Beyond Adolescence and General Chit Chat - part 3

[SpanielsGalore]

Not tagging anyone. I'm sure you'll all find your way here if you want to join in. 😁

Forgot to add pics!

@VanGoSunflowers That looks lovely. What a transformation! I really like the panelling on the wall. (Or whatever you call it.) I was going to say it's a great use of space, and then remembered you called it a coffee station. 🤢 😂

Coffee station sounds great, even though I don’t drink coffee! Although consoling myself with Whittards hot chocolate. The first ingredient is sugar.

Was having a nice walk through the woods to the park. Quite mild weather. Decided to put in ‘sits’ to count of thirty to help combat ‘ants in pants’ syndrome. All going well (well, ok, sits not so strong in park).

However, recently viewed an article online about hip dysplasia and one symptom is running with ‘bunny hops’. Notice that Dog was running with backlegs landing together. Not a bunny hop as such, but not-not a bunny hop. Ie. When running, both legs landed together, not separate. No other symptoms such as lameness. Now not sure if I’m being a precious-first-time-dog-owner (and castrophisinsing as ds said (and I can’t spell) or something is wrong. Off to look at videos of dogs running, and old videos of Dog to see if he’s always done this.

@brushingboots If you think your dupe dry robe takes a long time to dry after a walk, wait until you wash it. 😳

NB - my post posted twice, so I deleted the first one and wrote something totally different.

@Silverbirchleaf Mine all do the two legged sort of bunny hop run. As did previous dogs. None have had a problem with their hips, until arthritis in old age. I also wondered if it was 'normal' when I first noticed it.

P has knee issues and that showed by her doing hop, skips whilst running and flicking her leg out to the side to pop her knee cap back in place.

@Silverbirchleaf - I remember having a similar worry with my older one, but when I saw a video of bunny hops in a dog with dysplasia it looked drastically different to the sort that mine sometimes do.

@VanGoSunflowers - coffee station looks great. I ran out of appetite for doing DIY about 10 years ago. My appetite for dealing with tradespeople is even lower so we have a very long to do list!

You lot are bloomin’ amazing. Thanks for calming me down. Obviously I’m still on a slight high alert, and will monitor the situation ongoing, but it’s reassuring to know that a lolloping kind of running is normal.

@Silverbirchleaf Just to add (because I've walked them all and remembered), my foster dog has hip problems. She's actually missing a hip joint. She does the two legged run, but it's different to the other two. She has what the vet described as a rocking horse run. It's a very apt description. Shame you can't add videos on here. I don't know if that's the same as tizwozliz was referring to.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/DTVNXByDFFw/?igsh=djZkdWptZG9vaGNv

You can see on this reel that mine have back legs moving together at some points. They have totally different gaits depending on the speed they are running.

If we run with them, where they're at a speed that is more of a 'trot' for them, they do the alternate legs. But when they're flat out, or hooning around the garden anything goes!

The videos I've seen where dogs have issues with their hips, they hop at much lower speeds, or when going down steps.

@Silverbirchleaf All my dogs bunny hop! They’re a bit like horses- fast trot or gallop, there’s no ‘canter’ IYSWIM. Totally normal! Their hips also wiggle when they walk. No hip or elbow issues at all, it’s just a thing that some dogs do.

@VanGoSunflowers i very much approve of the coffee station!!

Thanks for the coffee station approval all 🙌

@Silverbirchleaf I went through a phase of obsessively watching Pablo’s back legs while he was moving about or running on works worrying about the same thing! I must have watched dozens of videos on YouTube to reassure me that he was fine

Thank you for all your comments and for the video, which I may have watched several times…

@tizwozliz hiw did you post your video? I’ve tried and failed (paranoid ‘mum’ videoed Dog this morning) to post my videos.

Some of the shots I took look similar, but one not so…

Reassuring to hear that others have, or have had the same fears.

