A week ago on a warm, dewy morning up on the hill by the Paine house, Sabrina took out Riley's good leg. He was minding his own business, happily grazing on the fresh new juicy shoots of grass behind a hill. Sabrina was 100% fixated on the tennis ball and Chuck-it I had in my hand. I usually try to throw it over the hill so that she has to run up the hill, then down to get the ball, then back up and down the hill to return it to me. More bang for my buck, is what I think.
I cock my arm back to give the Chuck-it a good sling and the second the ball was about to leave my possession, I saw Riley's head appear at the top of the hill. And the tennis ball sailed in a straight line directly over him with Sabrina sprinting after it. But it was too late. She, of course, sees nothing but the path of the ball and as Riley came up over the hill she ran right THROUGH him which actually ended up being his right leg. I could not tell if she knocked his hip, knee, leg, whatever. All I could hear were Riley's cries. Screams actually. Terrible, pitiful, heart-wrenching cries that I still, today, cannot get out of my head. He headed straight for me, crying, clearly in a lot of pain. I instantly shifted into protective Mommy mode and ran to help my baby boy. I slid my left arm under his belly, supporting the weight of his hind-quarters and tried to calm him down with soothing words. Little by little I massaged his right leg, first the hip, then down his thigh to his knee, and then his ankle. He accepted the inspection and seemed to relax a little bit. After 10 minutes, I finally had to let his weight down and it was happiness to see him trot off. His gait was still a bit off and he was definitely standing without putting weight on it, but he was able to walk and trot back to the car.
Back at home, an ice pack, homeopathic remedy, and extra fish oil was in store for him. My biggest fear was that we were planning on leaving for vacation in just a few days. Sabrina and Riley were going to Auntie Dory's house to play with Agave for 5 days. I feared Riley would not get the rest he needed to recuperate from the injury. I could not imagine going through another knee surgery with him. I would do anything not to have to have him go through that again. So for the next few days, close leash walking and only one short walk a day proved to be just what he needed.
It's now over a week since the incident. We went up to the Paine house this morning and Riley would not go anywhere near the "site of the accident." In fact, he was quite spooked when I headed in the direction of the hill. Tail down and eyes sunken, he turned around and headed the other direction. I found him waiting by the car. My poor sweet boy! So we headed into the woods instead and he happily bounded into the thick brush. Funny how smart our furkids are huh?
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