Bedrest for Boo
Yesterday it rained all day long – just a light drizzle really but a persistent one.
The plonkers loved it. Rain means mud and easy digging. And it was not cold.
Geraldine wears the rain with much more elegance.
Can you see the raindrops on her feathers?
Boo went to the vet and evidently his hips are in bad shape (the Vets words) she said that the hips will get worse over time. She also said that he has torn the ACL in his right knee. If we are not careful the ACL (and I have read it called the CCL or is that something different?) can deteriorate and eventually snap. They are like two ropes that wrap around the joint. So he is now on anti- inflammatories and a carbohydrate free diet. (Carbohydrates increase inflammation) and bed rest. Boo is already on a joint supplement so the vet said that he should be on that for the rest of his life. He and Tane are already taking Turmeric but the Vet sees no harm in it so we will continue that anyway.
I am still researching this and not quite conversant with it yet so forgive me if my veterinary vernacular is not quite correct, yet.
Because I have not let him run or jump since he started limping he is also putting on weight. He has to lose this weight.
So – ongoing – no more jumping. No more running through the long grass or along the ditches, ever. No more playing fetch. He can work the cows in a few weeks but only at ground level. No more jumping on or off the back of the truck ever. If his limp is gone in a week or so he can start little walks but if the limp does not alleviate with this regimen he has to go back in for sedation and an xray. And possibly an operation.
However with luck and a lot of bed rest the joint will strengthen and repair with new tissue growing around the tear. So we are hoping for the non surgery option. But he has to be very careful. The threat will always be there. And he is Boo – he does not want to be careful. So I have to be careful. And without the x ray we still don’t know the extent of the injury.
So I will start putting money in a jar for Boo – it looks like there will be expenses ahead for him and we need to save for that. And he hates the Vet so much he literally quivers with terror. Ton came to the vet with us to have his shots and he wandered all over the place getting pats and showing people his paws. He loves the vet clinic. But poor old Boo just hates the place.
The good thing is that I train my dogs from pups to take pills so we have no trouble with the medication.
Here is an interesting and simply written article on this condition. (It is an advertisement as well which I have ignored but the information matched what my own vet said).
The Vet who treats Tane was not there yesterday so I will call him today.
And look at this. Here is Tane’s cat yesterday evening already in bed and awaiting the arrival of her pig. A nice addition to yesterdays images. The light was low so Tane was out of focus but he is that big black out of focus blob in the corner. The moment he sees me he moves.
Poppy’s piglets have been weaned. Though really it is the other way round – I always take the mother away not the piglets away. The piglets need to stay in the familiar space. We don’t want to frighten them. So in a way Poppy was weaned from her piglets. Before I wean the babies I increase the cows milk and feed that the piglets eat, so they are taking more food from me and less food from their mother. This helps the piglets and the mothers udder.
Poppy went to the West Barn. She left her piglets and without hesitation jumped into the stock trailer and rode over to the west side, when I went to get her out she was standing with her feet on top of the back gate of the stock trailer, excited, down she got, I opened the gate, she jumped out and trotted into the West barn and around to her big back pen. “Where’s my treat?” She has done this before!
Manu and Molly were interested but Poppy will not join them for a while.
After last nights chores I took the farrowing pen side gate down and now the piglet’s area is three times as big and they had a marvellous time running through all that deep straw. I don’t let them have deep straw when the mother is present – they hide themselves in the straw and go to sleep and when they are little the mama can stand on them. (I have seen this happen with my first sow Charlotte and never want to see it again) So this pile of deep deep straw is a new toy!
I hope you have a lovely day and I wish all the American members of the fellowship a Happy Thanksgiving.
Love celi
68 Comments on “Bedrest for Boo”
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Poor Boo, I hope his leg heals with no surgery required. My dog, a little west highland terrier, had same issue years ago and he healed. Also trembles as he starts en route to vet. He has arthritis now and has to take pain meds everyday now and we still have to try and control him if he sees a squirrel, a challenge he is a hunter to the core. He is now 13 and a feisty wild old boy that loves being warm and still plays like a puppy. Good luck keeping Boo quietly resting!
