So Mika's had several chiropractic appointments now. She's still very slightly lame, off-and-on, but there's been a gradual steady improvement. Her chiropractor told us that his job is mostly done (except for occasional adjustments, but not every two weeks anymore). What needs to done now is muscle work, according to him. So I've reinstigated daily massage for Mika, focusing on her shoulder muscles. I've also been doing FitPaws egg ball work with her almost every day, and have been taking her on regular walks. (Mika is one of those dogs who doesn't really enjoy walks, but I've been making them enjoyable for her by playing find-the-treats-on-the-ground games with her.)
So she's doing pretty well :)
Showing posts with label mika. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mika. Show all posts
Wednesday, July 31, 2013
Sunday, July 7, 2013
Just playin' around
M offered this trick in the backyard while I was taking photos of her. It's one of her favourite tricks :)
Friday, June 7, 2013
Mika’s first chiro adjustment
On Wednesday Mika had her first chiropractic adjustment (as recommended by our regular vet when I brought her in for very slight lameness).
I literally just copied/pasted these rough notes I made on a word document on my computer, so they're just random/unedited jot notes:
-
Muscle spasms on left side (shoulder area and
rear leg area)
-
Out of 32 possible adjustments, did 18, had 8
concerned about
-
Right pelvis higher than left
-
Above caused pelvis (?) to rotate/tilt toward
the left (left is tilted more forward)
-
This caused the front to tilt/rotate toward the
right (left is tilted more forward) to compensate
-
This caused everything in between to be affected
-
Compensating with left side for the right side
(where lameness was initially noticed)
-
Main area of concern is middle/back (more
middle)
-
This is where she appeared most uncomfortable
(especially back-middle – more back)
-
Recommended aspirin
-
Give Traumeel right after we get home, then
before we go to bed, then in the middle of the night
Her body's been doing a lot of compensating, and rearranging as a result of
compensating. The chiropractor adjusted 18 different areas, and he said eight of
these areas are of concern. We'll be back in two weeks and see how it goes from
there; she'll probably need 4-6 regular appointments over the coming weeks. The vet is great, though. Lol, I took to him right away when we walked into
the exam room and he'd just finished loading an assortment of treats onto the
exam table :) Next step for me is to research Robaxacet (the muscle relaxant he wants me to give her before our next appointment, because Mika had
a couple areas of muscle spasms).
Oh, he also doesn't think Mika has any problems in her joints that I should be concerned about, unlike our regular vet who suspected possible minor arthritis. I didn't mention about Mika's joints cracking when she changes positions though (this is why our regular vet suspected arthritis). I myself am not sure that cracking is a sign of arthritis, as I've read articles that say it's something normal that can happen with aging but doesn't necessary mean that the individual is experiencing discomfort. I'll discuss this with our chiro vet next time though.
Yesterday Mika experienced a short period where she showed no lameness at all in her front legs. Woot! She went back to a very slight limp later, though (like she had before the adjustment).
And yesterday I brought Wall-e in to get his B12 injection (like I mentioned in a previous post, our regular vet thinks he has low B12). He'll be getting this 4 times a year.
And yesterday I brought Wall-e in to get his B12 injection (like I mentioned in a previous post, our regular vet thinks he has low B12). He'll be getting this 4 times a year.
Friday, May 17, 2013
Products we've been using/going to use
Excuse my lame title, I'm not feeling very creative today :)
So Mika and Wall-e have been getting a new joint supplement since April 30. It's called Lakota Canine Joint Care Formula. Wall-e has been on other joint supplements in the past for his old knee injury (Glyco-Flex I and Dr. Maggie's), but I have never put Mika on a joint supplement regularly. (I slipped her the occasional supplement as a treat when there were no other rewards around, but that's it.) I can't say if this supplement has been helping or not (and it's just a preventative for Wall-e anyway), but time will tell. It's meant for arthritis, but mainly because of it's anti-inflammatory properties, which works for Mika's sore shoulder anyway; and there's a good chance Wall-e could develop arthritis as he ages because of his old knee injury, so this supplement could prevent that.
