- Location
- Argyll & Bute, Scotland
Such a lovely update Kate and Otter. Otter so deserves a break, she's been through so much for a pupster. Well done Beanwod pack xxx 
Otter's Journey....
- Thread starter Beanwood
- Start date
Beanwood
Administrator
I think it was the fact I had stopped and was patiently waiting. I smiled and asked politely which way they needed to go. Badminton is full of lovely wide avenues, and the area is huge, so plenty of choice and room
Beanwood
Administrator
Knee Update - At rehab today....
We had an hour appointment at rehab today, off we trot out the front door, and wow! Otter is bouncing excitedly at the back of the car! Bounce, bounce let me in!! I lift her little bot and in we go. I talk quietly, then check if she will take treats in the back of the car...yup...OK we are good to go!
In we go with Otter ( still bouncing...) to see Tamsin, who forgets herself and brightly says, "Hello Otter!" who promptly barks at her for daring to approach to be so presumptious!
Then off she goes exploring, while we chat.We start in the water tank. This takes a while to set up, as we need to ensure Otter is happy again to run in and out of the tank. Then it's filled a little with water and the treadmill starts. Otter manages a few minutes walking, her chin on my hand, eyes staring at me, then she says quite clearly..it's enough for now. I am actually quite moved at the degree of trust she has in me.
Otter manages to tolerate some quite deep "hands on" across all her joints. Her back and her hips were quite stiff and needed some work to release the muscles and ease her spine. I am to use a heatpad in the evenings on Otter's lower back to help soothe and relax her muscles. Acupuncture would be really good for her, but I don't think we are quite at the point Otter is going to allow someone to put needles in her! I am thinking of exploring Tellington TTouch to help with the tension in her body....hold that thought for now!
In summary, Otter continues to make progress. Physically she has grown a little in the last couple of weeks, so we are still heading in the right direction, plus she is also half a kg heavier now at 23.9kgs. I think her final cruising weight is going to be 24.5kgs - 25kgs. Her external rotation is not restricting her knee flexibility, meaning she lifts her stifle nicely in a trot, as well as over the caveletti poles which is good. She is not however weightbearing as much as we would like through that leg which is a bit of worry, this could impinge on other joints, and what we don't want is to put pressure on her intact cruciate. This is not due to pain, but purely mechanical. Her tibia is not straight. Her knee does feel stable which is good, although Tamsin was a bit limited in terms of being able to fully explore the movement within the joint. We have weekly appointments now through the next few weeks, as well as upping her exercises through the day.
Exercises:
1. Increase height on the cavaletti poles
2. More work around hind leg strength - front paws on a box - move side to side and head up/down/sideways to activate hind muscles
3. 3 legged stand
4. Prioreceptor work - toetouch mat etc...
5. SLOW walking
We had an hour appointment at rehab today, off we trot out the front door, and wow! Otter is bouncing excitedly at the back of the car! Bounce, bounce let me in!! I lift her little bot and in we go. I talk quietly, then check if she will take treats in the back of the car...yup...OK we are good to go!
In we go with Otter ( still bouncing...) to see Tamsin, who forgets herself and brightly says, "Hello Otter!" who promptly barks at her for daring to approach to be so presumptious!
Then off she goes exploring, while we chat.We start in the water tank. This takes a while to set up, as we need to ensure Otter is happy again to run in and out of the tank. Then it's filled a little with water and the treadmill starts. Otter manages a few minutes walking, her chin on my hand, eyes staring at me, then she says quite clearly..it's enough for now. I am actually quite moved at the degree of trust she has in me. Otter manages to tolerate some quite deep "hands on" across all her joints. Her back and her hips were quite stiff and needed some work to release the muscles and ease her spine. I am to use a heatpad in the evenings on Otter's lower back to help soothe and relax her muscles. Acupuncture would be really good for her, but I don't think we are quite at the point Otter is going to allow someone to put needles in her! I am thinking of exploring Tellington TTouch to help with the tension in her body....hold that thought for now!
In summary, Otter continues to make progress. Physically she has grown a little in the last couple of weeks, so we are still heading in the right direction, plus she is also half a kg heavier now at 23.9kgs. I think her final cruising weight is going to be 24.5kgs - 25kgs. Her external rotation is not restricting her knee flexibility, meaning she lifts her stifle nicely in a trot, as well as over the caveletti poles which is good. She is not however weightbearing as much as we would like through that leg which is a bit of worry, this could impinge on other joints, and what we don't want is to put pressure on her intact cruciate. This is not due to pain, but purely mechanical. Her tibia is not straight. Her knee does feel stable which is good, although Tamsin was a bit limited in terms of being able to fully explore the movement within the joint. We have weekly appointments now through the next few weeks, as well as upping her exercises through the day.
