I just wanted to write a quick note to let everyone know that Snoopy has been progressing well. Tina and Dr. Murphy have decided that perhaps Dr. Fischer is a rather secondary character in Snoopy's rehabilitation and shouldn't be constantly queried unless Snoop has an astounding setback. Something we'd all rather not have happen. Dr. Murphy believes, since the x-rays continue to look good, that Snoopy's left hind leg and hip muscles are simply atrophied from the months of non-use, and we must re-build them slowly.
Tina and Niki are trying a new exercise regime for him (with Dr. Murphy's blessing). They "pony" him with the golf cart. Every day, they put a flake of hay in the back and Tina sits, holding the lead rope, while Niki drives around the large arena. Snoopy follows behind, eating. They speed up slightly for brief moments of trotting, then walk. They had built up to 20 minutes a day before the rains hit.
If you don't live in southern California, that last statement means nothing to you, but we have had two days of continual rain, and by "continual" I mean I didn't know the sky could contain that much water. The arenas are now, of course, completely soggy and unable to be traversed by man or beast. The rain is now gone for awhile, but if we don't get sunny skies and either warm temperatures or brisk winds, the ground will not dry very soon. This puts a crimp into the Snoopy rehab schedule.
Once it dries out, I'll take some pictures and post them. In the meantime, check out our Christmas picture for the latest look at Snoopy. Believe it or not, he was the best behaved animal in the shot!
