VizslaMomma Posted April 17, 2015 Share Posted April 17, 2015 Can I just ask this? Would you risk a wee Chi in the sea though? Or have I misread the thread? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monchichi Posted April 18, 2015 Author Share Posted April 18, 2015 Chi? You mean chihuahua, VizslaMomma? My dog not a chihuahua breed though.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ness Posted April 18, 2015 Share Posted April 18, 2015 I meant to come back and add a little more to this. My BC had a grade 2 MPL diagnosed in her LH and we went ahead with surgery. She was later post surgery diagnosed with a grade 1 MPL in her RH and this subsequently deteriorated to a grade 2 MPL. I haven't gone ahead with surgery for her. We do lots of strength building exercises including sit to stands using various props to challenge her. She improved significantly while doing the underwater treadmill and regained a lot of muscle strength. After a very hellish time with her first surgery and subsequently not recovering especially well I wouldn't be in a rush to do surgery on a grade 1/2 MPL. All surgeries carry risks. I opted for a specialist to carryout the procedure and we still had issues. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monchichi Posted April 18, 2015 Author Share Posted April 18, 2015 Thanks Ness, how often do you do the underwater treatmill? And how long have you been doing it? Improvement, in what sort? If i may know... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steph M Posted April 18, 2015 Share Posted April 18, 2015 https://www.budgetpetproducts.com.au/new/index.php?productID=2051 Here's a bargain if it helps at all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VizslaMomma Posted April 18, 2015 Share Posted April 18, 2015 (edited) Chi? You mean chihuahua, VizslaMomma? My dog not a chihuahua breed though.. oh.... sorry not sure why i thought that. Please excuse that..... I got lead astra by your user name....HeeHee/ I think you have a Japanese Spitz? Still not sure that surf would work as suitable for swimming. Edited April 18, 2015 by VizslaMomma Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ness Posted April 18, 2015 Share Posted April 18, 2015 Kenz did underwater treadmill twice a week for nearly 3 months or thereabouts. The problem we then faced was the clinic were not of the mind to push her harder so it kind of defeated the purpose. I was corresponding with a rehab guru in the US and he said at that stage we had got the benefit we would from the way they were running it. Ideally if she could have continued to be challenged and pushed harder she would have continued to improve still further. If you can get in touch with a good conditioning/rehab facility then its definitely worth doing if the finances allow it. I didn't have insurance for Kenz so it was a little pricey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Daisys Mum Posted April 18, 2015 Share Posted April 18, 2015 I have started Lacey on the sashas blend chews.. Too soon to know if they have made a difference :) just a top though.... Make sure you give them with food, I found out the hard way Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JulesP Posted April 18, 2015 Share Posted April 18, 2015 I would be avoiding exercise that involves running and pivoting - ball throwing, frisbees etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
W Sibs Posted April 19, 2015 Share Posted April 19, 2015 For my girl... I get a baby pool and fill it so the water goes just above the knee and let her walk around it for about 2 minutes. This build muscles around the thighs so it won't put to much pressure on the knees. Also I keep her lean and fit. My girl was graded 2 on her back knee when she was about 8 months and was told she needed immediate surgery but I decided not too. She is now 5 years old and pain free. I do give her fish oil tablets, she is super fit and lean. She gets walks everyday (2x 15 mins daily), we walk along the water a lot, I do restrict on her jumping activities (as in no dog sports and no jumping over anything) and she is on a strict diet that I don't allow her to get fat (she will eat me out of house and home if I let her.. she is a pig!) Emmy does go to a chiro once or twice a year (or when needed) to make sure that things are still going well. Her Chiro says she is doing great and probably won't need surgery in the near future, but she might need one in the far future :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Aleksandra 157 Posted April 19, 2015 Share Posted April 19, 2015 5 Yrs ago we took our female JS for vaccines and checkup. Vet said she had such bad LP it should be operated on asap. We were still reeling from losing our male during a. small op.when his heart stopped.We left believing there was nothing wrong with her ....Anyway 5 years later no problems at all. We changed vets and have never had this advice again. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brookestar Posted April 19, 2015 Share Posted April 19, 2015 Underwater treadmills in Melbourne are at Dogs in Motion in the southern region and Advanced vetcare in Kensington. Both also have animal physiotherapists, which would be of a great help in working out a rehabilitation program to guide the strengthening, what to avoid, etc. In terms of protecting joints you would need a joint supplement, that has glucosamine in it. Glucosamine plays a role in building cartilage, so it can slow the progression of the condition, as arthritis is caused by wear and tear on the joints, and the cartilage is worn away, so it is bone on bone. Rose hip vital and other similar products are natural anti inflamtories. They have NO role at all in preventing or slowing down the progression of arthritis. They can sometimes help to alleviate very low levels of inflammation, which occurs when the arthritis becomes severe. It has no role in prevention at all, and would not be of any use. I agree with the advice given by others you need to be careful of the activities you do let her participate in, especially running at a ball and things like that, is really hard on the joints and can cause massive problems. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cavNrott Posted April 19, 2015 Share Posted April 19, 2015 Glucosamine is far more efficient when linked with Chondroitin and MSM. My dogs are given this supplement from the time they're pups and so far so good my oldies don't have arthritis. I've always used a human supplement, Wagners MSM Joint Formula. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