I also need to get a harness for Wall-e; he's been coughing more often. Sometimes during training (not too often -- maybe once every couple of weeks -- but more than he used to), and after lunging at cars on walks. I'm currently walking him on a collar. I posted on a Facebook group asking for recommendations on harnesses for Wall-e, and these are the ones I'm now considering:
ComfortFlex
Walkeez
CTC Shoulder Harness (couldn't find it on the web site, but found a picture of the harness on the Facebook page)
I need a harness that won't break, won't restrict his movement, and will encourage him to continue pulling for conditioning :)
So Mika and Wall-e have been getting a new joint supplement since April 30. It's called Lakota Canine Joint Care Formula. Wall-e has been on other joint supplements in the past for his old knee injury (Glyco-Flex I and Dr. Maggie's), but I have never put Mika on a joint supplement regularly. (I slipped her the occasional supplement as a treat when there were no other rewards around, but that's it.) I can't say if this supplement has been helping or not (and it's just a preventative for Wall-e anyway), but time will tell. It's meant for arthritis, but mainly because of it's anti-inflammatory properties, which works for Mika's sore shoulder anyway; and there's a good chance Wall-e could develop arthritis as he ages because of his old knee injury, so this supplement could prevent that.
I also need to get a harness for Wall-e; he's been coughing more often. Sometimes during training (not too often -- maybe once every couple of weeks -- but more than he used to), and after lunging at cars on walks. I'm currently walking him on a collar. I posted on a Facebook group asking for recommendations on harnesses for Wall-e, and these are the ones I'm now considering:
ComfortFlex
Walkeez
CTC Shoulder Harness (couldn't find it on the web site, but found a picture of the harness on the Facebook page)
I need a harness that won't break, won't restrict his movement, and will encourage him to continue pulling for conditioning :)
Thursday, May 16, 2013
Training May 14, and thoughts on aging
On Tuesday we went to the field for the second time of the season. I set up part of a sequence from the "Backyard Dogs" article in the May 2013 issue of Clean Run, for Wall-e. I also lined up two sets of 6 weaves, about 15 feet away from each other, because Wall-e popped out of 12 weaves at our trial last weekend, and I'd hoped this exercise would help. (His entries were fantastic at the trial though, really happy with those!)
We did more work on the weaves then I'd planned (just 3 reps, but I'm trying to keep sessions short with Wall-e because he's been less drivey lately), so I opted not to do the sequence and instead end the session.
Then I took Mika out. I've been resting her because I noticed a couple weeks ago that she was bearing weight unevenly; she was very slightly lame in her front right leg. It's probably a sore shoulder; I gently felt around her shoulder and she started blinking when I felt the part of her shoulder near her elbow.
But after training Wall-e this day, I took her out of the car and let her explore the field. It was her first time on the field this season, and the look on her face was awesome. She was just so, so happy to be out there. I loved watching her cheerfully galloping around the field (a slow gallop, not a frantic race that would re-injure her shoulder), around the 16" jumps that Wall-e had been using, then turn, smiling, towards me, with the sun shining behind her and lighting her fur. That was all it took to fully convince me that no matter what Mika's age, I'm never going to stop doing agility with her as long as she wants to do it too, and as long as it isn't hurting her. I want her to feel young for as long as she possibly can, and agility does that for her like nothing else.
The only thing that I'm unsure about is trialing. I've entered her in a lot more trials this year in the hopes of making her feel important. I just want to keep this dog with me as long as possible while still being happy and healthy. If I thought that trialing was bad for her, I wouldn't enter her in any more ever again. I just want to do what's best for her, and I'm still not exactly sure what that is.
On one hand, trialing is stressful and involves a lot of waiting around between runs (and before and after). But then I think of how, although Mika is dog-reactive, her reactivity lessens at trials. She knows she's there for agility and that's what she's focused on. And trials get her out of her familiar environments, which is a good thing? Maybe? I don't know, there's just so much to think about and I'm hoping the answers will come to me.
We did more work on the weaves then I'd planned (just 3 reps, but I'm trying to keep sessions short with Wall-e because he's been less drivey lately), so I opted not to do the sequence and instead end the session.
Then I took Mika out. I've been resting her because I noticed a couple weeks ago that she was bearing weight unevenly; she was very slightly lame in her front right leg. It's probably a sore shoulder; I gently felt around her shoulder and she started blinking when I felt the part of her shoulder near her elbow.