Exercises:
1. Increase height on the cavaletti poles
2. More work around hind leg strength - front paws on a box - move side to side and head up/down/sideways to activate hind muscles
3. 3 legged stand
4. Prioreceptor work - toetouch mat etc...
5. SLOW walking
- Location
- Malvern Worcestershire
[QUOTE="Beanwood, post: 127255, member: 14" Acupuncture would be really good for her, but I don't think we are quite at the point Otter is going to allow someone to put needles in her! I am thinking of exploring Tellington TTouch to help with the tension in her body....hold that thought for now!
[/QUOTE]
Rourke is having Laser Acupuncture which Otter might accept. Unfortunately it doesn't appear to be helping Rourke, but does help others.
[/QUOTE]
Rourke is having Laser Acupuncture which Otter might accept. Unfortunately it doesn't appear to be helping Rourke, but does help others.
- Location
- Cornwall , UK
First hand experience of TTouch here with our little terrier Lily who became very fearful after her lifelong friend Labrador Tess died . I got in touch the lovely Shona Moon who teaches TTouch , it did wonders for her . Maybe it was just the general massage , I dont know , but it helped Lily a lot .
- Location
- East Sussex
Good to hear that things are steadily improving.
Beanwood
Administrator
Dear little Otter, that sounds like progress
Candy
Biscuit Tin Guardian
- Location
- West Yorkshire, UK
Yes, it made my eyes a teensy bit wet too!
Beanwood
Administrator
@MF and @Candy
Trust is an important step in not just Otter's physical rehab, but towards improving her mental well-being. Firstly looking carefully and working with her emotional state, then we start on more intense counter conditoning. It really has been a question of teasing apart her triggers, which are for example in the case of the car.... car keys, coat, bag, harness and lead. If those things come together in a certain way, then just 2 months ago this would have sent her straight to her crate, shaking and urinating in fear. If I just randomly picked up my "going out" rucksack Otter would've run to her crate. It is very difficult to have what I call a meaningful relationship with a dog that is not only very young, but full of suspicon and anxiety. If Otter is constantly questioning my motives, then it makes any progress towards a partnership based on trust a bit awkward. We don't speak the same language, so I can't even tell her that it's OK, that I am just moving my bag, need to get something out of the car...etc...
The way forward though has to be built on trust, 100%. Everything has to be totally through postive reinforcement, and that has been tough especially when she launches into full throttle play with Benson!! (Managing her arousal levels is important as at the back of my mind is the very real risk of further injury.) We have lots of sessions of social play, play with toys, exciting play, calming and relaxation....and then the training, lots and lots of it.
We will get there, but I have to admit, some days are better than others. She is a hyper teenager right now and such a pain in the ass it's unreal....today she has eaten partway through a chair in the kitchen, it's OK though I spotted the dangling support before I actually sat on it.
I took this video a couple of days ago. It is an interesting study in body language. I take Otter for 95% of her walks right now, I do all her training, that's not to say @Mr Beanwood doesn't interact it's just that I have a lot more time to work on specifc ares with her.
The body language is very interesting in this clip....
Trust is an important step in not just Otter's physical rehab, but towards improving her mental well-being. Firstly looking carefully and working with her emotional state, then we start on more intense counter conditoning. It really has been a question of teasing apart her triggers, which are for example in the case of the car.... car keys, coat, bag, harness and lead. If those things come together in a certain way, then just 2 months ago this would have sent her straight to her crate, shaking and urinating in fear. If I just randomly picked up my "going out" rucksack Otter would've run to her crate. It is very difficult to have what I call a meaningful relationship with a dog that is not only very young, but full of suspicon and anxiety. If Otter is constantly questioning my motives, then it makes any progress towards a partnership based on trust a bit awkward. We don't speak the same language, so I can't even tell her that it's OK, that I am just moving my bag, need to get something out of the car...etc...
