Dog Gone Fall....

Ever since our return all I've done is YARD WORK!! A trillion stix and limbs, another trillion lbs of leaves, and the grass was high underneath since it didn't get its final cut as normal so back breaking work has been going on!!  My trailer is loaded down and I'm not done yet!

One thing I know is this: nothing stays the same! On Thursday Nov 5th the dogs were running through the  pasture to intercept the annoying dog that belongs to "that" neighbor you know the one like we all have the one who won't do the right thing...he lets his dogs run loose ....no fence so they roam freely and cause havoc in the community at will.  They enjoy teasing my girls up the back fence line so I normally keep the gate shut so they can't get into the pasture!  But I have a lot of work to do down there so I had the gate open.   So they were running full blast I tapped on the window to try and get their attention and perhaps slow them down; did no good!   Shortly after Annie bounced back into the kitchen via the doggie door but where is sister Floss? I opened up the dog she stood there holding up a back leg...hmmmm

Upon examining it found nothing obvious, but I have seen this before in a dog we had in the past when my son was growing up her name was Dixie, 

Dixie 1998

she blew out her ACL (the ligament that holds one's knee in the correct position) doing basically the same thing...running too fast.  We had surgery performed on Dixie's leg.  She never walked right again and she ended up blowing out the other leg a yr later! 

So A trip to the vet confirmed my suspicions about Floss's injury he said they is no way to know if its torn badly but he said surgery is normally the way to go gave me some anti inflammatory for her and she is to rest for 2 weeks and we'll see...

So she ran out of the meds yesterday I have tried to keep her quiet and only take her out for bathroom breaks she is putting weight on the leg again but hobbling along before she was hopping on 3 legs...I found a website that says surgery is NOT necessary if the dog is kept quiet for a minimum of 8 weeks.  I know Dixie had to be kept quiet for many weeks even with the surgery so I have devised a plan based on my feeling that she can recover this injury without surgery After all I injured my ACL and did not have surgery it still gives me pain, the vet said even with surgery she will NOT be the same it does NOT guarantee a return to "normal" the surgery stabilizes the knee until the scar tissue forms and that stabilizes the knee. 

Vet said she has to lose weight (she was 66 lbs) she is normally around 63 he did not give me a target weight but I think a 5 lb loss would greatly benefit both my dogs except Casey he is still 20 lbs...but he only 8 inches tall and 24 inches long lol.

I've tried to keep them both on diets but Mom is a pity feeder...so I've had to INSIST she keep out of the dogs feeding period she over feeds and gives TOO many snacks between meals So My plan is this: 8 week rest period, a diet change, adding bones to the diet, supplements, finding the best Kibble with high protein and low carb content!

 I'm going away from canned dog food to Salmon, canned white chicken and canned ham.. Human canned foods... dogs need different kinds of proteins than we humans need...ones available in meats, fish, and eggs.  I don't deal well with meat...Fish I can handle I hope!  I have never given them grain based kibble but the canned dog food has Wheat, Wheat Gluten, etc in it and the kibble has too high a calorie content based on the carbs present...I'm currently feeding 4-Health Salmon and Sweet potato.  

So I may to go with Blue Buffalo its so $high$ but probably worth it I see Purina  has one called Beyond...so I'm on the search for a good kibble, changing the canned dog food to canned salmon I will crush up the bones in it, I am going back to giving the knuckle bones for chewing, and back to Glucosamine  additives.  The web site I read said you should see improvement in 8 weeks if the dog is going to recover without surgery...although the restricted exercise period will be determined by the dog's progress...SO I'm in for an intensive couple months of dog care NOT how I wanted to spend the remainder of the Fall...and I had agreed to keep Maggie for 2 weeks...So my life is going to dogs..

:o) Bow Wow for now brown cow!

Floss on the right 

PEACE

Eleanor Roosevelt: You must do the thing you think you can not.