Sam's Update

Hi All

Sam here. It was fun rolling in the snow last week. I didn't care that there was snow. I love going out for my walkies, rain or shine. Dad complains about it being cold and wet. He doesn't like it much, especially after about an hour. He says I'm immune to the cold. LOL. Good for him that it is not quite so cold now. Most of the snow is gone and we'll just get some wet snow with the rain.

I had a bit of a weird hair day today. It was kind of sticking up on one side when I woke up. Bed Head...

It was swimming day today too. The pool was a little warmer than usual. It was okay at first but after a little while I think it was too hot for me. It was really tiring to swim today. I just wanted to get out and lie on the pool deck for a while but they made me go back in for a couple more laps.

We have some good news and some bad news (for mom and dad's budget). I'm getting pretty strong and developing a lot more muscle. My doctors are impressed with my progress so far. My front shoulders and legs have really gotten muscular. Just call me "Arnold". But I've grown so much up front that my wheely cart is getting too small and my mom and dad had to order another one from Eddies Wheels. Oops. It should be arriving on Monday.

I still don't have feeling in my back legs yet but they are getting more muscular too. When my mom and dad do my exercises with my legs, they notice that there is more resistance and that they twitch a bit so they think that's pretty good.

I'll have to get the folks to put up a picture of me in my new cart once it gets here!

Bye for now. Love and kisses to everyone.

Sam

Snow Weekend

Winter arrived early here.

Interesting Lecture by Dr. Gail Jewell, DVM, Canine Chiropractor

Dr. Jewell, veterinarian chiropractor, gave a very interesting talk yesterday at the DOGSmart Training centre in Vancouver.

She has developed a stretching regime that can help prevent injury and in many cases also help the animal tap into its own healing powers. Her method of chiropractic is also well suited to animals, very gentle, using only her hands and well tolerated by the animal.

Main take aways from her talk - 1) moderation, 2) observation, 3) proactivity.

1) Try not to play or train (ie a single agility event) with repetitive actions for more than a few minutes at a time. Chasing balls, with constant quick stops and starts; catching frisbees, jumping up high and landing; weaving over and over, can be very hard on a dog's body.

2) Changes in behaviour or desire to do a behaviour may be your dog telling you something. This can signal a physical issue that may not be readily apparent, or that may not be picked up by conventional testing. Take note of those changes, including desire to be touched, held or petted.

3) Any injury will cause some overcompensation in another area which could create misalignment and imbalance in the body. Regular chiropractic checks - one or two a year, or more frequently for active dogs or dog althletes - can head off minor problems before they become big ones.

From Dr. Jewell's web site:

Chiropractic is based on the philosophic theory that the body has an innate ability to heal itself. This innate intelligence is similar to the idea of chi or the vital force, as in homeopathy.

For more information about Dr. Jewell and her practice:

www.holisticvet.ca

Surprise, surprise...I have

Lately I've been getting lots of "prezzies" - some better than others. Let's start with the good one. Before Sunshade's "evil" but very nice mum left for her vacation, she sent along a license plate, made especially for me.

Now, I'll show you some of my less popular presents that my mom and dad got me...see those blue rubber slip-ons? Well those are called Pawz and they're supposed to keep my feet dry, safe from pollutants, assorted yucky things and even snow. They slip on and stay on and they're reusable and I can still "feel" the ground.

You'd think that we'd be done with the 'presents" right? Oh no, not around this house. So dad runs over and slaps on another...raincoat, a heavier one for the rains that always come with Fall.

That does it, the neighbors are all pointing. I'm getting out of here with some of my dignity. Before...

...before, my dad pulls the hood over me....oh the shame...

I'm going to run off before my dad has a chance to put that flashing strobe light onto my license plate. Bye for now. Just call me "Westcoast Sam".