakfast a puddle of pee flowing out of him …. we instead achieved a no.2?! I’ll take that I suppose. Its not currently on my kitchen floor so always a bonus!

The Infared Cold Therapy Laser Machine has arrived so we shall put it straight to the test.

It can be used on animals and humans which is quite handy as I’ve taken up Body Pump classes at the gym since his injury in an attempt to build some muscle myself to be able to lug my big boy around. I shall have Madonna toned arms in no time! This morning however I’m feeling a little crippled, I may have over exerted myself! Maybe I need to give this a trial run on myself first!?

I get the device out of the box and all looks very straight forward and couldn’t be easier to use. It has a timer and different power settings. I test it on myself and it doesn’t hurt whatsoever.

So now time to put it to work on the pooch. The instructions say it can be used up to 30mins at a time twice a day.

I’ve decided I will complete 3x 10min sessions as part of his 3 formal physio sessions every day then in the evening when he’s just sat with me I can do a longer 30minute session.

He‘s quite happy to just let me get on with it. Let’s hope it has some impact.

Note: either wear the goggles or don’t look at the light. I did neither and could see purple patches on everything directly afterward. Whoops!

Infrared Cold Laser Therapy - can’t feel a thing!

At the surgery site along his spine is still quite swollen, so am hoping this will help with that.

As his attempts to walk (still only outside, he wont do it inside - strange pup!) are coming on well this morning I think it’s time we get to grips with this sling walking.

Walkies! You can do it Lloris!

I bought him a rear end support harness the other day. It’s a bit big (made for a Rottweiler I think! Not sure what I was thinking!!) but will have to do for the purpose of todays practise walking! The usual slings pushes on his bladder and I’m sure I don’t need to explain what happens thereafter…

He’s getting on pretty well I think?

Now to spend the rest of the day tackling the bomb site of a house and get my life a little back in order! I’m feeling positive about everything today aside from a little overwhelmed by the shear amount of cleaning and tidying I have to do!

I guess I understand what parents mean when they come out with the line;

“If my child is happy and doing well then I am happy and doing well”.

We have swimming tomorrow (hydratherapy) and then we have to think of some tasty recipes for the liver and egg shells that has been suggested by the Holistic Vet to add to his home cooked diet.

Hope he will like a little crunch!