December 8, 2003 February 11, 2004 March 3, 2004
May 21, 2004 July 26, 2004 January 17, 2005
March 5, 2005 May 9, 2005 June 10, 2005
August 10, 2005 October 3, 2005 December 2, 2005
April 30, 2006 May 21, 2006 August 13, 2006
November 2, 2006 December 3, 2006
Lorelei went for her 7th acupuncture treatment. A couple of weeks prior to this, I had noticed that she seemed a little stiffer than usual – still very mobile, and she didn’t seem to be in any pain, but just not as limber as she had been. I didn’t know if it was the cooler weather, or just the fact that it had been 3 months since her last acupuncture treatment, but decided that I should put her back on the Chinese herbs daily, at least until her next vet visit. Her vet was very pleased that she was doing so well. There are about 5 slippery wooden stairs up to the porch at the vet's office - I remember one time we had to carry Lorelei up them - but this time she trotted up them with ease, and pulled me along with her :) Her vet advised that we keep her on the Chinese herbs daily during the winter months, as opposed to every other day in warmer weather. We are due now to go back some time in early March 2004. So Lorelei enjoyed her trip, as always, and she slept all the way home.
February 11, 2004 - We've had lots and lots of cold rain here lately, and still Lorelei continues to do very well. Her vet had told me that the Chinese herbs that she takes have a warming effect, so that must surely be what is helping her in all this damp, cold weather. Still I try to limit her time outdoors, just to keep her out of this type of weather as much as possible. She remains on the Chinese herbs and Synovi G3 granules daily. She looks and feels great, and enjoys her time in the evenings that she spends gutting all of her toys.
March 3, 2004 - Lorelei had her 8th acupuncture treatment today. It will be a year on the 10th of this month since she had her first treatment. She was still doing extremely well, but I had noticed her getting up a little slower, and "bunny-hopping" sometimes when she ran - moving her back feet together, instead of independently of each other. So we went for acupuncture, and I think Lorelei must've been feeling better than I thought - for the first time, she growled at the vet, and later ran through the building! Whose dog is this??? So we will at least be able to go another 3 months before we need acupuncture again, maybe even longer. I'll be keeping a close watch on her come early June to make sure that she is still in good shape.
I also want to mention how important I feel that it is for our Wobbler dogs to have a good, comfortable bed or soft place to sleep. Just after Christmas, we bought Lorelei a really good dog bed, one of the ones made like a mattress. I think it has made a big difference in how she feels. 
May 21, 2004 - It has been almost 3 months now since Lorelei's last acupuncture treatment, and she continues to do extremely well. We recently put her back on every other day for her Chinese herbs now that the weather is warmer. I have also added fish oil to her diet, mainly for her coat, but it is also good for the nervous system.
One thing I have decided that must be true in dealing with Wobbler's is the dog's attitude towards dealing with it. Any time that Lorelei does slip and fall, she is never put off by it; in fact, she never even seems to notice that she has fallen - she simply gets right back up and continues going after whatever it was that made her fall in the first place, never taking her eyes off of whatever it was that she was going for. This is most likely due to her personality more so than anything that I have done, or could do, although a positive attitude on our part is going to affect their attitude also. I am not upset when she falls, nor do I appear to notice it, though I'm uncertain as to whether my attitude is a result of hers, or hers a result of mine. Either way, we work as a team, as always :)
July 26, 2004 - Lorelei had her 9th acupuncture treatment today. She is still doing incredibly well. We are planning to wait 6 months before her next treatment. If she continues to do as well as she has, she will only need maintenance treatments now, which will be twice a year.
January 17, 2005 - Lorelei went for her 10th acupuncture treatment today. She is still doing very well, however she had been getting up rather slowly as of late, and had fallen a couple of times while rounding corners at high speed, even on carpet, so I knew she was due for another treatment. It would help if she would come in out of the cold, but she hates to stay inside during the day, and will usually only cooperate about being indoors once the sun goes down. For the first time, her vet used something called a moxa stick. This is a stick that burns slowly, like incense, at 400 degrees. The vet passed it slowly over Lorelei's legs and back, warming her with the intense heat. She seemed to love it, and relaxed with her head in my hands. 
March 5, 2005 - Lorelei never seemed to show much improvement after her treatment in January. This was very likely due to the fact that she overexerted herself, running up and down the fence chasing a neighbor's dog that has been running loose in the neighborhood. So I took her back for another treatment on March 2. This time, in addition to acupuncture, her vet also gave her a homeopathic injection. She has shown a dramatic improvement over the past 3 days. At her vet's recommendation, I have also added the vitamin supplement Transfer Factor to her diet. I feel certain that she will do well now.
