Monday, May 23, 2011

Doggie Update

This Wednesday it will be 12 weeks since Little Sally Pumpkinhead's surgery. I have been worried about her as she is was still limping and the Vet said she would be completely healed by the ten weeks mark. She is better and we have worked up to two 12 block long leash walks each day. I also walk her up and down the stairs at the park band-shell. The Vet said once she stops experiencing post-exercise limping she no longer has to be on a leash.

Yesterday I woke up with the thought, "What if she is only limping because she thinks she still needs to limp?. What would happen if I force her to put more of her weight on the so-called bad leg? Before her morning walk I got a nickel, some vet wrap, and a dog bootie. I held the nickel to the bottom of her good front leg, wrapped vet tape around it and then put the bootie over the tape. Little Sally Pumpkinhead did not like this and at first tried not to put the wrapped paw on the ground. After half a block of walking with the booted leg up in the air she settled down and and started walking normally. The nickel in the bootie caused her to put more of her weight on her other leg and for the first time in over two months her walking gait did not have a glitch in it. No limp during the walk and no limp after the walk. I think I'm on to something.

9 comments:

Rain said...

Very clever and to her benefit. I suspect we as humans do that too... Okay, know we do and need somebody to nudge us to use what we think we cannot.

Kay Dennison said...

What a clever solution!!!! You are brilliant!!! 

drD said...

Nice psychology there. Our doggie used to switch on his (long-healed) limp when he felt like a bit of sympathy. They are cleverer than we give them credit for sometimes...

la peregrina said...

I like that. :)

la peregrina said...

Actually, this is something my husband read on a hunting dogs forum.  A man whose dog had a stone bruise on his paw kept limping long after it had healed so he did this to  the dog. My  brilliance is realizing Little Sally Pumpkinhead was doing the same thing.  ;)

la peregrina said...

True, true, true- all furry little scam artists.  :)

ally bean said...

Very smart.  Glad that she is doing better thanks to your cleverness.

Tara said...

I agree with everyone... you are so clever, intuitive and loving.

la peregrina said...

Tara and ally-  why thank you. :)