Lots of updates

Flash has now been on Rimadyl and Gabapentin for over two months. He is doing so much better, his pain is definitely much decreased, he is walking better (not as roached), trotting more and also playing more again both with toys and with Skye. I am carefully monitoring his exercise levels as too much does cause him problems, so he gets the occasional rest day which is very helpful.
I have also added Aktivait to his regime. Although it won't do anything for the pain, it might help with maintaining nerve function better in his back.

This picture was taken 14th May.


And 21st May, on Hinderclay Fen


27th May, chilling in the garden



In addition, when his fur on his back didn't grow back (where they took the spinal fluid from) and due to him still being quite slow on the way back on walks, Rachel (vet) and I thought of testing him for thyroid (especially also as his last test 4 years ago showed him to be low borderline). The results came back as him being hypothyroid. So he has been put on 0.8g Soloxine  (and once I have finished with that Thyforon, as soloxine is not available anymore).

30th May, going off track more again
Since then he has even made more improvements. He has more energy (still a bit slower on walks than he used to be, but that'll never be 100% again), he goes more off track on walks now, trots even more often, and he is also a bit less grumpy with dogs I have noticed. The hair on his back is still not growing loads, but I have noticed that his bold tummy is growing some fluff again... yippee!

So overall, Flash is doing great. He will never be 100% again as the facet subluxation won't ever go away now, but he is doing much better than I thought he would. And once we have started acupuncture, he will hopefully improve even more.

Chilling after chiro treatment on 16th June


He is due another thyroid test this week just to check whether he is on the right dosage.

He is also getting better with Blake... or shall we say, Blake is getting better at respecting their space and backing off when told to do so by the dogs. But Flash rarely grumbles at him now, though I wouldn't let Blake push it too much just yet.

29th June


5th July, with Blake, waiting for their dinner

Update! Further back trouble

Here's a couple of lovely picture first of all taken end of March.

Well, Flash had xrays to see what is causing the pain. Rachel thought it was arthritis in his hips, so we first put him on Metacam. However, although it did help a little, it didn't make a huge difference,  so we went for the xrays, but it turned out that all his joints look absolutely fine.


Our next step was a referral to The Grove Vet Centre in Fakenham. So Flash had an MRI and fluids taken from his knees (and from the spine, but the vet couldn't get any from the spine) as well as blood tests. All the scans and test results came back fine - and there was no sign of degenerative disc disease either. So it was all a great puzzle.




Here's Flash on 27th April home after the MRI:

It was only when the referral radiologist that found the possible problem: articular facet subluxation. In other words the tiny facet joints in the spine dislocate and cause pain because of that. Here is a copy of the report I received:

Diagnostic interpretation:

Lumbosacral vertebral column

There is subluxation of the cranial articular process of the first sacral segment in relation to the

caudal articular process of L7. The cranial articular process of S1 has moved forward into the dorsal

aspect of the intervertebral foreman. By doing so it attenuates the L7-S1 foreman bilaterally reducing

the space of the exiting L7 nerve roots. However this subluxation is static between the flexed and

extended views and between both series the nerve roots can be observed exiting the cranial aspects

of the foramina surrounded by perineural fat signal. There is very little associated osseous

remodelling and only very mild degenerative change is present within the L7-S1 intervertebral disc.

The spinal cord and cauda equina run centrally along the vertebral canal without attenuation. The

other intervertebral discs demonstrate some mild dehydration however no significant protrusion or

extrusion is evident.  

Conclusions:

1) Static L7-S1 articular facet subluxation and attenution of the intervertebral foramen bilaterally.

2) Nodular splenic and liver changes.

3) Intrapelvic urinary bladder.

 

Additional comments:

In all images there is evidence of subluxation at the L7-S1 facet joints. The cranial displacement of

the cranial processes of S1 attenuate intervertebral foreman. Despite the static appearance of this

subluxation on these images I am concerned that with aggressive action this process will move

further cranial and be a cause for L7 nerve root entrapment and injury. This could account for the

pain is described in this patient. If this is the case on rest and at inflammatory therapy should result in

a clinical improvement have a repeat concussion of these nerve roots is likely to occur with normal

exercise in the future.  It was the first time Simon Gilbert (referral vet) had come across this. So today I have now started Flash on Gabapentin and from tomorrow also Rimadyl (as the metacam didn't help greatly). I really hope this will help him! He looks so uncomfortable on walks, particularly on the way home. He is better after a day's rest, but still slows up considerably on the way home. I will then also add acupuncture to see whether that will help. For now there will be no further hydrotherapy as I feel that is making things worse at the moment.

