A couple of weeks ago I wrote about the challenges we are having getting exercise so far this winter. Between crazy weather making an icy yard and messy roads (there are no sidewalks here in the country), and Luke’s exercise restrictions because of luxating patella, it hasn’t been easy.
Things are finally starting to get back to normal a bit – Luke’s one month of rest is over, and the yard was a bit better for a while anyway. We got so much warm weather, the snow in the yard became soft again so we were able to play. Luke is getting more walks for his exercise. The conditions haven’t been ideal….I had to cut one walk short because it was so messy…slushy and icy on the roads, and I didn’t really feel safe out there. When that happens, we’d just come back and hang out in the yard some, at least moving around.
Christmas Day was one of the warm days, and even though it was a bit early, Luke’s knee had been good, so we decided to give him a break and let him play in the yard with the girls (and there were no issues). We’ve been letting him play off and on since then, and new year’s day marked the end of his one month of rest.
The weather finally got to normal winter weather….very cold….which was good and bad. Most of the snow had melted so the road conditions were better, but where there was still snow left, like in our yard, it turned into an icy crusty mess once again that I didn’t feel safe letting the dogs run around on (one dog on rest is enough, thank you very much). I was frustrated and determined to get out there though, and realized there was one area of the yard, along the fence and under the trees, where there was no snow or ice, so we’ve been heading to that part of the yard to play fetch!
I wish I could say that Luke’s knee was perfect, but it is still popping out occasionally. So we’re letting him play some, but not all of the time. With the holidays, Dad has been home more so he’s been taking him on some nice long walks, while I play in the yard with the girls. On days we have worked, I let him play in the yard for short times when I get home. I hope to have the second part of my series on luxating patella up next week (I got waylaid by the holidays); I’ll be talking to our vet and have a complete update on Luke’s progress and where we’re at. But for now I think he’s just really enjoying a little more freedom and fun with his sisters!
Also, we’re expecting some snow this weekend (hopefully snow and not more rain and mess), everyone’s paws are crossed that we get enough to make the whole yard a playground again!
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I’m so glad that Luke can play again! I know how hard it is having an active dog when the weather won’t let them get in good exercise–I can’t imagine having additional restrictions on top of that! We’re having some culture shock now that we’re back home. When we left my parents’ yesterday, it was 60 degrees. When we got home last night, it was 20 degrees! We’ve got some hard, icy snow on the ground–hope you got better stuff!
Oh, 60 degrees sounds so wonderful! LOL No, we got a couple inches of snow followed by freezing rain and then rain. The yard is even worse than before because we lost our area under the trees to play! It’s a crusty, icy mess everywhere. The roads should be better for walking though, but now it’s so darn cold I can’t drag myself out there (even Cricket didn’t want to stay out today).
Glad to hear Luke is doing okay. But what a bummer that it sounds like there’s a surgery at some point in his future. I asked my nephew when I saw him over xmas how it was keeping their crazy dog calm for 6 weeks following her surgery. He said it was difficult – but one thing they did was to cuddle with her more. She’s a big snuggle bug, so if she was antsy and wanted to move around, they’d just coax her into a cuddle session. He said the hardest thing was when folks would come to visit cuz their dog gets super hyper when people come over, so they would have to warn guests to borderline-ignore her and just be very calm around her. Not fun, but they got through it!
Thank you so much for finding that out for me, Jackie. That is so great to know about the snuggling….Luke is a real snuggler too and mostly just wants to be with my hubby and I, so that might be something that could help him through it too. I hope it’s still a while down the road, but that remains to be seen.
This time of year is SO difficult for getting high-energy pups enough exercise as is. I can’t imagine how difficult it must be with sweet Luke’s knee. It looks like they were ready to blow off some steam, for sure! I LOVE that wrestling pic… when my guys play “all out” they look so ferocious, but I know they’re having fun!
After we lost Moses, I forgot just how ferocious Sheba can look. She and Cricket never played like that. But once Luke got bigger, they started doing just what Sheba and Moses used to do….and we had to get used to how scary she could look again! LOL
Yikes, Sheba looks like she wants Luke dead! Good thing they can all go outside and get rid of some pent-up energy.
Sheba is really good at looking scary, but she’s actually mostly pretty mild mannered! Getting outside definitely makes things better though!
Luke looks very happy to be out and about sporting his new jacket. Hope all goes wells and you can still forgo surgery.
He’s definitely a happy guy. But his knee is still popping out, and I feel like the best we’ll end up possibly doing is putting off the surgery for as long as possible.
I really hate when the snow is hard, crusty and slippery. We watch our dogs on that kind of stuff, well any ice. I have heard of bad injuries on ice. Hooray for more freedom for Luke!
At least Luke is getting out a bit more, even if our weather is still not cooperating.
I couldn’t even walk around our yard without my yak trax on, it definitely is treacherous. We got about 2 inches of snow yesterday followed by freezing rain. With the temps dropping this week I’m not sure what we’re going to end up with out there now!
Oh boy, exercise restrictions are always a bummer 🙁 We had to keep our boy Buzz from racing after his beloved chuck-it ball for 10 days not too long ago, but that’s nothing compared to your month-long rest. Sending you good thoughts & positive energy!
