Flexing

We got several inches of rain in 40 minutes and left the horses with lots of water and mud to frolic in. This is what I was greeted with when I arrived at the barn on Tuesday afternoon. I took him in and sprayed him off prior to having his flexion tests done by the vet.

To review, part of the reasoning behind the tests was how Ashke was carrying himself on day two of our two day show. I need to understand if there is a physical pain issue or if I just need to condition him better to improve his canter. Is this evasion or is this physically impossible for him to do. I arranged to have Dr Scott (same doc that did injections in February) come out and test his stifles and hocks on both sides.

It came back down to the right hock. He is better than last time (1/5 vs 3/5) but could benefit from some pain management. The plan is to do previcox for the next forty-five days and then inject some time the first ten days of September, based on his schedule. Dr Scott said that there was definite improvement in the flexion and Ashke is on the right track. We are going to do the injection right before our final show to maximize the impact, and then we will be on our winter work schedule until sometime next spring, when we will reevaluate. I plan on addressing the proposed increase in canter work with Amanda and will attack it full on going forward.

After the flexion test, I went home and changed into non-work clothes and J and I took the pups to a local restaurant that allows dogs on their patio. They even have a dog menu.

 We ordered the grilled chicken with rice and veggies.

They ate the chicken, although Skittle seemed to like hers better than Lily.

Being in public was met with mixed reactions on the part of each pup.

 

Skittle was the favorite of the family that bred the pups and she is much more comfortable with social interaction and strangers. Although wary, she's not terrified. Her outlook is that people are mostly okay.

 

 

Lily spent our time at the restaurant shaking with fear and anxiety. She hid under the table. She hid under my seat. She pressed herself against my legs and sat on my feet. This was with CBD oil in her system (although next time we will up her dose and give it to her a bit in advance) and a low key situation.

There were plenty of other dogs and both girls were curious but not aggressive. Skittle is much more likely to lift her lip at a strange dog than Lily is. Other than dealing with Lily being so scared, our dinner was good and both dogs behaved very well.

We went to Petsmart afterwards and got them a chewable nyla treat and a Thundershirt for Lily. It would be good to get them both out more frequently, especially if we can do patio seating that allows dogs, and the shirt will help Lily feel safer. You could see the immediate effect it had on her (we put it on in the store) and she shook less from there on out. 

To the people who are breeding dogs out there . . . social your animals early and often. Teach them that people are ok and expose them to other dogs so they can learn dog socialization as well. And don't hit them with a flyswatter while wearing a ballcap and being a white male. Six years later we can still tell.