Jake's hydrotherapy

[GSDOWNER]

Originally Posted by jakesmummy

Jake went to his extra session today the man said its the worse he has seen him and take it day by day not weeks like i thought and he has a lot of experience with cdrm dogs so it was a bit of a shock , he loves jake he says he is special and he dosnt want me to hang on too long then regret it , its so hard to know what to do as this evening Jake was outside i was in the kitchen and because i went out of veiw he started to bark i went out and as soon as he heard the door open he ran to his kennel knowing he was being naughty barking hehe bless him he makes me laugh when he does that he peeps out of his kennel with his gorgeous eyes saying it wasn't me . he ran like there was nothing wrong with him this is what makes it so hard

omg jakes mummy, big hugs

but lol at jake........he seems a bloody fighter, good on you jake. I really do not know what to say, but in your heart you will know............. I have visions of jake being around for a long time yet

[kita]

I don't care how much experience anyone has with CDRM - every dog is different, that is the nature of the condition.

YOU know your dog better than anyone else - even your vet.

The fact that there is no pain with CDRM is a blessing for the dog, but it makes it very hard for the owner - at least if the dog is in pain you have the comfort that you are releasing the dog from the pain and effort of life.

I don't think anyone can advise you what to do, ultimately it is down to you, you know how far to take your dog and what he would want.

I took my girl much further than most people would, but then I knew that she was still fighting and wanting to be with me (she had 24 hour company and care). Sadly I had to let her go when she started developing pressure sores that would not heal and her front legs started to fail. In the last few days she stopped eating and I knew that she had given up and was going to die very shortly anyway.

One thing I read a few years ago by a breeder, she said she had never lost a dog with CDRM since she put her old dogs on Vivitonin (think that is how you spell it) - might be worth discussing with your vet?

Don't be too downhearted, maybe Jake is just having a bad few days. My current dog is nearly 13 (not GSD) and he has bad arthritis, I have to help him into a stand using his tail - once he is up he walks OK, but is stiff. Some days he is quite bad - but others he is bouncing! When you think about it they are nearly 100 in our years - you don't often see a 100 year old man jogging down the street!!! I think if he is eating and asking to go out for a walk (even chasing the ladies) then why not let him go on? On another forum someone just had their GSD put to sleep as it could no longer stand long enough to go to the toilet. I think that was a good judgement.

Listen to your heart and your head - like I say you alone know your dog better than anyone else, I am sure you will know in your heart when the time is right for both you and Jake.

Take care
Sue

[Petnanny]

Sue, thank you so much for posting your video of your dog in her cart.

I would most certainly consider this should Luika ever get this awful condition, since my bet assured me that Ben was in no pain at all. He was 10 when first diagnosed, but really enjoyed his life and only had mild symptoms.

You can certainly see her enjoying life to the full, and I think they are a great idea

[jakesmummy]

Jake has been doing well we have been out walking lots in his favorite forest ive been bitten to death by the mosqito flying things but its worth it to see him so happy im sooooo glad something stopped me from having him put to sleep the other weekend ,
we are going to hydrotherapy today and its the ladies birthday Jake is giving her a special card we made with pics of him at hydrotherapy i hope she likes it ,

[LOVEGSD]

Originally Posted by jakesmummy

Jake has been doing well we have been out walking lots in his favorite forest ive been bitten to death by the mosqito flying things but its worth it to see him so happy im sooooo glad something stopped me from having him put to sleep the other weekend ,
we are going to hydrotherapy today and its the ladies birthday Jake is giving her a special card we made with pics of him at hydrotherapy i hope she likes it ,

Aww what a lovely card, I'm sure that will make that ladies day

[Petnanny]

Ahh, what a lovely thought. It's wonderful news to hear that Jake is doing so well.

Just wish that Luika would start to relax a little in the pool. Poor guy has the patience of a Saint and he still runs away from him.

[Dillpot]

Whereabouts are you? I may be able to arrange for Jake to try a cart if there is anyone near to you who is using one. The ones we make are exactly the same as the ones in the video you saw and I once took one of these to a hydrotherapy pool for a labrador named Charlie who belonged to Cathy Dennis the singer/songwriter. As I put Charlie into it he took off heading straight for the pool and I had this vision of being sued for causing him to drown!! Luckily he swerved away at the last minute but when I spoke to the designer he said "No worry they are made so the dog can just shrug them off without injury should they get into difficulty" As far as I know Charlie is still running around on wheels some 6 years later.

[jakesmummy]

Hi everyone sorry ive not been on here for a while , ive been run off my feet with work and Jake of course also my little cat had her operation and that was traumatic for her so ive been looking after her as well , Jake is doing really well he has been running about all over the place when he runs its like he hops with his back legs but he seems to have loads of energy at the moment maybe because he has lost weight .
Thank you so much dillpot for your msg but im not going to cart jake im just going to let the cdrm run its course i know some people wont agree with me but if they knew jake they would realise why i came to this decision .
Jake has been through a lot in his life with his epilepsy bless him , and ive had 13 1/2 wonderful years with him so far and hopefully a few more months

[LOVEGSD]

Hello

This post made me smile hearing that Jake's running around and enjoying life Sorry to hear about your cat, hope she's ok now?

Lynn
x

[jakesmummy]

jake amazes me its sometimes like he has not got cdrm yet not long ago i thought it was the end for him .
my little cat had to have her tail amputated a horrible neigbour kicked her so violently up her rear it broke her tail and made her incontinent , she was not coping with the collar she had to wear and got very depressed , but she is getting better now
i woke this morning to find she had sneaked into my bed in the night and was cuddled right under the duvet curled up into me and i was all wet lol , ive tried nappies on her at nightime as thats when she leaks when she is asleep but she just falls over and lays on her back with a sorry look on her face with the nappy on she has her own bed so i can wash it every morning but she is being stubbon and wont use it . thank god for simple solution ive tons of it hehe