The Miracle called Spike

Spike's Motto  - "Live life to the full"

We have shared our lives with Spike for nearly two years.   Two years of experiences that I would not wish on my worst enemy, well certainly not the bad bits, but the good bits are worth a lifetime of negatives.

Spike is an entity.  A very special entity that defies medical logic and is determined to prove just how special and inspirational a being can be.  No one ever said that only human beings can be inspirational…..

Since I was 13 years old I have managed chronic pain in my left ankle and as I get older it gets harder to manage.  The negativity sets in and fear takes over.  I don’t like taking drugs, I prefer to manage the pain as best I can, sometimes I can and sometimes I cannot.  Sometimes my mind weakens and I cannot overcome the negativity.  I was doing okay until a couple of years ago, round about the time the entity that we call Spike entered our lives…..

For those that do not know.  Spike has hip and elbow dysplasia.  He has had x-rays, CT scans and been put through every medical examination possible.  We have the factual details and know what we are working with.  He also ruptured his cruciate in September 2014 and had to endure extensive surgery to repair the damage.   My ankle has been operated on 3 times, CT Scanned, MRI and x-rayed and know the facts of my condition.  They are not disputable.  Spike and I don’t have cartilage in our joints.  When we move we click and crunch as bone meets bone.  This is a fact, but sometimes facts don’t matter. 

If you are a logical person that thrives on logic I suggest you read no further.  However if you can throw logic out the window and want to enter a world where the word miracle springs to mind,  then I welcome you to the World that Spike lives in.  A world that we try to control as we want to protect him, but truly he is the one in control….

Every day Spike wakes up and wants to run.  He is a Husky and running is in his blood, it pulses through his veins.  We are his human protectors and we know that if he runs every day then he will suffer.   I wake up every day and want to run, I make the decision as to whether I do or not.

Both Spike and I have adapted our bodies to assist our desires.  Muscle development in the affected limbs helps protect and reduce the impact on the joints.  We walk and run “weird”, but it works for us.  We both hobble when walking, but when we run you would never know that anything was wrong.

We have reached a compromise that Spike appears to accept.  He is allowed to run every other day, which not surprisingly he loves!  The non-running days are a bit of a problem and normally Ian has to manage Spike’s enthusiasm on those days while I disappear into the darkness with our other Siberian Huskies.

On the days that Spike runs, life becomes easier for us – he sleeps for the rest of the day!!  On the days he does not run our poor garden suffers.  He is currently trying to create a Hobbit size hole in one of our gardens, well either that or a tunnel to Australia….

Running with his favourite human

We are trying to build up Spike’s running slowly, but at the same time run at the pace he wants to.  Since December his pace has gradually improved from 8 minute miles to 4:50 minute miles.  He cannot run for a great length of time, and in that respect we differ greatly.  I prefer distance over speed and struggle with motivation to maintain effort over a short distance.  However I have a long held dream to run very quickly for one mile and that is where Spike and my paths collide…..

I need his help to run a Sub4 minute mile.  We have two Siberian Huskies that are easily capable of running 4 minute mile pace for a long period of time, but I am not physically capable of prolonged running at that speed.  When I tire they ease back and let me run at a pace I am comfortable, they are my doggy protectors.  However, Spike on the other hand is not so considerate!  When he runs he wants to run quickly and with reckless abandonment.  He wants to get “there” before everyone…. 

Spike has been solo training and running with Kez since his TPLO operation.  Spike runs a lot with Ian and that partnership works very well.  We are being very cautious with his post recovery training and have so far not allowed him to run with Kroi.  Kroi is a speed demon and when he runs with Spike testosterone generally fuels the run.  They are male dogs of similar age, so not surprising that they are competitive with one another!   

Spike continues to have regular hydrotherapy sessions to help his fitness and muscle development.  He also has laser therapy treatment and is assessed by a vet on a regular basis.  He is not on any regular pain medication and is physically in the best shape he has ever been in.  He also regularly digs very deep holes in our garden, which is quite a feat when you consider the condition of his elbow joints!

Spike is indeed a very special little dog that continues to defy medical and scientific logic.  He is our little miracle….

(Images thanks to Ian J Berry, well apart from one :-) )