That is very comforting – thank you Snow. I hated to see Boo on the chain this morning while I fed out but he always chases Ton and leaps all over him at feed time..It will be a bit of a haul I think. c
We all wish the best for the Beautiful Boo. What a terrible thing for a dog such as he to deal with. How do you feed the turmeric? In a pill? And Poppy is a stitch… she knew when it was time to be gone from those babies! It’s always satisfying when a weaning goes well.
The turmeric is in a pill yes, I take them too. Well you know Poppy, If I had not evacuated her immediately to the other barn she would be taking out fences as we speak! c
Celi, My 16 yr. old Luc, a German Shepherd lookalike-mix, had 2 ACLs (I think his were called) showing on his x-rays about 11 yrs. ago. He didn’t have surgery but took novox & tramadol for anti-inflamation & pain for about nine yrs. & then I took him off everything but his glucosamine condroitin which he still takes. His initial limp went away long ago & never returned. He quit jumping up of his own accord but he never gave up chasing passing dogs up & down our fenceline & running the occasional wild hair circles around the back yard. He has to get up steps (me too) to our front & back porch but has always done it in quick bounds. He has had a long fun life even with these long ago tears, & is still perky & getting along fine so far in his advanced yrs. My son has to lift him into the car to go to the vet which he hates like Boo, with tremors & cowering & sometimes even muzzling for his threatening grrrrrring. So I say do as you are doing & plan to do, but if he is determined to be a busy dog like Luc I think he will run again when his tear heels. Luc & I send him our best wishes for his hips to hold up & repair too. Judith
That is a comforting story – thank you – Boo never walks, ever – he runs everywhere – however the weather is in our favour – inside by the fire is something he enjoys in the winter.. c
Poor Boo. I feel for him. It is sad to not be able to follow your nature, to jump when you want to jump. I hope he finds joy in less strenuous tasks. Baby sitting perhaps? He can be Nanny Boo without being jumpy Boo, I suppose. And as for the plonkers…I am laughing out loud. That pig with dirt on its nose looks like a dessert crumble. Sort of. Lots of love to my favorite farm.
I know! Isn’t that pig hilarous – he had mud stacked up on his nose that looks like a rhinoceros horn – and there is even more mud today. c
Long live Rhinocepiggy!
Poor old Boo. I make an anti-inflammatory ointment using extra virgin olive oil and infusions of comfrey (for bone healing), Yarrow (for soft tissue healing), and cayenne pepper (to bring up increased circulation and also anti-inflam), and essential oil arnica for anti-inflammation (about 20 drops per ounce of oils), with some bees wax to make it thick enough to stick to the body. I don’t believe any of these are harmful for dogs. It works nicely for people. And it can be rubbed on joints and painful areas. If you don’t have these ingredients, they can be purchased on-line. It can also help with pain. Calendula flowers can also be added for pain and skin soothing, and aloe vera for healing. Works great for people too – arthritis pain and swelling, muscle aches and pains, pulled muscles and such as well. Hope this helps.
Thank you Di, sounds like quite a recipe !.. c
That’s interesting, I make a salve out of olive oil. coconut oil and beeswax. I use it for everything from moisturizing to cuts and scrapes. It’s worked wonders on my little goat’s flaky skin on her ears and on whatever was making my little dog chew the hair off the front of his legs. I will have to try the additives as I just had six xrays of my neck only to be told the disc is still bulgy and there’s lots of arthritis – in other words ‘deal with it’ – ha.
Poor Nanny Boo.
Happy Thanksgiving to all of you 🙂
I will pass it on! c
Oh Boo. Get well, buddy. xx
I will give him a pat from you – Have a good day Misky darling
Thank you, and you, too, c.
