Say hello to Tess

[Spiceysmum]

I thought it was about time I introduced you to our beautiful new puppy, Tess.
I haven't been around here much for a while due to a stresses at work and, after quite a stressful year in general, finally a little ray of sunshine entered our lives.
After the sadness of losing Brin in February we weren't sure whether we would ever get another dog, but, you know what it's like with a empty house to come home to every day and wanting that special love that only a dog can bring. After losing Spicey four years ago we still had that love to give and receive from Brin but this time was different. I still love and miss them both so much and I asked them to make sure Tess has all of their good qualities.
Tess is 16 weeks old today and is just so adorable. People keep asking us if we know what we have let ourselves in for with a springer spaniel puppy but I tell them we had one that lived to be nearly 18! Although Brin was about 18 months old when we had him so we missed out on the puppy stage and he was training to be a sniffer dog so he was well trained. Tess is so good and when we took her on holiday last week everyone commented on how calm she was. She loved being in the caravan (RV) but didn't like the sea!
I think it was just the noise of the waves and hope she likes it next year. I told her 'call yourself a springer spaniel'!
We are going to get her some basic obedience training, recall etc. She has had a lot of socialisation and loves every dog and person she meets. I will put some photos in my albums for you to see just how cute she is.
Linda and Tess

[labblab]

Oh Linda, I cannot tell you how happy I am for you all!!! :) :) :) :D

I love the photos -- what a little cutie!

I can surely see why little Tess has already stolen your heart. Precious baby girl!

You've started my day off with such a smile. Please keep the updates coming...;)

Best wishes to all,
Marianne

[mytil]

She is precious!!!

I am very happy for you. Keep those photos coming :)
Terry

[Squirt's Mom]

Oh, Linda, what wonderful news for all of you! Tess hit the jackpot with her new mom and I know she will bring you many years of joy....and adventure! ;) And it is so good to hear from you again....I hope you will be around more often to share the tales of Tess. :)

Hugs,
Leslie

[addy]

What a great surprise to start my day and I love her name:):):):):)

[lulusmom]

Congratulations on your new baby, Linda. She is adorable. Please keep posting pics so we can watch her grow with you.

Glynda

[molly muffin]

She is sooo cute. Just love that little face! What an exciting time for you!

hugs
Sharlene and molly muffin

[doxiesrock912]

Awwwww!
Tess is so lucky! She doesn't know it yet, but she will.

As much as we hurt when losing one family member, we just can't keep from helping another. Congratulations!

We adopted too :)

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.856647797687485.1073741838.100000268197543&type=1&l=5afdb8f3b5

[Spiceysmum]

Thanks everyone. Tess is a joy to have around. Her favourite things to play with are a flower pot and a sweeping brush, she's not really interested in a ball yet. If I didn't know better I would doubt she was a springer spaniel,who's heard of one that doesn't like the sea or to play with a ball! I will keep you updated with more photos as she grows and will put a couple more in her album today.
The main thing we need to address at the moment is pulling on the lead, all ideas welcome!
It is lovely to be back here. I did pop by every day but never had time to post much.

Linda and Tess x

[Spiceysmum]

Hi all,
Once again I need some advice although I didn't think it would be quite so soon.
We have thought for a while now that Tess sometimes sits strangely with her back legs wide apart, we just thought she was lazy. While she was being spayed on Wednesday we had her x rayed. She does have hip dysplasia in one hip, even though I had suspected it I was still shocked and upset to hear it. The vet is going to ask the orthopaedic vet if he thinks it would be best to operate but I am hoping he says she will be OK without it as it is a major op (TPO). My feelings are up and down, one minute thinking she'll cope fine and the next feeling sad that she won't be able to run around as much as she likes to. I know a few of you will have had experience of hip dysplaysia in older dogs but did anyone find out while their dog was still a puppy and how did they cope? I know to keep her slim and not exercise too much but it seems impossible to keep a puppy from jumping around some if the time. Also can they do more exercise when they are over 1 year old and have stopped growing so much? I didn't think I would be having to do research again so soon and feel emotionally drained or am I worrying too much? I just want to enjoy her and for her to be able to carry on as normal.
Hope everyone is OK, I still pop in most days to check up on you!

