ness

There have been threads previously on this - I posted some jump instructions. Are you looking for just lightweight practice gear or stuff that is closer to competition standard? A friend and I whipped up a set of 7 practice jumps each in a couple of hours work using some broomsticks cut in half with nails in the bottom/PVC T's as jump cups. Very cheap and do the trick for training.

Yeah worth asking and mentioning for sure. Good luck its so hard to know what to do and people are always throwing in advice from all over the place and it can complicate things to :D.

Cosmolo if he isn't in weight bearing then chances are its painful for him. I wouldn't be honestly surprised to find issues in multiple joints. Once you start having problems with one then others will compensate and have additional load placed on them.

Ah fair enough :D.

Sorry Zug Zug should clear up the Gawler one - the Rally is a proper trial (entries closed yesterday) the obedience is a mock trial for CCD/Novice/Open at $5 pay on the day.

Lots in the current journal Zug Zug - Almost all the upcoming obedience trials have a Rally-O trial scheduled alongside and Dover Gardens has a double Rally-O trial coming up as well. http://www.dogobedie...lendar2013.html You can download an obedience and rally-o calendar. However these are the ones that appear in the May DogsSA mag: 26 May - Gawler (Rally only and obedience mock trial) 15 June - Noarlunga (obedience and rally) 16 June - Dover Gardens (double rally) 22 June - Munno Para (obedience and rally) 7 July - Port Adelaide (obedience and rally)

MRB I have 6 sets of 2x2 base plated poles - have just loaned them out again though.

Interesting vets are all different - if I were you I might see if I could get some tramadol for him. It can be used safely in conjunction with the rimadyl. The only downside to it (which isn't necessary a downside is some dogs can get slightly sedated being on it).

Still early days - is he on a combination of NSAID and tramadol? I found I had to make sure Kenz had her tramadol right on the minimum interval (think from memory it was every 6 hours) to keep her comfortable.

Here is a link to the website for the Rose-hip vital canine - http://rosehipvitalcanine.com.au/ There is also already a DOL thread on it. http://www.dolforums.com.au/topic/245061-another-joint-supplement-rose-hip-vital-canine/ Omar Vet clinic have a reasonable price for it online and somebody else mentioned a slightly cheaper place in the other thread. Its certainly cheaper to order online and look around then order directly from the company or through a shop. The other products which might be worth considering are Joint Guard and Glyde. As with humans what works for one dog might not necessarily work as well for another dog so if you don't get the results your looking for with any one particular product then you can always try another one until you find something that does the job. I have my younger dog on the product as well (she was the test guinea pig out of my two) and even with a truckload of ortho related issues and as messed up as she was there was huge improvement initially using the product. Her problems are complicated though so the fact she has regressed of late isn't really related to the product. She is still taking the product and I am still sure its continuing to help her.

It does appear some specialists in the US will offer to do both repairs at the same time in smaller dogs (at least from what I have seen from my research into things). The other somewhat common approach is 6-8 weeks apart depending on bone healing time.

Fish oil capsules and Rose-Hip Vital Canine are what my 12.5 year old BC is on (previously has been on Joint Guard). Pretty happy with how she is doing on that combination. Feral, happy and moving really well. She has had some slightly arthritic issues in her wrists which while she was on Joint Guard use to bother her but don't seem to since starting the RHVC.

There are few members who have gone through surgery for a MPL repair. I will be honest and say not all have been as successful as they should have been - my girl included who is now 12 months post-op and still battling. I would be a little cautious doing both legs at once and especially one which isn't currently symptomatic. No surgery is without risk of complication.

I might as well just paste the details in here as technically its herding talk related - Dave Viklund from Double V Stockdogs IS COMING TO SOUTH AUSTRALIA FOR SOME HERDING CLINICS. DATES: 20 + 21 JULY 2013 and 27 + 28 JULY 2013 To register your interest please email [email protected] NOTE: Places will be confirmed once payment has been received. I don't know much more then that but I am sure if you email herdingsa you will be able to find out further information.

OK BCNut have PMd you the information re who to get in contact with.

BCNut. Hopefully Dova will send through a PM with the details. Otherwise I'll track them down later.

Hmm the Rose hip is a powder - http://rosehipvitalcanine.com.au/. Kenz is super fussy and even she seems ok with the taste although I normally mix it in with something like yoghurt or sardines or tuna. If your on FB they have a facebook page and others have said they can get there fussy dogs to eat it so may be worth considering. Its suppose to be a natural anti-inflammatory. The company are pretty responsive to answering questions and queries on the product. As for your question I know - its the same one I am wrestling with and its certainly not easy. I don't have answers anymore then it sounds like you do. Kenz's is complicated having a neurological condition for which there is no real cure other than management as best I can.

Oooh definitely attend BCNut - Dova and her friend have been hard at work in preparation and hopefully it should be a good few days .

Oh Cosmolo I feel for you. I could make you feel better by telling you Kenz's ortho said to me only yesterday that strictly ortho related issues are normally fairly straight forward - even if you have them in multiple joints. You operate and you can mostly repair things. But complication is when you add in a condition which also produces neurological symptoms. Not sure if he is on any supplements at present but I have had Kenz on fish oil and the Rose-hip vital canine and I do believe that is helping. I know from what I saw with Ness and minor arthritic changes and having run out and having her off it for a few days it seems to have made a noticeable difference to her.

Maybe I should clarify - there are dogs on the orthodog list who are back to 100% and running agility at 4 months post-op. There are dogs who continue to struggle on and off for more then 6 months. It doesn't mean they aren't back unrestricted it might just mean they come up slightly sore on occasion. Every dog is different but thats just a guideline. Then you have Kenz who compared to a cruciate repair surgery had a relatively straight forward no bone cutting procedure and will be 12 months post-op on Friday and is as bad as she was before. Hang in there. It is not all as bad as it seems.

:laugh: well Cosmolo its 4-6 months if things work according to plan if that makes you feel any better about it. .

Hmm Kenz was crated 6 weeks post MPL surgery, then gradual reintroduction to leashed activity and then off-leash activity. 8 weeks is only bone healing time. Mostly it then takes another 4 weeks to rebuild muscle adequately. Total recovery time is 4-6 months. Plenty of dogs recover well from cruciate repairs without anything more then gradually building leash walks.

I will just make a comment about the pool and swimming. Free swimming is great for cardio/fitness type rehab but certainly not of to much value in post-op recovery. Apparently it doesn't do a brilliant job of rebuilding sufficient muscle in the hind end and its not controlled enough for rehab. Underwater treadmill if you can afford it and can get access to one locally is a much better alternative. Well thats what the rehab guy in the US has been telling me. Other excises to help improve hind end muscle mass are reversing back onto an object i.e. the reverse of the end stage of a 2o2o/having the dog perform a "squat" using a variety of props including off-balance props like balance discs/peanuts/donuts. Plenty of time for that later the most important part is letting them rest and recover.

Cosmolo have a look at the Top Dog Home rehab guides - http://topdoghealth.com/home-rehab-guides/ Even if you are following a rehab plan from the vet it provides some useful pointers on when to worry and what to expect at varying stages.

Took heaps of treats and she was ok eating them most of the time a few times she didn't want to look at the treats either. She wouldn't walk square so he had some sort of pool noodle barrier thing and that freaked her out even more. She had lots of time just walking from one end of the tank to the other for treats at both ends. She has passive range of motion and weight shifting exercises and heat bagging of her hind end for "homework". Will see how she does on Monday I guess. Not many options for her but at least I don't have to worry about her damaging any sort of surgery if she does panic.