On the morning of Monday, May 9, 2005, Lorelei was doing great. I left home to run a few errands, and when I returned I found that she could hardly move. Apparently she had injured herself somehow while I was gone. I phoned her vet, and we made a trip for acupuncture the next day. One of the rare side effects of acupuncture is that they can sometimes actually seem worse for a day or two before they start to improve. This was the case this time - on Wednesday of that week, she couldn't squat to use the bathroom without falling over. I had to help her into the yard and balance her on all four feet in order for her to stand up. Her right front foot was knuckling under terribly, and she fell often. Sure enough though, over the course of the next 4 days, she improved dramatically, and by that Sunday she was walking very well. We went for another acupuncture treatment on Friday, May 20. By this time, she had improved to the point that she had no trouble at all walking on the very slick concrete floors in the clinic. This time her vet gave her another homeopathic injection as well. Today, May 22, 2005, she is doing well. She still has a little stiffness and soreness, but I look for that to work itself out also. She may need one more acupuncture treatment in the next few weeks, depending on how she is doing.
It's hard to decide sometimes where to draw the line as far as limiting her activity. I try not to let her overdo it, but she enjoys her time outdoors, and I refuse to hold her prisoner. Each case is different, and we have to decide for ourselves how much we should allow our dogs to do. Some dogs are perfectly happy being "couch potatoes," but that is not Lorelei's style at all - in true Doberman fashion, she feels that she has to keep up a "neighborhood watch" of sorts.
June 10, 2005 - Lorelei is striding around beautifully - no tiptoeing, no "baby steps" - she is striding around like a big dog. It is a joy to watch her :)
August 10, 2005 - Lorelei has been doing well. She had a couple of sort of rough days lately so we took her back for acupuncture today. Her vet was impressed at the range of motion she has with her neck, and the fact that she was pulling me along on her leash :) She walked very well on the slick floors in the clinic.
October 3, 2005 - In the last few weeks, Lorelei has improved to the point that she is doing better than I have seen her do since her Wobbler's was diagnosed - she is running, chasing bugs, and trotting across slick surfaces. I can't say for sure what is responsible for this, but the only changes that were made recently have been the addition of the Transfer Factor supplement, and changing one of her 2 daily doses of the Chinese herb Du Huo Ji Sheng Wan to the powder form, which is Du Huo Ji Sheng Tang. Obviously I plan to keep her on her current regimen of herbs and supplements.
December 2, 2005 - Lorelei has continued to do incredibly well following her last acupuncture treatment on November 10. The herbs she is taking are actually a combination of Du Huo Ji Sheng Tang and Ge Gen. Despite the recent onset of cold weather, she is still trotting across slick surfaces, has beautiful range of motion in her neck, and is going down stairs with a solid gait.
April 30, 2006 - Lorelei did well through the winter, with one acupuncture treatment in January. The cold slowed her down sometimes but overall she did very well. Then, about the middle of April, she hit a very bad spell - she was having a very hard time getting up, walking, and was crying out in pain. This came on all of a sudden, just the same as it did on May 9, 2005. She has slowly improved over the past couple of weeks but it was a rough time. For the first time, I have had to give her Rimadyl in addition to the Chinese herbs to help with the pain. She is better now but will still need at least one more acupuncture treatment in the coming days. I will post another update in a couple of weeks.
May 21, 2006 - Lorelei is doing better, however I am still having to give her a Rimadyl every 2-3 days in addition to her regular doses of Chinese herbs. And while that's not the greatest news in the world, it is certainly not the worst - the Rimadyl is keeping her on her feet and mobile, and for that I am thankful - as long as it does the job and keeps her comfortable, that's what we'll do.
December 3, 2006 - Lorelei has now had 4 physical therapy treatments as well as continuing with acupuncture, which she is now getting at 3 week intervals. She is much better than she was, but still has a long way to go. She can actually get to her feet on her own now but seldom does so, as it is a struggle for her. However she now walks very well on her own once she is helped to her feet, and can usually potty on her own without falling over. We are doing physical therapy exercises twice a day, and I am making it a point to see that she gets up and walks in the yard at least 4 times a day. She now seems to lift with me when I help her up, instead of being a dead weight, and can position her feet pretty well on her own. Every little improvement means a lot when dealing with this condition.
