My Rehab Work/Rally-O Training is paying off!

OK….so Mags has been progressing really well in the past week or two it seems…I decided to ask her for her “spin” trick tonight…which would be in essence, a 360 RIGHT in Rally moves…but I’m not involved in this “spin trick”…it’s just her(so circle is very tight/small).  I have been asking her to “twist” in the opposite direction cause  that’s ‘safe’ cause her rear leg is on the outside of the circle.  But with “spin” her leg is on the INSIDE of the circle…so harder to stay balanced with no leg to the outside…
 
I asked her to do it slowly and she did it….TWICE!  And never lost her balance!  Yay Maggie!!!
 
All the rehab exercises and Rally-O training  I’m doing with her is paying off!!! 
I’m sooooooooooo happy for her 🙂 
She’s so much more confident now…I have even noticed she’s not so freaky about the entry now and I haven’t had to do any clicker work in there for 3 weeks probably!  Wahoo!
My CONFIDENT Maggie is returning!!!!!   AND she’s having a great time doing it all at the same time!  🙂
Tracy
 

Rally-O Practice!

What a great day I had practicing Rally-O this past Saturday!  A new sport my Mom has been doing with my little sister.  Well, now I’m trying my “paw” at it!  I proved to her that YES! I can do it!!  So, she is sending in to get me a registration # with APDT and I’ll start competing in it too!  Isn’t it cool they allow tripawds?!  I’ll show that little sister of mine, I’m just as good as her!  😉  I have a bit of trouble in a couple of sits in each video but I’ve been practicing and I’m getting much more balanced and comfortable doing sits.   It felt soooo good to be included and feel “normal”…a normal part of my life on 4 legs involved stuff like this…it sure was nice to prove to Mom that I just might like doing it in competition now!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iI-zmRs1674

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7PX6qJ4oJzc

It’s sorta like when I used to do agility – following a numbered course…but there’s no fun obstacles to “do”…but my Mom has to read the signs and we do, together, what is on the sign – like “Sit/Stand” or “Slow pace” or “Sit/Walk Around”…in the higher levels, if I get there, I’ll be able to do a low jump…so that’ll be fun!  I used to love to jump in agility! 

Oh and this weekend was the first time “South” and it didn’t involve V-E-T appointments!  What a relief that was!  I’m soooo tired of V-E-T’s…… 😉

Happy 10th Birthday Maggie!

Today is Maggie’s 10th Birthday! She got an early birthday present yesterday – one of her favorite treats – Trachea chew!!!

Maggie and her trachea chew

10+ years ago my sister called and said ‘come look at this puppy (for my hubbie)”….he’d just lost his old dog and was looking for a replacement. He wanted me to go with him. I said why? I’m not into dogs(being a horse person all my life). But I went with him. And from that day forward, my life changed! She was so precious! He wasn’t particularly “taken” by her that day at the Vet’s Office…after all, she wasn’t black or a “he”, like his old dog was. But WOW, I fell in love…imagine that…me! I wasn’t ‘into’ dogs at all!

Maggie has changed my life in so many ways. From turning me into a dog person(and getting out of horses!), to clicker training, to competing in agility for almost 9 years with her, to now her cancer and amputation.

This isn’t how I pictured my Maggie to go into her senior years…as an amputee…but the other option just wasn’t what I had pictured either – of not being here at all! .

I love you Maggie with all my heart. Happy Birthday Maggie Moo-Moo! 😉

maggie 1-10-10

Tracy

Maggie’s Rehab Therapy

I’m having so much fun these days! My Mom has started doing things I used to do when I had four legs! Only now I’m impressing her even more by doing them on three! Mom is having me do cavaletti’s, Figure 8’s around two cones, balance work on a Buja Board, strenthening exercises such as ‘sit-down’ and ‘down-stand’ reps. Oh and we also mix in our Rally-O training at the same time ….which are good moves for strengthening too. You should see me do a “Left Pivot”! I’m soooo good 🙂 Here’s a couple pictures of me last night on the balance disc. My Mom let out some air in it and wanted to see if I could do it….and yup! I can ! Of course I can Mom!!! 🙂

Maggie on balance disc
Maggie on balance disc

I Fell Today :-(

What a way to ring in the New Year – I fell today 🙁

Me & Mama were walking in the logyard again.. I went running to get a stick and I lost my footing on a patch of slick snow and down I went on my amputated side. My Mama got that on tape(but didn’t get me yesterday doing greyhound laps and I NEVER fell then!)…it hurt when I did it but I shrugged it off and we continued on our walk but my Mama tied me on my Flexi after that cause she was scared I was gonna hit a slick spot again…the ground was freshly covered with new snow, so we couldn’t see the slick spots 🙁

I acted fine but after a rest, I was having a hard time getting back up, my back was roached and took me a bit to get going. My Mama gave me 1/2 of a 75 mg. Deramaxx tonight and may give me more tomorrow based on how I am.