But after training Wall-e this day, I took her out of the car and let her explore the field. It was her first time on the field this season, and the look on her face was awesome. She was just so, so happy to be out there. I loved watching her cheerfully galloping around the field (a slow gallop, not a frantic race that would re-injure her shoulder), around the 16" jumps that Wall-e had been using, then turn, smiling, towards me, with the sun shining behind her and lighting her fur. That was all it took to fully convince me that no matter what Mika's age, I'm never going to stop doing agility with her as long as she wants to do it too, and as long as it isn't hurting her. I want her to feel young for as long as she possibly can, and agility does that for her like nothing else.
The only thing that I'm unsure about is trialing. I've entered her in a lot more trials this year in the hopes of making her feel important. I just want to keep this dog with me as long as possible while still being happy and healthy. If I thought that trialing was bad for her, I wouldn't enter her in any more ever again. I just want to do what's best for her, and I'm still not exactly sure what that is.
On one hand, trialing is stressful and involves a lot of waiting around between runs (and before and after). But then I think of how, although Mika is dog-reactive, her reactivity lessens at trials. She knows she's there for agility and that's what she's focused on. And trials get her out of her familiar environments, which is a good thing? Maybe? I don't know, there's just so much to think about and I'm hoping the answers will come to me.
Monday, May 6, 2013
Enjoying yogurt "pup"sicles
Thursday, May 2, 2013
Monday, April 29, 2013
Sunday, April 28, 2013
And summer begins!
I finished my exams last week, so now I'm off for the summer. I can't begin to describe how much I'm looking forward to hanging out with my dogs as much as I want again!
On Friday evening we went to a mini trial; both dogs did two Masters Jumpers runs (each). Wall-e got his first Masters Jumpers Q! I was really happy with the run and my mindset before during it; I was "in the zone." But as for the run itself, it was very speedy and flowy. Too bad it's not on video (the memory card malfunctioned), but oh well. It was my first time using a blind cross at a trial; at the exit of a tunnel. (I used a blind cross in the next course too.) The only thing we could have improved on in the run was a very late front cross I did on the second jump of a 180; I changed my handling of that part in my next run with Mika (on the same course).
Now that I'm regularly running Wall-e in two different Masters classes (Steeplechase and Jumpers), I'm really starting to appreciate the benefit of running two dogs on the same course. Wall-e is usually the first dog I run, since he's in Regular and Mika is now in Veteran, so he's kind of my "tester dog"; if something goes wrong with my handling while running him, I can change it in my run with Mika. Of course, I try to make the best handling decisions while running Wall-e too, but it does help to be able to make my mistakes with a dog who I don't have to worry about speed with (unlike Mika, who slows down if she gets confused).
Mika was great on Friday too. I recently noticed that she's been slowing down over the past year or two; yes, she has been getting older, but she's still only 8.5 years old and I'd like to keep her feeling young as long as possible (in all aspects of her life). She did have fun on Friday though, barking at the ends of both runs. Her speed was normal (not the normal it used to be, but the normal it's been for the past year or two.) Maybe increasing her fitness will help her speed...not sure. I still absolutely love running with her, even if she isn't as fast as she used to be, but I also want her to live the life of a young dog for as long as she can.
This weekend I've been giving Mika a much-needed haircut. Yup, it takes all weekend because I give her lots of breaks! She looks pretty funny at the moment; groomed everywhere except her head. Cute though! I'll be clipping her ears next.
On Friday evening we went to a mini trial; both dogs did two Masters Jumpers runs (each). Wall-e got his first Masters Jumpers Q! I was really happy with the run and my mindset before during it; I was "in the zone." But as for the run itself, it was very speedy and flowy. Too bad it's not on video (the memory card malfunctioned), but oh well. It was my first time using a blind cross at a trial; at the exit of a tunnel. (I used a blind cross in the next course too.) The only thing we could have improved on in the run was a very late front cross I did on the second jump of a 180; I changed my handling of that part in my next run with Mika (on the same course).
Now that I'm regularly running Wall-e in two different Masters classes (Steeplechase and Jumpers), I'm really starting to appreciate the benefit of running two dogs on the same course. Wall-e is usually the first dog I run, since he's in Regular and Mika is now in Veteran, so he's kind of my "tester dog"; if something goes wrong with my handling while running him, I can change it in my run with Mika. Of course, I try to make the best handling decisions while running Wall-e too, but it does help to be able to make my mistakes with a dog who I don't have to worry about speed with (unlike Mika, who slows down if she gets confused).
