Iowa vs. Illinois

So, Mom and Dad have dragged me into one of their many bets. This one involves their college teams playing each other. This Saturday, Dads school, University of Illinois will be playing Moms school, University of Iowa. So, Mom and Dad have decided that I can wear the collar of the winning team. Up till now, Mom and Dad have agreed no Iowa or Illinois gear on Kirby, as I'm neutral (maybe I should have Lenny send me some Ohio State gear to really make them mad), so this is a HUGE deal for them.

So, will I be representing the Fighting Illini?

or the Hawkeyes?

Tune in this weekend to see which school I will be wearing proudly!!

'Till next time,

Kirby

Busy Saturday

I had a jam packed Saturday this weekend. It started off with another rehab session. I was scheduled for ultrasound with a laser and then some more time on the underwater treadmill.
Mom was in the penned off area with me, supposedly to keep me calm. Whatever!
They started off by shaving a spot on my leg where they would do the ultrasound. I was not cool with this, no one told me that I had to have a patch shaved in my leg. Then, just as I was getting over seeing my fur come off, they slathered on this goop for the ultrasound. YUCK!

I did not like the ultrasound one bit. I had to stay still, which I did not want to do. Mom was practically pushing me down most of the time.
Then came the laser. Luckily for me, they didn't need to shave any fur for the laser. Once again, sitting still was key, and I just didn't want to comply.
Then we were onto stretching. Once again, the weird balls are brought out and I have to stretch forward and back. This is no fun, no fun at all, trust me.
More stretching...
Finally, we were onto the fun part of the session, the water part. I was much more comfortable in the treadmill tank this time, they even increased my speed and time! Woo hoo!

Once we were done at rehab, we swung home, got my Halloween costume and headed off to the dog park for their Halloween party, 'Howl O Ween'!

I don't like to wear clothes, so Mom had a hard time deciding what would be a good costume, and what costume would I actually wear. He he!
Mom decided that I wouldn't mind wearing a basketball jersey, so I went as Aire Jordan!
Sorry the jersey is all crooked in the picture. I wouldn't set still long enough for Mom to get a good picture.
Once we got to the park, there was all kinds of butt sniffing and playing. It was super hard to stay on leash while the costume contest was going on. I was part of the 'store bought' group. I didn't win, but I had so much fun!! Mom was a bit frustrated that very few people got the 'Aire' with an E part of Aire Jordan. Most people said she spelled it wrong. Duh, I wanted to say, I'm an Airedale going as Aire Jordan. Those hoomans....
Here's a full body shot. Once we got to the park, Mom added the sweatbands. I hated these, I kept biting them and trying to pull them off. Once I started playing, I forgot all about them. He he!

Even though I didn't win, it wasn't a total loss. Mom and Dad won a gift certificate to a local restaurant in the raffle. And, then Mom won two gift certificates in the silent auction! One to my regular vet's office for an annual exam & all the necessary shots and the other one was for a day of fitness at my rehab vet! Mom was very happy, all in all, it was a busy, but great day!

One last thing happened on Saturday. It was Mom and Dad's 5th wedding anniversary. Yeah Mom and Dad! I'm so happy you guys got married and decided to get a dog. HAPPY ANNIVERSARY, I love you guys!!!!

'Till next time,

Kirby

First rehab session

Today was my first day of rehab at Integrative Pet Care. I was scheduled for some therapeutic exercise and some time on the underwater treadmill. I was way psyched when I arrived as my agility pal Ryder was there too. He and his brother were in for their acupuncture treatments, no needles for me, thanks. Dr. Molly Flaherty worked with me today. She was super nice and really patient with me when I wouldn't listen to her. He he!

We did all kinds of stretching exercises. Dr. Flaherty worked real hard on my hind legs since my soft tissue problem is in my right hind leg. She found that I was more agreeable to stretching when a treat was involved!
See, I'll give her good form for a treat!
We tried out several different things, some to stretch, others to simply use my sore muscles.
Then, Dr. Flaherty brought out the ball. Big mistake. Mom has one of these at home, and I attack it whenever she brings it out, so you know I wasn't going to do these stretches nicely! I was wiggly and tried to bite the ball, very unruly. He he!
Finally, Dad got me to calm down and we stretched me out. Ahhhh, that feels good, now on to the water!
I was a bit apprehensive about getting into the treadmill tank, but then Dr. Flaherty filled it up with warm water and it felt (and tasted) so good! We did some walking, and we will build up to running on the treadmill.

Here I am walking nice and slow. This is way weird and it took me awhile to get used to it.

After walking on the treadmill, Dr. Flaherty turned on the whirlpool jets and rubbed me down while the jets worked on my muscles. My fellow dogs, I highly recommend this. It was like being at the doggie spa! I was a bit nervous when the bubbles first came up, but then realized they were just part of the water.
After my time in the chlorinated water, they gave me a yucky shower to rinse me off. I didn't like this at all, but Mom and Dad said to suck it up, so I did.

I'm going back on Saturday for an ultrasound treatment and then more treadmill. I think I'm liking this rehab thing, but now I am super tired. Good night all, I'm off to bed!

'till next time,
Kirby

Good News!

I'm a happy pup today cuz I got good news from my vet! The Orthopedic/Radiologist consultation came back and they felt everything in my x-rays looked OK. They agreed that I do have a soft tissue injury in my right hind leg, so the alternative vet as my Mom calls Dr. Mayer, has put together a 6-week rehab plan for me. They've got a mix of therapeutic exercise, underwater treadmill, ultrasound and resistance pool work planned for me. I'm not sure what to expect, but I'm psyched about the swimming! Thank you to you all for your positive thoughts, your concern meant so much to me! I've got Mom charging up the camera battery, so she can capture every moment of my rehab! This should be interesting!!

'Till next time,
Kirby