Max's Degenerative Myelopathy History

Max's Degenerative Myelopathy History

The history and progress of Max's journey with DM.

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Therapy history:

Date	Attendant	Treatments	Comments
Wednesday Aug 10, 2005	Monica	Exam (Monica) Discussion (us and Monica) Leg meausurements: - left: 29cm - right: 38cm Reflex test (passed) Swim theraphy: - 5 reps to end of ramp	This was our first visit at KESMARC. We scheduled twice-weekly swim therapy treatments for the next two weeks. Will re-examine after that and decide on course of action. Monica suggested we try Dr. Clemmons' diet protocol. Max wouldn't go into the water until we threw a tennis ball, then he loved it.
Monday Aug 15, 2005	Monica and Bridget	Consultation about diet (Monica) Swim therapy: - 6 reps just past end of ramp Walk therapy: - 6 passes along the back wall	As soon as we got there, Max saw the pool and got excited. While walking past it, we had to pull him to keep him from jumping in. During the food consult, Monica was about to recommend a commercial diet to us, but when I told her we had already started him on Dr. C's protocol, she was delighted and said that was much better. She also was about to recommend that we at least use Vitamin E and Bromelain, but when I told her about all the vitamins we were using, she said that was great and he was getting enough to warrent leaving out the Bromelain. Monica led the therapy session and showed Bridget how she wanted Max to be exercised. When he hit the ramp, he jumped in immediately and swam great. They then put a Walkabout harness (which they loaned us for the week) on him and he practiced walking correctly
Thursday Aug 18, 2005	Monica and Bridget	Swim therapy: - 6 reps just past end of ramp Walk therapy: - 6 passes along the back wall - half lap around crushed-rubber path	Max was very eager when we got there and excited to see the pool and Monica. When we walked in, Monica and Bridget noted right away that he was walking better and looked great. Swimming was easy and took no convincing (pictures here). Bridget did all the handling with Monica looking on and directing.
Monday Aug 22, 2005	Bridget	Swim therapy: - 6 reps just past end of ramp	Max did not want to wait his turn at the pool and barked eagerly until he was in the water He had been dragging his legs more than usual the last couple of days. Monica saw this and suggested that we skip the walking tonight and skip all home exercise for the next few days.
Thursday Aug 25, 2005	Bridget	Swim therapy: - 6 reps just past end of ramp Walk therapy: - half lap around crushed-rubber path	Again, Max was eager to swim and there were no problems with that. We let Max rest at home all week (no walks) and the dragging he was doing Sunday and Monday went away by today and he was back to "normal". He did very well on the track. Over the last couple of days, we have noticed that the large hotspot that Max had on his rump is healing and hair is growing back. We have not treated the spot in any way, so we credit the new diet (especially the vitamins) with this improvement.
Monday Aug 29, 2005	Bridget	Swim therapy: - 8 reps just past end of ramp Walk therapy: - half lap around crushed-rubber path	Max has been walking great the last few days and Bridget was very happy to see him doing so well, so she increased his swim laps to 8. Max was happy to swim extra and had no problems. We walked the half lap and even after all that, he was still walking and standing better than he had been before his exercise last week. Bridget was very pleased.
Thursday Sep 8, 2005	Bridget	Swim therapy: - 4 reps just past end of ramp	After a week off due to a NY trip, Max was out of his routine and had not been walking very well the last few days, although he was starting to get back to "normal". It wasn't good enough to do walk therapy today, though, so he just swam. While he definitely wanted to get in the water, he had a hard time doing so and required help.
Monday Sep 12, 2005	Bridget	Swim therapy: - 6 reps just past end of ramp Walk therapy: - outside	Still not completely back to normal, Max is crossing his legs and dragging more than he was two weeks ago. He swam well, though, and once he realized Bridget was going to make him walk correctly, he actually tried to and then did better. We decided he was being lazy and dragging lately just because he was getting away with it.
Thursday Sep 15, 2005	Bridget	Swim therapy: - 7 reps just past end of ramp Walk therapy: - half lap around crushed-rubber path	Max did much better today. He swam great and after his laps, he was not trembling at all. He walked very well and required only a little assistance from us with the harness. I'd say he is back to how he was pre-trip.