March 28, 2007 - Lorelei is much, much stronger than she was. One front leg usually still knuckles under when she tries to potty, but she makes adjustments for that and is able to go on her own. She is not falling nearly as often though still does occasionally. She still usually has to be helped to her feet, but is getting up on her own more and more. She is on a mixture of herbs from her vet now which includes an herb for weakness, and that seems to be helping. I can tell a huge difference in how strong she is, even if she has to be helped to her feet.
September 16, 2007 - Lorelei walks beautifully on her own now, and usually urinates without assistance, however she has to be held up during a bowel movement so she doesn't fall over. She can go from lying on her side to a sitting position but, sadly, she still has to be helped to her feet. The good news is that she never falls any more while walking on her own. We are now going for acupuncture about every 3 months.
February 11, 2004 - We've had lots and lots of cold rain here lately, and still Lorelei continues to do very well. Her vet had told me that the Chinese herbs that she takes have a warming effect, so that must surely be what is helping her in all this damp, cold weather. Still I try to limit her time outdoors, just to keep her out of this type of weather as much as possible. She remains on the Chinese herbs and Synovi G3 granules daily. She looks and feels great, and enjoys her time in the evenings that she spends gutting all of her toys.
March 3, 2004 - Lorelei had her 8th acupuncture treatment today. It will be a year on the 10th of this month since she had her first treatment. She was still doing extremely well, but I had noticed her getting up a little slower, and "bunny-hopping" sometimes when she ran - moving her back feet together, instead of independently of each other. So we went for acupuncture, and I think Lorelei must've been feeling better than I thought - for the first time, she growled at the vet, and later ran through the building! Whose dog is this??? So we will at least be able to go another 3 months before we need acupuncture again, maybe even longer. I'll be keeping a close watch on her come early June to make sure that she is still in good shape.
I also want to mention how important I feel that it is for our Wobbler dogs to have a good, comfortable bed or soft place to sleep. Just after Christmas, we bought Lorelei a really good dog bed, one of the ones made like a mattress. I think it has made a big difference in how she feels.
May 21, 2004 - It has been almost 3 months now since Lorelei's last acupuncture treatment, and she continues to do extremely well. We recently put her back on every other day for her Chinese herbs now that the weather is warmer. I have also added fish oil to her diet, mainly for her coat, but it is also good for the nervous system.
One thing I have decided that must be true in dealing with Wobbler's is the dog's attitude towards dealing with it. Any time that Lorelei does slip and fall, she is never put off by it; in fact, she never even seems to notice that she has fallen - she simply gets right back up and continues going after whatever it was that made her fall in the first place, never taking her eyes off of whatever it was that she was going for. This is most likely due to her personality more so than anything that I have done, or could do, although a positive attitude on our part is going to affect their attitude also. I am not upset when she falls, nor do I appear to notice it, though I'm uncertain as to whether my attitude is a result of hers, or hers a result of mine. Either way, we work as a team, as always :)
July 26, 2004 - Lorelei had her 9th acupuncture treatment today. She is still doing incredibly well. We are planning to wait 6 months before her next treatment. If she continues to do as well as she has, she will only need maintenance treatments now, which will be twice a year.
January 17, 2005 - Lorelei went for her 10th acupuncture treatment today. She is still doing very well, however she had been getting up rather slowly as of late, and had fallen a couple of times while rounding corners at high speed, even on carpet, so I knew she was due for another treatment. It would help if she would come in out of the cold, but she hates to stay inside during the day, and will usually only cooperate about being indoors once the sun goes down. For the first time, her vet used something called a moxa stick. This is a stick that burns slowly, like incense, at 400 degrees. The vet passed it slowly over Lorelei's legs and back, warming her with the intense heat. She seemed to love it, and relaxed with her head in my hands.
On the morning of Monday, May 9, 2005, Lorelei was doing great. I left home to run a few errands, and when I returned I found that she could hardly move. Apparently she had injured herself somehow while I was gone. I phoned her vet, and we made a trip for acupuncture the next day. One of the rare side effects of acupuncture is that they can sometimes actually seem worse for a day or two before they start to improve. This was the case this time - on Wednesday of that week, she couldn't squat to use the bathroom without falling over. I had to help her into the yard and balance her on all four feet in order for her to stand up. Her right front foot was knuckling under terribly, and she fell often. Sure enough though, over the course of the next 4 days, she improved dramatically, and by that Sunday she was walking very well. We went for another acupuncture treatment on Friday, May 20. By this time, she had improved to the point that she had no trouble at all walking on the very slick concrete floors in the clinic. This time her vet gave her another homeopathic injection as well. Today, May 22, 2005, she is doing well. She still has a little stiffness and soreness, but I look for that to work itself out also. She may need one more acupuncture treatment in the next few weeks, depending on how she is doing.
