If you read my last ‘ruff reality’ diary entry (it is HERE if not), then you will recall that the last three weeks have involved me cleaning up after Clover and putting her on a diet of chicken and rice. You may also recall that I jokingly wondered what Clover had planned next for us. Well… that’s what I get for joking about such matters I suppose…

We are currently nine days into August- what I shall now refer to as ‘injured leg week.’ Injured leg week has followed directly onwards from anal gland problems fortnight and then diarrhoea week- perfect, an entire month of issues.

We have established that Clover has the energy of the Duracell bunny. Clover is also aware of this fact and acts like the Duracell bunny on a daily basis. If she’s not zooming round a field, then she’s zooming round the house, barking for me to play with her or nudging the back of my leg or chair with her knee. She does sleep, and she sleeps often- but it’s like she’s powering up to cause more havoc from the moment her eyes next open. Anyway, I digress…

Occasionally, Clover returns from day care with a bit of a limp. “What on earth has she been doing?!” I ask the day care lady. “Chasing a Husky” is the response I always get. A Husky. She has also played chase with Rottweilers, Great Dane’s and basically all other breeds of dog, big or small, that you can imagine. Chase is her favourite ever game, but when she’s up against bigger dogs, it comes at a price.

So, the injured leg is not new for myself or Clover. When it first happened, obviously I panicked. I was ready to chuck her in the car and take her to the vets. But, following wise words from my mum (who has four dogs herself), dogs, like people, can pull a muscle or strain something if they do too much exercise or just simply overdo it a bit (something which Clover is very familiar with.) It was clear that she has just pulled a muscle from running at lightening speed to chase dogs which inevitably outrun her. She does it occasionally, and we fix it together. We do so by having short walks (or no walks at all), no jumping up on sofas or beds and attempting to discourage her from using the stairs. All of which intend to take the strain off her leg… none of which are easy when your dog is like the Tasmanian Devil on steroids.

The problem this time was that we had a long weekend planned near Devon. A weekend which normally comprises long walks on the beach, across the marshes and through the woodlands. Good timing Clover. We do these weekends regularly and Clover loves it. I love it too because she’s so knackered everyday that I get to enjoy a bit of this thing that people call peace and quiet. Not so much this time. We still did the walks, but they were much shorter, and not as many. Clover was clearly agitated with the leg and I would never do anything to put her in further pain or discomfort. So we walked until I felt it was right to come home each day. We also took lots of breaks and I left her in her bed in for hours and didn’t take her to any of the places that she normally comes… to the pub, to the shops, for dinner etc. So Clover didn’t have as much of a good time as usual, and I was overwhelmed with guilt for leaving her behind some days… even though it was the right thing to do and the best thing for her (that’s the beauty of dog ownership!).

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We’re back from our break now and Clover’s leg is much better. She’s still hobbling a little bit but it’s clearly not causing her as much discomfort as it was. Which on one hand is great, obviously I want Clover to be better as soon as possible. On the other hand, she knows her leg is feeling better and is starting to demand walks. She normally has two walks a day for an hour each, yesterday she had a half an hour walk and today we didn’t walk at all. It is the right thing for her to do, to allow her time to rest it and to recover properly. The trouble is, Clover doesn’t know the meaning of the word rest and is currently bombing it around the house. I don’t want to have to confine her to a small space, but I will if she continues, just until her leg is better. And then I’ll feel guilty about it, I expect.

It’s so hard when they are poorly or injured. Life becomes even more complicated than usual and the constant concern for their welfare just increases. I’ve had to cancel the dog walker (because obviously Clover can’t join in big group walks, even on the lead, although she would very much like to.)

Hopefully, by the end of the week she’ll be totally back to normal again, and then our long walks and playtime can resume. But for now I will continue to worry, stress and pander to her… which are three things which I do regardless.

Head to my ‘top tips page’ for more tips before dog ownership, or back to the ‘ruff reality diary’ for further recent entries.

Alternatively, head to my ‘things nobody told me’ page for insights into the things that nobody told me, and which I wish I had known, before dog ownership.

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