Monday Sep 19, 2005	Bridget	Swim therapy: - 9 reps just past end of ramp Walk therapy: - half lap around crushed-rubber path	Max did much great today. He set a new record and swam 9 laps with no problem. He is growing more and more impatient when waiting his turn to swim, because he wants to get in the water so bad.. We walked him with the harness and he did very well.
Thursday Sep 22, 2005	Sandra	Walk therapy: - 5 minutes in park	Had to cancel swimming appointment today, so I walked Max in the park in full gear.
Saturday Sep 24, 2005	Monica	Exam Discussion Reflex test: - right leg passed - left leg failed Leg measurements: - left: ?? - right: ?? Electro-therapy (20 mins)	We had a checkup with Monica today so she could see how Max has changed over the last 6 weeks. She examined him and discovered that he has increased muscle mass, which is good (but I forgot what the actual measurements were). However, he has had some nerve deterioration, as evidenced by a lack of reflex in his left leg. Monica taught me how to do a body wrap with an elastic bandage on Max. The constant sensation provided by the body wrap will help Max to be aware of his body, especially his back and legs. She recomended that we try the wrap for a couple hours a day, to get him used to it. I decided to do all walk therapy at home from now on and only do swimming at the center, an idea Monica supported. We decided to add electro-therapy to his routine and Monica went ahead and started today. Nodes were attached to his feet and hips and a mild electrical pulse was sent through his legs to stimulate muscle contraction/release. This continued for about 30 minutes. Max didn't mind the therapy, but didn't like sitting still that long, especially with the pool nearby. Max was exhausted the rest of the day after the therapy.
Sunday Sep 25, 2005	Sandra	Body wrap (2 hours)	Max was still pretty tired from yesterday's therapy, so I did not walk him today. However, I tried the body wrap (not including the legs) for a couple hours and he was okay with it. He is not putting much pressure on his left leg, and is dragging pretty badly. I think it's because he is tired and has a sore on his foot.
Monday Sep 26, 2005	Bridget	Swim therapy: - 9 reps just past end of ramp	Max was still dragging and crossing over a little before he swam, but was completely energized and excited afterwards, and walking better the next morning.
Tuesday Sep 27, 2005	Sandra and Dennis	Walk therapy: - 5 minutes in the park Body wrap (2 hours)	Good walk, didn't get tired.
Wednesday Sep 28, 2005	Sandra	Walk therapy: - 5 minutes in the park Body wrap (2 hours)	Good walk, didn't get tired.
Thursday Sep 29, 2005	Sandra	Walk therapy: - 5 minutes in the park	Good walk, didn't get tired.
Saturday Oct 1, 2005	Monica	Electro-therapy (12 mins) Swim therapy: - 8 reps to end of ramp - 1 rep to office door	Max did fine with electro-therapy for awhile and then suddently decided he'd had enough, so we stopped. When he swam, he did well, so Monica decided to push him with one of his laps all the way to the office door and back (approx. halfway around the pool). He did great. He was tired the rest of the day and Sunday, so we let him rest.
Monday Oct 3, 2005	Bridget	Swim therapy: - 8 reps to end of ramp - 1 rep to office door	Max swam well and seemed to really enjoy his long lap, which he swam with no tennis ball incentive.
Thursday Oct 6, 2005	Dennis	Walk therapy: - 5 minutes in the park	Okay but not great. Slow because of lack of activity the last few days, I think.
Friday Oct 7, 2005	Sandra and Dennis	Walk therapy: - 5 minutes in the park	Good walk, didn't get tired.
Saturday Oct 8, 2005	Monica	Swim therapy: - 6 reps to end of ramp - 2 reps to office door Laser therapy (20 mins)	Today we let Max swim first, which helped ease his impatience. He did great and swam two long laps, which he seemed to enjoy. Since Max had reacted oddly to the electro-therapy the last time, Monica decided to try laser therapy today instead. It involved strapping to only one back foot (instead of two) which was easier on Max. Unlike the electro-therapy, which stimulates the muscles, the laser therapy stimulates blood circulation, which is also helpful. Max did okay through the therapy, chewing relentlessly on his toys. He only freaked out once about what was going on at his feet.
