Vet Trip (Kim)
Kim toodled off to the vet last night because I was very worried about her weekend performance. Thank doG for our very patient and very understanding vet, who listened when we said that the only “problem” was that she had been slow and uncomfortable when running and jumping in an agility ring, and we had no idea what it could be. I was all prepared to hear him say we were being daft and that it was age, her heart, just an off day, etc etc, here’s some painkillers, blahblah. I should have had more faith, because I know our vet is awesome. Instead he gave Kim a thorough checking over, including a bit of spinal therapy, and even had her trotting up and down outside the practise for 5minutes whilst he checked her movement.
Anyway, first things first – anal glands. (Nice, I know.) Kim had been scooting around on her bum a bit this week so we did suspect this, and they were very full and uncomfortable. Getting them emptied has probably made the most immediate improvement to Kim’s cheerfulness, unsurprisingly! A huge thank you to Jean who immediately said it was a gland problem after watching Kim run at EMDAC, and gave us loads of advice and tips on what we could do to avoid it in the future. (This was probably the main problem this past weekend.)
Heart: Very good, all things considered! It sounds fit and healthy apart from the murmur, our vet really doesn’t think there’s anything to be too concerned about at the moment, particularly as it’s not affecting her.
Lump: One of those head-scratchers. It could be a tumour, but basically only because it is a lump. It came up very suddenly and then reduced in size initially, which isn’t exactly the standard procedure for tumours. Much more likely to be a cyst as a result of an impact injury. (Interestingly on her right side, so possibly related to the muscle stiffness?)
Anyway, 30minutes later and we do have a diagnosis. Kim has restricted movement on her right lumbar region, starting mid-back and extending to her hip and into her right leg. There is a little bit of stiffness in her left LR but nothing like to the same extent, and it’s most likely caused by compensating for the right. It’s a typical injury in active dogs who do a lot of running and jumping (ie. agility, flyball, working trials), so our vet really stressed that it’s nothing to worry about.
Treatment? Acupuncture! This is a new one for us, but our vet is doing the treatment himself (apparently he’s been qualified for just over 14 years … I had no idea!) Kim’s off for her first session next week, and she’ll probably have another 2 or 3 sessions after that. She should be done by the end of the month, and she’s allowed to keep training and competing in the meantime.
I’m going to film Kim’s movement this week, and then film it again at the end of the month, and see if there is a noticable difference.