Dawn wrote to ask how we've been doing lately, and the reply was getting long enough that I decided it needed to be a post. :)
We've only had a few flurries and some rain since Christmas--although on many days our temps have been in the teens overnight. One morning last week during our first walk of the day, the grass itself was slippery with ice. Don't think Trudy noticed, but I certainly did.
I haven't let her run much this past week. On Tuesday or Wednesday she got up limping with her left front leg, the one that has bothered her before. The first time I saw something wrong was in the summer of 2008, just a couple of months after I adopted her. The vet checked her out and x-rayed her, and saw that she did have some arthritis in her shoulder. She was given some medication for the pain (Metacam or Metacap stick in my mind, but I could be wrong.) She took those tablets for about a month and she was fine after that--until the early fall of 2010. The same symptoms, same diagnosis and medication, and the same outcome: Feeling better and wanting to run.
But for some reason this recent episode seemed a little different. I've noticed for a while that her lower left front leg, just above the paw, does not rise straight up as her right leg does. Instead the lower part is at a slight angle backward up to the first joint, and goes straight up from there. All this just seemed a matter of curiosity until we woke up that morning. When she got up to walk she seemed to hesitate before putting her foot to the floor. It was very noticeable.
By the time I was fully up and dressed to take her for her walk, she had worked the kink out enough that she was able to put weight on it and just limped a little. I feel OK with going on to work, then. By evening she was walking better still, and I haven't seen any more than just a hint of stiffness in the mornings. But I'm definitely keeping my eye on her. No more running circles in the park, ALWAYS leading with her left foot, until I can get her checked out. If only I could keep her from trotting circles in the house, too.