Sunday Oct 9, 2005	Dennis	Walk therapy: - 5 minutes in the park	Good walk, didn't get tired.
Tuesday Oct 11, 2005	Dennis	Walk therapy: - 5 minutes in the park	Good walk, didn't get tired.
Wednesday Oct 12, 2005	Dennis	Walk therapy: - 5 minutes in the park Walk therapy: - 5 minutes in the park	Max took two separate walks today. The first was in the morning and he did okay, but not great. The second was in late afternoon, and he did much better.
Thursday Oct 13, 2005	Monica	Swim therapy: - 7 reps to end of ramp - 1 rep to office door - 1 rep halfway around left side of pool Electro-therapy (20 minutes) Ball therapy (5 minutes)	We started off with swimming, and Max was very eager and did great. We did one half-lap to the office door and then another half-lap to the left side of the pool. He loved every minute of it. Next was electro-therapy, and Max was very tired from swimming, which helped him relax. He is getting used to the process, and was pretty content with his toys, except for a couple stressed moments when Monica surprised him by touching his feet. Finally we tried some therapy with a 26" exercise ball. We placed it under Max's belly and it supported his weight, allowing his back legs to stand normally while we played with his toys. He didn't mind the ball at all. I'm not sure which part of this therapy gets the credit, but the next morning he was half-walking (instead of dragging), and stood up straight the entire time he ate breakfast, both unusual and awesome behaviors.
Friday Oct 14, 2005	Dennis	Walk therapy: - 5 minutes in the park	Max did great today. Instead of dragging his feet, he walked for a couple minutes with one leg working and one dragging, which was an improvement.
Saturday Oct 15, 2005	Dennis and Sandra	Walk therapy: - 5 minutes in the park	Amazing walk. After a couple minutes of walking on one leg, Max actually managed to walk -- unassisted -- on both hind legs for short distances.
Sunday Oct 16, 2005	Dennis	Walk therapy: - 5 minutes in the park Walk therapy: - 5 minutes in the park	Two separate walks today. The first one was great, similar to the day before. The second one (late evening) was so-so. Mostly dragging.
Monday Oct 17, 2005	Bridget	Swim therapy: - 6 reps to end of ramp - 1 rep to office door - 1 rep halfway around left side of pool	Excellent swim, very eager.
Thursday Oct 20, 2005	Bridget and Monica	Swim therapy: - 6 reps to end of ramp - 1 rep to office door - 1 rep halfway around left side of pool Electro-therapy (20 minutes) Ball therapy (5 minutes)	Excellent swim, very eager. The electro-therapy was typical, with Max lying still for most of the time but freaking out if Monica made a surprise move near his back. He seemed to enjoy the ball therapy because it let him "stand" while playing tug, which was something he hadn't been able to do in a long time.
Saturday Oct 22, 2005	Dennis	Walk therapy: - 5 minutes in the park Walk therapy: - 5 minutes in the park	Two separate walks today. The first one was great. The second one (late evening) was so-so. Mostly dragging.
Sunday Oct 23, 2005	Dennis	Walk therapy: - 5 minutes in the park Walk therapy: - 5 minutes in the park	Two separate walks today. The first one (morning) was not very good. The second one (late evening) was awesome. He moved pretty fast and got into a great rhythm.
Monday Oct 24, 2005	Bridget	Walk therapy: - 5 minutes in the park Swim therapy: - 6 reps to end of ramp - 2 rep to office door - 1 rep halfway around left side of pool	Sandra took Max on a short walk in the early afternoon. He did pretty well, half-walking on his own for much of it. Excellent swim, very eager. We did two long laps to the office door. Max did not tremble or stress at all after having three long laps today, but he did slow down a tad by the end. Bridget was very pleased to see how well Max was walking before and especially after the swim.
Thursday Oct 27, 2005	Bridget and Monica	Swim therapy: - 6 reps to end of ramp - 2 rep to office door - 1 rep halfway around left side of pool Electro-therapy (20 minutes) Ball therapy (5 minutes)	Max was REALLY eager to swim today, and did great. The electro-therapy went well also, although Max seems to be getting increasingly annoyed at it, with several outbursts during the 20 minutes.
