Luke's bendy legs

Luke completed his 5th session with the swim therapist today. It is really beginning to make a difference. Before therapy, his back legs were always stuck stiffly forward, in what I called "water ski position." The muscles contract when there are not regular neural signals making it through. I learned some range of motion exercises for him to to try to loosen them up, but it didn't make much difference.

This morning when I woke up he was lying next to me, snoozing away, with his little back legs all tucked up, bent beside him like a normal doggie's!

When he swims, the therapist lets him go and follows him with her hands behind his legs, so he can kick against them. He is FAST and she has to hustle to keep up. It's thrilling that he kicks! But he's also getting better and better about learning to kick in the right place to push off her hand. At first his legs would kick, but sort of wildly and in all directions. Now he's really learning to control them.

He's getting better, and I hope that one day he will be able to walk a bit, if not normally.