Grounded Puppy

Cheyenne's back leg wasn't getting any better after a week of rest so I brought her into see the veterinarian. A complete exam and a few x-rays later, our beloved vet said he had good news and bad news.

The good news is that there is no permanent damage and she did not break anything.

The bad news is that she has a stretched ligament and needs a month of "rest".

Of course, being a Lab owner, the first words out of my mouth (with a chuckle) were "What do you mean by rest? She is a Lab."

She will need on month of no playing ball, no running after a lazer light, no chasing anything, no dog park, no jumping on/off/over/through/etc anything, and pretty much keeping 4 paws on the ground at all times - for a whole month. We are even supposed to let her out to go potty while keeping her on a leash only, just in case she sees a rabbit and tries to chase it.

Hello?! We live in Wisconsin where it is snowing at this very moment and so cold that my limbs will fall off after two minutes. Let alone the ground is slippery and I can see Cheyenne pulling me along like a sleigh without a care in the world while I try to keep my balance in my bath robe and slippers first thing in the morning. *laugh*

Thankfully we live on a small bit of land so we don't really have to worry about the leash part. However, we must do our best to give her a full month of rest for the vet has warned us that should the leg not get better, she may need surgery. I think that is enough of a scare for any dog owner to listen to the wise veterinarian - even if it means losing their own sanity in the meantime.

Wee Pup Pains

I just hate it when something I do causes one of my pups pain. One minute we are playing ball and the next minute my Cheyenne lets out a sharp cry that makes any dog lover's heart burst in agony. As she falls to the ground, I jump into defensive mode to protect my wee pup. She never gets hurt during play - she is a tom-boy through and through. "She just need to walk it off", I thought to myself until I notice that her back leg was in the air and she was refusing to put it down.

My body pushed itself to get to her faster then my brain has time to think. I let her know it is "ok" and begin to massage the area. Being Cheyenne, no more sounds come from her as I move parts of her leg to see where the damage was done.

Luckily for us, it seems nothing more then a very bad sprain. I immediately gave her some of Dakota's Metacam and crated both dogs for a couple of hours of rest.

The entire weekend was full of hardly any play and only the shortest of walks as she continues to favor the leg every once in a long while. There is no serious or long term damage - just something that takes rest and loads of love, of course.

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Happy 3rd Birthday, Cheyenne!

Today my little wee Labrador Retriever celebrates her 3rd birthday! It is amazing to realize that 3 years ago today her little life was being brought into this world. Only 8 weeks later would I meet her for the first time - a tiny little 10lb puppy with floppy ears that were too big for her head and sassy spirit to let everyone know that she was full of spunk.

It was her spunk that paired her with our family. At the time Dakota was still a little wired and our breeder didn't want to bring too docile or timid of a pup into our home. Funny how Cheyenne came home and Dakota calmed down instantly. Now we have our energizer bunny Cheyenne and a big mush named Dakota.

But life wouldn't be the same without our Lab bundle of joy and energy. Cheyenne is my shadow and has a huge place in my heart. We are two peas from the same pod and she is my love bug. Sure, she loves to play and is a true retriever at heart but all she wants is love and affection; that is what truly makes her happy and one look at her face and all humans are eager to please.

So, Happy Birthday to my beloved canine companion and furry baby, Cheyenne. Here's to many, many, many more years of health and happiness by our side!