Saturday Oct 29, 2005	Dennis	Walk therapy: - 5 minutes in the park	He did not do well today. Hardly walked at all.
Sunday Oct 30, 2005	Dennis	Walk therapy: - 5 minutes in the park	Another bad walk. This is just not his week.
Monday Oct 31, 2005	Bridget	Swim therapy: - 6 reps to end of ramp - 2 rep to office door - 1 rep halfway around left side of pool	This was a typical swim. Max was eager and had no problems. We had the realization that no matter how much we push him, he never gets the trembling legs that he used to get when we first started the swimming. This is a good indication of his increasing muscle strength.
Thursday Nov 3, 2005	Bridget and Monica	Swim therapy: - 6 reps to end of ramp - 2 rep to office door - 2 reps halfway around left side of pool Electro-therapy (20 minutes) Ball therapy (5 minutes)	Max did a great job swimming and we added one more long lap to his routine, which he took in stride. His electro-therapy went amazingly well courtesy of the new CET Chews I brought to distract him. He concentrated on the chews the entire time and let Monica touch his legs with no objection. It was awesome.
Sunday Nov 6, 2005	Dennis	Walk therapy: - 5 minutes in the park	Pretty good, not great.
Monday Nov 7, 2005	Dennis and Bridget	Walk therapy: - 5 minutes in the park Swim therapy: - 6 reps to end of ramp - 1 rep to office door - 1 rep halfway around left side of pool - 1 complete lap	Dennis took Max for a walk in the afternoon and he did very well. Max swam very well today and we convinced Bridget to let him swim one complete lap around the pool in place of two of his half-laps. He did great and wasn't tired!
Thursday Nov 11, 2005	Bridget	Swim therapy: - 3 reps to end of ramp - 2 reps past office door - 2 reps halfway around left side of pool - 1 complete lap	Monica had to cancel the electro-therapy today, so we did a little extra swimming instead. We dropped three short reps and did a total 4 half-laps and one full lap, yet another new record for Max. He did awesome and did not tremble afterwards. The next morning, he did not show any signs of being worn out or tired. Meanwhile, we have been trying a new "Shen Calmer" herbal supplement since Tuesday morning. Monica hooked us up with this in an attempt to reduce Max's anxiety, particuarly when sleeping. Haven't seen any adverse affects, which is good. We're still building the dosage up slowly, so we haven't seen any positive changes yet, either.
Saturday Nov 12, 2005	Monica	Electro-therapy (20 minutes) Ball therapy (5 minutes)	Since Thursday's electro was canceled, we met today instead. The CET Chews worked wonders once again and Max was calm and happy through the entire session. On the ball, he did some great tugging exercises. Monica was delighted to hear that we'd been pushing him in the pool.
Monday Nov 14, 2005	Bridget	Swim therapy: - 3 reps to end of ramp - 1 rep past office door - 1 rep halfway around left side of pool - 2 complete laps	We pushed Max a little more today and he did two full laps around the pool. He had no problems at all.
Thursday Nov 17, 2005	Bridget	Swim therapy: - 3 reps to end of ramp - 1 rep past office door - 1 rep halfway around left side of pool - 2 complete laps	Max did very well swimming today, and afterwards, walked to the car almost completely by himself
Saturday Nov 19, 2005	Monica	Electro-therapy (20 minutes) Ball therapy (5 minutes) Leg measurements: - left: 37cm - right: 36cm Reflex test: passed	Max did fine with the therapy today. Monica checked his reflexes and was very happy to see that the reflex was back in his left leg, since that leg had no reflexes in the last exam. Both legs were fine. She measured the muscles and found that the right leg had deteriorated to the point where it was almost the same as the left leg (which was the first to go bad). We also discussed his success with swimming and decided to push him in the future by adding one half-lap to each session (add one half-lap to the left, then add one half-lap to the right, then replace both half-laps with a whole lap, repeat)
Monday Nov 21, 2005	Dennis and Bridget	Walk therapy: - 5 minutes in park Swim therapy: - 3 reps to end of ramp - 2 reps past office door - 1 rep halfway around left side of pool - 2 complete laps	Max had been acting weird all day today. He seemed to be wandring around the house, looking for the right place to be. He had no interest in eating dinner. We also noticed some new sores on the inside of his back left leg, which we think are from him scratching himself while his legs kick during his active dreams. Dennis took him for a walk in the afternoon and he did okay. When it came time to swim, Max was 100% and had no problems at all in the water, even with the extra half-lap we added. The next morning, though, he again had no interest in eating. Hmmm.