Poor Boo. If someone told me I had to be still, not jump, not fetch things or lift I’d be bored and fat as a tick! I’m already in my winter size bigger jeans due to not doing my usual summer work for the last month or more. The ongoing photo series of Tane and his cat delights me. Kind of makes a person feel warm and fuzzy! 🙂
And when I went out to get them up this morning the cat was still sleeping deep in her straw cuddled up next to Tane and Tima. They will have a good winter all together/c
Really hope Boo’s bits and pieces sort themselves out…he’s a lovely dog and clearly you mean a lot to him. God knows how you do all this work….have a good Thanksgiving even though you will see my opinion of pumpkin pie in my blog:)
I have a very strong opinion of American pumpkin pie too – I call it cinnamon, sugar pie and cannot eat it. I am not a fan of cinnamon and nutmeg together . I will pop over!
Spice mooshy gourd!
Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours. Extra hugs for Boo. Wondered how old he was not that it makes much difference other than in the quickness to heal. Loved the raindrops on Geraldine’s feathers. i know where the the phrase “happy as a pig” came from. Yours all look happy all the time. Lulu is such a good friend to Tane waiting patiently for him to cuddle. Starts my day out perfect. Thank you. Marlene Herself
Boo is in his fourth year – i think – his arrival is somewhere here on the blog. It was an April. Have a lovely day Miss Herself! Such a rebel you are.. c
Only 4! I’ll go look. I am a rebel these days. One day, I’ll write a post about the name. 🙂
Poor boo. I know you will do your best for him. It’s horrid having to try and keep an active dog quiet when they want to carry on as usual. All my dogs have hated the vets.
The poor Vet. I was sitting on my chair and Boo sitting next to me when she walked in the door, in a flash Boo jumped into the gap on the seat, right BEHIND me, and peered trembling from behind my back. She looked crest-fallen but Ton made up for it by rushing her wagging his tail. c
Are you able to purchase CBD Oil? It’s refined hemp oil especially for animals. When I’m in front of computer later this morning, Oregon time, I will leave another comment with the link to the company: PetReleaf.
Reason I ask is that our Pharaoh, a GSD, has bad rear hips and the CBD Oil is certainly making a positive difference. Pharaoh will be 14 next June. (His picture is on the home page of Learning From Dogs.)
Pet Releaf’s home page: https://www.petreleaf.com/
that will lead one to Hemp oil for dogs: https://www.petreleaf.com/product-category/dogs/hemp-oil-dogs
Poor Boo, wishing him a speedy recovery. I was going to suggest Boo and Tane spend time together, but I guess LuLu would not be best pleased 🙂 Laura
The light in your pictures is beautiful and I think the raindrops on Geraldine’s feathers are glorious. I hope the joint pain is manageable for your two boys. My frisky dog had a gimpy walk for a few weeks from overuse and jumping, but did improve with rest and medication. She’s fine now but if she gets into rowdy play, starts hitching up her leg. It’s tough to fight their nature, but it will improve. The remedies discussed sound interesting. Best of luck.
Boomer blew out his knee two times. No more jumping for him! I use dmso to help heal his knee. He really likes it. You can find DMSO in the horse care isles. Just a thought.
Linda
It is the anterior cruciate ligament in humans, canine cruciate ligament in dogs. You might want to check out the blog Bob and Sophie’s French Adventure. The writer lives In France and has a Polish Lowland sheepdog named Sophie who just had cruciate surgery. Hope Boo gets well soon with your love and care.
It sounds like Boo has hip dysplasia, a condition common in cattle dogs. Our heeler had it, too. If you start a fundraiser of some sort to help with the vet bills, I’ll gladly contribute. 🙂
I am shy of asking for money – we will see whether he responds to the pills – however if it comes to an op there is a Donate button below if you feel inclined – but lets wait and see. Many thanks for the kind thought. c
Nose kisses for Boo. I always worried when I saw him doing those high leaps, and am sorry he’s on extended bed rest. I try to limit Mirrhi’s jumping as she limps sometimes, usually after local kids have been throwing the ball for her to make her jump and I take my eye off them for a minute. I swim her more now, she’s just as happy to chase a ball into the river as on dry land, but not an option for Boo when it’s so cold. A winter by the fire sounds ideal.
Swimming is a good work out for dogs. And yes – I am afraid that the summer with the summer people throwing balls (at his request) has done him in – though Ton is just as active. But there you are.. c
Good luck with the rest for Boo. My little dog Alfi had his cruciate ligament operated on just under 4 weeks ago. He’s a “jumper” too and is making an amazing recovery (thank God I took out insurance this year for the very first time). My problem is keeping get him quiet and still. He’s supposed to only be walking gently on the lead…ha! He was so poorly after the op but I’m glad I had it done as he is still relatively young (6). The turmeric seems to be helping too so hopefully Boo will do well with rest…but it wasn’t an option for Alfi as I just wouldn’t have been able to keep him still for the recommended couple of months!
and the success rate for the smaller dogs is way higher than the bigger dogs , about 50 percent better the Vet says.. I hope Alfi continues to do well!
Thanks so much, it’s true that it’s a much tougher op for bigger dogs 🤐
Loving hugs & scratches to Boo, and I suspect that Luc’s friend JMCheney has good supplementary advice to your vet’s—GSDs are famous for hip dysplasia and other joint problems, so both JMC and the vet are likely to have great advice that’ll be good for the amazing Boo. Happy, happy Thanksgiving to you, for whose friendship and wisdom and beautiful blog I am tremendously grateful, and to all of the farmy!
❤
Kath
My thoughts and wishes too. I am especially grateful for the images of Tane and his cat. I can’t quite say why I like the arrangement, but it moves me every time I see them together. And now that the cat anticipates bed time– there’s a communication there that by metaphorical extension makes me hopeful about our politics.
Back in the early 1990s my dog Butch had surgery for the cruciate ligament, it took awhile but healed well and he would run around the dog yard just fine. I had to carry him up and down the stairs until it did heal but that wasn’t a problem. I suspect if Boo has a nice winter of rest, he’ll be fine come spring. Butch loved having a heating pad to lay on and would settle with his bum knee on the heat and sleep. It’s hard for a dog that is used to running and jumping around to be stopped from doing so, however, as you say, winter is coming at a good time for Boo to relax inside. We did have to watch the weight issue, but I’ve always somewhat underfed my dogs and didn’t have a problem. I seem to have dogs that live long lives for the most part.
Hmm – the heating pad is a good idea – i shall investigate.. c
Just make sure to wrap it in something water resistant and put a towel or blanket over it. I had it under the dog bed with a waterproof crib mattress pad around it.
I am looking into it now – they are expensive but I am hesitant to buy a second hand one – Poor old Boo – it is hurting him too.
I found this one (https://www.amazon.com/Moolecole-Waterproof-Electric-Heating-Blanket/dp/B018A8QL38/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1480201309&sr=8-7&keywords=heating+pads+for+dogs) and this one (https://www.amazon.com/Electric-Heating-Waterproof-Heater-Blanket/dp/B01BBDS236/ref=sr_1_9?ie=UTF8&qid=1480201309&sr=8-9&keywords=heating+pads+for+dogs) for about $20.00 plus shipping.
Ah, Boo, poor boy. He’s such a streak of lightning it’ll be hard to keep him still, but there’s a good chance he’ll mend, from what everyone is saying. Can you get Voltaren Emulgel there? It’s an anti-inflammatory rub design for arthritis and so on, but works a charm on all kinds of sore joints. It doesn’t smell great, so he’s unlikely to lick it off. Plus it’s not hugely expensive.
Lovely grubby-nosed piggies, enjoying the mud. Have a good Thanksgiving, which I’m sure will be free from the worst excesses of diet, seeing it’s the Farmy!
I took a fantastic salad from the garden – c
Ah, not Boo! He has been of such immediate value to the farmy since he came. These sort of issues aren’t common in blue heelers either, are they? Bred to do the work, and work he does. He will not take kindly to bed rest.
He is a cross and we are not sure of his breeding but the heeler part is pretty hardy .. c
Is he! He really looks 100% blue heeler.
He is too big for a heeler – and look at his ears – plus the gold. However I think he is crossed with an Australian Cattle Dog which is where he gets his height from . c
Ah! Hard to see height when I would only have horses to measure by (my one and only heeler-friend). Oddly enough I almost typed ACD instead!
Plus it is hard to see his height in photographs. c
I have no idea of the height of pigs or your various coos, either!
Oh dear-poor Boo…..hopefully he heals easily and also gets used to a slower pace of life. Thanks for the Thanksgiving cheer- we are all thankful for you and all the other dedicated
farmers who grow our food with so much care and mindfulness.. Bless you!
I just went to your site and tried to comment but it won’t let me – however I love your image of scotland! looks like my kind of country.. c
Just curious about the amount of turmeric you give Boo. My little dog has a hinky disc in his lower back that sometimes acts up but he only weighs about 25# so I don’t know if a whole capsule would be too much. I do take it also along with magnesium, trying to keep the arthritis at bay. I know I have seen therapeutic dog beds in one of the multiple catalogs I get. That may be of help for Boo. When I worked for a vet I observed a ccl repair in a Newfoundland, big dog! It took four of us to lift him off the table into the recovery pen but he healed wonderfully. I wish the best for you and Boo, so hard when your buddy is suffering. The pics of Tane and his cat always make me smile!
Boo gets a Teaspoon (one capsule a day) – I take two. It also has blood-thinning properties so probably best not to take with other medicines. Boo will go back onto his when he has finished his anti inflammatories. I hope Boo does not have to go the surgical route – he would be so difficult to keep quiet afterwards.. c
Best wishes for Boo. Can’t even imagine trying to keep him still.
What does the hip problem mean for his working duties?
Oh, poor darling Boo. Good luck with keeping him still and quiet C.
Have a wonderful weekend.
🙂 Mandy xo
As was noted above, the ligament is called cranial cruciate ligament (CCL) in dogs and anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in humans. It’s a matter of anatomy – dogs, it’s towards the head, people, it’s towards the front. The CCL/ACL is inside the joint, and keeps the femur from sliding forward on the tibia (the caudal/posterior cruciate keeps the femur from sliding backwards). Why cruciate? The two ligaments cross over each other in the middle. There’s a meniscus in the knee, too. It acts as padding between the bones. A tear in the meniscus can cause the same pain as a CCL injury.
There’s a couple of different surgical options, depending on the size of the dog and the surgeon’s training. Placing a big heavy suture around the joint to mimic the CCL function is the easiest to do, but prone to failure in bigger and/or more active dogs. Another option is to change the angle of the top of the tibia to reduce the sliding of the joint. That surgery is usually done by a specialist veterinary orthopedic surgeon – much more complicated surgery & recovery time. But the end result is generally less prone to failure in big dogs.
Another issue with a CCL injury – once it’s a problem in one knee, expect to see the same injury in the other knee at some point. Often within 6-12 months of the first side, especially if surgery is needed. The same tendency is there, and during the recovery period, there’s extra stress/weight shifted to the “good” side. And generally speaking, there will be arthritic changes in the knee, regardless of the treatment. With surgery, there tends to be less arthritis, and it takes longer to develop.
Sorry to read about Boo. You may remember that I blew out my knee last year and, although Il’ll never dance the can-can again, I get around just fine now, I hope you’ll be able to say the same for Boo.
You are always so busy .. I love seeing Tane and the kitty together. Special. I hope Boo comes right. We had probs with our Dog Dan. Border collie who was so active. We had to seriously restrict his activities. He is good somedays and not so good others ..
I missed this, Celi, and only caught it because of your post today. I am truly sorry for Boo. ❤ Our little Tucker had similar issues with his knee and recovered nicely without surgery. He actually was very active until he got old and couldn't see the ball anymore.
That is hopeful! I think Boo is still TOO active but I have to let him out to the toilet sometime.. c