Mika was great on Friday too. I recently noticed that she's been slowing down over the past year or two; yes, she has been getting older, but she's still only 8.5 years old and I'd like to keep her feeling young as long as possible (in all aspects of her life). She did have fun on Friday though, barking at the ends of both runs. Her speed was normal (not the normal it used to be, but the normal it's been for the past year or two.) Maybe increasing her fitness will help her speed...not sure. I still absolutely love running with her, even if she isn't as fast as she used to be, but I also want her to live the life of a young dog for as long as she can.
This weekend I've been giving Mika a much-needed haircut. Yup, it takes all weekend because I give her lots of breaks! She looks pretty funny at the moment; groomed everywhere except her head. Cute though! I'll be clipping her ears next.
Wednesday, March 6, 2013
Just an update
Haven't blogged in a while, but things have been going pretty great. We've had two trials so far this year (one on February 2 and one on March 2), both at an awesome indoor venue that we'd never been to before. I was SO pleased with Mika and Wall-e's performances at both trials!
Mika was so relaxed at these trials (well, compared to her usual self); she didn't show any signs of reactivity except for a growl at the February trial. It was great to see. And in the ring she had a really nice balance of control and drive! And Wall-e amazed me with how he was running; he was running like a Masters dog, with tons of skills in his toolbox. It's definitely all coming together for him!
One thing I have to work on with Mika is start-line stays. She stays wonderfully, but it's beginning to stress her a bit. She used to stress at the start-line years ago, back in 2008, which is when I ceased to start-line stays and began starting with her; then I re-introduced start-line stays in 2009 when her speed increased and I needed that head start on some courses. She didn't have a problem with stress when I re-introduced the stays then. I still use a mixture of both stays and no-stays at the start now.
At our last trial, I led out two jumps in our first run (Steeplechase). In our second run (Masters Jumpers), she entered the ring a tad bit more stressed then her last run because she had to wait for a bit longer for her run, and there were other dogs milling around (including a lab, one of her greatest triggers). Anyway, at the beginning of our second run, I told her to sit, resting my hand gently on her back as she did so, to give her a bit of comfort (because she still had a bit of stress). But when I told her to "Wait" and I started to lead out, she got up and shook her entire body (a sign of stress, and one of her methods that she used to try to relax herself). I said, "You're okay! You don't want to stay? All right," and I started with her instead. The rest of our run went uneventfully (we Q'd), but it was a bit slower than her usual, which was likely because of our stressy start. So yeah, we're going to have to work on start-line stays, but I do need them on some of our runs. Just increasing the value of stays, and leading out, will do the trick, I think. We've been working on them at meals, which are high-value reinforcements for Mika (and Wall-e!). We'll also work on them whenever we rent the agility arena next (we've been renting places once a week for the past couple of months), and at future fun matches throughout the year.
Anyway, that's all for now! Hope everyone is doing well! :)
P.S. One more note...SPRING IS COMING!! It's starting to get warmer! :D
Mika was so relaxed at these trials (well, compared to her usual self); she didn't show any signs of reactivity except for a growl at the February trial. It was great to see. And in the ring she had a really nice balance of control and drive! And Wall-e amazed me with how he was running; he was running like a Masters dog, with tons of skills in his toolbox. It's definitely all coming together for him!
One thing I have to work on with Mika is start-line stays. She stays wonderfully, but it's beginning to stress her a bit. She used to stress at the start-line years ago, back in 2008, which is when I ceased to start-line stays and began starting with her; then I re-introduced start-line stays in 2009 when her speed increased and I needed that head start on some courses. She didn't have a problem with stress when I re-introduced the stays then. I still use a mixture of both stays and no-stays at the start now.