Friday Nov 25, 2005	Dennis	Walk therapy: - 5 minutes in the park	Dennis took Max for a walk in the afternoon and he did very well.
Saturday Nov 26, 2005	Monica	Swim therapy: - 3 reps to end of ramp - 2 reps past office door - 2 reps halfway around left side of pool - 2 complete laps	The lethargy and other symptoms described in the last entry were due to elevated levels of some chemicals in Max's liver (see the "Supplement History" section entry for Nov 23rd for more details). Today, though, he was feeling back to normal and had no problems with swimming. He took the extra half-lap in stride and as usual, walked great after he swam. I discussed the liver condition with Monica. She agreed with our decision to drop all supplements, at least for awhile, to get Max back to normal. In addition, she recommended stopping electro-therapy for a month, in case his anxiety during the therapy was due to his liver discomfort. We decided to re-address in January. In the meantime, he will go back to twice-weekly swims on Monday and Thursdays.
Monday Nov 28, 2005	Dennis	Walk therapy: - 5 minutes in the park	Dennis took Max for a walk in the afternoon and he did very well. Max couldn't swim today because the pool was closed for maintenance.
Monday Dec 5, 2005	Bridget and Sandra	Swim therapy: - 3 reps to end of ramp - 2 reps past office door - 2 reps halfway around left side of pool - 2 complete laps	We were a bit nervous about Max swimming today because he hadn't swam in a week and had a rough week in terms of hindquarter control, but he amazed us all when he got in the water and swam effortlessly. We repeated the number of laps from last time (instead of increasing) because of the break. Sandra got in the water with him this time. A confusion about tennis balls led to two of them being out in the middle of the pool at the same time. Max was not willing to leave one behind, so he treaded water until he actually managed to get both in his mouth at the same time (a first!) and he brought them both back to safety. Max seems to have lost a lot of control of his back left leg when walking. It was slightly better after he swam, though, and when we sprayed him with the hose and let him play a bit, he actually stood on both legs for a few brief moments.
Monday Dec 12, 2005	Bridget	Swim therapy: - 3 reps to end of ramp - 2 reps past office door - 2 reps halfway around left side of pool - 2 complete laps	No problems with swimming today. The fact that we didn't increase the laps was due to a misunderstanding and wasn't intentional. Max has lost pretty much all ability to use his back legs while walking, so he always drags them. This makes it particularly amazing to see him swim, because he does so well in the water. The dragging is leading to sores on his feet, so we have been wrapping them with tape constantly to reduce the irritation. We had an interesting realization this week. The violent physical dreams that Max had been having, which had been getting increasingly worse, have almost gone away! We only remember having to wake him once or twice in the last week, as opposed to once or twice each hour. It appears that our decision to stop all supplements a couple weeks ago (to help his liver) has also had a positive and unexpected effect on his sleep patterns. Something we were giving him must've been contributing to the dreams all along.
Thursday Dec 15, 2005	Bridget	Swim therapy: - 3 reps to end of ramp - 1 rep past office door - 1 rep halfway around left side of pool - 3 complete laps	We increased the laps per our decided increments and Max handled it like a champ. Three full laps with no problems!
Saturday Dec 17, 2005	Monica	Electro-therapy (20 minutes) Swim therapy: - 3 reps to end of ramp - 2 reps past office door - 1 rep halfway around left side of pool - 3 complete laps	Max had no problems with swimming, as usual. His walking is very bad lately, and he mostly drags his feet. Today was an effort to get as much therapy in as possible before our trip to NY next week. Monica gave us some instructions for at-home therapy that we could perform every day in order to keep Max's muscles loose.