VizslaMomma Posted April 19, 2015 Share Posted April 19, 2015 (edited) Not taking this off topic.... I am seriously considering starting Herbert on supplements. He is so active, jumping from great heights and spending so much energy. Have to protect him for his older years. That should be OK? Or a Vet check first? :) Edited April 19, 2015 by VizslaMomma Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Simply Grand Posted April 19, 2015 Share Posted April 19, 2015 (edited) I'm taking it off topic - HI W SIBS!!!! and get out that Emmy is 5, where does the time go?!? Although somehow I now have a 3 year old, 4 year old and almost 6 year old , Edited April 19, 2015 by Simply Grand Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted April 19, 2015 Share Posted April 19, 2015 offtopic hello WSIBS!! :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monchichi Posted April 19, 2015 Author Share Posted April 19, 2015 thanks everyone for the suggestions! On Saturday morning, I took her to the beach again, it was low tide and thinking all your suggestions of swimming is ok to shed weight not so good on strengthen her joint. So I walked in the shallow part of the beach with her following me from behind and walked on the sand, water up to her chest. With the waves bumping and she had to walk..so I guess this kind of her "underwater treadmill" for now. if we went a bit on deeper part, then yes she paddled up. I think both of us had exercise to strengthen our joints regarding walking her in water at home, I had filled up my bathtub with water nearly full and let her walked up and down, but hey....it's not so much fun she thought. she just stand there as she thought it's shower time for her.. :laugh: I will put underwater treadmill in Moorabbin next on my agenda. Will save some money first for now. In terms of giving Glucosamine, stupid question here :D clearly hasn't done my research yet, will it be ok to give it to her from such a young age? any side impact? Fish oil...I haven't gave her fish oil. As I saw a doco on making fish oil or salmon farming (forgot exactly which one) in SBS while back, it says fish oil these days generated from the salmon and salmon these days are lacking of the oil themselves which the company has been feeding them with fish oil as well. so, I gather...I better give her straight fish itself, being small medium breed the feeding still reasonable on my pocket. Every now and then, I will buy the salmon from Tassal salmon shop directly (bit cheaper than supermarkets). Also she gets fresh sardines 3 times a week. And also Natural animal solutions Omega 3,6,9 oils small squirt on her meals too. I feed her raw meals (yes, thank to you all for the posts on raw feeding, I learnt a lot! ) regarding her play time, she is not really interested on running chasing a ball or Frisbees. All she loves are zooming in the garden (which less happening as I try as soon as she starts zooming, I turned my back and went inside the house, then she follows and stops...but sometimes not the case! she will zoom in my lounge room )and chasing her piggy oinker...this is a must every night for her...she will push her piggy on my laps or hands to encourage me to play...hard to say no... She gets walk 2x daily since she came to our life. Gradually adding the timing until now, morning she walks with me for 30mins and afternoon with my husband for another 30mins. and yet she still has bundled of energy. Dogrobics, sit-drop-sit-drop near her meals time is a must before her dinner. And I practise her Sit- stay- wait- drop commands too in between while I cook dinner. I was given some dog toys eg something like bob-a-lot and dog toy similar to nina ottoson to hide the treats and she to find. She mastered these in one day. Stuffed kongs...she had 2...these will occupy her a while if I push the treat really deep inside. Anything else I can do to challenge her so I can release her energy level at night during weekdays which not going to further damager her joint? Weekend is no issue, as she goes to school on Sunday which tire her already in some extend...Saturday we bring her to park or beach etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted April 19, 2015 Share Posted April 19, 2015 What lucky little dog!! :) if she loves her piggy toy - perhaps hide that .... or teach her to put it in a bucket/box ... ? if she enjoys carrying things - would she perhaps enjoy picking up and giving you dropped sox, or keys , etc ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Monchichi Posted April 19, 2015 Author Share Posted April 19, 2015 hiding her piggy might be a good idea, though I will feel sorry for her if she misses it. Even last night, she laid down relaxing after playing with her piggy, she hold the piggy on her paws then she tried soooooooooo hard to stay awake so she still could play. First time ever, I saw her like that...she hardly could stay awake. Her eyes kept shutting like 1Watt light and her head hardly could stand hahahaha husband ended up telling her to go to her "bed" (crate) and she just followed him with no complaint. She had a big day yesterday, meeting some her friends (the same breed) at the beach and whole day went with us. I probably can start teaching her to put her toys back to her toys corner. Can you send me the link from youtube how to do this Persephone? no dropped socks, keys or undies here...else it got chewed up..hehehe. only her toys everywhere in the house. the only time she gets to chew the socks, either old socks with tiny holes or new one (which I bought purposely for her to play)...which I stuffed with toilet roll (stuffed with treat) so it's like a "hidden" toys for her, hope you understand what I meant :D empty soft drink bottles with lid and cap ring removed and stuffed or sometimes unstuffed with treats also in her toy corner. she likes to tossing it up and crunching it. However, nothing of these can beat her piggy... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
persephone Posted April 20, 2015 Share Posted April 20, 2015 ..which is why she will seek it out when you hide it ;) Hide it for her to find, was what I meant , sorry - I wouldn't want to take away her favourite toy!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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