A photo of the big man from yesterday. He'd been for three of his walks by then, and we do the last one after 10pm. He did well, better than the previous night anyway. The second photo is of the group out the day before it happened. Loki coming out of the ditch.
The shock of what has happened to him is still something I can't comprehend. He had NEVER shown signs of pain or lameness, NEVER! Had he done maybe, just maybe we wouldn't have got to such an acute stage before he had treatment. Thankfully he was correctly exercised, a walk every day (Well almost) which would have kept things under control for longer. I have to admit now that I'm a little more composed and thinking about it rationally rather than in headless chicken mode, I'm confused as to whether he has spondylosis or spondylitis as they are two different conditions.
" Spondylitis is inflammation of the joints between the vertebrae, which is similar to arthritis. The joints can swell and grow, eventually fusing over time. When the bones begin to fuse, the condition is referred to as ankylosing spondylitis. As the bones grow towards each other and fuse, the spine becomes less mobile and flexible.
Spondylosis is also arthritic, but the condition is related to wear and tear on the joints as you age. As you go about your life, the joints' disks become less soft as they lose water and slowly get more rigid. In most people, the disks wear down, causing gaps within the joints.
The bones grow to make up for the loss of support and form bone spurs in the joints. The bone spurs can rub together and cause pain and stiffness."
