Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Perri Rehab Week One

Although tomorrow will make our first complete week of rehab, I am calling it tonight.  It also makes a full month of restricted activity for Perri.   Three weeks of semi-strict restriction (no hikes, no sports, no running.) and on Saturday I had to "crack down".   We are not to the crate rest point yet, but I am keeping her in the small bedroom on our first floor that we use as an office.   This is to prevent her from: bounding up and down steps, springing off of the couches, and sprinting around the house.  I was doing a lot of baby gating and closed doors and giving her living room couch priveleges, which was making me paranoid and unable to relax.   The office it is.  The office is safe, the office is not having to race into the living room every five seconds to make sure she isn't going to pounce off the couch or run circles around Molly.

I have no idea how people with extremely "high drive" dogs do this.  I really do not.

Perri is used to a certain lifestyle.  She is used to getting ample time to run off leash, she is used to hiking and swimming, she is used to intense wrestling matches with her poodle friend Daphnee weekly, she is used to agility, she is used to playing ball and training and not being penned up in an office for almost her entire day.  She is not a sedentary dog.   And it is making her weirder.

She is staring at me more, if that was even possible.  She is rubbing against me like a cat.   Today at her once weekly visit to our friend's office job, she was completely intolerant of a friendly rescue basset hound who was in the office with her.  Growling and lunging and complete hatred.  It is not like Perri.   She dozed off into a nap and was baring her teeth and growling in her sleep.  Tonight she growled at Ein for walking near her Kong.   It's all just not like Perri, but I can't blame her.   And my god, it is only the first week.

We are going to the beach next week for three days and I normally so love our time at the beach.  But when I think of Perri who will be locked in a crate in our camper instead of racing in full extension after seagulls on the beach, I could just cry.  I honestly do not even feel like going.  

Perri had her second visit to the rehab center this week for under water treadmill therapy.  She did 12 minutes this time instead of 10 and every body loves her and she was a very good girl.  After her time in the treadmill she was let out and her tail was wagging and she was happy to get towel dried and snuggled by the (tech?) that operated the treadmill.  I asked what her official diagnosis is because while I was assuming MSI based on Dr. P telling me that Perri's injury was "like a rotator cuff injury in humans", I wanted to know it for sure.   Mild Medial Shoulder Instability.  

I am extremely dedicated to our exercises and stretches at home, I know it is the key to her getting better.  We are to do our list 1-2 times per day, 5-10 reps each.  I do it all twice per day and try my best to do 10 reps of everything.  I have started waking up 35 minutes earlier than normal to fit it all in before work.

Perri's favorite exercise is the low cavalettis.  Motion.  She has to do "down to sit" and backwards walking.  She has three different sorts of "cookie stretches" - to the side, to the ribs and to the hip.  Perri struggled a lot with the stretches away from her affected shoulder.  When we first started them she tried to rotate her body so that she did not have to stretch so much.  Crafty.  I asked for her to hold the stretch for a very short amount of time (1-2 seconds when each is to be held for 10-15.)  Not my first go around with keeping things short and successful with Perri, that's for sure.  I have enjoyed seeing her improve in her endurance for these active stretches already, in just a week's time.  Whether it is actual improvement in her condition, or just feeling more comfortable and confident...who knows.  We also have to do a heat pack, tricep massage and tricep stretch (Perri's elbow is to be flexed and then the shoulder extended manually by me.)  The heat pack is Perri's least favorite thing.  Our only heat pad is a handmade rice heating pad that is microwavable.  I am starting to suspect that it feels heavy to Perri, she can be a little weird about all things sensory.  A new and lighter heat pad is on my to do list.  

This will not be forever.  This will not be forever.  This will not be forever.


1 comment: