Injury/Insanity

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...

New Town, New Vet, Past Due

Airlie's vet visit last Friday went fine. She was almost 6 weeks past due for her annual vaccines, so we had to go with the 1-year shots, rather than the 3-year ones. She didn't enjoy being there, but she never does. Still, she was good. She weighed in at 48.4 lbs. The staff was friendly, the facility was clean, service was quick. Being that it's a community outreach, "low cost" facility, it wasn't the same as visiting an actual vet clinic, and I'd opted not to do the wellness exam, which was an additional $25, so we didn't meet the actual vet, or establish any relationships, but still... she's UTD on vaccines and her prescription for HW  meds has been mailed off. It still cost me $100 ($15 rabies, $19 DHPP, $19 Lepto, $15 prescription, $30 heartworm test, $2 "disposal fee"), which was a little bit more than back home (and I should have just had her done 6 weeks early, back in July before we moved, rather than waiting till we moved here and been as many weeks past due). I wish I had gone that route. If I had had the money, I'd have done the wellness exam, just because there are a few questions that I have. Next time.

I thought she'd contracted flea tapeworm, from eating rabbit poop out in the yard (dang rabbits!), but I wormed her for that and... nothing. I'm still going to give her the remaining dose tomorrow, since I bought it and all... 

Running!

I took Airlie running with  me last night. I really, really miss the treadmill, and the speed I used to sprint at, the elevation controls, etc... Running outside is very different and very humbling. You can't run as fast or as far, initially, because of the difference between running in place on a moving belt and propelling yourself forward on solid ground. The first week, I had to walk the hills. I ran for 4 minutes on day 1 before resorting to alternately run/walking. Day 2 I made it 6 minutes. The next week, 8 minutes on Day 3, 10 minutes on day 4. Then I fell off the wagon for 2 weeks, between the weather and feeling discouraged. Last Tuesday I ran the majority of the full neighborhood loop. It tok me 10 minutes. I stopped at the stop sign to wait for traffic and ended up walking the rest of the way home. I resolved to run all the way to the mailboxes the nest time (been stopping to pick up the mail at the end of my run). I did it! I ran a full 15 minutes straight and Airlie did too! It was her first time going running, and our first time using the jogging leash I bought a few years back. The leash was originally intended for Leo, but between walking the dogs in the morning, teaching classes all day, and the weather being too hot as the day wore on, I just never did it. Airlie, however, needs more exercise since we've moved here. The neighborhood route being only 30 minutes is insufficient, and since the hills add difficulty for Kansas, it's more than enough for Kansas and I feel mean keeping her out any longer. The plan is to alternate Leo and Airlie on runs, so nobody gets any overuse injuries. Airlie is really, really good at home, but you can just tell she's struggling with pent-up energy. She did the whole thing with no problem and I am really impressed.

Four Years Old!

Tomorrow should be Airlie's' annual vet visit, and introduction to a  new vet and vet clinic, since we've moved recently, but finances are not what we expected and I can't afford to take her. It's going to have to wait a while. Maybe not too long, but it irks me. I like to keep their vet visits as close to their birth dates as possible, that way I remember them and when they are due.

The Easter Bunny Came

Updates and Things

Airlie continues to experience intermittent bouts of bloody stool. It's definitely happening in conjunction/correlation to rainy weather and eating mud in a certain part of the yard. Much of November-February was spent experiencing excessive rainy conditions (compared to recent years), with it raining weekly, and sometimes more frequently than that. Bouts of bloody stool would occur within 2 days of the most recent rain, usually a day or so following the first day when the yard was drained enough for the dogs to spend any time at all outdoors. All 3 of the dogs eat mud, and from the same parts of the yard, but the other two do not experience these issues. I've managed to control it by monitoring Airlie closely when she's outside, making her come back in whenever I catch her digging up and eating mud, and using welded wire fencing pieces to cover up the areas where the dogs tend to dig. Once the yard dries out, it's mostly not a problem, though similar bloody stool will sometimes occur if/when Airlie eats too much grass or too many sticks. Again, both of the other dogs also eat the same grass and sticks, with no problems.

I really believe this isn't true pica, but rather obsessive/compulsive, boredom behavior typical of such high-energy canine personalities. I did begin adding a basic vitamin supplement to Airlie's diet about a month ago, but it hasn't really changed anything. I did also purchase a "digestive aid", but only began using it a couple of weeks ago, opting to wait until she had another bout of bloody stool. There hasn't been any more vomiting, and the "raspberry jam" appearance appears to have been staved off, with the blood in the stool being more old, dried and coagulated, rather than fresh.

She's just a pest and it's all about monitoring her behavior outside, correcting her (she responds to "off!") and keeping her body and brain properly exercised.

One idea I'm holding in reserve is switching her to a "sensitive stomach" formula food, if things continue or become more frequent.