On the sofa next to me on 2nd May:

Incident with Blake and back troubles

At the weekend, when I let Flash and Blake play together, Flash caught Blake's skin (he still hasn't learnt to play nicely obviously) and Blake screamed blue murder (which then made Jesse attack Blake...). No physical harm was done, but Blake was terrified after that. I managed to pull Blake back to his happy self over the afternoon, but the relationship between Flash and Blake has gone back to square one after it was going so well. They are ok together, but not best friends yet... Here's a picture from last week when they were more comfortable together. :-)

Flash has also started showing pain in the water treadmill, and he is still slow on the way back on walks. I have booked him into the vet's for Thursday to discuss pain management with Rachel. It looks like it is time to finally put him on conventional medication. And if he is uncomfortable, which I think he is now, then that won't help with accepting Blake either.

Improvements

Flash has improved greatly with the hydrotherapy and physio and no longer has any problems at all with his shoulder. He is still doing hydro at the moment, but phasing it gradually out now.

Today, Blake joined our family and Flash has been great. Apart from a couple of grumbles when Blake got right in his face, Flash has been brilliant. :-)

Flash's first hydro session

Flash had his first water treadmill session last night. He did brilliantly and got used to it very quickly. He already managed 3 x 1 minute walks in it. Great stuff.

More physio

Flash has been doing really well since having the physio treatment. He had another session last week, and tonight he will start with the hydrotherapy.

Here are a couple of pictures of Flash's session last week with Flora.

Flash, the stooge dog

This morning, I brought Flash along to a client to work as a stooge dog for their lead-reactive dog. Flash has helped me before as a stooge, but not for a long time and not since his back issue that made him reactive as well. Well, he did a great job. He was pretty relaxed, showed good body language, nothing threatening and lots of sniffing. This way the other dog was able to relax and it all went really well. Very proud of Flash.

Flash also went for another physio session on 30th October, and chiro two days before that. He was getting quite "ploddy" on walks at times, but since the treatments he is back to normal again. Later this month he will start with hydrotherapy (treadmill) as well, I think that will make quite a big difference.

Happy birthday, shoulder problems, lipoma removal and horse training

Various things have happened since my last update about Flash.

First of all, Flash celebrated his 10th birthday on 30th August! Wow, I can't believe that my crazy boy has reached that amazing mile stone! He got a lovely birthday chew on the day.

He has settled in incredibly well and is really enjoying the country life. There is also a couple of areas where I can let him off lead now and he is very responsive!

However, he has had a problem with his shoulder. A few times he yelped when he hurt himself. At first I didn't think anything of it as that's the sort of thing that happens if you place your foot wrong by accident and you hurt yourself. But when it happened about the third time within a few days, I grew concerned and got him checked out. The vet couldn't find anything major other than some pain response in his shoulder.

I then took Flash to a hydrotherapy center (www.meadow-farm.com) where the first thing to be done was a thorough assessment and treatment with physio therapist Flora. She also found that there was a problem in the shoulder area, but not sure what exactly.

So when a couple of weeks later, Flash needed to have a lipoma removed that grew very close to his hock joint, I requested to also have x-rays done.

The x-rays came back clear other than some very minor wear and tear that wouldn't have any impact. So we now know that it is a soft tissue issue of some sort. Looking at chiro reports as far back as 2010, Susan even then reported a tight shoulder, so this is a longer standing issue.

Oh, and he also had titre tests before the physio and they all came back as fine. Parvo and hepatitis showed very high levels of antibodies and distemper was just borderline.

This is is when Flash came home from the vets. Unfortunately once the bandage was off, he had to wear a buster collar as he wouldn't leave the stitches alone otherwise. But last weekend I took the stitches out, so he is now back to normal.

Anyway, as Flash has not had any further incidents with his shoulder since the physio treatment, I have decided against further investigations with CT/MRI as I don't think it will help any further. So Flash will go back for physio and hydrotherapy soon - as soon as I have sorted out Dylan's oncologist appointments.

I am very glad that Flash is fine and the shoulder is not a major issue and hopefully can be strengthened up with physio and hydrotherapy so this doesn't happen again.

Here's a couple of recent pictures of Flash

 

 Flash spying on the left here.

The whole gang!

9th Gotcha Day

We moved to our new place in Norfolk on 25th March. Flash settled in very easily really, though was a challenge on walks for a while and is still mostly on a long line. But his recall and focus has come along nicely and hopefully he will soon be able to go off lead in some areas.

However, Flashy boy arrived exactly 9 years ago here! How time flies and what a fabulous dog he grew into.

