It is amazing the difference a week can make.
Last week Spike had been really struggling and I was so
concerned about him that I pulled out of my dream race for 2013. I did not want to leave him while I went chasing
a dream that could wait for another day.
This week has seen a huge improvement in his condition, so
much so that I am now creating new dreams and they involve running a very
special even with Spike some way in the future….
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| The water baby... |
The objective of the hydrotherapy is to improve the muscle
development and movement of his joints without the stresses when performed on land. On land as Spike moves a shockwave effect is
created that travels up each limb and gets absorbed by his bones, tendons and
ligaments. Whilst these stresses are necessary
to maintain healthy strong bones in Spike’s case it can make his condition worse. Suffering from hip and elbow dysplasia has
caused Spike to adopt “wonky” movement in all four legs, from hobbling to a
bunny hopping style of gait.
Spike went to Top Dog Hydrotherapy this
week to begin the process of teaching his body to walk and run properly. Spike loves playing water and so we were
pretty confident that he would take to the aquatic treadmill very easily. He did and over the coming weeks he will be
returning there twice per week.
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| The water treadmil |
The aquatic treadmill has glass sides, which allow assessment
of all movement, gait and stride length.
The water level and speed can be adjusted very easily, allowing various
flexion and extension of the joints and limbs.
Watching Spike on the treadmill was fascinating. Feeling very unstable he initially walked
very wide, but as he gained confidence he moved his legs inwards and was soon
walking almost “normally” as the water level increased. He was clearly comfortable with the
situation, or perhaps it was the tasty treats on offer that helped him feel
relaxed and chilled!
Speaking of treats, I had a very interesting experience with
Spike and food this week. In nearly two
decades of living with huskies, I have never used food as a reward for anything
that I ask the huskies to do. They all
are trained purely by voice command and their only reward is praise. None are motivated by food and will happily
leave food in preference for a run with me…
Praise as reward has worked exceptionally well for me, but I decided to
try a different approach with Spike, who is a very food motivated dog….
On our solo excursions from the house I took food with me to
see how Spike would respond. Long story
short, we now have a very obedient dog that will sit, stay and walk to heel,
all for food…. A lot of work is still
required, but it would appear that using food as training is an easy option for
this dog!!
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| Dreams propel us into action.... |
We are very proud of the positive adaptation to his
challenges of the past week, but Spike has many times reminded us of his fragility
and the struggles that he faces on a daily basis.
His tenacity, my dreams and the support of his growing band of fans will triumph over adversity.
His tenacity, my dreams and the support of his growing band of fans will triumph over adversity.
(Illustration and photographs courtesy of Melissa Simm, and tzruns)