Love, Linda and Tess x

[labblab]

Hi all,
Once again I need some advice although I didn't think it would be quite so soon.
We have thought for a while now that Tess sometimes sits strangely with her back legs wide apart, we just thought she was lazy. While she was being spayed on Wednesday we had her x rayed. She does have hip dysplasia in one hip, even though I had suspected it I was still shocked and upset to hear it. The vet is going to ask the orthopaedic vet if he thinks it would be best to operate but I am hoping he says she will be OK without it as it is a major op (TPO). My feelings are up and down, one minute thinking she'll cope fine and the next feeling sad that she won't be able to run around as much as she likes to. I know a few of you will have had experience of hip dysplaysia in older dogs but did anyone find out while their dog was still a puppy and how did they cope? I know to keep her slim and not exercise too much but it seems impossible to keep a puppy from jumping around some if the time. Also can they do more exercise when they are over 1 year old and have stopped growing so much? I didn't think I would be having to do research again so soon and feel emotionally drained or am I worrying too much? I just want to enjoy her and for her to be able to carry on as normal.
Hope everyone is OK, I still pop in most days to check up on you!

Love, Linda and Tess x
Oh Linda, I am so sorry to read about this new worry with little Tess. I'm afraid I am not knowledgeable about hip dysplasia, but I will be here to learn right alongside you and to cheer you on! It is certainly a blow to be dealing with another health issue so soon :o. After many months of worry, I know you were so looking forward to uncomplicated joy and "normalcy" with a new puppy in the house -- of course for Tess, but also for yourself, too. All of you deserved that! But hopefully there will be a medical or a surgical solution that will set things as close to right as is possible. I will keep checking on you two, and I am wishing you the best.

Marianne

[flynnandian]

in europe they do a tilt of the pelvis in dogs her age.
very good results!
if not, try to build up her back leg muscles as much as you can, the muscles will keep the hip joint in place.
swimming, trotting in a straight line along a bicycle, lots of walking etc.
don't let her chase balls or play too much with other dogs.
luckily she is not a large heavy weight dog.
good luck with tess!

[molly muffin]

Oh dear, :( When will you know what the vets recommend as far as going forward? She is very young, so if they can do something and fix it now, so that it won't cause her problems in the future, that is most likely what I would do.
My molly has a joint that isn't grooved deep enough. She runs with a bunny run and is almost 12 years old now. Other than developing a luxating patella in the other leg now, and sometimes having some weakness, it doesn't bother her, but that is fairly rare and it is almost guaranteed that eventually she will have pain in it. Some have pain from a very young age with this, so these are factors that you'll have to consider.

Let us know how it is going.

Big hugs

[Spiceysmum]

Thank you all. Marianne, you described exactly how I was feeling about the whole situation. For the last 5 years since Spicey was diagnosed with cushings I have lived and breathed dealing with and researching one illness or another, for Brin too. I don't regret it for one minute but thought I might have a break for a while and just enjoy not having to worry about health issues.
We saw the vet yesterday and she said Tess doesn't need the op and it can be managed by keeping her slim, proper exercise and glucosamine and chondroitin supplements. I have already ordered the Seraquin and she is seeing a physio in a week or so then will start hydrotherapy. So no running after a ball and try to stop her jumping as much as possible, which is very hard for a springer spaniel puppy! So my new plan is to stop worrying so much about it and just enjoy our gorgeous little girl. I must post some new photos as she is growing up so fast, they don't stay tiny puppies for long do they?
Thanks again and I'm sure I'll be back for more advice along the way!

Love, Linda and Tess x

[molly muffin]

She is just adorable! Love the pictures. Glad the surgery isn't needed.

hugs

[addy]

I think you have a solid plan and I am so glad Tess does not need surgery.

Enjoy her!

[Spiceysmum]

I've put some new photos of Tess in her album. I really need to remember to turn my phone around when I take pictures on it so they end up the right way round!
She loves her toys but it only takes her a few minutes to work them out. Must get some harder ones. My husband made the bottle one, he's clever too!
She's seeing the physiotherapist today so I hope she's good there and it doesn't hurt her. Will let you know how she gets on.

Linda and Tess x

[labblab]

Ah, Tess is such a cutie-pie! I love her little pink Kong toy and your husband is very clever indeed to have rigged up the bottle. :)

Fingers crossed that all goes well today with the therapy, and we'll be very anxious to hear the report.

[Spiceysmum]

The appointment with the physio went well. Tess was good but must be wondering why she is always getting pulled around! He doesn't want to start hydrotherapy until he's seen her again in 4 weeks time. He wants to try and build the muscle up in the right leg first, which is the one affected by hip dysplasia. We have to slow her walking down to get her into a proper left/right walking mode, he said I walk too fast but this is what the trainer has told us to do to stop her pulling and she's got to be on the right hand side now to distribute the weight better. She can only walk for 15 minutes twice a day with 5 minutes off lead on the park. He says she moves fast and prefers running as they put more weight on the front legs which takes the strain off the back legs but will cause arthritis in the future. We also have massages and leg stretches to do as she has slippy knees too. None of this is affecting her much now so its all about preventing problems and possible operations in the future. So that's where we are. Poor Tess, I feel sorry for her but she's not bothered in the slightest and still wants to run and jump around like the lively puppy that she is.
Linda and Tess x