Totally fed up. Wet and windy here today, so P's arthritis has flared up and she is non weight bearing again. 😭

@SpanielsGalore would she be okay with a heated blanket? I’ve just got one for Hen and it’s working wonders in soothing some of her joints.

I’m sorry though ❤️it’s horrible to see them suffer. Hope N and K are okay.

It’s been pouring here as well and the garden is a bog. But I’m still not 100%, even though I’m back in the office, so walks aren’t up to much so I have no choice but to have the doors open when I am home 😩

Aww poor P @SpanielsGalore - the physio suggested a wheat bag or heated blanket for V so that’s a good shout @TheHungryHungryLandsharks. I decided against a wheat bag because he would definitely try and eat it.

@Silverbirchleaf once your boy has finished growing you could ask the vet to check if you’re still worried for peace of mind, but I have found unless retrievers are running flat out or doing their ‘show’ prance they have a bit off an odd run!

@YorkshireFelix how is your DD getting on (if you don’t mind me asking)? Hope V isn’t suffering too much in this weather either - not sure if it effects luxating patella, but rain is always miserable for dogs as they get less walks!

@VanGoSunflowers you might appreciate this…I went to Ole and Steen in London yesterday for a meeting (they do ‘Nordic’ pastries although tbh a pastry is a pastry and they’re all great). Ordered a latte. Best coffee I’ve ever had (after my usual by CX). Very happy as I am always on the look out for overpriced coffee.

The dogs are suffering a lot this week - DH has been in every day, and I’ve only WFH one day, so they’re seeing a lot of Satan! Keep them in your thoughts and prayers as they’re back with her today. I’m sure the pointless wonder is losing fur with all the stress…

I wish Facebook would stop showing me people discussing American versus English labs. It's not good for the blood pressure first thing in the morning. At least some people with sanity pointing out that whilst show labs in England are stockier than their working counterparts (bottom) they're nothing like what wins best of breed in the USA (top)

@tizwozliz you’re jesting?! Surely that is not winner?! That dog is clinically obese!! It probably weighs more than me…and that’s saying a lot right now!!

@tizwozliz We meet a show lab on walks and he must be at least the size of the American one. She told me the vet says he needs to lose weight. I can't understand why she needs someone else to point it out. Poor thing waddles along.

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks and @YorkshireFelix I shall investigate heated blankets. How do you make them lie on one? Or do you wrap them up in it?

I don't know if there is another storm doing the rounds, but it's been very windy here for the last 24 hours. Considering taping the letter box down, as it makes P jump every time it bangs.

@SpanielsGalore Hen chose to snuggle up on it! But she’s always been a snuggler. I got one for £50 off Amazon.

Its raining but hot here - sweating with at coat on in London! Really muggy and nasty, but that’s typical for London weather.

The black lab is a typical obese American!

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks Wet and warm here today. You never quite know what to wear at the moment. One day it’s sunny but icy, and the next it’s wet and warm. Yesterday was horrible though, wet and windy.

Bloody freezing here. 6° but feels like 0°. But it was dry, so I popped the girls' jumpers on and took them down the sea front for half an hour. P needs a better fitting one.

K was also there, but running wild across the field.

They'd closed the sea front road on the way home. Very high tide and strong winds, so there was lots of water and seaweed on the road.

The cheek is, they call those 'English' labs and the svelte ones American!

Which is P and which is K?

@TheHungryHungryLandsharks I do appreciate finding a good coffee place! It’s so difficult around here, they’re nearly all chains and they don’t do good coffee! And nothing is a better accompaniment to a pastry! So you’ll be going back then?
Thoughts and prayers to the rabble!

@tizwozliz I am with you on the ‘English vs American’ labs thing!! Have you ever had anyone tell you your dogs are too skinny because of that?! I have had a comment like that before about Pablo!

Not loving this weather we are all having! I must admit I’m starting to get bored of constantly mopping the floors and washing the sofa covers 😂