The move to Newcastle has gone well. My first job was to source appropriate dog parks, and dog and house minders. Locals are very friendly but what a difference in dog parks. My first contact was great (Facebook group with local off leash park, scored a new pram for Cody (my quadriplegic poodle) but the actual park, gorgeous as it is, is a little wild for me, Cody and 17 year old Danny – too many big, active boisterous dogs for me to relax and not be vigilant.
Lots of off leash and divided parks (as in Sydney), found a perfect one, the big rowdy guys on one side of the fence, little, older, quieter all on the other, very safe, contained, very sociable… perfect, everyone’s happy.
I was worried about transporting 3 elderly animals 2 hours to a new location, new home, but they have done amazingly well… Gracie (cat) has a bit of cystitis, but ok given she is 19 years of age, and has left her home of 18 years… thankfully antibiotics and lots of liquids have fixed that. Danny 17 year old spoodle, very deaf and blind, has learnt the new home quickly, loves the parks… I am impressed with my gang.
A note on stress related issues:
Cody (toy poodle) licking and sucking teeth, possibly stress, possibly needs dental attention, given that he is a quad, not a candidate for anaesthetic, so what to do…
- Off to buy canine toothpaste and a “finger”toothbrush this afternoon, and
- Will give him a physio/craniosacral treatment… including his neck and TMJ (temporomandibular joint, “jaw”).
TMJ, neck and dental issues are often connected. Many human dentists treat the TMJ in their human clients, as well as their teeth. Equine physiotherapists do a lot of work around TMJ in their clients…. so important, bite, bridle, neck, willingness to be ridden, go forward… books written about that.
My most interesting client in that dept has been a guinea pig, he had neck and TMJ issues, couldn’t eat/grind his food and was in danger of starving. A memorable patient, dear little fellow, his owner brought him in for treatment saying, “I’ll do anything, anything to save him”. A multi team approach of physio, acupuncture, 2 different vets, one specialist opinion from Canada found a solution.
A busy weekend coming up, back to Sydney to treat clients, based at Be More Dog in St Peters