HandicappedPets.Net

Yeah, I think it's right. If I had it on video we could see in slow motion.

Yesterday I wrote an update and I didn't save a copy before submitting and lost it even though it wasn't long.

What I said was, he did even better yesterday. Really, for part of his walking when he was up near the door, it was real walking. The difference is, walking while focused on the physical process of walking, versus walking and being able to take your attention off the physical process and pay attention to the environment instead. I saw him do that. The 18' on Sunday were paying attention to getting the steps right, which he did. Yesterday he was able to turn his attention away from the walking briefly and let his feet automatically take him where his interest was focussed.

Today I tried something new. I stood him against the fence to see if he would urinate. He did! He can now hold a stand (and he had the fence for balance) well enough to do that. This is a first. I didn't set him up quite right and he wet his front leg, but I can try to do better next time.

In my experience it's not unusual that they water themselves.

LOL! I'll take the blame on that one. I'm the one that stood him in that position.

Did something different yesterday. It might sound like a small thing, but to me it's a milestone. Always till now, if I was going to have to leave for several hours, I would put Pip in his playpen for safety. I didn't want to worry he might spring himself out of his bed or get stranded lying on his side in the middle of the floor, or run into something and hurt himself. Yesterday I started to get him to put him in his playpen because I was going out of town for several hours, and I stopped. I don't think I need to anymore. He can get himself from Point A to Point B now. He has good control about not running into things. He can sit up if he is lying on the floor. He can even stand up from sternal without the wall for balance. So I left him in his bed like any other regular dog. It's kind of a graduation in a way. He's still mostly not walking more than about 8' at a time, but he does that several times a day and it's enough for safety in the house. This is a transfer of a little more responsibility from me as caregiver...to him being independent and responsible for himself. We are at 10.5 months post FCE or ANNPE.

He urinated standing up!!!

It's 35 degreees outside (radio says 33) and nonstop windy and just barely spitting rain. I took him out to potty at 11am and I know when I hold him up by his front legs so he can mark the fence, he doesn't want to go because his whole belly is exposed to the cold wind. In these cases I lie him in the grass and he pees on his side. That way it gets done faster so we can go back indoors. So I laid him on his side, but he didn't want to uncurl enough to do it. Then a cat came along outside the fence. That got him to his feet and he ran a few steps. He flopped, then he got back up again, and standing in a good balanced position he urinated. He wasn't standing all the way up, he is still keeping his center of gravity low for balance, but he did it!!!

We are approximately 321 days since his injury. This is so cool!!!!!

Yay for peeing standing up!

Yes!

Liquid gold!!

Awesome!!!

He did it again. Urinated standing up. And it was all his idea. I was in the porch.

Yay! Sounds like he is on his way back!

guys!

He has tried to posture for his other business and he can do a good squat but loses his balance, so he hasn't been able to complete that yet. I know he'll be happy when he can.

The past 10 days he is still walking short distances outside, but getting a lot better at remaining upright when he stops, instead of flopping on his side.

He is moving into larger parts of the back yard. Before, I would put him over by the side fence and he would come to the back door, which is maybe 20 feet, but now he is going in about half the yard.

Yesterday was his 11 month date.

EDIT TO ADD: He urinated standing up again today at 4 PM. That would be his third time that I've seen. He has a bit of an issue with directing the stream. He isn't lifting his leg so you would think he'd be aiming down at the grass, but that isn't what happens. He pees forward, with the stream passing through his 2 front legs and landing 6" or more out in front of him. That's OK, but it also goes a little higher and lower while he's urinating, and I watch to see if he is going to get his chest wet. I think he must be rounding his back. I've been so thrilled to see him doing it at all, I haven't analyzed what is going on. I think he'll have to figure it out himself.

He's coming along!