Mischa status: wonky but stable/comfortable (original) (raw)
footpad 😊relieved
July 7 2013, 20:04
Mischa has shown gradual continual improvement over the past twenty-four hours. We're wary of that, since he did the same on Thursday before a terrible relapse on Friday, but we're being as careful with him as we know how.
Previously he was walking very stiffly, like an old old dog, taking only short strides with his right hind leg. Today he's visibly more pliable and his gait is much more even. This morning he even broke into a trot on his first walk, and scratched the ground with his hind legs after peeing. We're not letting him do that any more, since his relapse on Friday was clearly triggered by the excitement of being fed, and the online veterinary consensus for online backache seems to be to restrict the dog to very gentle activity.
He's still much slower than usual, preferring to walk slowly rather than to travel at his usual brisk trot, but he looks happy when we're out walking, and all the usual gastric and hydraulic functions are clearly working just fine. He even wagged his tail just now when I went out to cuddle him on the lawn. He's been off the Novalgin (metamizole) since yesterday, since we don't want him sedated unless definitely necessary, and he seems tolerably happy and comfortable on the remaining NSAIDs.
Tomorrow: CT scan and second veterinary opinion (no particular disrespect to our normal vet, but she does also carry homoeopathic treatments).
Who knows—perhaps the clinic will give me the CT scan data on a USB stick so I can post it for general delectation. *wag*