Cardiff

To make sure Molly was healing up OK and hopefully prevent future problems I wanted her recovery overseen by those good guys at the Smart Clinic who I trust greatly.

Our first trip today and a long day as it was a bit of a traffic nightmare.  It was also not great news as the vet was hugely concerned about the effect back pain and rest had had on her knees which had made her knees very much worse.  Lots of stretching exercises to try and loosen her up and get her moving a lot better.

KC agility

A really nice day for Chances second Kennel Club agility competition.  She has lost her confidence on the dog walk and struggling with weaves a little but she did well and they were pretty well the only things we messed up all day.

The Willows

Molly is much happier now and in a lot less pain.  The vet who checked Molly out did not find much pain at all but did find a couple of very subtle signs that she was not quite right neurologically so we decided to do an MRI scan.

It was an anxious wait for me and Chance although we did find a nice park just round the corner for a nice walk.

The results showed she did have a disc protruding into her spinal cord which is what is causing her problems.  Not great news :(  The vet changed her painkillers and prescribed more strict rest to let the area heal up - and hope for the best.

A problem

All was fine and normal all day today - right up until yesterday evening when after tea Molly came in from the back garden staggering slightly with her back legs and generally not quite sure what they were doing.  We sat down for a while to calm down and then she seemed much more aware of her legs but in a lot of pain.  

Today she was still in a lot of pain so we went to the vets and were prescribed strong painkillers for severe back pain.  The vet was also not happy with my description of her staggering so referred us to Willows to be properly checked out.

Agility confidence

Chance and I are definitely finding our feet at this agility game.  

Guilty!!

How often do you hear someone say they know the dog knows it did wrong - they can clearly see it.  So look at the photos - which dog do you reckon shredded the duvet?

Chance - Was it me?

Molly - Or maybe me?

Made your decision?

The answer is neither dog did, the duvet was already shredded when they went into the room.  Nobody was telling anyone off - but Chance is a sensitive girl and did not want to even go close to the mess.  Molly on the other hand is a free spirit and quite happy to sit in the middle of it all - I am sure she would have been equally unconcerned if she had done it to be honest.

So - do I believe dogs know they have done "wrong"?  No I don't - I do however believe they can associate our behaviour with certain situations and react accordingly.

..... and Chance and Molly - after the photo got a biscuit for their modelling skills. 

Clear Round

Chance and I have been working hard at our agility and finally took the plunge to enter something.  This is our second competition - a small friendly show BitsNBobz and we managed a clear round in the steeplechase.

Not perfect on my part but so proud of my girl