Rex not giving up yet

Rex has over the last few days shown some very impressive improvements. He has tripled the distance he can walk. He is lifting his leg noticeable more with less dragging. He has now been on Cosequin for over a month and I have a feeling this is what's starting to kick in. I have lowered the doze of Rimadyl to 100mg a day, down from 200.
He is also taking a break from his acupuncture treatments.

Rex hanging in there

I have not posted in a few days. I've been super busy with a web design project. In this economy I have to take what I can and sometimes that's a little more than I can fit into a day's work.

Yesterday Rex looked better than he has in a long time. I have plowed a large circle in an open area where I walk him. It's a lot of snow here now and he can't walk through the deep snow. This circle is also a good measurement for how far he can walk. For the last week he could walk this circle one time before his limping became too severe. Yesterday he made this circle twice and still he was not limping as badly as he normally would have done after one lap. That's my boy!

Rex is still on:
Rimadyl 200mg a day
Cosequin DS 4 tablets a day
Acupuncture once a week

What's working or not is hard to tell. I think the combination of the above is all beneficial to him.

Rex not improving

Resting after 2nd acupuncture session

This is so frustrating. We can't seem to get Rex's leg to improve. He has now been on Rimadyl for one week and completed two acupuncture sessions. It pains me to see him limping so severely and not being able to walk for more than a few minutes. In all other areas he is perfect. Very alert, energetic and have so much willpower to keep going. I'm torn between keep trying and to put him down. I don't see any pain and the vet and the acupuncturist agrees. This is the only reason I keep going. The moment pain enters the picture I know what to do. I will try two more sessions and if that does not show any improvements I will have to make a decision.

No change

Loving the couch

I was warned by the acupuncture doctor that Rex may get a little worse the day after. He seems the same today. Still limping badly, but he has good energy and appetite.  He wants to walk, I have to coach him to keep these walks short.  I gave him 200 mg of rimadyl today. He's been on 100 mg a day for two days. Our next acupuncture session is on Monday. We're taking it one day at the time.

First acupuncture session

Today we went for Rex's first acupuncture session. He did very well. He had a few moments when he got a bit restless and started panting a little, but overall  he was a good patient. The Dr. said we can't expect too much during these first sessions. Rex may even appear to be worse due to the treatment. She also tested Rex for pain and discomfort and agreed with me that he does not seem to be in much pain. I'm very curious to see if this will help. I'll keep my mind open to this.
He is now resting peacefully on the couch after having his meal. I could tell he was relaxed  and a bit weak since he could not  finish his meal standing up. He was so cute, right in the middle of his meal he stumbled over to the couch looked at me to indicate he wanted me to help him up. He finished his meal laying down.

Rex not ready!

This just blows my mind. This morning when I took Rex out he could barely walk. This convinced me that I had come to the right conclusion to let him go. I took him over to the vet to put him to sleep. I asked the vet to come outside and take a look at Rex walking, just to get the confirmation from him that I was doing the right thing. I have known him for a long time and trust his judgment. I got Rex out of the truck, which pretty much entails carry all his 130 lbs and set him down. Rex must have understood that this a life and death situation because he decided to walk around with such drive and determination that he almost made me look like a fool. His limping was much less and he walked with a speed I have not seen i awhile. I guess he is not ready to go. So, we decided to put Rex on Rimadyl and see what happens. I have mixed feelings about Rimadyl, but I have seen dogs doing great on it so I own it to Rex to try. I also asked the vet about acupuncture and he said he have seen dogs doing very well after a few sessions. So, we made another appointment for Monday to start Rex on that.
Well done Rex! You're such a fighter!

The acupuncture Dr. just called and said she had a cancellation and we will start tomorrow, yeah!

Made appointment for acupuncture

Today we made an appointment for acupuncture. I did not know that this little mountain town had such a service. We have to wait until Monday for our first consultation though. I have to admit that I'm skeptical, but I'm curious enough to see if it makes a difference. Too many people says it is helping their dogs so I have to see for myslef. I've never been afraid if trying different things. We never really learn or progress if we don't. 

I'm exited to report back here with the results. All I hope for at this point is for Rex to be able to lift his foot a little so it clears the ground and limits the dragging of his foot. Anything beyond that would be outstanding.