Herbie status

This was from ages ago, but never posted!

10 days on, and Herbie is still eating ravenously!

He can't balance very well and weaves from side to side; this makes going along small pavements pretty tricky, but we're both learning.

He seems to have forgotten some of his training - heel is obviously a mystery to him!

So we'll just start all over again.

Herbie as he was

herbie
Originally uploaded by madmkh.

This was us out on the 2004 Oxfam Walk. Herbie, Rick, Holly, Kim, Jenny and I raised about £170 walking 7 miles.

Herbie after his milogram

Herbie after his milogram,
originally uploaded by madmkh.

I took this photo the day after Herbie got out of his second Hospital (Queen's Vetinary School in Cambridge) visit. They found a couple of compressions on the vertebrae in his neck, but nothing that really explained the intense painful episodes he had been experiencing and nothing dramatic enough to demand surgery. Also nothing to explain the facial paralysis he got at about the same time the pains began. Generally, he seemed to be doing okay - no better no worse - except that they discharged with the runs, very messy with a big dog!

However, the day after this photo was taken (on Friday 2nd December) he was struck with "idiosyncratic" vestibular syndrome; he couldn't get himself up, and when standing couldn't balance.

Thanks to his wonderful vet (David Urwin in Linton, Cambs) and after a weekend of pretty intensive attention, he can now go out to do his business with a bit of support, has a tremendous appetite and even got himself up off his bed on his own yesterday evening.

This poor lovely dog, hopefully his own resiliance will see him through.