At our last trial, I led out two jumps in our first run (Steeplechase). In our second run (Masters Jumpers), she entered the ring a tad bit more stressed then her last run because she had to wait for a bit longer for her run, and there were other dogs milling around (including a lab, one of her greatest triggers). Anyway, at the beginning of our second run, I told her to sit, resting my hand gently on her back as she did so, to give her a bit of comfort (because she still had a bit of stress). But when I told her to "Wait" and I started to lead out, she got up and shook her entire body (a sign of stress, and one of her methods that she used to try to relax herself). I said, "You're okay! You don't want to stay? All right," and I started with her instead. The rest of our run went uneventfully (we Q'd), but it was a bit slower than her usual, which was likely because of our stressy start. So yeah, we're going to have to work on start-line stays, but I do need them on some of our runs. Just increasing the value of stays, and leading out, will do the trick, I think. We've been working on them at meals, which are high-value reinforcements for Mika (and Wall-e!). We'll also work on them whenever we rent the agility arena next (we've been renting places once a week for the past couple of months), and at future fun matches throughout the year.
Anyway, that's all for now! Hope everyone is doing well! :)
P.S. One more note...SPRING IS COMING!! It's starting to get warmer! :D
Wednesday, December 26, 2012
Monday, December 24, 2012
Summary of 2012, and planning for 2013
My last post was in September? Well then!
First of all, Merry Christmas everyone! :)
It's been quite a while...a LONG while! I've been incredibly busy because of school, so I've only just now found the time to blog.
Quite a few things have happened this year. I'll start off with the most major event.
On November 14, Mika underwent surgery to have a mast cell tumor removed from the back of her left hind leg. She also had a lymph node and a chunk of muscle removed from that leg in order to make sure that all the cancer cells were taken out. The tumor was biopsied and found to be a Grade II tumor (there are 3 grades). Our vet says Mika has a great diagnosis, though, because all of the cancerous tissue was removed, and there were no cancer cells found in either the lymph node or the muscle. Mika's doing great now, and only has a scar (and a bit of a different shape to the back of her leg, due to the removed muscle) to show for her surgery!
Our vet found cataracts on Wall-e's right eye on November 22. She's not 100% certain of the diagnosis, since she doesn't specialize in eyes, but she's almost certain. They're too small to be removed right now, and they aren't affecting his vision, so we're going to keep an eye on them (pun not intended, ahaha!), and in May we'll bring him in again to get his eyes re-examined.
On a non-health related note, Wall-e got his first three titles this year. In CKC, he got his Ag.N.J. (Agility Novice Jumper) on July 15, and both his ADC (Agility Dog of Canada) and SGDC (Starters Games Dog of Canada) on July 28.
Mika didn't trial very much this year, but we had a great year together nonetheless in terms of running together as a team.
As for 2013, here are some things I have in mind:
- trying out a new indoor venue in February
- for Mika, focusing on Steeplechase and Masters Jumpers (her favourite classes) and Starters Snooker (we haven't Q'd in this yet, even though we've gotten really close!), with some Masters Gamblers mixed in (I find that running in Gamblers keeps me motivated to maintain my dogs' distance skills)
- focusing on Masters Jumpers for Wall-e (he hasn't tried it yet), but running in the rest of the classes as well
- most importantly, enjoying our time together! I've reached the point where honestly, if I stopped trialing, it wouldn't be a huge deal. Simply spending time with my dogs has become more precious because of two reasons: less time with them than I used to have, and the realization that neither of my dogs are young anymore. Trials are only a small part of making the most of my dogs' lives.
First of all, Merry Christmas everyone! :)
It's been quite a while...a LONG while! I've been incredibly busy because of school, so I've only just now found the time to blog.
Quite a few things have happened this year. I'll start off with the most major event.
On November 14, Mika underwent surgery to have a mast cell tumor removed from the back of her left hind leg. She also had a lymph node and a chunk of muscle removed from that leg in order to make sure that all the cancer cells were taken out. The tumor was biopsied and found to be a Grade II tumor (there are 3 grades). Our vet says Mika has a great diagnosis, though, because all of the cancerous tissue was removed, and there were no cancer cells found in either the lymph node or the muscle. Mika's doing great now, and only has a scar (and a bit of a different shape to the back of her leg, due to the removed muscle) to show for her surgery!
Our vet found cataracts on Wall-e's right eye on November 22. She's not 100% certain of the diagnosis, since she doesn't specialize in eyes, but she's almost certain. They're too small to be removed right now, and they aren't affecting his vision, so we're going to keep an eye on them (pun not intended, ahaha!), and in May we'll bring him in again to get his eyes re-examined.
