When I uploaded this picture of Star it was just because I thought it would accompany a blog post about how she makes herself comfortable and hogs the best seats in the house. However, since I uploaded she has somehow injured herself, so the photo is accompanying a blog post about that instead.
We walked both dogs on some forestry land on Tuesday evening and they both got excited about some exceptionally muddy water they had found. Both dogs raced around, full of the sheer joy of being alive - and being up to the armpits in muddy water. Star doesn't suffer pain quietly, so I was surprised to notice that despite not having made a sound she was suddenly racing around on only three legs rather than four. In typical canine fashion the leg that was for some reason out of action was just held up off the ground, while the remaining three functioning ones did all the work.
She has occasionally developed a slight limp on walks before, and we always check her paw and leg for any thorns/etc that might be in there, but usually by the morning she has made a full recovery. I hoped this would be the case, although I was dismayed to note that she couldn't even get herself up onto the sofa back at home, instead employing the strategy of getting herself in front of her sofa of choice and then imploring us with her eye to lift her up. She could step over the doorstep on the way out but not the way in. The following morning saw no improvement, plus she was out of sorts in herself. Instead of being her cheerful self, she lay on the sofa (once lifted up), head and tail down, dejected.
The vet could feel nothing wrong, although the leg was swollen. Due to the fact that Star just wasn't using the leg, the vet asked us to bring her back the next day for an X-ray. So that is what's happening today; instead of being at home on her blanket, snuggling up to something comfortable as you see in the photo, Star has had nothing to eat since lat night, nothing to drink since seven this morning, and is now at the vet's surgery having her injury investigated further. Despite having Buddy and two naughty kittens still keeping us company, Jenny and I both feel the lack of Star. Please keep your fingers crossed for her that there is nothing seriously wrong and she will soon be returned to her customary tail up bring-it-on self.
Take care,
Julie xx