My heart is just sinking again today.  Juno is limping on his back leg again.  I feel so bad for him.  He just wants to run around.  He limps on it for a few steps, sometimes will stand with that foot up off of the ground but then as he gets moving he walks with it, pretending like there is nothing wrong.  

About 9 weeks ago he jumped off of the bed and wouldn't even put any weight on the leg for a whole day.  A trip to the vet, X-rays and sedation indicated that there was just a small tear in the CCL.  So crate rest is was for 3 weeks so that it would heal.  OK so that's not all the easy with a GSP as we all know but we all adapted and it almost seems like Juno has really mellowed out with all of this inactivity.  He seemed OK then we foolishly just let him out loose and of course that just hurt it again so this time rest but with a slower introduction to activity.  Short walks, swimming, short fetching and building as the weeks went on.  He's been doing fine.  Had a good romp with a puppy last week and everything seemed like it had healed up OK.  It has been over 9 long, long, boring weeks.  It's hard, no long walks, no playing with other dogs, no frisbee.

And then this week he was chasing dragon flies through the yard and must have torn it again.  He is walking on it a bit and the vet says that again it is just a small tear.  So back to resting.  So sad.  We all miss seeing him run around free in the yard and out in the field.  He is young and should be running (1.5 yrs).  We are just worried that anytime he decides to go a little harder that we are going to have to go through this.  What a "sucky, lazy" life for a GSP.  Alternatively he will just have a total "Blow out" and we will have the surgery and be done with it.  That doesn't sound like a good option.

Anyways I guess that this was more just a way for me to vent and feel better as I feel so bad for the guy right now.  Thanks for listening., non-dog people don't understand.  I have heard such things as "he's a dog, he won't use the leg if it hurts too much", "he's got three other legs to use". Poor guy he just doesn't know what is going on.

Well, maybe this should have been a blog.  I'll have to look into that on here if this is going to go on for a while.  Thanks for listening.

Rats. Dulcie has been fighting some gimpiness in her right hind leg now for a while, although my mushing mentor (who probably knows more about dog lameness than my vet honestly) said she should be able to keep going on it for a while. It's heartbreaking to watch indeed though.  

If you do decide to do the surgery, definately do the TPLO instead of the 'fishing line' type. The former may be more expensive but the outcome is often excellent.

I swear, members of this breed often runs on sheer heart and enthusiasm with no appreciable sense of self-preservation. Rogan is the poster child: he'll KILL himself in harness until his feet are bloody if you're not careful. *sigh*

Sorry to hear about your dog. How old is your baby? These dogs will act like there is nothing wrong when they get out to play. My one male jumped off the tailgate of my truck when he was a pup and his foot got caught between the cable and the gate. Well he broke 3 toes. Try keeping a 4 month old in a cast and keeping him still. That was nuts. He is 2 now and he's like watching a gazelle run around the yard. Especially when they are out trying to catch those flying grasshoppers. Sometimes he'll bump it or jam it while he is running and yelp. He'll limp for a moment then he's right back to business again. My vet says it's fine. Maybe it's like us where our old injuries come back now and then to bother you. It is so hard to keep them down. So much energy and zest for life.

My other female ripped her toenail in half on ice. I had to have the whole nail removed to the pad. Not fun. I was able to keep her still for like 4 days then she was relentless. Thankfully that went well. I hope if you go for surgery it'll be ok. Sounds like a good idea if the same injury is happening. Depends on the age of the dog too. Good Luck.

So sorry to hear about those GSP injuries  we have experienced shoulder injury with Rocky and hip injury with Poge. Poge as a pup jumped out our car window and injured his left hip. Of course he shut his self down until it healed and Poge needed no surgery .  Once in awhile thur out his life it would act up to the point Poge could not walk on it. So we would take him to our Vet and he gave Poge a cortisone shot in his hip and it would straighten him out fast within a few days ,he had no limp.. Now Rocky, tall and springy will leap high up and spin to catch tennis balls, dummies ect. He would hurt his right shoulder and limp. So I started I a warm up program for Rocky.  Every morning  when he wakes up, I massage his front chest alternating with his hip.  Our first walk in the morning is around 2 fields on an extension leash to warm his muscles up further. Then Rocky comes in for his breakfast, followed up with going outside for a full run off leash.  We do light tennis ball sessions thur out the day once Rocky is warmed up. This routine has worked for us.  Also for Rocky's nails, I take him to our Vet every 2 months for a nail trim. Personal choice as I hate trimming dogs nails We learned with our first GSP Poge when his nail ripped off after growing too long.  Hope some of these tips help

I agree! I have 5 of these dogs. I trim them myself. I am lucky that 3 of the 5 have mostly the white nails. The other are a bit tricky. Especially my Mocha. She has had to have them fixed at the vet twice. Both times while running in the winter. I'll be getting her boots this year.

Oh man I feel so bad for Juno...I will be hoping for a speedy recovery!!!