It was a beautiful day so instead of doing the hike they'd planned, they went on a longer hike that was about three hours. Sparkie got to be off leash the entire time but the two youngsters were on Flexi leads the entire time. Even so they got a lot of running in during the hike.
By the end of the hike, Boogie and Sparkie were tired but 2iggie was still zip-zapping everywhere and was eager to do much more. But Mike thought they'd had enough so they came home.
About two hours later, we took Boogie out to do some tracking. He is doing so well and really loves it. He's progressing well but I'm finding things we definitely need to work on.
When we got home, less than an hour later, 2iggie was in a lot of pain. She moved from spot to spot trying to get comfortable and was crying a lot. We tried to think of all the different things we'd fed her, what she ate on the hike, etc. but we couldn't think of anything that would have made her sick. She was a very unhappy puppy for sure. When it came dinner time, she ate just fine, drank fine, and was doing her business fine. This was good as we figured it meant there wasn't any blockage anywhere. But she still wasn't happy at all.
Monday she woke up and was still not happy. She ate fine but I noticed that her tail was way down between her legs. I figured she must be in a lot of pain because her tail is always up, kind of like a flag pole.
It wasn't until later in the afternoon that Mike tried to lift up her tail. She screamed loud! That's when I remembered somewhere way back in my brain that there was some kind of syndrome when a dogs tail goes limp. I seemed to remember that it usually had to do with dogs that did a lot of swimming or swimming in cold water. But 2iggie hadn't been in the water.
So I called Karen Hunter figuring she'd know about it since she has a doggy swimming pool. She wasn't home but Steve looked it up on the internet (we were traveling so had no access to the web). Sure enough, he found it.
This condition has many names, all meaning the same thing. Of the six or seven names, Broken Wag seemed most appropriate for 2iggie. If you look back at previous posts, you'll see 2iggie's tail is always wagging high up in the air. Here's what it looks like now (Tuesday) at full arousal. All other times it hangs straight down. This is about 180 degrees lower than normal!
It's a little better than a couple days ago but still not the flagpole we're used to. She can't wag it at all. It's just one sad, limp tail.
After researching the condition we found that it is usually found in dogs that have been kept in a crate for long periods of time and therefore have a very low conditioning level. Then they go out and exercise a lot which overuses the muscles. The poor dog then ends up with Broken Way (or Limber Tail Syndrome). It is very painful (as we saw) for the first couple days. It can take a few days to three weeks to heal. The dog is to rest until the tail returns to normal. Poor 2iggie - she had too much fun after a year of spending most of her time in a crate.
Boogie, however, is in fine form! We made the hour and a half drive down to Phoenix Monday for Earthdog practice. At the very beginning of practice a rat got loose in the yard. So they needed a dog to find it. Guess who got called for the job? Boogie!! He was so happy. He took off like a shot and immediately ran to a particular bush. He disappeared into this large four foot tall bush. Just a second or two later, there was no doubt Boogie had captured the rat. Good boy, Boogie. What a hunter. Job well done, back in the car he went. What?! That wasn't what he had in mind at all.
During practice he got two turns (like always). Here he is entering the tunnel at full speed. I find it amazing how far he has to crouch down yet he can make his way the 30' to the rats in six or seven seconds. He even has to go over a roller inside the tunnel and through a constriction.
We worked on his two problem areas and he was perfect! Let's hope he remembers that this weekend during the test.
Here is my attempt at an artistic picture of Boogie at Earthdog practice.
At the end of practice another rat got loose. I don't know how Boogie got so lucky but they called for him again! He was in heaven! He again found the bush where the rat was hiding but this one was trickier. It got out of the bush without Boogie noticing. Mike noticed and called Boogie....who came like a shot. What a good boy! He chased the rat into the next bush where he made the catch. Just to let everyone know - after practice the rat carcasses are taken to the local wildlife rehabilitation center for the animals to eat....well except for the one rat that Boogie ate. Of course right after eating the rat he wanted to give me a big kiss. I wasn't so receptive!
We didn't get home from Phoenix until almost 9pm. Boogie sacked out on the couch in his normal position. Why is it that every time I try to take a picture of him sleeping, he opens his eyes as wide as possible just as I start to push the button.
Debbie
3/21-23/10
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