[labblab]

I'm glad the therapist has a plan that should be helpful, but it has to be rough on you to restrict Tess' activity when she just wants to run and play like a normal puppy :o. My younger Lab, Luna, has some as yet unidentified intermittent orthopedic issue in her front end and we can't throw balls or sticks for her to chase without running the risk she'll come up lame (a retriever who's not allowed to retrieve...:(). I try to keep her from running at all on ground that is very uneven. Even though it's for her own good, it does put a bit of a damper on our morning walks. She loves to run more than anything, and I feel like such a meanie when I continually short-circuit it. So I can readily imagine how hard it feels to you right now, too. But as always, the good part for the doggies is that they don't ruminate over worries like we do -- if they're not allowed to do one thing, they just go on to another. They really are pretty adaptable little things. :)

Marianne

[Squirt's Mom]

Oh the memories! Crys had to be restricted due to her issues as well and it was so very hard on both of us. She was so full of energy and mischief, loving to run full out. I would on occasion allow her to do as she wanted and the joy would pour off of her. We learned games to play that didn't require a lot of running or jumping - some none - and she was a happy girl teaching me her games. Mostly Crys just wanted to be loved on and that was very easy to provide. I hope Tess does well and the two of you find ways to play and stimulate that are beneficial for both.

[Spiceysmum]

HAPPY 1ST BIRTHDAY TESS!
It's hard to believe that Tess is a year old today, where has time gone! She is enjoying her hydrotherapy sessions and can now go on longer walks. The physio is pleased with her progress and says the muscles in her back legs are 90% built up now. It is still hard to stop her running and jumping at home but that's just the way she is. Just to add to the mix, two weeks ago she managed to get hold of 6 or 7 grapes. Knowing they can be bad for them I rang the vets and they said bring her straight in. They induced vomiting and she had to have 24 hour fluids intravenously. Poor thing, so much in one year. She is such a loving and happy dog, if not a little excitable sometimes!!
Linda

[Squirt's Mom]

Happy 1st Birthday, Tess!
So much fun ahead of you and Mom and it sounds like you are doing a great job of keeping her on her toes! :D

[Harley PoMMom]

Happy Birthday, dear Tess!!!

[molly muffin]

happy birthday tess

1 year old already!!!

Glad she is doing so well

[Spiceysmum]

Hi Everyone,
Thought it was about time I gave an update on Tess! She is 2 and a half years old now and still full of energy. She is doing well and her leg muscles are built up nicely now. She still has a monthly hydrotherapy session. She loves food and is always looking to see what she can find. The other day we had to take her to the vets as she swallowed a sock whole, not something she usually does! After having an injection to make her vomit she was fine. Never a dull moment.
I have had a few health problems this last year. I had a malignant melanoma removed from my face which left a 3" scar but it has healed very well and is not that noticeable now. It was a shock at first as I've never really had any illnesses before but I find it easier to cope with now especially with support from good friends and family.
Wishing everyone a very Happy Christmas and a happy and healthy 2017.

Linda and Tess xx

[Squirt's Mom]

Good to hear from you, Linda, and a blessed Holiday season to you and yours. I am so glad the melanoma has healed well and that you have good, solid support - that means so much. :)

Let me guess...your mind started shouting - NOT ANOTHER CUSH BABY!! when that sock went down! :p:D:p I'm glad she is ok and hope that never happens again!

Hugs,
Leslie and the gang

[Spiceysmum]

Hi Leslie,
Actually I never even gave that a thought! I just thought 'do I leave it and hope she brings it back up or get rid of it now'! I googled it and saw that some dogs do vomit them back up a week later but I didn't want her to be the one that needed an op. I couldn't have stood that stress waiting for it to happen!
Hope you are ok too, I know you've had your own health problems to deal with. Merry Christmas.

Linda x

[Harley PoMMom]

Hi Linda!

Thanks so much for the update on Tess! Our furbabies can do the darndest things to keep us on our toes!! So glad everything worked out with Tess.

Sorry to hear you had to deal with a malignant melanoma and very relieved that it was removed and the area has healed nicely.

Please keep in touch with us! Wishing you and your family a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!!!

Hugs, Lori

[molly muffin]

Hi Linda! Great to hear that Tess is dong so well and keeping you on your toes as Lori said. Never a dull moment eh. :)

Merry Christmas!

[labblab]

Merry Christmas from me, too, Linda!! It is always wonderful to see you here, and hopefully there will be no more scares for either you or sweet Tess.

Sending my best wishes,
Marianne

[Spiceysmum]

Happy New Year to you all. It's 2017 here already, hope you all enjoy the celebrations.
Linda xxx