KCGC Silver and Gold Award

Flash and I took the KCGC Silver and Gold Award today. Flash did so well and passed with flying colours! He really enjoys going to training and has a great time; it shows in his work! What a good boy he is.

So much progress

I am so so proud of Flash. I took him to my training classes yesterday (with Rima teaching) and he was just great, settled when asked (even when I put him on the stage with dogs coming into the hall he'd never seen before), joined in to the training and playing when invited and controlled himself beautifully even around the large dogs that worried him! What a star he was!

He has made so much progress over the last months. He ignores dogs when on lead now unless they come up to him. If they are small and medium dogs he says hello nicely, if they are large dogs I have to walk him away. He has played with dogs very nicely recently too - last time this Sunday with little Joey, Karen's sister's little bichon, when we went for a walk together.

He is also such a pleasure to walk again now. He keeps an eye on me, is more responsive than ever before and I don't have to worry too much anymore about other dogs around. I have taken them all to Lloyds Park a few times now and it has been great and given me more confidence for our countryside walks at our new home in Norfolk!

A little ouchie...

Last night, Flash didn't like to move and sat down when I came home rather than the jumping up he normally does which indicated that his back was hurting. I gave him a rimadyl before going training and by the time I got home he was fine again. I have however put his night coat on last night and will do so every night through the winter again now.

He is doing so well with his back on just the turmeric, but every few months he will cease up or even go into spasms. Poor chappie.

9th Birthday

I forgot my poor Flash's birthday, but wish him a happy one with all my heart! He was nine years old on Friday, 30th August! HAPPY BIRTHDAY, my beautiful boy! Picture below taken today!

Yay - Flash tried to play with a dog

This morning for the first time since his back problems started, Flash tried to get another dog to play in the park. It was Pip, a Labrador he knows well, but he was aggressive to as well whilst his back was bad. This morning, Flash poked him to get him to play and looked perfectly relaxed. I stopped him from poking him of course, but that's how he gets other dogs to play/run and it was great seeing him happy enough to do that again! Yay! It looks like we are winning the war with Flash! He now very rarely barks or growls at other dogs in the park unless they charge up to him. Even large dogs he just walks past (on lead still!) ignoring them. :-)

Titre

Well, Flash had a titre test 10 days ago and I got the results today. He is a little low on distemper, but everything else is still fine. As distemper isn't really an issue anymore these days, it is most likely just because he hasn't been exposed. All the other levels are perfectly adequate and quite high. So along with Mark's recommendation, he won't be vaccinated but tested again next year.

Just a picture

We had a lovely walk in the country park today. Flash is so much better again with other dogs and Dylan is just full of energy! It's such a joy to walk these too again - though of course I still need to be careful with them... I still don't trust Flash 100% and Dylan still loves chasing things that move of course. But it is overall so much more relaxing again.

Sunday morning lay-in

Another break-through re meeting dogs

Another break-through for Flash today... two planned off lead encounters! It's about 2 years now that Flash hasn't been off lead when there were other dogs around because of his aggression towards them which was caused by severe back pain due to a dry disc in his back. Over the last year or so, with lots of training on walks (when we saw dogs from a distance), he started improving whilst on lead and on a couple of occasions when we came upon dogs unexpectely, he didn't react. (That actually happened last week at night when I didn't see a dog in the distance). Over the last few months, he's said hello to a few dogs nicely whilst on lead.

Today, I was finally confident enough to let him off lead when there were two other dogs around. Dylan had already said hello to them and they were confident with good body language... so I bit the bullet and let Flash off (whilst Dylan on lead). AND... HE WAS AMAZING! He first watched one from the distance, then ran past him, then went up to him calmly - a little insecure, but with perfectly appropriate and non-aggressive body language. When the second dog trotted past him, he had a quick sniff and then went his own way! It's so good to have my old Flash back... still a little way to go (we need more positive encounters like these to be entirely confident again - both him and me), but not far off now!

I love you so much, Flashy boy! You are amazing.

Training again

First of all just an update on Flash's cuts on his back legs. They have all healed well now and athough there are noticeable scars now, it is no bother to Flash at all.

Secondly, last week, I took Flash to training classes again for the first time. He really enjoyed it and had a good time after a short settling in period. He hadn't forgotten any of his exercises either and was very enthusiastic.

He was a little cautious with some dogs, but no problem as long as I was making sure he had a little space. I was very proud of him!

Vets

I took Flash to Mark's yesterday as didn't like the look of it. Mark said that he was very lucky to not have caught any tendons/ligaments. He gave him a shot of antibiotics and anti-inflammatories. It's healing, but not as wonderfully as I'd hoped. We'll see how it goes.