Saturday, April 4, 2009

Swim Therapy with Eva

Heisman just got home from swim therapy with Eva. She had a BLAST. The water was a very warm 96 degrees and salty, which will help her skin! For a dog who has not had any activity since at least October, Heisman didn't want to stop. Eva said that she will be VERY sore for the next few days and recommended that we bring her back within 72 hours to continue to build the muscle mass. Heisman wants to thank her Great Aunt Myra for contributing to her therapy fund - she is SO lucky to have such a supportive family!

There's not much to report beyond the fun that she had, and she really did well with the swimming - got right in the pool without any coaxing! I have put together a video with some swimming clips and the best pictures from today. I am not looking forward to seeing Heisman sore, but I am so happy that she had a fun day of just being a dog!

Friday, April 3, 2009

Week 8 - Check Up and WALK!!!

They say a picture is worth a thousand words...just check out the picture to the left!

What a wonderful day we have had!! Heisman had her 8 week appointment this morning with Dr. Greenwood - my fellow TPLO moms can attest to what a milestone this is! Dr. Greenwood x-rayed Heisman's leg, and determined that her bone is healing - and may even be ahead of schedule! While this may seem like the best news of the day, I am sure that Heisman would disagree. Due to Dr. Greenwood's clearance today, Heisman is now able to go on 10 minute walks every day - increasing the distance by 5 minutes every week! She has not been able to go on a walk since October!! The picture to the left is of Heisman right before we left for the walk. SHE WAS SO EXCITED!!! I am just thrilled to finally have a happy dog on our hands. Below is a quick video of her walk:



Hooray! Tomorrow, she is going to the canine water therapy center Wag n Swim so that she can have VERY SUPERVISED swimming with Eva - highly recommended by our great friends over at CityDog Market. It is dangerous to "free swim" a TPLO dog, but Eva has a lot of experience with Ortho-Dogs, and swimming is one of Heisman's favorite things to do. The swim center at Wag n Swim has a salt water pool that is heated to 96 degrees, which will also be wonderful for Heisman's skin. I will be sure to take a lot of pictures and video and post back tomorrow. I am SO EXCITED!