The way forward though has to be built on trust, 100%. Everything has to be totally through postive reinforcement, and that has been tough especially when she launches into full throttle play with Benson!! (Managing her arousal levels is important as at the back of my mind is the very real risk of further injury.) We have lots of sessions of social play, play with toys, exciting play, calming and relaxation....and then the training, lots and lots of it.
We will get there, but I have to admit, some days are better than others. She is a hyper teenager right now and such a pain in the ass it's unreal....today she has eaten partway through a chair in the kitchen, it's OK though I spotted the dangling support before I actually sat on it.
I took this video a couple of days ago. It is an interesting study in body language. I take Otter for 95% of her walks right now, I do all her training, that's not to say @Mr Beanwood doesn't interact it's just that I have a lot more time to work on specifc ares with her.
The body language is very interesting in this clip....
I never really clicked just how anxious Otter is... You know, she reminds me of Poppy in a lot of ways, who was also a nervous little creature who would bark at strangers and the vet. She would in fact bark at anyone who stared at her or looked into her eyes. She also HATED the car - only OH's car mind, she loved mine - and just as in your video, she would get into OH's car if I were there, but not if he was standing by the car... As with Otter, the way forward was of course lots and lots of trust and bond building. We really cracked that through dummy training, and it is a huge shame that Otter had that injury as you are now also faced with limited physical activity and all the associated problems that causes... You will get through all this, and she looks a dear little creature, no wonder you love her so much, I think she is adorable. Not easy - but then who wants easy??? 
It's also great that she has the other dogs as a support - I know Poppy gained a huge amount from calm, sensible Bones.
It's also great that she has the other dogs as a support - I know Poppy gained a huge amount from calm, sensible Bones.
Beanwood
Administrator
Yes she is adorable, and I have feeling that when (it feels like forever....) we get the green light for more activity....I think her joy of all things dummy/tennis/football will be so rewarding for her. I do let her carry her "special" dummy home though, otherwise she raids next doors log store instead! 
Casper comes with us on our quiet bimbles around the paddocks. He shows Otter where the best places to sniff are and ignores her pleas to play with a "slow down, and smell the roses pup!" He does play a little tuggy with her, but mostly now he likes to sleep that deep sleep of an old comfortable dog.
The gang are just amazing with Otter, I have to manage her with Benson though as they are both wind up merchants!
Casper comes with us on our quiet bimbles around the paddocks. He shows Otter where the best places to sniff are and ignores her pleas to play with a "slow down, and smell the roses pup!" He does play a little tuggy with her, but mostly now he likes to sleep that deep sleep of an old comfortable dog.
- Location
- Andorra and Spain
She reminds me a bit of our friends' Lab, Alfie. He was a terribly nervous puppy, but he turned into a perfectly normal adult dog without any efforts on his owners' part. He's never been overly sociable, but he's not scared at all.
I'm not suggesting you do nothing, of course, just that it's nice to know that sometimes it's not set in stone that a nervous pup will need special thought for their whole life.
I'm not suggesting you do nothing, of course, just that it's nice to know that sometimes it's not set in stone that a nervous pup will need special thought for their whole life.
Beanwood
Administrator
I do wonder if Otter's anxiety stems from an association with the vet, there was one visit in particular I was very concerned about. Indeed she is a naturally cautious pup, however quite a brave wee thing. It is also interesting that when both Benson and Bramble were about Otter's age now, there was a very distinct drop in confidence. They are both resilient dogs so moved through this phase without any problems, just interesting at the time. Otter seems different, her confidence is growing, and whilst she regards "new" things thoughtfully, it is not with what I would call fear. For example our neighbours put up a huge black plastic baseball net thingy in their driveway. It is enormous! Benson gave it a wtf???? look whilst Otter barely glanced at it as she trotted by!
Beanwood
Administrator
The "Puddle"
This video features the the water meadow at Wapley, where the dangerous "deep" puddles are! I took Otter back today, and let her off lead for a minute or two to play in the puddles. Me? I kept a safe distance! So especially for @Jelinga, thinking of you, and I hope this clip raises a smile....
This video features the the water meadow at Wapley, where the dangerous "deep" puddles are! I took Otter back today, and let her off lead for a minute or two to play in the puddles. Me? I kept a safe distance!
So especially for @Jelinga, thinking of you, and I hope this clip raises a smile....
- Location
- Ontario, Canada
That was such a treat to watch!
- Location
- Malvern Worcestershire
Definitely a 'vicar of Dibbly' puddle. Lovely to see Otter enjoying herself so much and having an imaginary game