Well, running ground to a halt after just one month. Airlie was really enjoying her Tuesday jaunts around the neighborhood. That final week, I had actually worked up to running her twice in one week- Tuesday and Friday.
Unfortunately, she began limping not long after that, and was still limping 3 weeks later. This week, it seems much better, but I am still trying to pinpoint the issue.
Studying videos of limping dogs on YouTube, I suspect elbow dysplasia, but when I read up on that condition the description doesn't fit.
Then I thought, shoulder injury, and this video has some great techniques and helpful tips, so we've been incorporating massage, though I can't find any knots or sensitive places.
Mainly, she needs crate rest, but her mind is just not cut out for crate rest. If not for the limp, I'd say she wasn't even "in pain". She still chases the other dogs around, instigates wrestling matches, brings me her ball to throw -though I have held off on Frisbee for the past two weeks, more due to the weather, than anything.
She just has this odd way of holding her right foreleg out, away from her body, when walking. She tears off running through the yard with no problem, and while she may limp at the beginning of our morning walks, initially, whatever it is seems to work itself out over time.
I honestly don't know if she stepped in a low spot while running one day (the roads are bad- riddled with potholes, cracks and uneven places) or maybe landed wrong catching a Frisbee, or stepped in a low spot in the yard then. Her paw pads are fine and her nails aren't too long- I cut them weekly, they grow so fast!
There's always the possibility she is , once again, imitating Kansas, who limps on the same leg for real reasons- arthritis in her dysplastic hips meaning she bears more weight on that leg, which is now arthritic and tender after several years of such posture.
I can't really think that running just once a week for 4-5 weeks was enough to cause this much of a problem, and I can't understand why it's taken so long to heal.
She's a very physically active dog, and, mentally, she is not great at being still or occupying herself with other tasks. She has really driven me bananas these past 3 weeks, between the "injury", the time change meaning daylight ends at 5:30pm, the lack of Frisbee, ball play and running... Between the first week of Daylight Saving Time, the following week being cold, overcast and rainy/muddy all week, last week's temps being in the 30s each day- even the sunny days, thanks to the cold wind- she is nutty and so am I. I can barely tolerate her constant hovering and neediness. She just doesn't understand that between the weather and the lack of daylight, there's not much playing outside to be done, and resting her leg? Forget about that!
I guess I'll start her on Missing Link, too...
