Hurt
My sweet MargeDog is hurt. Last Monday, after playing really rough and then laying in a crate for a couple of hours, she came up gimpy on her left front leg. She seemed to work out of it for the most part, but I didn't do too much with her the next day in agility class, just as a precaution.
She seemed fine the rest of the week, so I ran her at agility on Thursday and then at the trial this weekend. No weave pole or contact issues.. and she was running really fast.
This Monday, I noticed she was lame when she got up off of the couch. She seemed to work out of it somewhat, but not completely. When it continued in to Tuesday and today, I decided to get in the car and take her to a canine PT. My regular vet knows nothing about soft tissue injuries.. so there was no point wasting time and money going there.
As it turns out, she's having spasms in her left shoulder (one of her Teres muscles, to be more specific). Her iliopsoas (hip flexors) are also ouchy. Basically, her body is telling us to slow down... let her rest.
For the next two weeks, Marge will be on very restricted activity. No running or jumping. Leash walks will be limited to ten minutes, twice a day. She'll also be sleeping in a crate instead of on the couch (since she isn't allowed to jump up on the couch). We'll also be doing some shoulder and back stretches.
She won't be running any agility for at least a couple of weeks. We had some trials lined up for early-mid September.. those are likely a no-go. Early October is a better bet.
She'll be re-evaluated on August 30. If I do a good job keeping her quiet these next couple of weeks, we may be able to start her on some exercises then to get her back in shape. One activity she might be partaking in is the underwater treadmill. That should be interesting..
She was decently well behaved while she was there.. a bit wriggly, particularly when she was being lasered, but she was in no way aggressive, just extremely scared. My poor girl.
I'm really sad that this is happening because I hate that my dog is hurt. I also can't help but wonder if I could have prevented it with more proactive treatment.
Keep your fingers crossed for us that Marge can get back to normal after a couple of weeks...
7 comments:
Shoot! Those are really common agility dog injuries. Fingers crossed that rest does the trick.
Darn. My fingers are crossed for you and Marge. Perhaps the PT who you do underwater treadmill stuff with will have suggestions for preventive exercises. I bet that Marge will bounce right back but I hope it doesn't cut into all of your fall trial plans.
Just recently, my vet went to a conference where she learned that research is showing that active dogs should be doing preventative stretching and strengthening for their whole lives (plus lifetime glucosamine to prevent injuries). Our vet gave us specific exercises for each dog to do... I hope that someone can do the same for Marge!
Does Marge like to swim? It's great exercise that's easy on the joints. It's helped Morgan a lot. Good luck. Keep us posted on how she's doing.
Just don't be surprised if t takes longer to heal. Sometimes, because dogs don't show us they are hurt until its really bad, it can take several months for muscle injuries to get better. I hope that isn't the case for Marge.
Sam, I like your blog and loved it on blogionaire.com
Sending healing vibes Marge's way!
Stop on by for a visit
Kari
http://dogisgodinreverse.com/
Hope Marge is healing even as I type!
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