Carbón has lost his happy :-(

Emily_Babbelhund

Emily_Babbelhund

Mama Red HOT Pepper
Location
Regensburg, Germany
Weeellll…we walked to the vet, which clearly had not been open for a long time . No clue who the ‘recommender’ talked to on the phone to tell them we were coming, but it wasn’t the vet at the address they gave me. 😒

So… back to the drawing board tomorrow with the other vet I saw online. The meds did seem to help and I have one dose left in case the other vet is closed tomorrow for the bank holiday.

On the bright side , the apartment is cute (and warm @Jacqui-S!) so a nice place for Carbón to rest. The stairs up don’t seem to bother him much. He zipped up just now in anticipation of dinner - that’s my boy!
 
M

M.F.

You could try a heat pad to ease his stiff muscles. Apply for about 10 mins at a time. Then massage gently. Then apply ice to reduce inflammation. Advice from my physio. I jumped on a trampoline the other day, doing Jumping Jacks and Saturday Night Fever, and landed up at the physio!!!!! Haven’t jumped on a trampoline in a million years. Clearly haven’t used some muscles, which left my back in excruciating pain. The ice really relieved the pain.
 
Emily_Babbelhund

Emily_Babbelhund

Mama Red HOT Pepper
Location
Regensburg, Germany
M.F. said:
You could try a heat pad to ease his stiff muscles. Apply for about 10 mins at a time. Then massage gently. Then apply ice to reduce inflammation. Advice from my physio. I jumped on a trampoline the other day, doing Jumping Jacks and Saturday Night Fever, and landed up at the physio!!!!! Haven’t jumped on a trampoline in a million years. Clearly haven’t used some muscles, which left my back in excruciating pain. The ice really relieved the pain.
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Oh my goodness! I hope you’re feeling better? Though it must be said, that sounds very fun and almost worth the price you paid afterwards !
 
M

M.F.

Haha it was soooo much fun. We were at a hot springs resort. My sister came to tell me she’d found a trampoline and I must try it. It was a big trampoline next to one of the swimming pools. So in my bathing suit, I hauled myself up onto the trampoline and bounced around. Felt like I was a young kid, jumping in my bathing suit!!! Hahaha!! My sister said, Clap your hands above your head (kinda like Jumping Jacks). I tried a few times until my kidneys felt like they got dislocated. Ended up doing Saturday Night Fever instead. Anyway, 4 weeks later and I’m still aching!!! But I really did feel 45 years younger!!
 
Emily_Babbelhund

Emily_Babbelhund

Mama Red HOT Pepper
Location
Regensburg, Germany
M.F. said:
Haha it was soooo much fun. We were at a hot springs resort. My sister came to tell me she’d found a trampoline and I must try it. It was a big trampoline next to one of the swimming pools. So in my bathing suit, I hauled myself up onto the trampoline and bounced around. Felt like I was a young kid, jumping in my bathing suit!!! Hahaha!! My sister said, Clap your hands above your head (kinda like Jumping Jacks). I tried a few times until my kidneys felt like they got dislocated. Ended up doing Saturday Night Fever instead. Anyway, 4 weeks later and I’m still aching!!! But I really did feel 45 years younger!!
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That’s great ! Not that you’re still sore of course , but that you had such a good time . However … what on earth is ‘doing Saturday Night Fever’? I know the movie, but not the trampoline move. 😁
 
Emily_Babbelhund

Emily_Babbelhund

Mama Red HOT Pepper
Location
Regensburg, Germany
M.F. said:
How is Carbon today?
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He’a ok but still not 100%. He was wiggly and happy this morning, no problem on the stairs, we did a short walk where he was bouncy and I thought we’d nailed it with the problem passed. Then I went to visit my Italian teacher, she and I had a good visit for two hours, Carbón happy as a clam…but when we left to have a walk around town, he was clearly in pain again walking hunched over with his head down .

He’s rested the rest of the afternoon and we’ll do a gentle potty walk in a bit this evening. Again, he seems 100% himself this afternoon and now, following me around the apartment and happy as can be.

If I had my car, I would have already taken him to a vet, but considering that dragging him around crowded streets seems to have gotten him in this state, I’m loathe to drag him on a 45 minute walk to get him to the vet when he does seem to be improving. Tomorrow I’ll keep calm again, I have a new vet recommended by my teacher open tomorrow if needed. We’ll take it day by day. 🤞
 
M

M.F.

I’m pleased to hear he is improving. Having a dog myself who has back problems, there’s not much the vet can do except prescribe meds. A dog physio is a better bet. I highly recommend laser therapy now if you can find someone who can do it. Snowie responds amazingly well to it. And also massage, and grabbing his skin and kinda rolling it—suggested by the dog physio. She called it fascia release. And heat. I put a dishcloth in the microwave for 1 minute. Comes out nice and hot. Apply it to the sore area. Probably the lumbar area. The dog orthopedic surgeon said dogs are most vulnerable around their L5 vertebra where it meets the pelvic girdle.

Hanging the head is a sign of back ache.

Poor Carbon. Hopefully he’ll feel 100% soon. Hopefully he’s not like me taking ages to recover!! But it does get better. xxx
 
Emily_Babbelhund

Emily_Babbelhund

Mama Red HOT Pepper
Location
Regensburg, Germany
He seemed so much better this morning and during the day that I decided against dragging him to the vet, but his gentle evening walk wiped him out.

Tomorrow was supposed to be a day trip to Lucca for the antiques fair, but I can’t do that to him, though I know he’d come along like a trooper. So another day in the flat and once again consider the vet on Monday.

Poor bub, our trip was ok’ed by his German vet but none of us counted on this type of injury as skeletal-wise he’s been rock solid. We’ve just got to roll with this new development and do the best we can.

On the bright side, at home while resting , he’s still a happy Señor and nothing has dimmed his Labrador appetite for deleeecious food!
 
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Emily_Babbelhund

Emily_Babbelhund

Mama Red HOT Pepper
Location
Regensburg, Germany
He’s done two gentle walks today and has been able to keep lifting his head up during the walks for the first time in 3 days ! Knock on wood, but I’m really encouraged that he’s on the right road. 🥰

We have three more days here for him to rest, and hopefully by Thursday he’ll be ready for the next adventure.

If somehow I could take the pain for him and the worry for me out of it, it’s been an interesting experience. Usually he has to slow down for me and always has so much patience. With a few exceptions , this is the first time in five years that I’ve not been able to rely on him and it’s made me appreciate even more what he gives me in our working partnership.

So yes, this visit to Florence has mainly been the inside of a (thankfully very nice) apartment , but I’ve had the chance to reflect on and cherish his usual unending energy. Hopefully it will steadily come back to 100% and I’ll be once again rolling my eyes at all the zanyness - with more patience and joy that the tiny Señor can be his own gale force wind. 😁
 
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