On a non-health related note, Wall-e got his first three titles this year. In CKC, he got his Ag.N.J. (Agility Novice Jumper) on July 15, and both his ADC (Agility Dog of Canada) and SGDC (Starters Games Dog of Canada) on July 28.
Mika didn't trial very much this year, but we had a great year together nonetheless in terms of running together as a team.
As for 2013, here are some things I have in mind:
- trying out a new indoor venue in February
- for Mika, focusing on Steeplechase and Masters Jumpers (her favourite classes) and Starters Snooker (we haven't Q'd in this yet, even though we've gotten really close!), with some Masters Gamblers mixed in (I find that running in Gamblers keeps me motivated to maintain my dogs' distance skills)
- focusing on Masters Jumpers for Wall-e (he hasn't tried it yet), but running in the rest of the classes as well
- most importantly, enjoying our time together! I've reached the point where honestly, if I stopped trialing, it wouldn't be a huge deal. Simply spending time with my dogs has become more precious because of two reasons: less time with them than I used to have, and the realization that neither of my dogs are young anymore. Trials are only a small part of making the most of my dogs' lives.
Monday, September 3, 2012
52 Weeks of Mika 39/52
39/52
From 2 weeks ago. Stretch!
20mm, 1/200s, f/16, ISO 400. Edits: contrast, crop
From 2 weeks ago. Stretch!
20mm, 1/200s, f/16, ISO 400. Edits: contrast, crop
Sunday, August 19, 2012
52 Weeks oF Mika 29/52
29/52
Pretty random shot. She just dropped her venison stick that she was chewing :) I like all the Kongs lying around her, ahaha.
24mm, 1/40s, f/4.5, ISO 1600. Edits: contrast
Pretty random shot. She just dropped her venison stick that she was chewing :) I like all the Kongs lying around her, ahaha.
24mm, 1/40s, f/4.5, ISO 1600. Edits: contrast
Saturday, August 18, 2012
52 Weeks of Mika 26/52
I think this photo speaks for itself :P
18mm, 1/13s, f/3.5, ISO 3200. Edits: crop, contrast
18mm, 1/13s, f/3.5, ISO 3200. Edits: crop, contrast
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
52 Weeks of Mika 25/52
25/52
Yaawnn. Waking up from a nice long nap in my room!
43mm, 1/125s, f/7.1, ISO 1600. Edits: crop, contrast
Yaawnn. Waking up from a nice long nap in my room!
43mm, 1/125s, f/7.1, ISO 1600. Edits: crop, contrast
Saturday, July 28, 2012
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
52 Weeks of Mika 24/52
24/52
Wow, it's been a while since I've posted a 52 Weeks photo! This was at a trial (which explains why her beard looks really stringy, lol). It was taken on a whim with my 3.2 mega pixel phone, so it's definitely not meant to be a good-quality photograph, but it's still cute! :) Mika was resting her head on her Kong and I had to shoot a picture.
Taken with LG Optimus One phone
4.3mm. Edits: contrast
Wow, it's been a while since I've posted a 52 Weeks photo! This was at a trial (which explains why her beard looks really stringy, lol). It was taken on a whim with my 3.2 mega pixel phone, so it's definitely not meant to be a good-quality photograph, but it's still cute! :) Mika was resting her head on her Kong and I had to shoot a picture.
Taken with LG Optimus One phone
4.3mm. Edits: contrast
Wednesday, June 13, 2012
52 Weeks of Mika 17/52
17/52
Random shot :) I'm very behind in posting 52 weeks photos!
18mm, 1/320s, f/3.5, ISO 1600. Edits: contrast
Random shot :) I'm very behind in posting 52 weeks photos!
18mm, 1/320s, f/3.5, ISO 1600. Edits: contrast
Saturday, April 21, 2012
52 Weeks of Mika 15/52
15/52
Waiting for me to give back her bully stick! It was her half-birthday when this was taken on October 14; 7.5 years old :)
28mm, 1/400s, f/4, ISO 2500. Edits: contrast
(Click the photo to make it bigger! :)
Waiting for me to give back her bully stick! It was her half-birthday when this was taken on October 14; 7.5 years old :)
28mm, 1/400s, f/4, ISO 2500. Edits: contrast
(Click the photo to make it bigger! :)
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)