Changing NSAIDs

Nova's vet initially put her on Etodolac, which is a NSAID - essentially aspirin for dogs. Unfortunately she's had some hiccups along the way and stopped eating at one point, plus had really loose stool... yuk!

Good news is, she's now on another NSAID called Metacam, and it seems to be helping with the limp. We haven't seen too much of a limp lately, but we're definitely going to wait for the vet to give her the thumbs up before we let her get too much physical activity.

Jeep Ride & Wild Horses

Nova rode in her first vehicle without being crated. I sat in the back with her while Josh drove, and she did surprisingly well. She barked at the Corolla Horses out the window and screamed when I got out of the truck without her to go to the ladies room, but otherwise a perfect side kick!!

Currituck Beach Lighthouse

We took Nova on a walk to the Currituck Beach Lighthouse where she decided to be super naughty and pull towards bystanders!! At least we got some good pictures!

Wright Bro's First Flight Memorial

Nova had a nice long walk at the Wright Brothers Memorial. This site is where they flew for the first time--it used to be all sand dunes but grass was planted to keep the site from eroding.

Salt Water Swim

Josh, Nova and I went on our first vacation together to the Outer Banks--And Nova got to swim in the Atlantic Ocean for the first time! She went in, but once she went too far and had to swim, she decided it wasn't for her and only stayed in feet deep. Nova did have a good time digging in the little crab holes though!

Shoulder Pains & Sprains

Nova has been limping on and off since Saturday morning, so tonight we had a vet appointment for her to get looked at. The vet did a lot of moving her shoulders and legs around and thinks her shoulder is slipping in and out a little bit and is a little inflamed. She's on medicine to stop the inflammation and is on limited exercise for the next week or two. Hopefully she'll heal herself and it'll go away... if it doesn't heal over the next week or two, she'll get xrays. The vet thinks there is a potential she might have Osteochondritis dissecans, which is loose cartilage floating around in her joint, and could involve shoulder surgery! We are keeping a close eye on her and trying to keep her calm and on short walks only.

She did, however, finally let the vet examine her teeth without making a big deal! We were surprised since she has been a drama queen every other time.

Beginner Class

Last night was Nova's first time at beginner class! Beginner class is a natural progression from the puppy class she was in. She got a little excited to see all her new classmates, but was able to settle down after a few minutes and some distance.

Lots of review the first night, but we definitely have some things to work on, and lots of validation that we've been doing things mostly right. She picked up a new hand signal for sit very quickly, but we need to work on walking in the proper position (on the left). She is also sometimes not interested in the treats we're using, which makes things super difficult! We might teach her a command to sit on our left side to make things a little easier, so she knows where we want her to be.

Life Jacket & Petsmart

Today I took Nova to Petsmart to get her a lifejacket since we found out she loves to swim during a trip to Lake Lynn! We are planning a trip to the Outer Banks soon and want her to be safe. Unfortunately, she is a little nervous about wearing it... she is especially unsure about the sounds the velcro straps make! We'll have to acclimate her slowly to it and make sure she's comfortable over the next few weeks! She was pretty well behaved at Petsmart and met quite a few people, although she likes to jump sometimes.

Doggy Friends

Nova has been making lots of doggy friends around the neighborhood of all sizes... ranging from pugs to adult shepherds to a big bloodhound! She is doing pretty well but still gets super excited when other dogs go by. She also is still figuring out the whole play thing and will bark and show teeth in other dog's faces when trying to play with them! Not so polite... but she's never been aggressive, just super excited to see everyone.

Hopefully we'll be taking some trips to Falls Lake or to the dog park soon with some of her new buddies...