Crappy Ice and Puppy Paws

[K9karen]

Logan hates rain but LOVES the snow and has been bounding like a gazelle. She made a path for herself down our slope onto the flat lawn.

Wednesday night, as she was running back up, she suddenly stopped and limped with her right front paw bent back. No yelps or screams, except from me.

She let me touch her shoulder, elbow and wrist, but when I touched 2 toes, she flinched. She hobbled around all night. John carried her up and down the steps. The vet fit me in Thursday. No breaks, and of course even though she still held her paw up, she let the vet examine her with no reaction. So, the guess is that it's a toe sprain or stub. She's on Rimydal for a week and Tormadal for pain if needed.

Anyway, she seems much better today and is smart enough to stay on flat ground to do her outies.

I'm so sick of 2 feet of snow and ice and slush. Spring can't come fast enough.

[Lori Jordan]

Its Coming!!! I too can't wait,This winter Maggy seems to been having a hard time with the snow!she used to be out all the time while Jamie does the snowplowing,Now she screams to get in.

[Cinder & Smoke]

... when I touched 2 toes, she flinched.
She hobbled around all night.
John carried her up and down the steps.

No breaks ... she let the vet examine her with no reaction.
So, the guess is that it's a toe sprain or stub.

Careful --- this sounds like a Milk Job in the making! >>>

Years ago my (RB ) Shepherd/Husky - Shadow - managed to
BREAK the outside toe on her back foot - and was "wrapped" from her
toes up to her knee for about a month.
Doc said it would "hurt" for a while, and she'd "favor it" -
which would hasten the healing...

"FAVOR it"!!??
You'd have thought they cut the whole LEG OFF!

I swear the ONLY time that paw touched the ground was when she
had been outfitted with a protective "baggie" to go outside for a walk
or potty trip... SOMEHOW it didn't "hurt" so much when there
was no one around to exclaim "Oh you POOR Baby!"

She VERY Quickly learned that the more she *hobbled* & *limped* -
the More Attention and Sympathy she got...
"WE" created a *monster*!

Suddenly she couldn't *jump* into the car ~
"Dad, I need a *boost up*, please."

After a week of *practicing the hobble & limp* ~
she decided she just couldn't manage to *hop* up the stairs from
the basement and garage to the first floor ~
"Dad, kuld you *carry* me up??"

I did that ONCE - but she *blew it* a hour later after I "bagged her up"
for an outie - and watched her TROTT AROUND on ALL Fours for an
hour when she thought I wasn't watching...
Called her in and she suddenly couldn't manage the three front steps!

I smelled a rat!
It was dinner time - called her again to come in...
*WHINE* ... *WHIMPER* ... ... Can't make it up the steps, Dad.

(Dinner was "served" on the front porch -
with me "peeking" out the window...)
I'd hardly closed the front door before she had her head burried
in the moments before "unreachable bowl"!

Hmmmmm... I bagan to taper off on the "POOR Baby" routine.

But alas;
my "Friends" continued to lavish gobs of *sympathy* on "Poor Shadow" -
and no amount of my telling them that she REALLY wasn't "hurting"
had any effect towards reducing the *sympathetic
support* she enjoyed.

LONG after (MONTHS after) the "wrapper" came off,
and the Doc pronounced her FULLY Healed...
she finally "gave up" on trying to use the *hobble* & *limp*
routine with ME ~ but
EVERY Time we'd visit the Fire Station or a customer would come into the Shop ~
Poor ol' Shadow would suffer a sudden "relapse" of
"WOE iz me - my paw'z jest KILLIN me!" and
begin the *hobble* & *limp* routine, basking in the outpouring of fresh *sympathy*!

The only "flaw" in her routine was her downfall -
she began to forget WHICH paw had been the SORE Paw!
Friends would *notice* and began asking me:
"Which paw did she hurt??"
The correct answer was RIGHT - REAR...

"Uhhhh... she just "LIMPED" over to me holding up her LEFT Rear leg!"

It got SOOOO Bad she was often observed to try a few "limps" with
EACH of all FOUR legs being "tried out" to see if ANY of them
would generate a "POOR Baby" response.

Rest In Peace, Dear Shadow -
Dad really *misses* you!!
__________________


Hope Miz Logan recovers with minimal pain & drama.

[K9karen]

Ok, I know she really hurt when she couldn't find a comfortable position to lay down and declined jumping on the big bed.

When she did her outies, she didn't even try the hill and actually obeyed me when I told her to *go over here*!

Last 2 days...hhmmm...the big bed was really comfy again. Oh, and..was that a squirrel critter on the tree branch? Gotta run and get it. Uh...*taps foot, crosses arms, yells her name*. Where's the poor hurt pooch? Roaming in the deep snow and sniffing and going through snowy bushes for 1/2 hour. She returns with a huge smile. And no paw lift.

All seems good. Loved your Shadow tail, Phred.

[Freedom]

Glad Logan healed up so quickly.

Mine get snow crunched up between the pads now and then, stop and hold up a paw with that sad Bassett Hound look. SOMETIMES I will carry the pup home. Mostly, I just feel around swich and squeeze and let it melt out, so we can continue our walk.

Phred, you are a terrific story teller! OK, so Shadow gave you good material to work with, ha haaa.

[dab_20]

Glad Logan's all healed! I know this winter Springen's nail was ripped off by a piece of ice! We had to take the poor boy to the vet and get him all stitched up.