I am quite accustomed to being mocked for the way I treat my dogs as part of my family, like lovely fur children who don’t answer back (much). I am criticised for the high quality of their food or my preference for non-violent training. Goodness, when I was about to move out here the amount of times people asked me if I was going to bring them with me! What else would I have done with Oscar and Raffles? Did people really think I was going to consign my old boys to a rescue? They are family! (Yes, I did leave other family members behind but that’s beside the point.)

As far as I am concerned your pets are dependent on you for all their needs and as a pet owner we take responsibility for these. No-one is perfect, of course, but if you’re not willing to try and fulfil the responsibilities of looking after a dependent, especially when that means that you must grow and learn, then you’re better off not having one. Buy a handbag instead.

Anyway, our Oscar will be 13 in a couple of months (fingers crossed) which is grand old age for a flattie. He’s been incredibly fit and healthy until now but we’ve seen a definite slowing down lately and we are starting to prepare ourselves for the worst part of pet ownership: saying goodbye. The latest ultrasound scan of his splenic and MAST cell tumours seems to show that there’s been not much deterioration so we’re hoping that he’ll be with us for a little while yet. We are, however, witnessing a clear deterioration in his mobility from arthritis and other less specific pain. He’s a game boy, though, still excited and happy for his walks but it pains us to see him stumble as his hind paws give way when he’s tired. He sometimes collapses on longer walks, especially in the heat and humidity, and I’ve bought a dog buggy so that we can transport a 40kg dog in an emergency. We haven’t needed it yet.

I’d heard of the company Paws in Motion on Instagram and also through word of mouth as recommended by our local vet practice. I’m normally a bit sceptical of chiropractic, and it’s fair to say that I was met with much derision when I said I’d made an appointment, but I think it’s worthwhile keeping an open mind and lots of people seem to report happy pets after treatment. Why not give it a go? If it works it might actually help Oscar enjoy his twilight years.

So it was that Dr Jane and Nurse Mag visited us yesterday. They did a full assessment of Oscar’s lifestyle and medical history, and investigated the sites of pain. The proceeded to treat him with laser therapy, which will be  repeated every couple of weeks and then with a hot pack and magnetic Assissi loop. These are certainly alternative therapies but we’ll see whether they have an effect of his pain.

Dr Jane also recommended mobility aids including placing grippy yoga mat material on the slippery tiles of the kitchen floor and a special harness with handles which will enable us to support Oscar when his legs collapse. We’re putting it on him at walk time so that he’s used to wearing it before he really needs it and already seeing him lift his leg to pee with more confidence when he uses this.

I’m happy to adopt the strategies that Dr Jane recommended to ease Oscar’s pain. I’ll monitor with interest whether the laser and the magnetic loop have any effect. Raffles, who as usual kept a close eye on proceedings, seems to be satisfied from his checks on our visitors so all is good.

(Click on the individual photos in the gallery for a bigger picture and description of what’s going on)