It's hard to decide sometimes where to draw the line as far as limiting her activity. I try not to let her overdo it, but she enjoys her time outdoors, and I refuse to hold her prisoner. Each case is different, and we have to decide for ourselves how much we should allow our dogs to do. Some dogs are perfectly happy being "couch potatoes," but that is not Lorelei's style at all - in true Doberman fashion, she feels that she has to keep up a "neighborhood watch" of sorts.
June 10, 2005 - Lorelei is striding around beautifully - no tiptoeing, no "baby steps" - she is striding around like a big dog. It is a joy to watch her :)
August 10, 2005 - Lorelei has been doing well. She had a couple of sort of rough days lately so we took her back for acupuncture today. Her vet was impressed at the range of motion she has with her neck, and the fact that she was pulling me along on her leash :) She walked very well on the slick floors in the clinic.
December 2, 2005 - Lorelei has continued to do incredibly well following her last acupuncture treatment on November 10. The herbs she is taking are actually a combination of Du Huo Ji Sheng Tang and Ge Gen. Despite the recent onset of cold weather, she is still trotting across slick surfaces, has beautiful range of motion in her neck, and is going down stairs with a solid gait.
April 30, 2006 - Lorelei did well through the winter, with one acupuncture treatment in January. The cold slowed her down sometimes but overall she did very well. Then, about the middle of April, she hit a very bad spell - she was having a very hard time getting up, walking, and was crying out in pain. This came on all of a sudden, just the same as it did on May 9, 2005. She has slowly improved over the past couple of weeks but it was a rough time. For the first time, I have had to give her Rimadyl in addition to the Chinese herbs to help with the pain. She is better now but will still need at least one more acupuncture treatment in the coming days. I will post another update in a couple of weeks.
May 21, 2006 - Lorelei is doing better, however I am still having to give her a Rimadyl every 2-3 days in addition to her regular doses of Chinese herbs. And while that's not the greatest news in the world, it is certainly not the worst - the Rimadyl is keeping her on her feet and mobile, and for that I am thankful - as long as it does the job and keeps her comfortable, that's what we'll do.
March 5, 2005 - Lorelei never seemed to show much improvement after her treatment in January. This was very likely due to the fact that she overexerted herself, running up and down the fence chasing a neighbor's dog that has been running loose in the neighborhood. So I took her back for another treatment on March 2. This time, in addition to acupuncture, her vet also gave her a homeopathic injection. She has shown a dramatic improvement over the past 3 days. At her vet's recommendation, I have also added the vitamin supplement Transfer Factor to her diet. I feel certain that she will do well now.
October 3, 2005 - In the last few weeks, Lorelei has improved to the point that she is doing better than I have seen her do since her Wobbler's was diagnosed - she is running, chasing bugs, and trotting across slick surfaces. I can't say for sure what is responsible for this, but the only changes that were made recently have been the addition of the Transfer Factor supplement, and changing one of her 2 daily doses of the Chinese herb Du Huo Ji Sheng Wan to the powder form, which is Du Huo Ji Sheng Tang. Obviously I plan to keep her on her current regimen of herbs and supplements.
March 28, 2007 - Lorelei is much, much stronger than she was. One front leg usually still knuckles under when she tries to potty, but she makes adjustments for that and is able to go on her own. She is not falling nearly as often though still does occasionally. She still usually has to be helped to her feet, but is getting up on her own more and more. She is on a mixture of herbs from her vet now which includes an herb for weakness, and that seems to be helping. I can tell a huge difference in how strong she is, even if she has to be helped to her feet.
September 16, 2007 - Lorelei walks beautifully on her own now, and usually urinates without assistance, however she has to be held up during a bowel movement so she doesn't fall over. She can go from lying on her side to a sitting position but, sadly, she still has to be helped to her feet. The good news is that she never falls any more while walking on her own. We are now going for acupuncture about every 3 months.
Allwebco Web Templates · Build your own toolbar · Site Building Articles · Audio, Fonts, Clipart
powered by
bravenet.com