Nikki update ..

I had an inquiry on Ranchers about her so I thought I should update here about her as well.

Nikki is doing phenomenally well, she is healing extremely fast. Her vet came out last week to go over everything( he also brought Bo's ashes ) and gave her the OK to start rehab and working small supervised jobs. After seeing her move a group of steers that escaped their corral the other day ,I knew that everything we(she) have gone through has been completely worth it. This pup is amazing, she has instinct that I have never seen before. She also gets to go for rides again, which I am grateful for. Sure missed having the company .

The really great news is that after much research I found an Equine healing center very close to us with a hydrotherapy treadmill and they are going to let Nikki use it. They have never had canines as clients before and the water temp is very different as dogs need warm water and horses need chilled water so we have to change that and a few other things but it will be interesting as we devise a program for Nikki and then they will open their doors to other dogs with injuries/surgery and branch out to an all new client base. So that will be exciting as it will be based on Nikki's abilities and recovery.

She sure is making her mark in our area, not too many people have ever heard of her surgery let alone know about the recovery period. Her special mattress was the first one ever made for a dog ,so that has helped another business branch out to a bigger clientele base. She also gets to do an infomercial for the company ..

She is finally eating dog food , I found some yummy Holistic dog food as well as some organic grain free dog food that she really enjoys, so that is a huge relief for us . She needs to get all of her minerals and vitamins to make a complete recovery. Also, because of her loss of muscle mass she gets cold very easily so I had to do something I swore I would never do .... :shock: I had to buy her a couple of thick fleece coats and some Muttluks for her tootsies . She doesn't mind them and looks actually adorable in them .. ;-)

That is about it for now, will keep everyone updated as she makes more improvements .

BTW ,it is her birthday today as well; Nikki is 1 year old today . She has gone through alot in her first year of life and still has a long way to go, but hopefully when all is said and done she will have a long ,pain free life full of all the things she loves to do .. :heart:

Glad she is doing so good, I know how much she means to you.

so glad to hear she is doing so well.an that she is able to help you with small jobs,as well as back to riding with you.just dont spoil her to bad.

Nothing like a good success story. I am sure glad it is going well for both of you.

didnt see what happened to her??

Thanks everyone for the kind words. The first few weeks after her surgery we second guessed our decision quite often , but when she let out her first woof again and the sparkle was back in her eyes we knew that it was the only option for her .

DB Nikki was born with a genetic defect and her hip joints did not grow like they should have. Instead of the femoral head being 2/3rds in the socket the left was almost completely out and the right was only 1/3 in. At 10 months old she already had bad arthritis and was not putting any real weight on her back legs so the muscle had completely deteriorated and she was in pain . We opted for femoral head ostectomy(removal) which was major surgery . She was on complete kennel rest for the first month where she could only go out to do her business and then right back in. Now that the muscle if fusing and she is building scar tissue she can do little things again and once we have completed physio and hydrotherapy we get to go through it all again with the right femoral head.

Some may have opted to put their pup to sleep under the same circumstances but that was not even thought of by us. We are just thankful that we are blessed to be in a position financially to do this procedure and the hydrotherapy, besides I really don't need to take a vacation, ever again ;-) . Like I said , after seeing her work the cattle she will more than pay us back by making life much more easier for me with the livestock. As well as being such a great companion/friend ..

Big Bull, a friend of mine who is a child psychologist, told me that you can never ever spoil a dog like you can children ;they don't have that in them to become unappreciative or ungrateful . They will always give you much more love than you can give them. I like that advice and it seems to ring true . :nod:

hillsdown":1kj2uxyb said:

Big Bull, a friend of mine who is a child psychologist, told me that you can never ever spoil a dog like you can children ;they don't have that in them to become unappreciative or ungrateful . They will always give you much more love than you can give them. I like that advice and it seems to ring true .

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What a sweet way to put it, hd. :heart: Thanks for sharing her recovery with us! Looks like she's doing great.

HD i do beleive your right about that.i took off to our bottom hay meadow the other day,an the dog stayed with me an the tractor till i headed off the oil road.she is like when you leave im following you,till she finds out i wont be back for awhile.