Thank you….we definitely need all the help we can get! We’ve had Sheba on restrictions before because of arthritis but that was only a few days….a month is way too long (thus why we relaxed it a bit a week early!).
Luke looks like he is making up for lost time! We are waiting for a break in the rain and funk we are getting. We have played hide and seek and ball indoors. I think the sun will make an appearance next week. ☺
We’ve had so little sun this winter I’m beginning to forget what it looks like! The temperatures are going to plunge later this week too, so we’ll be back to finding some indoor games as well.
Everybuddy looks like they’re having fun outside. We hope Luke’s knee continues to improve.
Thank you! We sure hope so too.
So sorry to hear you’ve been going through so many struggles between the dogs not getting along, Luke’s knee, and the ice. Yuck. I’ve had times like that around here, and I totally feel for you. I’m glad you found a nice place to play some fetch, and that the snow melted a bit just in time for Luke to come partially off his rest. Sure sounds like that is helping you a lot! Hope the rest of the winter brings you warm days, soft snow, and happy dogs.
From your lips to God’s ear, right? Unfortunately we got snow followed by freezing rain, and the temps are going to plunge later this week! We’ll do our best to keep the dogs happy though (and Sheba and Luke are really just playing in that photo….we can’t believe how mean Sheba can look sometimes!). However, if we do get cooped up for too long, some real squabbles do tend to break out.
I meant to tell you that the vet tech at Mr. N’s recent appointment was like he has two luxating patellas and I freaked out.
The vet did another exam though and said he couldn’t make it pop and it was unlikely that he had that condition. Almost had a heart attack!
He never does that skipping thing and he’s always jumping and on his hind legs.
Oh no, that had to have been very scary for you for a few minutes! Thank goodness the vet tech turned out to be wrong. As active as Mr. N is, I’d hate to see him slowed down by that like Luke has been.
Everyone is having so much fun, we don’t have any snow yet! Now its suppose to get too cold for walks, that’s the worse thing you can have. Its nice seeing Luke enjoy himself, bad knee or not. Love Dolly
Thank you, Dolly. At least through all of this he has still been able to get outdoors and move around some, even if he couldn’t play hard.
We were supposed to get more snow yesterday, but got very little and then it turned to rain. Plus we’re going to get that very cold weather as well (I try to get out in the cold but I do have my temperature limits).
I’m glad Luke’s knee is getting better and that he’s able to get out and about. Dogs with different exercise needs is so hard to manage – good luck.
Thanks, I definitely need it!! 🙂
Shiner is SO not a fan of cold weather. She doesn’t want to spend much time outside when it gets cold here. Which is no where as close to as cold as it is over there. I try to coax her out more often and play some but she’s usually ready to go back in after a little bit. Looks like your dogs enjoy it though! Oh, and I just love that photo of Sheba – it’s awesome!
I haven’t had a dog yet that didn’t like the cold. But I’m sure it has a lot to do with what they are used to. Cricket won’t go out or stay out long when it’s really, really cold, but other than that they love to play in the snow.
So far we have been snow free this winter. I know this won’t last much longer so I am trying to spend as much outdoor time with Harley as possible. He could care less about the snow – but for me it’s an entirely different story. So happy to hear about Luke
Thanks, Cathy, we just hope it continues for Luke to be able to play.
I’ve learned to like the snow, for playing with the dogs….I still refuse to drive in it unless I absolutely have to!
Well i’m glad the one month is up. Poor Luke. I just love that one photo where he is standing so tall and proud with the ball in his mouth!
ღ husky hugz ღ frum our pack at Love is being owned by a husky!
Thanks, Jenna. He is pretty proud of himself when he manages to get that ball from his sisters!
Great job on the pics, and yay for Luke being able to play with his sisters! I love the one pic of Sheba…does she really have all 4 paws off the ground? That’s how it appears. 🙂
Thanks, Sheryl! Yes, I do think Sheba has all 4 paws off the ground…that was my favorite photo of all of them I think.
Oh man, crate rest for an active dog is just the worst, isn’t it? Glad to see Luke back on his feet and getting some safe exercise. We’ve been in the muck and mess this winter, too. It’s either too warm and the yard is a muddy mess or it’s too cold and icy to safely let Bella run about. (She’s pretty klutzy without the ice!)
The pups look like they’re having fun though (well, except for that first picture. 😉 Hope everybody stays healthy through the rest of the winter and really hope we all get that snow they’re promising. 🙂
Luckily his rest wasn’t quite that restrictive…we’re hoping it won’t come to that. He could still get out and about but we tried to limit his running and jumping.
Yeah, Sheba looks pretty mean in that picture, but she’s really just playing! 🙂
The snowstorm we were supposed to get yesterday was a big disappointment. They said 3-6 inches and we got maybe 2, and then it rained on top of it. The worst part was we were out traveling in it, and it was bad enough to make the roads a mess! A 3 hour drive became over 4.
Hopefully he can continue to play as being so young it has to be torture for him to “take it easy”. Nice to see them all out playing and running around. Thanks for joining the hop!
It was great to have them all out there. We hope he can continue to play as well, because he is so much happier when he can.