Way back when the vet’s were trying to figure out what was wrong with me, they found that I have a calcified disc(L3) in my lower back. My Mama thinks it’s my back that is bothering me tonite but of course, I can’t talk, so can’t tell her…but me roaching my back gives her a hint..

What a way to ring in the New Year…I get a massage tonight to help me..along with the Deramaxx..

I hate falling down. It sucks.

Greyhound Laps!!!

I can do it!!!!  I still can do it!!!  Greyhound laps!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 🙂

That’s what my Mom calls it when I run really fast and make huge laps around our big yard!!!!  Tonight was the fastest and the longest I have run since well before my surgery in October!!!!!!

I was soooo pumped…I don’t know if it was the buffalo jerky Mama had fed me earlier clicker training me over my fear in the entry(since amputation I am fearful of a section in our entry) or the fact that Papa had taken some out and was giving me some outside too….I think it was POWER JERKY! 

I ran sooooooooooo fast and made two laps around our yard..my Papa said “she doesn’t look like she has three legs, she looks like she’s got 16!!!!”….that’s how fast I was running!  And guess what else Papa said…he told me “you still got it Maggie!  You can still beat Little Sister running!!!”  WAHOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!! 

Do I feel goooooood tonight!

Happy New Year to all!  Run fast, all my 3 legged friends!!!!

An Update from my Mama

My Mama wanted to post an update on my blog for me – I told her she could write this time 😉

I have noticed in the past week or so, she has really gotten even more muscled up in her remaining rear leg and she is doing things she couldn’t do before. This past weekend, she scaled the very large snowbank out behind the barn with EASE to look for deer! And she came down it just as easily/gracefully.
Yesterday, I had her jollyball in my hand and she, on her own, offered a “stretch”(playbow)! Now that IS impressive to me! She didn’t loose her balance at all until about the third time she did it.
My hubbie cut my Buja board down from 4 foot square to a 3 foot circle(so I can bring it in the house and that is how they are made now in circles). I thought maybe Maggie could do it but not sure as being smaller and a circle, it’s tougher to do. I put it down on the floor and carefully allowed her to get on it…she didn’t want to wait for me! She got on it and stayed there! I didn’t let her try anymore…if she looses her balance, I want her to be on the rug instead. 😉
And last week, in searching for things she can safely do, I decided, well, I will put my cavaletti’s down at the lowest height(bar on ground). She did that perfect…never loosing her rhythm in them or missing a step between them! So, I upped the height and she can do them at full height(less than her hock height) just as well as she used to them only now she’s hopping on three legs vs her lovely ‘horse like’ trot I used to love to watch her do . Now I watch her in awe just as much though, cause she still can do them better than Haley on four legs!(Haley rushes too much).
On the downside, she doesn’t have the long stamina she used to have – understandably. Walks have to be fairly level, not too hilly and shorter for her so she doesn’t get tired. She may not look tired during the walk but it’s after, after a rest where she is weak in her hindend and has a harder time to get up or looses her balance due to weakness….I’m assuming it’s weakness and not soreness. But I’ve got her figured out now I think, so that doesn’t happen 🙂
Yesterday, I cooked her up the Urban Wolf cancer diet. It has red cabbage, pumpkin, salmon, beef, blueberries, sunflower oil, eggs and broccili in it(and their mix). Not too sure she’s all that crazy about the cabbage… Next time, I’ll cook their other Cancer recipe that has apple in it vs the cabbage…and will probably just do it raw vs. cooking it. Just thought she might like a switch and try it cooked 🙂 My hubbie said to me…sounds like something we could eat! Yup….I confess, my dogs eat better than we do most times….
We are thankful that Maggie is doing MUCH better now that her painful leg is gone. I looked at some old video’s yesterday of her with four legs when we were trying to figure out what was wrong with her…then thinking it was an ACL injury – based on two vets opinions. I’m so thankful she’s out of her pain now…albiet on three legs…that’s OK by me and her!
Tracy, Maggie’s Mom

Christmas Day 2009

Destuffed duckie in less than 3 minutes!  Mission accomplished!squirrel hunting!

