We're just back from the vet, so it feels like the right moment for an honest update on Sami's health - the back hernias, the paw injury from earlier this year, and what we're actually doing about the pain.

For anyone catching up: Sami has herniated discs in his back that cause him chronic pain. We found out two years ago, when he started skipping on his back legs during walks. Then, at the beginning of this year, he injured a front paw doing zoomies, and the recovery took months - months of orthopedists, second opinions, and me learning more about canine rehabilitation than I ever planned to.

The weekly acupuncture helps, genuinely. It also showed us how much pain he'd been hiding, which is the hard part of loving a stoic breed - they don't tell you. Last week we went one step further and saw one of the best rehabilitation vets in the country. She found tension all along his back with a pinch test, then did a 20-minute laser therapy session over his whole body. Afterwards, the same spots pinched loose and easy. The inflammation is real, and it responds to treatment - both good things to know.

The plan going forward: acupuncture every two weeks, continuing the ozone therapy, and - this is the big change for me - starting proper pain medication. I've resisted long-term meds for years, always wanting to solve things naturally. But watching the pinch test, I had to admit that my preference for "natural" was being paid for by Sami in discomfort. The rehabilitation vet was kind about it and clear: managed pain means a happier dog, better movement, and slower decline. So we're doing it.

He's six and a half now. He still does his morning carpet-face-rub, still guards the balcony, still runs the household. The goal of all of this is to keep exactly that dog around, comfortable, for as long as possible.

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