Day 39: A Love ❤️ Hug as Physio

I keep hearing the term ‘strengthen his gait’ as in something that Lloris needs to focus on, but what exactly does that mean?

I’d just assumed it was referring to strengthening his core muscles but I am wrong to assume that (sort of) following my research this morning!

So it’s all about his stride pattern and foot placement.

The physio exercises we are currently doing are all designed to help this area:

• Sit to stand

• Walking backwards

• Weaving around cones

• Trotting poles

• Hydrotherapy
  

But is there anything else we could be doing to help this further?

It is seemingly a very slow process to gain any improvement in his wobbly unco-ordinated walk. We tried walking for a little longer today but it was too soon and his legs got tired and he resumed his three legged walk and scuffed both paws. Oh dear, easy does it then!

I know, I know, I’m being hugely impatient and forgetting the miracle speed of recovery to date. They give you a little and you just want more!

So my research has found a couple of things to try:

• Walking up slopes will help make him put his weight on his back legs and hopefully stop his 3 legged skip. So off we go to find a steepish slope!

• Walking around on my bed is bouncy and uneven which will help him learn balance whilst walking.

He’s not so good at this one!

• Lastly my favourite; the ’Cuddle Balance’! We used to always do this now I come to think of it. I kneel down he stands on his back legs and puts his arms on my shoulders and we have a cuddle. This will encourage him to put all of his weight onto his back legs and balance.

I have a photo of him doing a version of this

with his cousin Daisy (who he adores!) but we don’t want any of this lazy bum sitting, get up on those back legs!

Now for a better example with his Aunty Mirelle!

Well done my little pig. We will soon have you galloping around again like the show dog that you are! (Well… he’s a Crufts winner in my eyes anyway!)

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I have noticed over the past few days that his behaviour is better with more of his old routine being re-introduced.

So whilst he does actually love having his own little bedroom area now (the Pig Pen) for sleeping in at night. (I will reiterate this as the one and only good thing to come from this whole devastating experience - he finally; after 3.5yr takes himself off to his own bed and sleeps soundly all night long. I have my bed back! Woo hoo …) During the day though, if he’s not coming with me, he hates to be left shut in his little bedroom area and prefers to be left downstairs like he was previously with his under the stairs ‘pig hole’ to sulk in like Harry Potter.

He gets to look through the glass in the front entrance door and see who’s coming and going and be ready to greet me as soon as I get home.

I do have to place some boxes on the staircase to prevent him climbing them but that’s easy enough.

Since some of our normal routine has been resumed he does seem to be holding his pee better and accidents have been virtually non existent.

So maybe that is the key. Rather then try and change everything around to a whole new set up and routine which I believed was the better environment for him, that actually, to get him back to his old routine ASAP seemingly gives better results. I may eat my words here!

We are on day 3 in a row of no accidents in the house. I have everything crossed this ‘dry spell roll’ continues! UPDATE @ 9.45pm: the ‘accident free day’ is no longer the case, I shall say no more. I jinxed it!