Thursday Dec 29, 2005	Bridget	Swim therapy: - 3 reps to end of ramp - 2 reps past office door - 2 reps halfway around left side of pool - 3 complete laps	After a week and a half of no official therapy, Max wasn't walking very well, but still swam great. He did the laps with no problems. Dennis has also been walking Max several days a week but I have not been able to record it here. The walking is helping a bit. One thing we noticed during our week in NY is that the nightmares have not, in fact, gone away. He had one within hours of returning home after his electro-therapy on the 17th, and then quite a few severe dreams during the nights of the following week. Not sure yet what's going on -- did they never really go away, but we just didn't notice any for awhile? Or is it possible that they were the result of the electro?
Monday Jan 2, 2006	Bridget	Swim therapy: - 3 reps to end of ramp - 1 rep past office door - 1 rep halfway around left side of pool - 2 complete laps	Max's schedule dictated 4 complete laps today, but after both his first and second laps, he made an effort to get out of the pool, which he usually never does. We weren't sure if the water was too cold for him or if he just didn't feel up to swimming, but we cut his swim short anyway and skipped the last two laps. Also should mention that Max had a couple of "bathroom control" issues this week - one today and one Saturday.
Thursday Jan 5, 2006	Bridget and Monica	Swim therapy: - 12 laps in heated pool (a "lap" in this pool is defined as a complete trip from one end to the other and back again)	We assumed Max's non-desire to swim last time was due to the cold water in the pool, so today we swam him in the smaller heated pool instead. The heated pool is a narrow straight strip with ramps at both ends. Its length is roughly equivalent to the half-laps Max does in the big pool. Max really seemed to like this pool for several reasons, the biggest of which was the 79 degree water, which he never tried to get out of. He also really seemed to enjoy the ramps at both ends and the fact that he did not have to wear a leash while he swam. These two things combined meant that he had much more freedom in the pool and could swim at the pace (and direction) he wanted. He really had a lot of fun. We plan to stick with the heated pool for the rest of the winter. His dreams have not gone away, but they now occur almost exclusively at night, which is why we thought they went away for awhile. All the sores on his feet are completely healed, which is a great development. We've been keeping his feet wrapped with Sport Tape all the time, which is very durable and does a great job of protecting them. It even stays on in the water, which is great.
Monday Jan 9, 2006	Bridget	Swim therapy: - 14 laps in heated pool	Max had no problems swimming today and again seemed to enjoy the warm pool.
Thursday Jan 12, 2005	Dennis and Sandra	Swim therapy: - 15 laps in heated pool	Max had no problems swimming today and again seemed to enjoy the warm pool.
Monday Jan 16, 2006	Bridget	Swim therapy: - 14 laps in heated pool	Max had no problems entering the water when we got there, but after 4 laps, he wanted to get out. We encouraged him to continue, and he swam some more, but not very eagerly. We let him play and float on the ramp for quite a while and got him up to 14 laps, which we thought was enough. As far as Max's general condition goes, he has essentially lost all power to walk in his rear legs. When we hold him up with a towel or harness, he still drags his feet and does not attempt to move them. This means he needs to be carried in and out of the house, although he can still drag himself inside the house quite well. He has been retaining control of his bladder, but he is down to about a 10-second interval between when he knows he needs to make a bowel movement and when it actually happens. We all try to react as quickly as we can, but we don't always make it outside in time.
Thursday Jan 19, 2006	Bridget	Swim therapy: - 14 laps in heated pool	Max behaved similarly to last time, meaning that he got in the pool fine, but then lost interest after a few laps and wanted out. But then we figured out the problem -- the tennis balls! See, a few weeks ago, we got him a new "solid core" tennis ball, which he can't chew a hole in, and therefore lasts much longer. We liked it so much that we stopped using any other tennis balls. This means we were no longer keeping two tenns balls on hand -- one for him to hold and one for us to tempt him with to get him to drop the first one. Without the second ball, he would just chew on the one he had and not show interest in swimming. When I finally figured this out and grabbed a second ball from Bridget, he eagerly swam another 10 laps. Duh!
Monday Jan 23, 2006	Bridget	Swim therapy: - 6 reps to end of ramp - 4 reps to office door	The heated pool was broken tonight so we couldn't use it. We swam Max in the regular pool instead, and he did really well, especially since we had two tennis balls in play. We warmed him up slowly and didn't push too far, since he hadn't been doing long laps in a couple weeks. He didn't try to get out during the swim, but he did get quite cold by the end.