Thanks for the update, glad she is doing well. She's adorable :heart: .

alisonb":1ybbzzwe said:

Thanks for the update, glad she is doing well. She's adorable :heart: .

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.............and where have you been young lady. You need to stop by more often!

3waycross":boxl8z07 said:

alisonb":boxl8z07 said:

Thanks for the update, glad she is doing well. She's adorable :heart: .

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.............and where have you been young lady. You need to stop by more often!

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Thanks Alison
How is your cattle rustling problem doing, are you gaining any ground on the thieves ?

3WC , Alison probably heard that you finally changed your avatar to something new after how many years ??????????????? :roll: :lol2:

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3waycross":2x4lu5i5 said:

.............and where have you been young lady. You need to stop by more often!

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I've been running away from my 11yr old dog. You see, for the first time since I've had her she decided to roll in something really really ripe, sort of green grey in color with little larva looking things wriggling amoungst it all :shock: . This girl is allowed in the house and very rarely leaves my side. The more I tried to evade her the more she came after me :lol:. I don't know what she could have got hold of- it may have been a dead Koi or Guinea fowl but WOW what a pong!
Got a huge bath outside and gave her a good couple of shampoo's. And I thought skunk was the worst I'd ever smelt.

hillsdown":2x4lu5i5 said:

How is your cattle rustling problem doing, are you gaining any ground on the thieves ?

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Thanks for asking HD, there are 19 behind bars now, all's quiet in the area. But one can never let one's guard down.

3waycross":2x4lu5i5 said:

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They say a change is as good as a holiday - did you feel the holiday .

HD, thanks for the update. I had wondered how everything was going but didn't want to bring it up in case it wasn't good news.

FWIW - we had a dog that had the same type of surgery. Our pom, Freebie, got run over and his hip was damaged to where it wouldn't stay in socket so the vet removed the head of the femur like you described. This dog was close to ten years old when it happened. He didn't have any of the therapy that you are doing with Nikki. The vet never brought it up and we didn't think of it! For a long time he went around on 3 legs and just held up the one with no hip joint. Then he got where he would stand and walk on it, but when he ran it was with 3 legs. Eventually he used it just like before and you would never know he had that surgery after about 6-8 months. He could spring up into the truck again and everything. Sorry to go on so long, just trying to make the point that if an old dog did that well with just nature taking its course, with the therapy and planned progress you are doing, Nikki should do even better. Good luck with everything!

MO_cows":3jijtjq9 said:

HD, thanks for the update. I had wondered how everything was going but didn't want to bring it up in case it wasn't good news.

FWIW - we had a dog that had the same type of surgery. Our pom, Freebie, got run over and his hip was damaged to where it wouldn't stay in socket so the vet removed the head of the femur like you described. This dog was close to ten years old when it happened. He didn't have any of the therapy that you are doing with Nikki. The vet never brought it up and we didn't think of it! For a long time he went around on 3 legs and just held up the one with no hip joint. Then he got where he would stand and walk on it, but when he ran it was with 3 legs. Eventually he used it just like before and you would never know he had that surgery after about 6-8 months. He could spring up into the truck again and everything. Sorry to go on so long, just trying to make the point that if an old dog did that well with just nature taking its course, with the therapy and planned progress you are doing, Nikki should do even better. Good luck with everything!

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Thanks MO, I am glad to hear another happy FHE ending and that your pup was as good as new, with time ,especially an older dog. The smaller the dog the faster the recovery, so I am hoping Nikki's size (26lbs) will work in her favour. We practiced the treadmill for the 1st time today before she does the hydro. She was so trusting and absolutely amazing I think this will definitely work .

So glad to hear Nikki is doing well. She'll have many years to thank you.

Thanks Victoria , so glad you are back and posting again more often. How has the clipper been around you ? We are getting pounded with snow ,wind and cold weather, but heard that southern Alberta is really getting it.

Hope you are all safe, and warm ...

That is all good news HD

Hi HD, it is cold here and lots of snow. I can't remember this much cold and snow so early in the year, makes me a little nervous of what January (calving) will bring. Was kind of hoping we wouldn't have to feed until January as we had enough pasture left but with cows in snow up to their bellies in places they are getting hay now. They are talking 2 degrees for next Thursday, sure hope they are right, we could use the break! You stay warm too!