It was a really good Christmas for us all!  First off, I am here to celebrate with my Mama, Papa and OK, not so bad, little sister Haley.  We got up and unwrapped presents!  Yay!  I’ve been trying to do that for a few days now…my pawrents keep telling me ‘no, Maggie…just a few more days’…..finally, it was here!  I LOVE to unwrap presents…mine and anyone else’s!  It looked like a bomb went off after I was done!  I looooooovvvvvve it!  Even little Sister Haley got into it more this year than in year’s past but she still hasn’t figured out how to do it as well as me!  Ha-ha! 😉

I managed to destuff that duckie in less than 3 minutes!  Record breaking time!  When Mama wasn’t paying attention to me and I put a hole in it and quickly started pulling out the squeaker and then it was over………all the rest of the stuffing came out too!  My Mama tolerated me doing it so quickly cause, after all, it was my Christmas present…so I could do whatever I wanted to do with it right?!  Not to mention that I’m a tad more spoiled now that I ‘hop along’ on three legs 😉

Then after breakfast we went for a great walk….me and little sister were hunting for squirrels in the log piles…we never did find any but had a grand time looking!  I amaze my pawrents going thru the deep snow jumping over banks… My Mama has even noticed when I am on a flexi that I’m getting stronger and not looking so ‘labored’ in my movements when moving slower….I look more normal now moving on leash…I can move slower now easier…

A good day…we all had a good time today..the best Christmas present of all is to just be with my family and enjoying each others company – and they tell me the same 🙂

Walk, Play, Eat & then zzzzzz…

Me, Mom, Papa and Little Sister Haley went for a walk today…great walk! This time there was more snow, so I decided following the

have . A plowed dirt road was an easier choice then trying to wade thru the deep snow. Mom & Papa keep telling me to “wait up! wait for us! what’s your rush?” I guess now that I’m on 3 legs, I travel faster than when I was on four!

Mom forgot to bring the camera but she got pictures after we got back of me playing with Little Sister in hot pursuit of me. I LOVE Jolly Balls and Mom had just found mine for me! Then we got Trachea Chews! YUM!!!! I love those – I barely take a breath during eating those up!Fun With Little Sister in hot pursuit! I love my jolly ball, I love my jolly ball, I LOVE my jolly ball!

Time to catch some zzzzzz's now :-)

Trachea chews...YUM!!!

What we do on cold winter nights in Maine..

Because me and my little sister get very bored in the winter of being inside, my Mom does stuff with us in the house like we practice our Rally-O moves – which I am getting VERY good at on three legs, the hardest thing for me is sitting but my Mom says “you can do it Maggie”, so I try harder and don’t ya’ know I can do it 🙂

Tonite, my Mom pulled out the cavaletti jumps from the barn and brought them in the house. They can be changed to various heights, the highest is below my hock height. My Mom was trying to think of things I could do easily…she wasn’t going to do the cavaletti’s with me but I was sassing her on the sidelines waiting my turn while little sister Haley was having so much fun with them, so she decided to flip them to the lowest height – bar on the ground…I totally amazed her with my grace thru them! She told me I can STILL do them better than little sister Haley! 😉 He-he! So she turned them up to the next height and don’t ya’ know, I could do them even better than lower! I didn’t have a problem in the least! My Mom was so happy to see me being able to do them! She and I used to love working thru the cavaletti’s…she always like to watch me moving thru them…always saying I looked so graceful, like a small horse trotting thru them…well, now I hop…but I do so gracefully still!

We were all done our play session and my Mom went to get the computer and what was playing on there but a screensaver movie of her and I running in agility …. it made my Mom cry… to see me running thru the course with her…this was the first time really that it really “hit” Mom that nope, we would not be doing agility like that again…. But that’s OK she says…as long as I’m still here with my Mom is all that matters she says…we’ll have fun doing the cavaletti’s in the livingroom on a cold winter’s night……….. 🙂