Liberty had a check ups last Thursday and Friday. The Thursday one was with his regular vet overseeing his care. She is awesome with him and he loves going to visit her office. If I let him go in the waiting room, he'd wander to everyone in the entire place to visit and smooch. He is extremely social and eternally happy. While with Dr. Grissom he had a sonogram treatment on both legs, some laser therapy on his hips and acupuncture on all four legs. These are not extensive treatments, just short sessions to keep him moving in the right direction. Everything is focused on keeping his muscles loose and flexible. I kind of equate it to a gymnast who needs to stretch out and flex before practice or competition.
Showing off his PT skills in the waiting room.
Getting some laser therapy.
Friday was canine blood donor night at our house (Liberty is not a blood donor, but in the future he can certainly be tested to become one if his forever family was interested in pursuing this life saving gift). The vet that comes to our home, Dr. V. Latchford is using Liberty for a case study for a physical therapy certification. She measured all his muscles and flexibility. She also gives him a physical exam as well as watches him walk, trot and run. She has been guiding us thru specific exercise sequences that will help him most. She was REALLY happy with what she saw. His flexibility in BOTH back legs has increase quite a bit but especially in his rear left which was tighter than the right. She was delighted to see him break into a nice run across the back yard when retching a toy, he was coordinated and efficient. He was happy to show off his mad fetching skills. We are going to move into some more advanced exercises which will also be more fun, continue our short but regular walks and see her again in 6 weeks. The changes are slow so we don't see them as much as she did because she sees him every 6 weeks. I was delighted to hear how happy she was with how he's doing.
Liberty WILL be available for adoption at some point. We just cannot say when, but we're committed to his PT and giving him every opportunity for a great, long life. He'll be looking for a home who doesn't mind taking him for a short walk once or twice a day. A back yard would be nice as well, but not required as that walking is going to be a long term activity which will keep him fit and flexed. Liberty is a very social dog. He would love a family who will include him in their activities that are not a challenge for his abilities. He may not be a mountain climbing dog but he'd love to browse the farmers market, take a trip to the pet store or participate in local meet and greets. Don't let his limitation fool you, he is a dog packet full of personality, friendliness and affection.
Just wanted to share the latest update and leave you with some photos of his favorite things.