Monday Jan 30, 2006	Sandra	Swim therapy: - 15 laps in heated pool	Max swam great today and was very eager. He didn't take the laps all the way to the end each time, but often turned around when he was about 3/4 of the way there, but he still wanted to go after the next ball. Bathroom issues are becoming an almost daily problem.
Monday Feb 6, 2006	Sandra	Swim therapy: - 8 reps to office door	The heated pool was under repair tonight, so we had to use the large pool instead. Max was eager to swim and very energetic, but the cold water soon got to him and he was shivering by the 8th lap, so we stopped. His feet continue to be sore-free thanks to the taping. He is starting to have some trouble dragging himself around the house, as his hind loses more control and his front legs have more weight to pull. He had two bowel movements today that he didn't seem to notice at all -- in the past, he has always reacted and tried to get outside.
Thursday Feb 9, 2006	Bridget	Swim therapy: - 15(?) laps in heated pool	A typical swim for Max. He was glad to be back in the warm pool and didn't have any troubles. When he first started in this pool, he would swim all the way to the ramp at the other end then return. Lately, though, he turns around as soon as he gets the ball.
Monday Feb 13, 2006	Bridget	Swim therapy: - 14 laps in heated pool	Max was very excited to swim today. He did very well but seemed to get bored at around lap 12, so we stopped after 14.
Thursday Feb 16, 2005	Sandra	Swim therapy: - 15 laps in heated pool	Max was very excited to swim today. He did very well but seemed to get bored at around lap 13, so we stopped after 15.
Monday Feb 20, 2006	Sandra	Swim therapy: - 14 laps in heated pool	Max swam fairly well today, but lost interest after about 10 laps. I convinced him to do four more then we stopped. A week ago, I bought some of that giant sticky plastic sheeting that you lay down over carpet to protect it (like for a party, during construction, or if you're having an open house). I covered the entire downstairs carpet with it and am thrilled with the results. The daily #2 mistakes wipe up with ease. I highly recommend the stuff.
Monday Feb 27, 2006	Sandra	Swim therapy: - 14 laps in heated pool	Max seemed very eager at first, but then quickly tired. After 7 or 8 laps, he didn't want to give up the ball, and sat there barking. I let him rest a lot and we got to 14. When we got home, he laid down on his bed and didn't budge for hours.
Thursday Mar 2, 2006	Dennis	Swim therapy: - 15 laps in heated pool	Typical swim, with eagerness waning quickly. Whining and barking started after around 8 laps, but Dennis got him to do 15.
Monday Mar 6, 2006	Sandra	Swim therapy: - 14 laps in heated pool	Typical swim, with eagerness waning quickly. Whining and barking started after around 7 laps. From about lap 4 on, he would not give up the ball at all, but would continue to still chase a second ball, so I managed to get him up to 14. We've been keeping him outside more now that it's getting warmer. No matter how long he is out there, he rarely goes to the bathroom. He seems to have lost all sensation in the areas that would tell him that he needs to go soon, because it is always a surprise to him when he finally does go -- which is usually moments after being carried back in the house.
Thursday Mar 9, 2006	Sandra and Dennis	Swim therapy: - 14 laps in heated pool	Typical swim. A bit more eager than usual because Dennis was there to play. He still didn't want to give up the ball, but he would chase a second one. He was very tired that evening and the next morning. We've been leaving him outside most of the day lately, in an effort to contain the bathroom mistakes. He seems to have gotten the idea and hardly barks at all anymore.
Thursday Mar 16, 2006	Sandra and Dennis	Swim therapy: - 14 laps in heated pool	Typical swim. A bit more eager than usual because Dennis was there to play. He still didn't want to give up the ball, but he would chase a second one.
Thursday Mar 30, 2006	Sandra	Swim therapy: - 10 laps in heated pool	Max missed two sessions because we were out of town for a week. When we returned, we noticed his condition had worsened. His front legs are growing weaker and he is more and more frustrated. We didn't think he could handle a swim Monday, so we skipped it. We went tonight, though, and took our time and got him up to 10 laps. He seemed to enjoy the first few laps, but then got tired and by the end, he was resting at every half-lap.