Oh dear, we do seem to have a number of dogs in the wars at the moment, with hip and elbow problems... Time for an update on young Merlin!
After the fright of him hurting himself during our holiday, his infected foot has finally completely healed and is no longer causing him any issues.
However, I have noticed that although he walks, trots and runs perfectly ok, that if he has been overdoing things (e.g. doing too much dummy work), then he limps slightly on his left hind leg. I am pretty sure this is no longer due to the injury to his foot; I am fairly sure it comes from his dodgy hips. I got his hip x-rays back from the vets recently, and they are not pretty viewing. Sigh.
The good news is - the physiotherapist is so pleased with his progress that she first said she only needs to see him every two weeks (instead of weekly), and now she has proposed we only meet up once a month. I have the exercises to do with him every other day, and if he does start to limp again she says she will come straight out to see him. The main challenge is going to be finding the balance to keep him happy and busy, while controlling his urge to crash around in the woods - preferably chasing tennis balls. So far, hiding dummies in the wood and letting him search for them seems to be a good compromise, since his movements are then far more controlled, and he has to use his head and nose. I think the stopping and twisting involved in dummy retrieving is not great for him. We shall see - I have taken a month's break from training with him, and am working on building up his muscle mass in his hindquarters to protect and hold the joints in place.
It really is an emotional rollercoaster ride when you have a dog like this, and I feel so much sympathy for everyone else going through it. I know you guys understand me too, and the support on here is so important. Staying positive and believing that things will work out well, and that our dogs will have happy and fulfilled lives is paramount, because getting depressed does no-one any good and the dogs pick that up too...
On another note, I have put money aside, that I was thinking could go towards a new car, as my 'Merlin's hips fund'. I will just keep driving to work in my 10-year old Ford Fiesta for the foreseeable future...
Here's is my giant baby, asleep with his teddy bear:
