Just a sprain

"There's no permanent damage."

These words answered my prayers. Riley developed a limp about 2 weeks ago. After 6 days of rest we went to our regular dog park to play with his friends. That night the limp returned. Now, another 6 days later, we are at the chiropractor's office in Framingham. This wonderful woman is a human chiropractor but also sees horses and dogs. She is highly recommended in the world of animal orthopedics. The doctor took a look at all of Riley's joints, watched him trot up and down the corridor a couple of times, and made two sets of adjustments. Most of the adjustments were to Riley's hips, but a few were in his neck and shoulders. She explained to me that dogs play rough, often wrestling, tousling, snapping, jerking, and body slamming. This puts the skeletal system out of whack. Quite similarly to how people get un-aligned, I suppose. So Riley's right side was showing weakness because it was slightly lower than his left side. Thus, the injury was simply one symptom of his weaker side. We will be back next week for a check up. But regardless, we are delighted with the wonderful news. The fears of arthritis, dysplasia, and bone cancer have melted away.

On another note, Riley had a wonderful visit with some of my clients today. I brought him to meet three of the children I see in a social therapy group. We talked about non-verbal body language and how we can communicate feelings without talking. Their job was to monitor their own body language around Riley and watch to see what he was trying to tell them through his body language. It was the perfect task for these children who struggle everyday with the subtle social cues of non-verbal communication. Concepts such as point of view suddenly became clearer to them as I helped them understand how Riley must feel, not knowing anyone, strangers crowding around him, all wanting to touch him. They were quick to notice if he was backing away, wanting some personal space. They were also delighted to see his tail wag when he came up to smell their noses. Gaining attention and eye gaze are often difficult tasks for individuals with Autism and PDD. Today, the children practiced giving Riley commands by calling his name, waiting/watching for his attention, before telling him to sit, or walk, or shake a paw. The children were enthralled and all did wonderfully.

Riley was himself. And he did wonderfully.